First trip to the Opera...

The arts scene in Kiev is unbelievable. Going to the opera or ballet is cheaper than going to the movies! For my first EVER opera experience a friend and I decided last minute to show up and pick up balcony tickets for Verdi's "La Traviata" (see link). It was quite a remarkable experience to show up 5 minutes before the show started, buy tickets and sit down to a live performace! Since this first show I've seen 2 more...all of them ranging between $2 to $8 USD! The most expensive tickets (a whole $8) were box seats, so it was worth the extra fee.

Below: First Act of Verdi's "La Traviata"

...close-up of the first Act...

Below: Ballet at the Opera House: Rimsky-Korsakov "Scheherazade" (click to find out more)

Old soviet trolly-bus





...at the market (again!): pre-soviet and Soviet-era memorabilia




Stairs leading down to the metro: This is a popular area for many street vendors trying to rid the last of their produce before winter strikes. Underground there are lots of mini-shops and tables set up for more vendors to see anything from t-shirts, toys, fresh flowers and produce.





Typical Rush-Hour traffic jam (near school):


I forgot to mention one of the most unique and sometimes dangerous features of Ukraine (Kiev in particular), it is legal to drive on sidewalks, and often a wiser choice than trying to drive in a jam. Below you can see several cars and marchutkas making their way amidst the crowd of people, because taking over the roads isn't enough they have to jam up the sidewalks too. I've become a much more conscientious pedestrian since i came here. You never know when a car will sneak up behind you and honk for you to get out of its way.



With less than a week till the parliamentary elections, billboards and bus stops have been dominated by the various parties campaigning posters. Here is an example of the blue "Party of the Regions" ad (which is the definately most common sign seen around the city)

And it's 'rival', the orange "Our Ukraine" poster



Campaiging: Every weekend on Kreshatyk (main street) the streets are closed off and there is some event blasting music and advertising it's purpose. The past few weekends (leading up to the elections) the streets have been dominated by blue flags and kiosks, clowns on stilts handing out balloons (with the party's name on it) and various activities for youth (see basketball game below).

BOAT CRUISE on the Dnipro








A lowly fisherman...





mid-river industrial site




the mid-river industrial site was also someone's home









lots more fishermen



After cruising the river for about an hour, our boat docked away from the buildings and various industrial sites lining the shores, and we had over an hour to kick back, relax, eat some Shashlik and explore the beautiful sand dunes.



Giddy on an island:-)



Carrying the barbeque for some Shashlik (click link to find out what this is)
At the boat dock:
"M" for Metro ... Ukraine has the deepest metro system in the world!


MmmmmcDonalds! (ad for "Big Tasty") luckily, comfort food is easy to find here.



Metro Ride


Another example of election campaiging (Blue=Party of the Regions)


Beautiful Podil