Category Archives: Ukraine
Now, Christmas is really over
Most readers of this blog probably live in the Western churches’ (both reformed and unreformed) as well as the Gregorian calendar’s sphere of influence, where the three magicians already put an end to Christmas two weeks ago. But here, in … Continue reading
Uman: Communism or Cheesy Story?
Zur deutschen Fassung dieses Artikels. There is really no reason to visit Uman. It is a small city like hundreds of others in Ukraine. But because it lies halfway between Kyiv and Odessa, I decided to break the journey and … Continue reading
“East West Street” by Philippe Sands
As a lawyer and budding historian, I found Philippe Sands‘ idea of telling the story of international criminal law through the biographies of Hersch Lauterpacht and Raphael Lemkin interesting. But the book East West Street is overloaded with the irrelevant … Continue reading
Kyiv – Day 21/21 – Train Station
And the three weeks are over. Too bad. On the other hand, I like going to Kyiv’s main train station because it shows the way that train stations everywhere should aspire to: large, majestic, comfortable, open around the clock, and … Continue reading
Kyiv – Day 20/21
Yesterday was such a beautiful day that I went for a long walk. That long (and aimless), in fact, that I apparently walked far beyond the city limits of Kyiv. Because suddenly, it looked rather rural. And pretty. The whole … Continue reading
Kyiv – Day 19/21 – Communism and Capitalism
Capitalism’s triumph over communism most certainly wasn’t due to aesthetics. Links: More about Ukraine. More about economics, some of it more profound than merely a photo. Zur deutschen Fassung dieses Blogs.
Kyiv – Day 18/21 – Snow
Recently, many readers were jealous because of the mild Ukrainian winter. You needn’t be jealous any longer, for it finally snowed and became slightly colder. But before you say “oh, how pretty”, I should point out that the photos were … Continue reading
Kyiv – Day 17/21 – Sunrise
Ukraine is one hour ahead of Central European Time. This has the advantage of the sun rising earlier, while you can stay in bed longer because you are in a different time zone. Or something like that. Honestly, I don’t … Continue reading
Kyiv – Day 16/21 – Street Art
Imagine my lawyerly surprise and joy to see one of history’s most important codifications being appreciated in a mural. That one may be Chernobyl-related. Ok, that last one is actually a religious symbol, an idol of Perun. Links: More about … Continue reading
Kyiv – Day 15/21 – Pigeons
Oh, if only I didn’t have to take photos of Maidan Nezalezhnosti for this blog, then maybe people wouldn’t recognize me as a tourist. But too late, a girl with two pigeons is already approaching. She asks where I am … Continue reading
The Happy Hermit 