Kharkov at night (two versions)

If you want to read graceful and handcrafted poetry about the surprising beauty / stark ugliness of a winter night in Ukraine, then visit Brendan's blog right now. Love his views or hate 'em, the man has definitely got a gift with words.

If you want to see a winter night in Ukraine, then I'm your girl ; )

Ahem, how it began-

Fueled by this delicious dinner with friends @ Paprika, we hit the streets to photograph the night.

Approaching Pushkinskaya street with freezing cold hands!

Pushkinskaya street is home to lots of upscale shops and cafes (Laura Ashley, for one). All closed down for the night, the usually bustling street seemed like a new place, a slightly creepy doppelganger to the upbeat day version.

Just a shoe ad, right? People don't actually walk in those things, do they?

Wrong! Women do! And I always think they have some kind of super-evolved sense of balance until I see them shuffling along an icy street in 5-inch heels. (Still, it does look awfully cool...)

Ad for a textile / wallpaper / flooring store. By the way, did you know that the Russian word for wallpaper (обои) is pronounced "a-boy-e"? Some words are so easy to remember : )

It was nice to be heading to our warm and comfortable home, as imposing buildings loomed all around us.

One last thing we happened across- the creepiest doorway ever!

Home sweet home for someone. Knowing Ukraine, behind this door are probably modern and well-designed living spaces. In this country perhaps more than in any other, you can't judge a book by its cover.