Home Again and Waiting

[Phil]
Just wanted to briefly update the blog. We got home last Tuesday night and have been playing catch-up ever since. We haven't received any news about our return trip to Ukraine, but I don't really expect to anytime soon. My uneducated guess is that we'll be returning in October or November, but of course a lot depends on the outcome of their September election. A change of leadership could cause delays or it could improve things in the long run adoption-wise. I just don't really know much about it.

You might wonder why I posted a photo of a Ukrainian chocolate bar. I'll let Robin explain:

[Robin]
Anne had told us that she had encountered clerks/salespeople that were unwilling to sell her something that was clearly available. She theorized that they didn't want to sell their last item--to keep it for display purposes. We thought this story was amusing, but then on our last day in town I went down to a little store near our apartment (the espresso machine at Kofe Khauz was broken and I couldn't get my latte--humpf) to order a coffee. I noticed that they had the very same chocolate bar displayed that I had wanted to get as gifts for my staff, etc (the "Olyonka" bar pictured above). So, I asked in very rough Russian if I could buy "that" and pointed at the bar. The woman shook her head and said "no" and pointed at another bar. I had to keep myself from laughing. I shrugged and then just bought the coffee. Needless to say, we only brought a few bars back. They were judged to be "yummy" by Helen and Tina (Dad, yours is saved in our fridge).

On the Way Home

Thanks to the free wi-fi in the JetBlue waiting area, I can briefly update the blog. We had a very nice flight direct from Kyiv to JFK because we got upgraded to 1st class for some reason. It was bliss. Now we're about 15 minutes from departing JFK to Raleigh. We can't wait to see everybody.
-Phil

An Evening in Podil

1. "Tiny Town" in Podil

2. Jim, Anne, and Robin at the Georgian restaurant in Podil

3. Embrace the dill!

4. View of descending funcular from the ascending one. The view in the background is the river Dnepr harbor area of Podil.

[Robin]
We met Anne and her husband, Jim, at the head of the horse in square in front of St. Sophia's and had a nice walk downhill to Podil. This stretch of walkway (Andriyivsky Uzviz) is very popular and lined with stalls with people selling souvenirs. Nearby there's also a new section of homes being built that Anne and Jim call "Tiny Town." (because it looks tiny when viewed from the park above). Probably four blocks of buildings that look close to completion but they continue to work on newer sections. None of it is inhabited, so it had the feel of being on a movie set (Suzi--Any minute the flash flood from Universal Studios was going to rush by...).

[Phil]
Anne and Jim also took us to a real Ukrainian market, where pretty much only the locals shop. Robin bought 2 very roomy but cheap bags that they call "babushka bags", since that's usually what they use to haul their stuff around in. After that we headed over to a Georgian restaurant, whose khatchapuri was MUCH better than the khatchapuri at USSR. We also had lodhi (a red beans with onion and parsely), and stewed chicken (which was not as good as USSR's), along with a plate of pickled vegetables. It was a beautiful evening and we had a great time (see photo above).

[Robin]
A comment on the bags I bought. These were also termed the "workers bags" in China. I tried to buy these same bags on that trip and could never find them in the tourist areas that they took us to. They are plaid and made of plastic and are used for everything from hauling groceries to being their suitcases for traveling.

Anne and Jim have been living in Kyiv for a while and had some great advice on places to visit and things to watch out for here. They are enjoying living here, and I think Kiev would be a good choice for someone who wanted to live abroad. They pointed out that pre-2004 Kyiv would have been a much more difficult place for us to visit. Since that time they have been amazed at how quickly things are changing and how "European" the city is becoming. They did encourage us to venture outside the city to see the real Ukraine. When we come back, I think we will definitely try to see some of the village life here.

Some of the pictures we will post will be a mix of things we have seen while here and didn't have time to post earlier. It's our last day here, and we may have just one more post (on the way home).

Walking in Circles

1. Here is the puppy that took a shine to us. He is sitting directly under Phil's chair at an outdoor Italian cafe.

2. An inside view of the USSR (CCCP) restaurant. We tried various Georgian specialties and were serenaded by a trio of musicians playing Queen's "We are the Champions" on traditional Ukrainian instruments. Very wacky.

