More metro, part 3

The Pushkinskaya metro stop. (Alexander Pushkin was a famous Russian poet and author who loved to fight duels, btw. His literature has been mandatory reading for generations of Russians and Ukrainians.) I hear this metro station is the deepest one in Kharkov at about 100 feet/30 meters underground. It's certainly got a long escalator to the top!

Here are a couple shots from University, the metro stop underneath the giant Freedom Square.

As always, the coolest lighting!

And, after much effort... and scolding from the metro ladies for taking pictures at this station, I am at last able to present to you the Historical Museum metro stop.

Update

Wow! January 2012 is almost over! I'm shocked that it's already the 22nd but at the same time, so many things have happened this month that it's surprising they could take place in so little time. After we got back from our rushed and relative-filled trip (sleeping on so many couches! :p ) to Crimea, a friend and fellow teacher from Kiev came to visit. We had a great weekend together: ice skating, eating large amounts of chocolate butter (THE GREATEST FOOD ON EARTH!), going to the sauna with wine and more friends, sightseeing, and tracking down a good restaurant for shish-kebab. After she left, I was ready for some lazing around but instead had to go back to work. And a soul-crushing day early at that, a Sunday, to cover some conversation classes. In fact, the week almost broke me. I was so tired from Crimea and visiting and visits that I had no energy reserve for work. At last, though, the week came to an end (albeit with the sad demise of Megavideo) and recuperation could finally begin.

Yevpatoria, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukraine

At the invitation of an aunt, we also got to spend a few days in Yevpatoria.

the train station

The cheapest kind of train, aka electrichka. Yes, those are real wooden benches. Enjoy. (And wear a sweater!)

In the summertime, Yevpatoria is a vacationer's paradise. You can stroll along the seaside in the warm sun and spend time at any number of resorts. It was still nice in the winter, but most of the city was shut down. D's aunt called Yevpatoria a dying city and it did seem a little sad in the winter.

The bread factory (but it does produce delicious bread!) There was also an abandoned Pioneer's home (Soviet-era children's group) that was too full of despair to photograph.

Ukraine definitely takes the prize for cool monuments

In memory of those killed in WWII.

The morning after we arrived, D's energetic 70-year-old aunt practically chased us out of bed with a stick and hustled us out the door on a city tour. One of her friends promised us a tour of the city with a "surprise at the end!"

Yevpatoria has a lot of old buildings, which I love to photograph. 

The city was filled with "Yevpatoria, congratulations on 2500 years as a city!" notices. Seriously, 2500 years?! That's insane!!!

We visited a reconstructed portion of the ancient city entrance and learned about the city's slave trade history. You could go inside the gate/tower to view ancient artifacts....or sit down and enjoy delicious tea at a Tatar restaurant. Guess which option we chose?

This video was taken during our tour. We're in the "old city", walking towards the mosque and you can hear the call for prayer being broadcast.

The mosque

You can walk into the courtyard....and even into the mosque! We didn't see a single other person here but all the doors were unlocked.

We finished our tour with an impromptu celebration on the beach- including wine, hooray! At noon!

Someone else tried to join the party but our tour guide said no :p

"Walruses", or New Year's swimmers. Note the Santa hats.

Then, as a treat, we spent our final night in Yevpatoria at this mind-blowing hotel. We went to investigate the spa and ended up staying for the night. They had a two-story spa: heated swimming pool, jacuzzi, Finnish sauna, Roman sauna, Turkish sauna, Russian sauna, salt cave, tropical shower, "bucket" shower, circular shower, oxygen room..... Being winter, the place was almost deserted. We went from room to room, staying in the saunas until the heat became unbearable and then cooling off in the bucket shower (if you are D and you enjoy having a very cold bucket of water dumped directly on your head) or taking a tropical shower (if you're me). We also both got full-body massages and peels in the hammam/Turkish bath and felt practically reborn afterwards. And one more added bonus- winter rates = $80 a night for an ocean-view room with a balcony, admission to the spa, and breakfast. For 2 people!

