Holy Moly, Ukraine is incredible...if only I spoke Ukrainian it would be that much better.
The people are so proud to be Ukrainian and are quite nice. They try their darndest to speak in English, but communication is tough since their language is based on Cyrillic not Latin (right?).
I spent the whole day working.
I got home around 7, and the stark daylight is really messing up my circadian rhythms. I guess Kyiv is far enough north that the summer days are very long. So, I dropped off my stuff and changed into casual clothes and then did a figure 8 around the blocks of the hotel, taking pictures. There is an insane "intersection" that I took a few shots of. There are no lines on the street; part of it is a parking lot; there are pedestrians, cars, buses, and Soviet trams (I have to get a photo of one!!); the road feels like you're riding on snow tires; and the whole thing looks like a roundabout. It's probably 2 city blocks across and 3 city blocks wide and has a park in the middle. The most ridiculous driving I've seen in a long time. There are also no lanes; what I would think is a single lane is at least a double, and I haven't figured out how you know if it's a one-way or a two-way street yet, and some are wide enough for a tank to drive through (uhh, maybe that's not so funny)!! There's a really neat mix of bland, Soviet concrete-block buildings, pre-1400s structures (churches mostly), more (like 1970s) modern buildings, and greenery. Down one of the streets, I saw no less than a dozen police hovering around their van, smoking and having a grand ol' time doing anything but their jobs. It seems like there is very little trust in the police, although I haven't sensed any hostility or aggression at all (more like resignation that corruption is everywhere). So that's a little sad to see. There's very little in English, although I do see a number of plaques on buildings that have an English translation (often National Bank of Ukraine, etc).
When I got back, I had dinner alone at the hotel bar. They had a nice selection of Ukrainian food...and English speaking waiters. I sat at that bar and chatted with Pavel, a pimply busboy/waiter who couldn't be more than 16 (but who spoke decent English) and who had spent many summers in Crimea. One of the country's main dishes is lard, I think, with a spice crust. I tried it -- it made me gag. But, I had pickled mushrooms, cabbage, and pickles (yes, pickled pickles, Jonathan/Elise, can you imagine!) too; then a normal salad with a ring of cukes and tomatoes (YUM!); and a national dish -- varenyky -- that is very similar to pirogies/large raviolis with crumbled meat inside and a light sauce with sauteed onions and sour cream...and of course a local beer (although the pull said Carlsbad and the glass said it in Ukrainian/Russian and the bill says "Carl", so maybe there was an error in translation). Delish!! All of that cost me 209 grivna (which is $15). I just can't believe how flavorful and rich (tasting, not heavy/saucy) the food is in EUR. I guess that's what it's like with all organic, natural, local, and fresh produce. That said, the coffee is crapola.
It was so interesting chatting with another Pavel, who is from Kyiv. He and his friends don't want TV anymore b/c they just don't trust any news b/c it's likely someone's propaganda. There is less a feeling of anger than of disappointment and disbelief that Putin came in and took part of their country (which Putin finally admitted to today) and now occupies more of it. They want him out, and they want to get their country back together and move on with life. But, many local people here don't think Putin is done with Ukraine; many are talking about bomb shelters and go-kits (although the Embassy seemed to think that was a bit overkill, then again, the US would likely evacuate if it got that bad, leaving the Ukrainians behind). My cabbie even asked me if the US would help Ukraine and not Russia (as though I have any say/influence). Oh, and on my ride, we listened to Ukrainian rock music with English words!!! Anyway, Pavel said that many of his friends' families have been torn apart by this because many of the older generations still live in Russia, and now families cannot/will not talk to each other. He says that people in Crimea are now fed Moscow's propaganda so that they stay loyal to him (which reminded me a little of Nazi Germany). I also saw more of those military posters today; will try to photograph them.
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