3. Phil outside the entrance to the Dinamo Stadium. Fans in the background are buying tickets and souvenirs for the game later that afternoon.

4. Red line of the metro. This is the bottom section where we are waiting for the train to take us to the Motherland Statue area.

5. This is a view of the street we are living on --Prorizna.

6. Robin being weighed by a babuska on Khreschatyk Street. It cost 50 kopecks (about a dime).

[Robin]

We have spent the good portion of these last two days walking and trying to find the places we have wanted to visit. Yesterday we took the red line on the Metro down to an area that was supposed to be close to the Rodina Mat and the Soviet-themed restaurant we were looking for (USSR). We got out of the station to find ourselves next to a heavily-traveled highway. Way off in the distance we could see the statue. Consulting our map and a passer-by, we attempted to continue on foot but gave up about 15 minutes later when it looked rather hopeless to find a good cross road. Phil got a taxi for us and once we arrived at our destination, boy were we glad we gave in to the ride. It wasn't really near the statue at all (which the passer-by also told us -- "Very far. Take the bus").

[Phil]

The USSR restaurant was pretty entertaining. It was outdoors and was a weird mixture of tiki bar and Soviet schtick.There were photos of Khruschev and Yuri Gagarin, the flat screens all played classic Soviet-era movies, the waitstaff all dressed in "Young Pioneer" outfits, and the background music was 70's and 80's Russian pop. I had the "Meat plate"(bacon and some other smoked meats), khatchapuri with a raw egg on top (bad choice, and nowhere near as good as Liya's), and Robin had a really delicious stewed chicken with red peppers.

[Robin]

After changing direction and taking a different metro home (much easier on the second try), we decided to go to an outdoor Italian cafe near the Golden Gate. I really wanted a glass of wine, I'm kind of "beered out" at the point (although I really do like the Ukrainian beer brands, and they are the cheapest thing to drink). I had a very nice glass of Chardonnay (not really my white wine drink of choice, but wine by the glass was limited to one white, one red). We were enjoying our drinks and spotted a little dog crossing the park. Sure enough, she was drawn to us and came up right under our table and settled in to knaw on Phil's chair leg. It was so small and cute. Phil and I both petted the little cutie and then later regretted this decision when we read in our guide that they often carry rabies and typically bite. Oh, well, nothing like being suckers for a cute little dog.

[Phil]

We need to wrap this up now because we're meeting Anne and her husband soon. Today was yet another beautiful day, and we spent much of it strolling Khreschatyk Street and the various squares, people-watching like everyone else. And I finally got to go to the stadium where Kyiv's soccer team, Dinamo-Kyiv, plays. They have a big match here tonight against their rival, Dnipro, and there were already people there at 2 in the afternoon buying souvenirs and whatnot. I got a baseball cap and a very cool pennant for my office.

[Robin]

We also spent time looking around their large Communist-era department store. It was really interesting to see what they have on sale. Lots of chandeliers, tea sets, vodka, clocks, tea and gold jewelry.

Life is Beautiful

1. On our way to the Uzbek restaurant we passed a kitty sleeping on the ledge of a closed food kiosk. These kiosks are very popular for a quick soda, ice cream, beer or water.

2. The Pink Floyd-themed restaurant/bar 'The Wall", which was showing the Berlin Wall concert from the early '90s on their flat screen TVs.

3. The Uzbek restaurant Sharfar. The belly dancer is in the background. It was two floors with private rooms separated by gauzy cloths. Very cool and the food was terrific.

4. Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Square of Independence). People enjoy putting their feet and hands in the fountains.

5. One of the typically tall and beautiful Ukrainian women is in the foreground. The Monument to Independence is in the background (a golden statue with woman with a laurel headpiece).

[Robin]

As a respite from our journeys to the sad memorials, we spent the day today just walking around and looking for gifts to bring home. It was a gorgeous day in Kyiv--sunny, warm and flowers everywhere. I also had my first success going into a store alone and ordering something to take home in Russian (it was a busy bakery near our house)! We also managed to figure out how to turn our gas stove on and successfully cooked our baguettes with ham, red peppers and mushrooms....I was a little fearful that it would end up something like the washing machine experience as we sat there trying to find the pilotlight with a lit match.