While in town, we had a date night: wine tasting, dinner ("literary cafe" in a building where Anna Akhmatova briefly lived), and a movie at Theater Ракета. I wondered why the ticket prices were US-style prices until they handed us 3D glasses. They were pretty upscale glasses too, not the cheap kind theaters use back in the states. We watched The Darkest Hour, a movie about American tourists in Moscow during an alien invasion. I really liked the movie, or what little I got of it, since it was in Ukrainian and most of the humor didn't seem to translate well. Movies here are shown in either Russian or Ukrainian language, and the movies I pick always seem to be the Ukrainian ones. Alas. Just when you've learned one language half-decently, it turns out to be the wrong one! :p

We also found a cool place called Колизей, or Coliseum, next to our hotel. It's a ground-story cafe by day and an upstairs bar-restaurant-laser tag-night club-movie theater-bowling alley by night. What else could you ask for? And the laser tag is Starship Troopers-themed. Serious, serious awesomeness. Their food was mouthwatering. Just click a few pages into their "crazy menu", I beg you. It does not disappoint. They also have quite a selection of cocktails to go with all their crazy parties (including a lot of gay pride nights? Or maybe just half-naked people nights, can't tell.) AND a FREE movie theater. You just need to order food while you're watching the movie, which isn't hard since you're sitting in brand-new, super-comfy leather couches and have a touch-screen for ordering in front of you. It turns out it's really easy to rack up a bill when all you have to do is press a button and they bring you food. Be careful.

Anyways, I really enjoyed Yevpatoria and meeting D's family there. I hope we'll get the chance to re-visit in the summertime and see what draws the crowds. If you don't want to wait for my report, go here for some nice summertime pictures.

Sevastopol, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukraine

"Hero-City, Sevastopol"

It was my first time in this city, which is home to Russia's Black Sea fleet (navy)....begging the question: Crimea- is it Russian or Ukrainian? I saw pro-Russia graffiti but people carry Ukrainian passports....while speaking Russian.

We found a place to stay in Sevastopol through the usual route: not hotels.com, but rather a phone call from D's cousin's wife's mother to her friend's neighbor. Ah, Ukraine. You just have to be here or it doesn't make sense.

but we got to stay in this living room for $10 a day and made a new friend.

we stayed on the top floor!

Sevastopol was blustery and wintry (I know, duh!). We spent a lot of time doing our favorite activities: walking around and eating.

I tried to convince D to walk around Victory Park (Парк Победы) but he wasn't game. Instead we sat on a bench near this monument, ate a snack, and found a really nice man to ask for directions to Khersones.

Crazy about Ukraine's recommended Sevastopol spot:
the ancient Greek city of Khersones.

The ruins surround St. Vladimir's Cathedral.

Ah, the Black Sea. In January.

The sand is made of tiny shells!

I think this was a copy but you can still view the originals in a protected area

More Black Sea. In January. Take that, Alaska!

Can you believe how clear the water is?

This beach was made out of smooth pebbles and sea glass. I was kind of hoping to find an ancient coin hidden among the stones, but no luck.

Everyone's favorite spot for a picture.

St. Vladimir's Cathedral again.

You can go inside and tour if you'd like!

By the way, Khersones is one of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine. I hope you get the chance to visit this amazing place!

Because of its military history, there are lots of war memorials and monuments placed throughout Sevastopol.

We made numerous attempts to visit a mysterious place called "The Panorama", involving a crazy steep walk up a crazy steep hill, but the stars never aligned. (It turns out D has been trying to visit this place his entire life, but every time he tries, The Panorama is closed or something something something...) Instead we settled for a ride on a nearby Ferris wheel and a ten-dollar visit to a terrarium.

Behold, Sevastopol!

The Funeral

Sadly, one of D's relatives passed away during our time in Crimea. It was a terrible and unexpected shock, coming right on the heels of having celebrated New Year's together the day before. This person was incredibly kind and welcomed me into their family right away when we met six years ago. She was loved fiercely by the entire family.

