This is where my best friend Will was “retained” by the military all day because he did not have his passport. He told me a little of his detainment. Part of it was in a bunker where he was allowed to watch a bit of Colombo dubbed in Ukrainian.

I don’t make any of this stuff up.

As for me, I got to go into the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. This was the first security gate of many that I have recently processed. I posted a full story from the Chernobyl Adventure here — there are two parts… they should make for a good Sunday read if you have not seen them before!

Filed under the categories: Chernobyl, Travel, Ukraine

I recently had some spare time. Well, not really. But I did insert into my schedule something I’ve been meaning to do for a long time – go back and re-examine some of my Chernobyl shots. I wasn’t ever happy with the way this one turned out, so I went back to give it a fresh pass.

I wrote up a long story about my trip to Chernobyl, which you might enjoy. This photo was taken just a uranium rod’s throw from Chernobyl in the little town that all the workers lived in called “Pripyat”. It was abandoned immediately when the meltdown happened. It was a perfect little Soviet master-planned community from the 80′s. During the emergency evacuation, kids left their schoolbooks on desks, families left clothes unpacked, and cafeteria workers left food unfinished. This particular picture was taken by the playground where creepy toys creaked in the wind.

Filed under the categories: Chernobyl, Travel, Ukraine

Why was I walking around at midnight in the middle of a snowfall in Ukraine with my tripod shooting? I just can’t remember. I don’t remember much about the Ukraine and those cold nights. I can’t decide if I repressed them or have selectively forgotten or some delightful combination thereof.

And Ukraine taught me a new level of cold that I thought was reserved somewhere in the nether Dante regions…

Filed under the categories: Kharkov, Musings, Travel, Ukraine

This basilica in Kiev has this wonderful black base that really lets the gold and trimmings pop and shine. There is also that little tiny chandalier there, which you may not have noticed!

Filed under the categories: Kiev, Travel, Ukraine

This is very near the center of town in Kharkov, Ukraine. They use these old trams that are absolutely on the edge of breaking down with every creak and groan.

Filed under the categories: Kharkov, Travel, Ukraine

Here is a block of apartments in Kharkov, Ukraine.

Filed under the categories: Kharkov, Travel, Ukraine

This is the lower floor of the office building in Kharkov, Ukraine. The building holds many companies and Program Ace is on the top floors. Once you are actually into the offices themselves, they are perfectly nice and they have sweet broadband… but the entrance area down below could use a coat of paint or two…

Filed under the categories: Kharkov, Travel, Ukraine

This is the ornate entrance to a huge religious complex in Kiev. The sky was overcast and the same color as the white of the buildings. I happened to catch a little bird up there as you can see.

Filed under the categories: Kiev, Travel, Ukraine

This is a place I passed every day when walking from my apartment to Mike’s apartment while in Ukraine. BTW, they now seem to get pretty agitated when you call it "The Ukraine"… just stick with "Ukraine", and it will avoid you some dirty looks, which are not the good kind of looks to get from Ukrainians.

Filed under the categories: Kharkov, Travel, Ukraine

This is a super cool restaurant in Kharkov. I wish I could have gotten a lot more shots, but when a Russian owner glares at you, it’s generally a good idea to put away your camera.

Filed under the categories: Kharkov, Travel, Ukraine

This is what I see every morning on my daunting egress from our apartment in Kharkov.

Filed under the categories: Kharkov, Travel, Ukraine

This is the little public area near the train station.

Filed under the categories: Kharkov, Travel, Ukraine

The train station was across from my apartment in Kharkov.  I passed it every morning and every night on the way into the office.  It has a class old-Soviet feel and always looked great in the sunset.

Filed under the categories: Kharkov, Travel, Ukraine

I was asked in the Flickr comments of this picture if I get scared while carrying around an expensive camera and tripod around with me. I replied no, not really. I keep the tripod cocked on my shoulder. It’s big and metal and I think anyone knows that an assault will be repelled by the business end of that tripod. It leaves a mark.

Filed under the categories: Kiev, Travel, Ukraine

When I was in Kharkov, Ukraine, my host drove me up to the Russian border where we visited these mass graves. It was very eerie. This is the site of the Katyn Massacre, where the Red Army executed over 20,000 Polish prisoners, many of whom were senior officers in the military that were captured in 1939.

Those who died at Katyn included an admiral, two generals, 24 colonels, 79 lieutenant colonels, 258 majors, 654 captains, 17 naval captains, 3,420 NCOs, seven chaplains, three landowners, a prince, 43 officials, 85 privates, and 131 refugees. Also among the dead were 20 university professors (including Stefan Kaczmarz); 300 physicians; several hundred lawyers, engineers, and teachers; and more than 100 writers and journalists as well as about 200 pilots. In all, the NKVD executed almost half the Polish officer corps.[1] Altogether, during the massacre the NKVD murdered 14 Polish generals. I got this information (and you can get more) at from the Wikipedia page on the Katyn Massacre.

Filed under the categories: Kharkov, Travel, Ukraine

For some reason, the picture of this gal I put up a few days ago got 4x the hits the my usual pictures in the first 24 hours. I don’t understand why people like looking at this stuff instead of landscapes and strange buildings. So anyway, let them eat cake I say…. here is another.

(just kidding…. of course…. glad you like this series)

Filed under the categories: Kharkov, Travel, Ukraine