We also took some pictures and had a beer in a very pleasant cafe on Independence Square. Here in Kyiv, they offer pistachios as their snack with drinks. Is this a great country or what? As today was Saturday, we saw a wedding party taking pictures in the square (as well as four more near St. Mikahil's Cathedral on our way to the wi-fi restaurant).

[Phil]

Also, last night we had a great time at an Uzbek restaurant. The shish-kebabs were delicious, the decor was very Arabian in a "Charlton-Heston-Ten-Commandments" way, and we even had a belly dancer entertain us. I had read about the restaurant in a Russian amagazine and there was a term in the description that totally baffled me. I said, "Robin, what do you think 'dance of the stomach' means?" Duh. She knew right away it was belly dancing. I guess I'm too literal!

So tonight we're going to try to go to a Soviet-themed restaurant near the Caves Monastery called "USSR". Hopefully it will be as cool as "The Wall", the Pink Floyd-inspired cafe/bar that we stopped in on the way to the Uzbek restaurant last night (photo above).

[Robin]

I've been thinking about what to write. This city is great for people watching. As far as we can tell, we have rarely passed any Americans, or even Western Europeans, for that matter. Most women stroll arm-in-arm and the men are hanging out in groups and laughing and having a good time. We have felt really safe walking around and if we have had anyone approach us it has been to ask me (can you believe this...) for directions. I don't think I look Ukrainian, but maybe people are more comfortable approaching a female with questions. And our apartment has also been an endless source of amusement to me. We live on the 4th floor and as we walk down our steps and out into our courtyard there is an ever-changing group of people are hanging out, smoking, talking, or moving their cars. We actually tried to take pictures of all the beautiful women today so that you (Spott, this is the place for you) all could see what we are talking about when we say how attractive everyone is. Of course, as soon as this was our mission we failed to find a "10" to photograph. We'll continue to keep a lookout. In the meantime, one of our pictures of the Independence Square shows a pretty woman in the foreground (Phil has gotten so jaded now that he said she's "ok"--ha!).

[Phil]

So true. We also should mention that our plans to go see Harry Potter today were dumped in favor of enjoying the beautiful weather. We may try again on Monday. Tomorrow night we're going to meet some friends of friends (American) for dinner at a Georgian reaturant in Podil. I can't wait. I haven't had khatchapuri (cheese pie) since Robin and I visited Dwight and Liya in New York so many months ago.

1-Week Anniversary

1. Robin writing on our blog at "Le Borsch". You can see the lunchtime buffet in the background.

2. Robin riding down the endless escalator at the Golden Gate metro station.

3. Phil in the Golden Gate metro station in the bowels of the Earth.

4. Side view of the Babi Yar monument.

5. No ice cream on the subway! And absolutely no sitting (? - I hope that's what it means) on the escalator!

[Robin]

It seems like we have been here more than a week, not in a bad way, but just that the days have been pretty packed and we've seen and done a lot already. Today we got up and had breakfast at the Belgian place. You are probably wondering what the attraction is of this particular spot, especially as we are in Ukraine, to explain this I will just say that it is close to our house, has a very pleasant atmosphere including a pretty above-the-street outdoor area, friendly staff and a diverse menu. This morning I had a frittata (that they called an omelet); it was really good despite being covered with the Ukranian national herb--dill--which is literally on every item of food you order. You must embrace the dill!

After breakfast we walked over to the metro station and Phil was able to buy four plastic coins/tokens for access to the subway area. One of the signs on the way in was a "no ice cream" symbol. I found this extremely funny and took a picture of it. Everyone here eats ice cream and there are an enormous number of ice cream kiosks surrounding every metro station and park. We proceeded to take the escalator down. It was the fastest moving escalator I have ever been on (Tina, it would have given you a heart attack). It also was the longest escalator (take the Atlanta airport subway system stairs times 10). We thought we had hit the bottom and then there was a short walk and then another equally long escalator down. It might have been 1/2 mile.

