and some more of Kyiv

On St. Sofia's square looking down at St. Michael's Church.


St. Sofia's grounds


St. Michael's. This is actually a reconstruction finished just a decade ago. The original was destroyed by the Soviets.


The Friendship Arch - a gift from Russia to Ukraine. With friends like that who needs enemies??

More of Kyiv

Volodymyr Church near my flat.


My friend Dave in Shevchenko Park also near my flat.


Besarabskiy Rynok (local indoor market selling food)


Independendce Square


The other end of Maydan (Independence Square).

Girls weekend in Istanbul!!

The view from my hotel room balcony.


Lynne, me and Nicola outside the Grand Bazaar.


Hagia Sofia


Blue Mosque


Lynne, Ruth, me and Nicky. Helen - we missed you!!

Demonstrations

Demonstration by the opposition on European Square April 20.


More from European Square.


There were probably 25,000 people present. Not nearly as many as March 31st, but still a good turn out.


Some kids from the rival party brought over some signs trashing the President and Yulia Tymoshenko. They were promptly chased off and their signs burned.


Anyone have some marshmallows?

Back blogging

I was inspired this week by my friend Dawn and her blog from Japan and after remembering my password and where my blog even was here I am!

Yes, I am still in Kyiv and hopefully I can be better about posting some of the many photos taken since I moved here from L'viv back in 2005. Since I last posted I also have a new job....well, its not so new any more. February 1, 2006 I left AMP and started my job at IRI. Its been over a year, I've learned so much and am still really enjoying it.

Some of you have written regarding the political crisis currently going on here in Ukraine. This week there have been rival protests going on in front of/surrounding the Constitutional Court, as they hear the case on the constitutionality of the President's decree on dissolving Parliament. I just happen to live about a half block up the street from the building. Today there were approximately 15,000 people with 2/3 of the protesters being from the opposition. This weekend the opposition has called for people to come in from the regions. When they did this on March 31 over 80,000 people showed up. We'll see how many turn up this weekend.

More pictures & updates to come!
AK

Kyiv

Independence Square @ night.

Opera House

One of my favourite buildings in Kyiv. Currently, its empty.

On Sofivska Square looking down to St. Michael's Church.

More from the Orange Revolution

A tent "city" was set up on Vul Khreshchatyk (or the main street through Kyiv leading to Maidan (Independence Square). The tent city was kept up until free and fair elections were held and Yushchenko was elected as President.
There are some yellow flags mixed in with all the orange. These say ПОРА or Pora in English, which means "Now is the time". This is an organization, mostly of younger people which was intrigal in the organizing the demonstrations and the tent city. In the days, weeks & months before the revolution they were also harassed, had their headquarters ram-sacked & sometimes members even beaten by authorities.




Many things that happened during the revolution are so difficult to put down in words. There were all these feelings: anxiety, hope, commaradere, fear, but yet peaceful, excitement...... amazement.

"Razom nas bahato i nas ne podolaty" = was a very popular slogan of the revolution = "Together we are many and will not be defeated?" and "Svobdy ne Spynyty" = "Freedom will not be stopped!"

One year ago.......

These photos are from November 22, 2004. The first day of Ukraine's Orange Revolution. Orange is the colour of Viktor Yushchenko's campaign & where the revolution takes its name. There were more people even later on, but this day was was one of the most shocking. I don't think anyone expected what was about to happen for the next two months. I was lucky enough to be in Kyiv on this first day (much of the first week), as well as when the Supreme Court announced their decision of over-turn in second election and hold a run-off. Truly amazing nights on the streets of Kyiv!!
These pics are of Maidan Nezalezhnosti or Independence Square, where evetually a stage was set up and the opposition (Yushchenko & Team) would come out nightly and address the crowds, celebrities would perform & many speeches were given.









This says "Stop Lying"




Another night when I was truly amazed is when journalist from 3 tv stations came on stage and said they would no longer be controlled by the government and vowed from that day forward to act on their own and report the truth. I remember watching that on tv in my apt with friends on Channel 5. Before that night Channel 5 was the only channel to not be ruled by the government and was under constant harassment & being shut down from time to time.

More from Crimea

The Black Sea coast near Yalta.










Massandra winery.....not bad, but not great.....














More of the coast.











The Palace near Yalta where Churchill stayed during the Yalta Conference. Our hotel was not as nice by the way. :)

Autonomous Republic of Crimea

Our company retreat was held in Yalta, A/R Crimea at the end of October.






We included a costume party in honour of Halloween.





Colleagues with the Black Sea in the background.









Company photo (or at least most of us!)

More from Zakarpattya & the Carpathians

This is taken in a Hungarian village in Ukraine. Of course, I loved it! The sign in is Russian & Hungarian and says, "Heroe's Square".











My collegaues wife & I near the Romainian border. We stopped here and had lunch with a Romainian family, which are friends with my colleague & his wife.












Hutsul men with traditional instruments at the festival.











This guy wanted his picture taken with the American. He also wanted to keep filling my glass with horilka (vodka). Hmmmm.

Folk dancing....I like the background the best! :)

Zakarpattya Oblast & Carpathian Mts.

This past weekend some colleagues and I attended the Hutsul and Brinza (cheese) Festival in Rakhiv. Hutsul are a ethnic group of people living in the Carpathian Mts. and have traditionally been herders. They are known for their colourful traditional dress and making Brinza cheese. Brinza resembles Feta cheese & one of our client cooperatives will begin to produce it and distribute throughout Ukraine.
Yaremcha, Ivano-Frankivsk Region (southwestern Ukraine).
This is an restaurant built in the traditional Carpathian style.

These views are from the small town of Rakhiv in Zakarpattya Region. The town is located in southwestern Ukraine near the Romanian border.



Children in traditional Hutsul costumes.

Another pic from Yaremcha.