Turkey Weekend- and No, Not the Bird

This past weekend we flew to Turkey (in a weird twist, on Thanksgiving Day) to visit its capital Ankara (I am including that info since I had no idea it wasn't Istanbul until a few months ago!).  Paolo is considering applying for a job there so we decided to actually check the place out before we made any big decisions.  After heading off to India and Ukraine without seeing the places first, we wanted to make more of an informed decision this time.  I apologize first of all that my camera failed me this trip so all you will see is from the iPhone.  Ankara is probably the least picturesque place in Turkey, so you are not about to see anything particularly stunning anyway....

First, to add a bit of humor to the post, our Halloween photo. 

And post trick-or-treating.  A rest on our good friend Marjorie's kitchen floor with her super-adorable 4 month old Newfoundland puppy.  Yes, puppy.  

I took this photo during my last walk with Enzo before we headed to the airport. Perhaps it was just a sign that it is time to leave Ukraine? Really, the constant, in-your-face sex industry here makes moving to a country where much of the female population is veiled is almost (though not really) appealing....

This is what happens when we need to skip Gio's sacred nap so that we can get to the airport.... This boy sticks to his schedule no matter what, even in a taxi. 

We arrived in Ankara's very modern and stunning airport close to midnight on Thanksgiving Night (I was subjected to a very soggy slice of pizza on our flight- no turkey and cranberries for me.)  It was immediately clear to me how beloved children are in Turkey.  Within 10 minutes of our arrival Gio's hair had been tousled and patted by nearly every Turk that passed us as we were waiting for our luggage.  No scowling babuskas wagging their fingers at him around here!

Friday morning, what was the first thing I wanted to do??? Yep. I had a craving and was thrilled to discover that Starbucks has invaded Turkey. 

Gio was pretty happy about this discovery as well.  

Post breakfast we headed into the very secure grounds of the British Embassy to visit an excellent school there. We were very impressed with the teachers and facilities.  Score a big point for Ankara.  For those of you not in the expat circuit, often choosing a next destination centers around the school options.  We were very happy to find this school, though the long wait list scares us a bit.  

Another big point for Ankara? Real ice cream! As in a kind that actually melts.

We checked out quite a bit of real estate.  This was one of our favorites- an apartment that looked right into an enormous park that includes an amusement park! AND LOOK!!! Blue sky!!  I had not seen one of those since we left the US over 3 weeks ago.

Took some passport photos of Gio- required for his British Embassy School application. The passport control officer also suggested we update Gio's passport.  Not only are his pages nearly full (scary for a 3-year-old), but his picture was taken when he was 3 days old...

Sunday morning (yep, somehow I managed not to take a single photo on Saturday) and the sun is still out. It was actually quite warm but we were stuck in our Kyiv coats.

We took a walk in one of the city's many parks with a World Bank family who has a son Gio's age. 

There were many children's playgrounds in the park, but the boys' favorite spot was this outdoor gym.

They worked out with the "big people" for nearly an hour. 

An Ikea!  That's fun.  

And as quick as that we were back at the airport. By the way, if you have a young person, travel a lot and have graduated from strollers but still struggle to get through the endless terminals of monster airports like Frankfurt, you should get yourself one of these- a Trunki.  Gio's is the Gruffalo and he adores it.  We filled it with vital Gio stuff like snacks, pjs (his outfit of choice!), sticker books and Frog&Toad books.  And he road happily through the airport.  Thanks, Nonna & Nonno for sending us this!

So we liked Ankara a lot.  Will we end up there?  Stay in Kyiv?  Head somewhere else in the world this summer?  Stay tuned.  We should know by Christmas.
PS- Gio completed his 110th flight yesterday.  Yikes.  

In the Car with Gio & Grace

Today we had the wonderful surprise of getting to bring Gio's very best friend Grace home from school.  Their conversation was so silly that I just had to record it.  For those of you on safety alert: (1) Grace does actually have a seatbelt on and is sitting on our car's built-in booster seat (yeah, Volvo!), and (2), I somehow managed to prop the iPhone up on the dashboard.  I was driving in the chaos of Kyiv traffic, after all! With all of those disclaimers out of the way....

Grace and Gio sharing some laughs, Kyiv's version of bagels and some Seuss-like conversation on the way home from school....

Another Dreary Sunday....Off to the Experimentarium!

Yep, yet another in a long series of dank, dreary days here in Kyiv.  We decided to hit the Experimentarium this morning, a new science "hands on" museum that has opened in Podil.  We wanted to get there just as the doors opened as we had heard from our good friend Merilee (see her post on her family's visit here) that the place gets jammed after 12.

 Here are some scenes from our adventure....

Here we are at the entrance....

Fun mirrors.  Gio loved his "fat me" look.