[Phil]

So then we made our way 2 stops to the subway station near the Babi Yar monument. It was definitely the fastest subway I have ever been on. You had to hang on for dear life. After we arrived at the station, we took an equally long set of scarily-steep escalators to the surface and then walked through the neighboring park trying to find the monument. We walked a pretty long way and only saw people strolling, drinkers, children playing, etc., but no monument. At one point we obviously looked lost, and a woman asked me in Russian "What are you looking for?". I told her "the Babi Yar monument". She gave some directions that indicated that we were going in the wrong direction, although I was still unclear as to where the monument actually was. As we walked back in the other direction, I decided to take a short cut on one of the paths through the woods. Bad idea. We passed the remnants of numerous homeless camps - broken bottles, trash, burned-out campfires, etc. I think Robin was getting a little freaked out, so it was a relief when we found the main sidewalk in the park again. So then at the metro station I asked a woman where the monument was, and it turns out that it was on the completely opposite side of the metro station and across the street. (Sigh)

[Robin]

There aren't many signs pointing out the landmarks. I can't help but think this must be how it is for non-English speaking tourists to visit the U.S. and try to tour.

Once we figured out how to find the right path, we bought some flowers to place on the monuments. There was a grey, wooden cross with stone memorials listing the names of some of the partisians that were executed. Then we walked a little further and there was a very large monument hanging over a hollow grassy area. The guide book stated that a lot of people think this statue is overwrought, but both Phil and I appreciated the scale of it and the somber cast to the very dark metal and depictions of twisted bodies stacked on top of one another. We placed some flowers at the site and really felt moved by the fact that over 100,000 died here at the end of a machine gun. Shocking.

[Phil]

What made the site even more sobering was that they had basically turned the parkland around the monument into a large depression, all the more so to remind you of the ravine where so many Ukrainians were murdered. The actual site is located in a different section of the park, although we never made it there. Apparently there is a sculpture of a menorah there in rememberance of the overwhelming number of Jews that were killed at Babi Yar. This is a fact that is not really acknowledged by the Soviet monument.

On a very much more mundane note, tonight we're going to try to go to an Uzbek restaurant that is not TOO far from our apartment. It was listed in a Russian-language Kiev magazine, so I imagine it's pretty accurate. Robin is excited because they reportedly have six varieties of rice pilaf.

[Robin]

I am also excited because they apparently have belly-dancers and/or Uzbek musicians. Last night, back at the Belgian place, they had a trio of live musicians: a violinist, electric guitarist and an accordian player. They played what sounded to me like Russian/Jewish folk music. It was great and I really enjoyed it.

Tomorrow we plan to walk around some more and then see the Harry Potter movie which is playing here and dubbed. The theater where it is being shown looks really cool and I think this will be a fun experiment to see what it is like to see a movie here.

[Phil]

Yeah, it's a really old Soviet-built movie theater at Tolstoy Place, and I've read that these kind of places are pretty amazing. We'll let you know...

Our Dogs Are Barking

1. The Motherland statue

2. Robin at Caves with headscarf and candle

3. Phil on walkway down to the lower Caves

4. Tribute to firemen who died at Chernobyl and letters of "congratulations your father died as a hero" letters to the families

[Robin]
Yesterday after we posted we did make it to the Chernobyl museum. To our delight it was open this time. We joined a group receiving a tour by an English-speaking guide. It was very interesting and there were details that neither of us had been aware of before the tour. It was sobering to realize that they continue to delay the completion date for the cleanup. They had widely publicized that 2007 would be the year, but now are saying 2022. The guide was a good one and highly critical of the official response to the disaster and pointed out the various ways they tried to cover it up. If you have kept up with the news, Japan had a serious earthquake a couple of weeks ago in an area that contains a nuclear power plant. They too delayed telling the surrounding inhabitants (for nine hours) that there had been any breach of the radiation.

[Phil]
In the evening, we decided to try a Georgian restaurant that had been recommended in one of our guidebooks. It was about 2 miles from our apartment, but we decided to walk it since the evening was so beautiful. As usual, however, the guidebook was out of date, and the restaurant no longer exists. This has happened about half the times that we've looked for places listed in the guidebooks. In any case, we stopped at a pelmeny restaurant on the way home and had some delicious pelmeny, which are meat-filled (usually) boiled dumplings, much like ravioli, except that are served with butter and sour cream instead of a tomato sauce. While we were eating, the skies opened up. We had a long walk home in the rain. We stopped in our Belgian place on the way home to have 100 grams of vodka and dry off a little. Then we went home and watched some Russian TV before turning in.

