Shots from my day....

Today is our last full day in Kiev before we leave (at the crack of 4AM) for Italy tomorrow.  Here are some shots from my outings today....

Hmmmm.... Saw this one on the drive to school this morning.  Since I cannot read a word my imagination had some fun imagining what message this could possibly be conveying.  

okay, it is true, I did not take this one today.  But it snuck into my upload process and I just could not stand to delete it.  My 3 boys on their favorite couch. 

Icicles.  They are everywhere and rather scary.  I am thinking of wearing Gio's scooter helmet from now on.  

This is Gio's window!

Always something vaguely outdated coming to Kiev from the West.  

Love this guy.  I see him every morning walking around the park.  He dresses like no other man I have seen in Kiev, especially of the over 60 crowd.  I may not have captured it well, but the hat has a huge pom-pom on top.  

From my friend Linda- a "winter horror land".  If the ice on the streets does not kill you, the ice hanging above you will! Kiev really should be considered a "hardship post"!

Foxy Balls

I lured you in with this title, admit it!

Everywhere I go I see things that remind me ever so slightly of my homeland....yet with something a bit off.  Here, for instance, is a mobile coffee and doughnut truck that was parked near our apartment this morning:

Remind you of anything?  And, yes, in English.  Gives it a bit of "glamour" here, I suppose.

Here is a clip from Anthony Bourdain's show "No Reservations" filmed in Kiev.  The end sums up the Ukrainian's attitude about copyright/trademark laws perfectly.  And all but the first place he visits in this episode are within easy walking distance of our apartment.  Might have to get Gio some of those "Foxy Balls"!

Ukrainian "Style"

I am continually amazed, even after 15 months here, how women dress.  It was 7F/-14C when I took the picture below.  AND it was 8:30 in the morning.

The roads and sidewalks are a slipperly mess of solid ice, slush and potholes yet the vast majority of women are in heels, a large portion in mile-high stilettos.  Apparently the spike digs into the ice and helps to stay upright...or so the excuses go.  The end result for me?  My son now says, "You are dressed like a WOMAN" whenever I actually put on a skirt (even mine which average 3 feet more material than this one!). Hmmm.....

What Does -18F Look Like?

So our deep cold continues.  Today I took my camera along for the 7AM walk with Enzo.  My camera froze after about half an hour but here is what I captured before that happened.

Early morning at Shevchenko Park.  -18F (-28C).  Beautiful tiny ice crystals are floating through the air.

Once we arrive at the park, Enzo surveys the tundra to see if any of his friends are around.

Finding no one, he began his sniffing campaign, picking up messages from his gang.

These water fountains are used constantly.  Ukrainians believe this particular water is "alive" and trudge to the park even in the coldest weather to fill their bottles.

The university building awaiting early morning students (yes, even on Saturday).

At last a friend.  A teacher at Gio's school found Marley when she was a tiny puppy with two broken legs (probably had been hit by a car).  Now she is a lively, happy girl who loves to romp with Enzo.  

And then Enzo's best friend arrived.  This was indeed a great morning at the park!  Richard and Enzo are the same age and have a super time together running and wrestling.  Richard's owner is a former professional hockey player and gave us tickets to tonight's game (Ukraine vs. Italy!).  I am so excited to go!!

I was able to revive my camera by sticking it inside my coat for a while.  After over an hour in the bitter cold, Enzo is covered in thousands of  tiny icicles.  

Next week we head to Italy for 8 days, sadly without Enzo since we will be flying.  He will stay here with our nanny Laryssa and will undoubtedly be showered with love and treats by her family the entire time.  Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!

A Frigid Week

This past week has seen the coldest temperatures Kiev has had in decades.  The lows were -28C (-18F) and the highs never above -13C (8F).  The local schools here closed from Wed-Friday but good old PSI stayed open and Gio and I made the trek there each morning.  He did not have outdoor recess all week but they did let them loose in the gym each day.
Here are some images from our week.  It finally warmed up to -8C (7F) today and with a steady snow falling all day we enjoyed some outside time at the park.  As you can imagine, this entire week has been a dream come true for Enzo!

A yogurt date with best friend Grace.

This is about the warmest it got all week- a raging inferno of +4F at noon on Monday.

Gio's hook at school.

Saturday we hit the park in the midst of a snow storm.  

Enzo is always eager to strike up a friendship with any size dog he can find.

This is one of our favorite dogs at the park.  Benji is ALWAYS dressed in top fashion.  Here he is sporting a puffy coat and sheepskin boots.

As happy as a dog can be.  Enzo in his element....

....and his second happiest place to be- keeping Paolo company as he works. A World Bank economist's work is never done, but it does help to have a furry beast nearby.

Did someone say cake???

Circus!

Yesterday evening we took Gio to the circus, which is a big tradition in Kiev.  There is actually a building right in the center of town that holds one-ring circuses all year long.  The show last night was from Moscow.  From the moment we entered the building Gio was entranced.  We bought him the requisite cheap toy on the way in, two boxes of popcorn from a babushka near our seats and sat down for 3 hours of  fun.

Before the show started and at intermission the horses took willing children around the ring.  Gio preferred to watch...

...and eat popcorn.

It would not be Ukraine without some scantily-clad dancers.  The singing and dancing throughout the show was my least favorite part (think tacky American pop songs made even worse by singers who do not understand the words they are singing), but Gio was completely mesmerized.  Perhaps something to worry about?

These three men were the first of many acrobatic acts.  

Two clowns who performed throughout the show.  The man in the hat doubled also as the leopard tamer.  And the crazy-haired fellow will appear shortly in a ballet with a kangaroo.

A monkey act.  I know that animal acts in circuses are frowned upon these days in the US, but here in Eastern Europe the tradition is going strong.  

This was Paolo's favorite act of the night.  The man on top built an enormous tour of chairs and wine bottles in order to get high enough to change the light bulb in the chandelier.  

My photos do not capture how amazing this feat truly was!

A dog act.  These dogs were mostly obeying this woman but I secretly liked it when they were a bit naughty and ignored her commands.  The black dog just stood there and smelled the floor the entire time.  Even Enzo could have pulled that off!

This was incredible.  The young boy (maybe about 8 years old) was tossed up in the air from his father's feet where he did flips and spins.  He was flawless.  Loved also the Harley theme.

At intermission they set up a huge net around the sing for the leopard act.  

And here is the promised kangaroo ballet.  I could not help laughing at the antics though I felt sorry for the poor thing. 

Overall the circus was a big hit.  We will definitely go again when the next circus comes to town. 

In the Icebox

This week's forecast is grim...at least for all of us but Enzo.  The high today of +10F is actually the high for the entire week!  By Wednesday the high will be -10F (yes, that's a minus sign) and the low -22F.  Yikes.