The beginning of the exhibit (the museum is three floors, with the top two being the exhibits and the bottom the store, registration and one day, a cafe) had all sorts of pulleys set up.  Gio loved being lifted up in a chair and this "roundy" swing.  

Terrible pictures, I know, but we were inside a very dark mirror maze. Gio would have stayed in this for hours playing hide-and-seek.  We eventually lured him out when we told him what was lurking around the next corner....

....a giant fire truck to drive!

This room was filled with noise making activites- perfect for Gio! This box in the corner was hilarious. Gio would stick his head in and yell as loud as he could and the light bulbs above would light up according to how loud he was.  Believe it or not, he only was able to light 6.  Who could possibly yell louder than this kid???

A working piano with its innards on display!

Another room was filled with marble activities. This one showed the normal distrinbution/bell curve principle. Gio just loved the noise it made each time he tilted it.

Serious concentration. 

Marble runs were all around.  I wondered how they kept track of all of the marbles. They were flying all over the place. I imagine some go home in kids' pockets...

About 50% of the exhibits had English signs, which was a nice surprise for us!

Here is an old gem of a puzzle I used to give to my 4th and 5th graders- the one where you have to get a chicken, a wolf and some food across a river but can only carry two at a time but you do not want to leave any two together where one might eat/kill the other.  

A chair of nails.  "It doesn't hurt my butt at all!"

On the top floor of the museum there were wind exhibits, body, magnet, and bubble activities. This tornado demonstration was a big hit with Gio.  We probably returned to it 8 times.  

Body parts.  There were guides all around the museum leading tours for families and birthday parties. We were not able to sneak into them to learn about the exhibits since we could not follow the Russian/Ukrainian, but they did show us how to run a few of the demonstrations.  

Once back on the main floor we discovered this giant push pin display in the coat/locker area. Gio loved it but by this time the museum was so crowded that it was tough to really play with it too much.  

Gio is not shy, though, so he forced his way into the crowd. I was glad he was distracted as Paolo had stayed behind in the store to buy Gio a huge T-Rex model for his birthday. The store had a lot of great gifts and science-based toys, many of which I had never seen in Ukraine before.

So that was a great way to spend a Sunday morning.  I do NOT recommend going to this place anytime after 12 on a weekend.  It was terrific to have both floors virtually to ourselves from 10-11:30, but after that the crowds starting pouring in.

For my Kyiv friends, here is some info on the museum: It is open 10AM-8PM on weekends and 9:30-7 during the week.  The prices are quite high, by Kyiv standards.  We paid 235 UAH (about $26, but with the Hryvnia devaluing so much right now, perhaps it will a cheaper trip soon!) for the three of us.  There is no cafe yet, though it looks like they are working on one.  There are lockers and a coat check as well as an elevator, so if you are coming with a stroller you should be fine.
As for getting there, the address is Verkhniy Val, 2.  We drove (no traffic at all on a Sunday morning!) and there is a large lot right next to the building.  If you are coming on the metro, it is about a 10 minute walk from the Kontraktova Plosha metro stop (blue line).  When you get off the train, go right and exit the metro doors.  Then keep going left in the "tunnel" whenever you have a choice.  Take the stairs that go up to the street on your right just before the tunnel ends.  You will then see a Mafia restaurant and next to it a Wolkonsky Cafe (a great place to stop before or after the museum!).  Continue to walk straight on that street.  Pass the Zhitniy rinok (market) and you will come upon Experimentarium on your left just before the end of the large road.

Here is the link for the museum.  There is no English option, but Google Chrome will take care of that for you.

And for anyone considering a birthday here, have your wallet ready!  I had Paolo's assistant call about Gio's birthday (in two weeks!!) but we found out a birthday party with English speaking guides would cost 4800 UAH (about $530!).  Needless to say, Gio will not be hosting a party here on Dec 6.....

A Cure for a Dreary Sunday

We have been back in Kyiv now for 4 days, just enough time for me to start missing the bright, sunny days of DC (well, except for that ONE storm...). I have seen nothing but dreary, dark skies since we returned. It is cold, Paolo went away overnight to go caving (my idea of hell) and this place is pitch dark by 4:30.  All ingredients for some serious late fall depression.  So...I decided to go find some artificial color and brightness in the form of Wunderland/Wonderland, a previously unexplored indoor entertainment complex.  I finally roused Gio at 11AM (I want to say this is due to jet lag, but perhaps it is early adolescence kicking in) and off we went on the metro.  6 stops (Gio always wants to know how many stops each of our trips will be) and we emerged in the Obolon district.  Quite a bit of wandering about to discover the place is only about a minute's walk from the metro exit.  Good to know for the REALLY dreary, cold days ahead.  Yes, I am being dragged into my 3rd Ukrainian winter with quite a bit of grumpiness.

So here's the place.  If only someone had just told me it has giant camels on the roof. Might have prevented all of the wandering about. 

