Tour of Kiev

A giant traditional Ukrainian painted Easter egg made of actual painted Easter eggs. A modern artist created it for the courtyard of a Kiev church.

A Crimean Riesling. Unfortunately not very good.

A very tall monument in Kiev. That's a giant woman up there.

Poppy seeds are very popular around here. So popular that one restaurant stuffed blintzes with them.

We were not permitted to enter the famous cave monastery of Kiev until we purchased head garments. These were the cheapest. The cave monastery itself was creepy. You lit your way with a candle and were surrounded by glassed-in mummified bodies of monks. They were generally covered but the occasional mummified hand was visible in the half-darkness. Everyone around us would crouch by each glass box, murmur a prayer and then kiss its top. Creepy all around.

Food in Odesa and Kiev

After Odesa, Amy and I took a considerably longer ride -- this time on a train -- to Kiev. Since we got the tickets the same day the only kind of sleeper seats left were the extra cheap variety which required special gymnastics to get into our bunks. On a good note, the whole ride cost just under $11 each, cheaper than the cheapest hostel!

A traditional Russian salad. Primary ingredients: beets and mayo. So many stereotypes confirmed.

Another delicious piece of fried dough with sour cream. Also traditional.

A very popular Russian cake called Napoleon (not to be confused with "Death of Napoleon", an entirely different Russian cake). It consists of layers of dough soaked in condensed milk.

We interrupt the food blog to bring you a close-up of the Black Sea to finally prove that it is not actually black.

Back to the food blog. This dish's name translates to "hot". There is another dish whose name is "cold" and is comprised of pieces of meat floating in a meat jelly. It is served cold and in slices, like pie. Katie hates it because it is also very popular in Moldova. Unfortunately, we haven't come across it in our trip.

Some pics from Odesa

Amy and I got into Odesa after a quick and painless border crossing from Moldova and a 3.5 hour bus ride. That now seems like an awfully short bus trip. Odesa is a Ukrainian city right on the Black Sea known for its liberal bent and carefree attitude. I referred to it as the "San Francisco of Ukraine". Amy thought that was too much. But seriously, we saw actual hippies with dreadlocks (in plural!), a circle of young people dancing capoiera, guys with earrings and Afro-Russians (in plural!). Where else in Ukraine could such a liberal town exist?

A bridge in Odesa is the traditional place for a couple to place a padlock declaring their love. If they break up they are obligated to return and take off the lock.

Look! Even English-speakers.

Nice view of the Black Sea.

Inexplicable sculpture

new things learned recently

I (Yuliya) am hanging with my sister in Kharkov, Ukraine now and Amy has gone back to home and work (ha!). This is giving me an opportunity to read trashy magazines in Russian -- shout out to Elle Ukraine -- watch TV and generally absorb crucial information.

Things learned:

1. Vodka IS supposed to be served cold

2. The overwhelming Eastern European belief that sitting on cold things is somehow bad for women's reproductive systems was echoed even in Elle

3. In the summer, bright colors and "beach hair" styles will be fashionable

4. Tbilisi had many ruined buildings because it was actually bombed by Russia in the recent war

More discoveries coming up, as they come to me.

Moldova Days 1 and 2 photos

Bell tower in Chisinau

Chisinau's Arc de Triomphe

Chisinau City Hall

Puppies we found in a field in Hincesti

View towards Katie's house, near her work

Decorated well

Katie's work

The room outside of Katie's work (her office was too small to take a picture of)

The park and lake

Outiside the awkward restaurant

Sheep crossing the main road in Hincesti

Katie's cat Marquis

Katie's dog Dasha

Me and the chicken

Katie's yard

Yuliya and Marquis

Bees in Katie's yard

View of Katie's house from the yard. The chicken coop is on teh left and the well is to the right of the main house

Homemade plant tea

Katie's basement

Red and white wine in Katie's basement

Puppies!

Chickens!

Katie's hometown!

A Moldovan specialty: pizza with mayonnaise. It was nor nearly as gross as I expected.


Jesus and Neptune behind him


In Katie's hometown of Hincesti, the Casa de Cultura (sort of the primary perfomance complex) is decorated with giant mosaics that scream Soviet.


The refrigerator in Katie's house. Almost everything they eat comes from their garden.




Katie is demostrating the proper use of the family/computer room.


I am really digging the awesomely furry stuffed animal.


Katie and Amy demonstrating Katie's bed in the couch position. It pulls out and becomes a bed, like most Eastern European furniture. For a detailed tour of Katie's house check out the video imbedded in Amy's post (somewhere near this one)

Chisinau pics

Delicious cherry vareniki in Chisinau.


The Olivier salad, a Russian mainstay.



Rabbit stew. Oddly good.


We accidentally ordered beers that matched our hair colors at a medieval-themed Chisinau brewery. The theme ran as far a full suits of armor decorating the corners and floor-to-ceiling murals of the Middle Ages. An aside: being a trio of one brunette, redhead, and blonde seems to attract a lot of attention. The Charlie's Angels syndrome?


In front of the city council of Chisinau we stumbled upon the mayor's announcement of his candidacy for another term. Elections are in two months. Thankfully we had our Romanian speaker, Katie, to translate what was going on (we also stumbled upon a full marching band in another part of the city. Sadly no pictures)



Fancy coffees here always come with a small sweet. Fantastic tradition. Let's export it to the U.S.



Katie ordered a bona fide molten chocolate cake at a French bakery in Chisinau. It has apparently been her first since arriving in Moldova ten months ago.


Filled crepes (or, honestly, blintzes) are a hot trend in Moldova right now. Also in San Francisco.


A Russian yeasty fermented non-alcoholic drink called kvas. It tastes terrible.


Stefan cel Mare is a very important figure in Moldovan history. Possibly the only important figure because every monument appears to be him.