Everything happened in a haze. At first no one knew what to do. There was no 1-800 number to call for help, there was no internet in the home to Google an answer. The family trickled in and banded together, drawing strength from each other's presence. Mirrors were covered with sheets. The police were called (and took all day to show up.) The family had the honor- or responsibility- of washing and dressing the body. Visitors came to pay their respects. The burial took place the following day. I remember rushing through the market, looking for flowers. Flowers must be in an even number if you're bringing them to a funeral. The graveyard was muddy and crowded with elaborate, photographic tombstones (including one woman immortalized with a mullet.) Many grave sites had a little picnic table. Most people had brought flowers, which were scattered around the grave after the burial. One odd thing struck me right away: there were no children at the funeral. Later I asked about this and was told that in general, if you weren't at the wedding, you shouldn't be at the funeral. Afterwards, all mourners regrouped at a restaurant that seemed to specialize in post-burial gatherings. A table was set for our group. First, everyone had to clean their hands. Immediately a small dish of kutya, a ceremonial kind of rice, was served. Then, a soup. Each section of the table was filled with traditional foods- mayonnaise salad, sausage, cucumbers, bread, etc- and a bottle of vodka. There was a lot of drinking done at this meal, but in a somber way and to remember the deceased. It was forbidden to toast in the usual manner (touching glasses together); instead, people would raise their glasses, share some memories, and then drink. I sat next to a very sweet 89-year-old woman who urged me to keep refilling my shotglass and toasted to a couple memories of her own. Ukrainians believe the ninth day and the fortieth day after death are also sacred days and again remember the deceased on these days.

I'm very grateful that the family let me join them in honoring this incredible woman.

Ukrainian New Year

Midnight madness. It's like this. And this. (These videos were taken on New Year's Eve in Simferopol, which is where we were that night, and just like the rest of the city we went outside at midnight to watch this.)

I remember the typical New Year's Eve from my childhood. We'd stay up until midnight, counting down the hours and minutes, watching Times Square on tv, and then at midnight celebrate the moment, wish everyone a happy new year, maybe use a few tiny firecrackers or sparklers (if they were legal at that moment).....and then call it a night and head to bed.

Meanwhile, here is how D's 9-year-old cousin will remember her holidays in the distant future:


8 PM: Adults have surrounded themselves with large amounts of food and humongous quantities of alcoholic drinks. Pour yourself a drink and let's start eating!

Consumption continues until midnight. Just like in my youth, the children opt to play computer games and the adults have a tv on in the background (a New Year's variety/comedy show). And we're drinking. A LOT. Here's an awesome cocktail for you to try:

Crazy about Ukraine's New Year's Eve Cocktail

Mix a shot of cognac with the coffee granules from instant coffee. 

Stir well. 

Pour Coca-Cola up the the top of the glass (watch out, it will foam up). 

Enjoy! 

(And PS: I don't like cognac and don't like coffee... 

but this drink is reaaallllly good.)

12 AM: Everyone goes out to set off / view Fireworks. Capital F Fireworks, that's right. We're talking "government use only" heavy duty fireworks, the kind Houston will set off for the 4th of July. Some people shoot things off from their balconies and the ashes rain down on those of us in the parking lot. It's pretty cool to see so much happening at once, because it means the entire community celebrating something together.

There's no kissing at midnight here, like there is back in the states. It's a big deal who you kiss back home- it sets the tone for the rest of the year- and if you have no one to kiss it's kind of sad. In Ukraine I see people toasting instead. I also hear that instead of writing down a list of New Year's resolutions, people will write their wish down on a piece of paper, burn it, put the ashes in a glass of champagne, and drink it exactly at midnight to make their wish come true : ) 

1 AM - 6 AM: Head off to visit more relatives. They seem to think we hadn't eaten in days and stuff us accordingly. I spend most of the time with D's 89 year-old grandmother. Her speaking speed and my understanding speed are approximately the same. She's sharp as a whip, though, and delighted to see me: "I remember you from 2006. You certainly were chubby back then, and you didn't speak a word of Russian!"

All I can fit in my stomach at this point.

We must have consumed at least 20 bottles of champagne together this night!

Meanwhile, in Julian calender news, Old New Year (старый новый год) was yesterday, so Happy New Year all over again!

Engrish of Crimea

Some of the best....

Found on a photo album. So true... :p ....whatever it means, haha.

Absolutely no smocking allowed here at all! Found in a hotel room.

Enjoyed this? Take a trip to www.engrish.com for more.