Once we entered I had the usual feeling of living in an alien world.  No English, no clue how things work.  So more wandering. Luckily, Gio is always game for a new adventure and quickly became entranced with the dinosaurs around and followed them up to the second level where we discovered the play area and arcades.  With some pointing and hand gestures I figured out how to pay and once I dragged Gio away from the lure of the arcade games, we entered the play space for little kids.  Once we stuffed our coats, hats and shoes into a locker, we were off....

We see many versions of these indoor playgrounds here in Ukraine. It is a LOOOONG winter, after all. This is one of the best I have seen.  3 levels, very clean and plenty to do.  Gio was sweaty and begging for water after only half an hour.  

A place to kick and throw giant pillows.  Sort of like our own living room. 

Making friends.  I love how a 3-year-old can make a friend without a common language.

There was also this big section with women offering art activities, a block area and plenty of places for the parents to sit. I had no such luck getting to relax as Gio wanted me to follow him everywhere today- rare for him. 

This car track held his attention for about 2 minutes... 

...and then back to the climbing and sliding.

 These mats were a big hit with Gio- stepping stones with all sorts of textures.

As with everywhere we go, there are always long lists of rules posted everywhere. I have learned to ignore them since I cannot read them anyway!  Sort of a fun way to live....

I told Gio that this part is sort of like what Pappa is doing today!

Trampoline time

I was only able to get Gio to leave the play area by promising him he could do a few arcade games. He loved the air hockey table.  It was tricky to get him to leave this part, too.  Quite a bit of negotiating and bribing happened.

So this was a fun outing- easy to get there and the price was very reasonable, as long as you limit the amount of money you spend in the arcade area.  For my fellow Kyiv friends, if you have a 2-6 year old, I recommend this place for a winter activity.  There seemed to be plenty for older children to do as well, but since we did not see those areas, I cannot promise your older kids will be thrilled.  There is a "4-D" theater (what that means, I do not know) and some sort of dinosaur exhibit meant for ages 6 and up (we will definitely have to sneak in there next visit, though!).  And, of course, the arcade games will appeal to all ages.  The play space is 70 UAH for the entire day, very reasonable considering Mega Market's similar area is 70 UAH for ONE HOUR on weekends! So our outing today cost a grand total of 104 UAH (about $12)- 70 for the play area, 30 on the arcades & 4 for my metro ride (Gio is free there).  For those of you interested, here is the website: http://dyvosvit.ua/  There is no English option, but Google Chrome will translate it for you just fine.  Do not trust the address written on the website, though.  I typed it into my iphone and got led completely off track.  Just go to the Obolon metro stop and look for the camels!
 Here's hoping your Sunday was filled with some fun!
xo.  Clara

Halloween and Other Antics

We leave for Kyiv tomorrow- Gio has one more school to visit, Paolo has a few more meetings and I have to vote and to figure out how to stuff everything into our suitcases.  Here are a few images from our last few days....

After the big storm, some "monster hunting"  down in Dumbarton Oaks.

No monsters here, but lots of rock throwing practice.  And, yes, he is in his pjs.

After over a year of Kyiv grime, it was time to hose down the stroller.

We made two trips to the Natural History Museum to see the dinosaurs!

Dinosaur visiting is exhausting. 

Once rested, we headed to the second floor to see the live butterfly exhibit.

And took a pedicab ride back home! 

We returned the next day to the museum (had to take advantage of Gio's sudden and intense urge to visit "ALL THE MUZEE-UMS!") to watch a 3-D IMAX movie on...you guessed it....dinosaurs!

Some of our time in DC is spent doing mundane stuff...like buying a new suit. 

Gio has completely ignored the playground equipment in our park in favor of this giant tree that fell nearby during the storm.

As for Halloween, well, we had a blast.  I will post more pictures later, but this is my favorite- Paolo as Cat in the Hat.  (Gio was Thing One and I was Thing Two- for those of you who do not know these characters, get yourselves to a library and read Dr. Seuss's Cat in the Hat!) We loved our time in the US.  It is always hard to leave but knowing that Enzo and Bonkers/Cat/Tigre are eagerly awaiting our return helps make going back a bit easier.  We have a busy few months ahead with a Thanksgiving trip to Turkey (cue the jokes) and Christmas in Italy.  We may even be back to Washington for a visit in late January!

As for Halloween, well, we had a blast.  I will post more pictures later, but this is my favorite- Paolo as Cat in the Hat.  (Gio was Thing One and I was Thing Two- for those of you who do not know these characters, get yourselves to a library and read Dr. Seuss's Cat in the Hat!)

We loved our time in the US.  It is always hard to leave but knowing that Enzo and Bonkers/Cat/Tigre are eagerly awaiting our return helps make going back a bit easier.  We have a busy few months ahead with a Thanksgiving trip to Turkey (cue the jokes) and Christmas in Italy.  We may even be back to Washington for a visit in late January!