When I lived in Ukraine, I poked fun at how many things were painted in blue and yellow, down to rubbish bins and park benches.
I wouldn’t do that anymore today. Now, I am happy about every blue-and-yellow flag which I see, hoping that the solidarity such displayed also extends to driving less and turning the thermostat lower, in order to use as little Russian gas and oil as possible.
My most beautiful blue-and-yellow sight was in Bitola, at the old Turkish cemetery, no longer in use for a century already.
Bitola is in Macedonia, and that’s quite fitting. Because that cute country, too, has its right to exist denied by some of its neighboring countries. Luckily, Macedonia joined NATO in 2020, which may offer at least a little bit of protection.
Links:
- All my reports from Ukraine.
- More about the cemetery in Bitola.
- If you ever met me in real life, you may have received a business card with this photo.
The Happy Hermit 
Your business cards are beautiful, but I doubt I will meet you. Why would you want to come here?🙄
I guess Putin did one good thing… he united most of the planet against him. I feel bad for the Russian people too. The sanctions, while necessary, are going to hurt them. It’s good to see them risking arrest and standing up.🌻
Well, for example when I will hitchhike from Patagonia to Alaska. You are right in the middle, so I could stop by for lunch. :-)
(Brazenly inviting myself is a talent I have had to acquire in order to survive.)
Lunch it is… or breakfast or dinner… a meal of some sort. At some future time. Works for me. 🌻
Lunch is best, because then I can still catch a ride to Alaska in the afternoon. ;-)
(Everything looks so small on a map.)
Andreas, just saw all your beautiful photos documenting your visit to Kyiv in 2019. I had no idea how beautiful this city is. I hope it remains so.
Sadly, I am not very optimistic. Without a no-fly zone enforced by outside forces (e.g. NATO), the city will continue to get bombed.
It’s especially heart-breaking when you’ve lived somewhere, when you recognize many of the places now in ruins, and when you are just waiting to see a photo of the house once you lived in.
(I lived on the 19th floor, so I doubt I would have made it to the basement in time.)
But yes, I was also surprised how beautiful, colorful and green Kyiv was – even in December and January! It must have been a delight in summer.