[Robin]
The issue, I think, with the guidebook being out of date has much to do with the construction boom in this city. Lots of buildings are being torn down and rebuilt with large metroplexes and apartments. This is definitely a city where people are investing in new buildings and stores. Today on our way to the Caves (which is one of the "must dos" for the city), we walked through an area that was very much the Rodeo Drive of Kyiv. There were lots of luxury goods for sale and designer shops (Guess, Gucci, Armani, etc.) lining the street on both sides. We have also been surprised at the variety of cars here--everything from Range Rovers to VW station wagons to Ladas. They park them right up on the sidewalk. Last night we saw a taxi drive up on the sidewalk and drive through a crowd of people to drop his riders off at the front door of the restaurant (real door-to-door service).

[Phil]
The other thing about the driving on the sidewalk is that there are thousands of heavy concrete flowerpots all over the city that business use as barriers to keep cars from driving up on their section of the sidewalk. I wish I had the Giant Flowerpot contract for the city...

So today we decided to finally make our way to the famous Caves Monastery. We knew it was a bit of a walk, but we really had no idea. It took us more than an hour and 1/2 of walking at a brisk pace. We stopped a couple of times on the way at cafes so that we could rehydrate, since it was a hot and sunny day (although with a cool breeze).

[Robin]
The way to the Caves was lined by parks and so lots of people were also walking along the same road. When we got to the Monastery we were amazed to see the size of it--at least six churches were on the property. We actually had a hard time trying to figure out how to get to the area we wanted to tour (even looking at a map) as there were lots of buildings and pathways all looking promising for good sightseeing. Once we got our bearings, we first went to the Near Caves. We entered through a church door and were instructed to buy candles. This was no joke as it was very dark in the hallways. We followed a group of people down some small corridors that opened up into passageways inset with mummys of monks lying in glass cases. They were each given a little berth and were wrapped embroidered cloth. Each also had a picture (I guess of the monk/saint) over their heads. People were stopping to kiss the glass cases around the bodies. It was quite beautiful. We then went through another long hallway to find another church and section called the Far Caves. This was much more like the catacombs in Rome--we walked with our candles down, down, down narrow steps to arrive at another area containing the saints' bodies in little rooms. There were a number of people praying next to the tombs and crossing themselves. This was definitely a religious pilgrimage for many of the visitors. I had to wear a scarf over my head and a skirt covering my knees to enter into the Caves.

[Phil]
After we left the monastery, we had another long walk back to the apartment, but we walked about a 1/4 mile farther to get a good view of the giant "Motherland" statue. It was pretty amazing, even from a distance. By the way, I discovered from watching the Russian news this morning that today is "Paratroopers' Day", in which all former paratroopers wear all or part of their former uniform and get treated to flowers, free drinks, etc. They are identifiable by their blue and white striped t-shirts. We actually saw a few groups of them today partying it up. I kind of wanted to take a picture, but we never got a chance to do it surreptitiously. In any case, on the way home we decided to go to the Central Grocery, which both guidebooks descibed as a huge grocery store on the main drag. Of course, once we got there, it was no longer a grocery store, but instead housed some little cell phone shops and fast food stands. Augh! Luckily, we found a little deli-like store nearer to our apartment and bought some needed supplies. After all this walking, we practically collapsed on the sofa in our apartment and rested up for about an hour (including a viewing of today's "Hour of Justice") before coming over here to Le Borsch to do our blogging.

[Robin]
Tomorrow we may go visit Babi Yar, the site of an infamous massacre of civilians in the second world war. Boy, this sounds pretty depressing, I'm sure..... Unfortunately, Ukranian history is full of suffering and hardships. It is amazing to look around this vibrant, park-filled city and realize what some of the citizens have endured. The older women (babushkas with scarves and heavy soled shoes) who are sweeping the sidewalks and selling vegetables near the metros I'm sure have stories to tell.

