Five Days Left
I’m leaving in 5 days and I have so many mixed emotions. I feel like there is still so much I want to do and see here and I won’t have time to do it all. On the other hand, there are many things I am looking forward to doing and seeing again when I return.
I’ve become so addicted to taking pictures. When I got here in the fall, Vlad and I spent so much time looking for a place to live, then for furniture. Next thing I knew, it was November and the days were short and the sky was gray for about 2 months straight. Not the best conditions for photographing. Then winter came, and although it was mild compared to this winter in Boston, the lack of snow removal made going out very treacherous. I was falling almost once a day and was afraid I would seriously injure myself. Having fallen on ice 4 years ago, I managed to sprain my ankle, bruise cartilage in my knee and herniated 2 discs in my back that pushed against my sciatic nerve causing me extreme pain when ever I sat for more than an hour or two. This went on for about a year! So, my fear of falling had basis. Luckily, I was never injured in a fall here, other than being sore for a few days.
So, now it’s just about spring. I was incredibly excited to see buds on the trees and the warm weather last week! I was very excited about photographing Kiev with leaves on the trees and flowers around, however Mother Nature is not moving at a pace I would like. Monday it rained. No big deal, I decided to take the time to start packing. I also decided to go to Patrivka Market in search of a gift for my dad. Mom’s gift is all set; my dad is tough to shop for though. I also forgot that most places are closed on Mondays here. Oops!
Tuesday, Vlad and I decided to go to the Botanical Gardens here. Unfortunately, it was very overcast and nothing was in bloom there. Not even a crocus or daffodil! With the trees mostly bear; it was not the feeling I wanted to capture in my photos.
Wednesday we went to Paragova (Heritage Village) It’s the Ukrainian equivalent to Old Sturbridge Village with replicas of old farmhouses from different regions of Ukraine. I never knew there were so many ways to thatch a roof! The houses from the different regions were slightly different. Some were covered in clay and painted, some were more like log cabins, some regions cut the logs different than other places, and some places had wooden roofs as opposed to thatch. Many had thresh on the floors, (straw used as early floor covering) FYI, that’s where the term “threshold” comes from.
Vlad and I went to Paragova a couple of months ago. We made the mistake of going on a Monday, and most of it was closed. There was several inches of snow on the ground, which was pretty, but it was still getting dark early and we got there late so most of the photos I took were at dusk. I had been dying to go back there in the spring. So, yesterday we went. It was a beautiful warm sunny day too! The only thing is, I didn’t recharge the batteries in my camera long enough. I used the camera more than I thought yesterday, so my camera was useless within the first hour of arrival. After I finished verbally flogging myself for not charging the batteries overnight (just to be sure) I realized I was going to be sightseeing with out my camera. This is something I haven’t done much of. It was a very odd feeling. I felt like I would not be able to enjoy this beautiful day because I couldn’t photograph it! Is there a Photograph-aholics Anonymous somewhere?
Botanical Gardens
The grass is burned to prepare the ground for planting.
Bells outside a church at the Gardens
Green House
Peragova
17th Century Church
Illegal interior shot
