Maybe a blue moon really did rise the previous night, because what else could explain us being able to wake up (and get out of bed!) at 5 AM? 5 AM!
This rare event first happened on a Monday several weeks ago. D decided to check out a very early Aikido class, which meant being out the door by 6 AM. I didn't want to be the lazy bum still in bed (well...maybe I did just a little) so we hit the sidewalk together. Pushkinska street was starkly lit by the rising sun- the colors leeched away by the intense whiteness of the light- and populated by older male joggers, huffing their way past closed storefronts. Eerie, let me tell you, eerie. Almost like our
nighttime trip down Pushkinska. Where were the young guys in jeans? Where were the Arabic-speaking medical students? Where were the women tottering in 5 inch heels? Gone... just us and the stout old men in track pants.
It felt so cool to wake up before everyone else that we managed to do it one more time that week.
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| 7 AM that Wednesday saw us back on the streets, this time headed toward the Lopan river. |
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| Note how the paved street turns to cobblestone. |
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| Count Dracula's home! jk |
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| To the right, a pedestrian encountering a pack of cheerful stray dogs. |
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| An academy or institute? The Ukrainian/English banner reads: Every person is a universe! Take care of everyone. |
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| Passing through a construction area. |
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| A solitary street sweeper at work. |
The ice had melted off the river but the water still ran low. By summer these patches of land will have long since disappeared.
After leaving the riverbank, we followed another cobblestone street near the Jewish synagogue.
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| Any guesses on what this was? |
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| That's the dome of the Jewish synagogue in the top right of the photo. |
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| Found this tucked above a garbage chute. These icon cards are commonly found in cars and homes. |
It's unlikely that we'll be able to duplicate these early morning jaunts (the gravity well of a warm bed is almost impossible to escape) but at least we can look back and remember the experience. Or maybe some of you readers have tips on how to wake up early, so we don't have to wait until the next blue moon? :p
The first wisdom of the early birds: If you want to get up early - it is necessary to go early!
ReplyDeleteI live in Kharkov twenty years. You show the city that I did not know. Amazing!
It is necessary to go to bed early... but that's even harder than waking up early :P
DeleteGlad you enjoyed the photos, Maxim!
I don't recall the street near the sinagogue... Where did you find it?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, it's hard to wake up when you want to sleep but it's impossible to go to bed when it's early and you don't feel ready.
Hi Timur! It's пров. воробйова, just off ул. воробйова : )
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