Incidentally, in response to Suzi's question, we are still in the same apartment and will be there throughout our trip. #28 has become our home.

[Phil]
Also, thanks for leaving comments. Our email on Robin's PDA is very sporadic here, but we can always use it from our apartment to look at comments, so that's actually the best way of sending messages to us.

[Robin]
Thanks for everyone's encouragement. Our decisions have been made easier knowing we have so much love and support coming from our families and friends. We are looking forward to seeing you all!

Bad News / Good News

Photos:
1. On the phone at the Central Post Office
2. Robin at outdoor cafe near the Golden Gate (the main entrance to the ancient city - 1037)
3. Kvas (local fermented drink) tank and dealer at Lev Tolstoy Square
4. Meats and fruit for sale at the Bessarabsky Market

[Phil]

So, the morning after we got the referral to visit the 4-year-old with the joint problems, I did some research on the internet and it turned out that her syndrome (arthrogryposis) was lifelong and might require permanent assisted living. In short, she's a major special needs case, although her mental development is quite good. We decided that it would have been too much of a challenge for us, so we decided not to make the visit. Since there are no more adoptable girls in ou age range, we'll be returning to the US next week (Tuesday), which is the good news. I have to say, yesterday was a very sad day after we made the decision, but we're looking forward to coming back in the fall when perhaps more children will be up for adoption.

We're back at our borsch restaurant, this time for buffet style lunch. It was very good and inexpensive, and of course the staff knows us by now. We came in yesterday to post on the blog, but the wi-fi was down, so this has been our first chance to post. That reminds me, in addition to the very disappointing news about our potential adoptee, yesterday also fearured several other things that made it one of the almost-comically horrible days either of us has had. I'll let Robin explain.

[Robin]

It seemed at every turn things were going wrong. As my staff would understand, we were the "cursed couple". For example, our cell phone minutes expired mid-phone call with the airlines. So we made our way to the only place we knew with international phone access--the Central Post Office. The system was ancient and baffling. We finally figured out that you had to pay the cashier in advance, after which she handed you a card with your phone booth number on it and the way to dial out (anyone else know what "=" stands for ..... apparently it means"pause") we managed, after a couple tries to connect with Cheapoair (laugh with us here....Sherry, be prepared!) . We waited on hold for 20 minutes in a very small, sweaty-smelling telephone booth to finally connect with a representative who asked for our confirmation number to look up our reservation. He put us on hold for 5 minutes and then hung-up on us. I wanted to scream. We regrouped and bought a phone card for our apartment. I say "we" here...Phil (thank god for him) managed to ask the very mean attendant to buy a card, she really didn't want to be of help, but grundgingly gave us a card when Phil persisted. We went back to our apartment to be on hold with Delta (realize here that 800 numbers don't work in Europe) only to reach someone who after much questionning offered us a flight on the 16th for another $400 and with an overnight stay in Paris. We decided to pursue other options the next morning. In shock, we headed immediately following this phone call to the Belgian restaurant near our apartment for vodka and fries (mayonnaise on the side). Ha! We now know why people walk down the street here with a bottle of beer in their hands (Phil says beer is like a soft drink here, so no one looks aghast at these people).

[Phil]

Robin also forgot to mention that the housekeeper (who we thought was the broker) walked in on us as we were in our underwear and asked us when we were leaving. And then later I wanted to visit Lev Tolstoy Square, hoping that it would be really pretty and green with a statue of the man himself. Instead (after a long walk) it was a busy, exhaust-filled roundabout with a big dirty metro station. No statue, no nothing. We did, however, get to visit a large indoor market nearby (photo above). Very Ukrainian. Lots of flowers and hanging meats.

[Robin]

After a relatively sleepless night (Phil was talking emphatically in Russian to someone in his sleep] worrying about how the double hockey sticks we were going to get out of Kiev before the 16th, we woke to a pretty, sun-filled day. We internet surfed our way to tickets back to the US and we will arrive on the evening on the 7th of August (I must interject her Dr. Nagueh's-- "God willing" refrain).

[Phil]

Okay that's all for now. We'll probably back here tomorrow to post again. Right now we're going to attempt to go the Chernobyl museum again. Hopefully it's not a Sanitary Day.