Sold Out!

Sold Out! SRO! Full House! Not an empty seat in the place. The ballet was a whole different story from the opera. There were even more people there last night than there were at Giselle. And boy do I know why - this was a spectacular Swan Lake. Odette-Odile was gorgeous - in every way - with the most AMAZING arms (better than Anishvilli's!). She did 32 perfect fouettes as Odile, and actually turned into a bird as Odette! It was just thrilling. And the sets and costumes were quite nice - not nearly as tired and worn out as I expected. They even did a creditable job on the water! This is a version (I assume a very traditional Petipa version) that I have never seen before - Rothbart has a much bigger role than Siegfried, which was a good thing, because even though Siegfried (Sevoyan from Odessa) was very elegant, and was a wonderful partner, he wasn't such a great soloist. But Rothbart (whose costume was fantastic - he really looked like a black, evil, male swan), was superb in the solos - and he had many. The ending was totally different from the one I know - here Rothbart dies and Odile and Siegfried live happily ever after (he arrives in time to save her and kill the evil Rothbart). I just loved it - and I loved the audience, which was very enthusiastic in their appreciation - many times bursting into applause. They have a great custom here of clapping time to the music when they like what the dancer is doing - needless to say everyone in the audience, including us, was doing this during the fouettes. When the ballet did not begin exactly on time (because there were so many people to be seated) there were intermittent bursts of applause, from those that were already seated, indicating their irritation at the delay. It was sort of like the Wave at a baseball game - someone would start clapping and others would join in, and then it would stop, and soon it would begin again. There were many flowers and curtain calls for Ina Klueva, the ballerina and a principal of the Kharkiv Ballet Company, and she kissed each person who brought flowers up onto the stage for her - I guess it's a Ukrainian custom, or at least a Kharkiv custom, to do this. All in all, it was a perfect evening.

Until I got home and discovered that I had left my Zeiss binoculars at the theater! Why, you may ask, did I even bring them, sitting as I was in the first row! I don't know - but I did use them from time to time to get really detailed closeups. I was so excited at the end that I completely forgot about them (I think they were in my lap) when I jumped up to join the standing ovation. Ed was walking Belle when I discovered that I had left them behind, so I called him on his cell phone. He came back right away and walked over to the Opera House to see if he could find them. The place was completely locked up, but he found the stage door and an old crone there who only seemed to know only one word - "NYET"!! She pointed him in the direction of the parking lot and the lone car that was there - and when he approached it he found a couple in the car, making out, who knew nothing about, and had nothing to do with, either the ballet or the Opera House! By the time he got back home I had also discovered that my camera had died during the performance, and the great shots Ed had taken of the swans and the flower ceremonies were nowhere to be found. And then, on top of everything, Belle woke us up at 2 a.m. insisting on a walk!! Well, at least she gave us the sign that she needed to go out rather than taking matters into her own hands!! Ed of course drew that duty - sometimes his protectiveness is a real boon for me - he doesn't want me to be out alone after dark, and this was definitely after dark!

Today I went off to Mir Travel to buy our plane tickets to Moscow and Riga, while Ed went to get his haircut (it came out great!). The bad karma that started last night after the ballet continued unabated. I asked the people at the travel agency if they thought I might have a problem with my visa because we had decided to take the sleeper train to Moscow (which leaves at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night, the 21st, and arrives in Moscow at 9 a.m. the next day) rather than fly there on Saturday, the 22nd (our visa is only good for July 22 to July 25). Oh yes, they said - this could be a real big problem because we would reach the border at about 9:30 p.m. on the 21st!!! They were really helpful - found the Russian Consulate on the map for me (only about 1 mile from where we live, right off Pushkinskaya) and got me the phone number too - they even invited me to call on their phone. When I finally got through and found someone who speaks English, I was told that this might be a problem and that I should come in to see the Consul and get the necessary paperwork so that we wouldn't have any difficulties at the border. Okay - it's a drag - but I'm sure it can be solved. We'll probably have to pay some dough to Russia for another visa. Then I asked the travel agent whether she thought it would be a problem coming back because we were flying from Riga to Moscow and arriving at one airport, but flying out 4 hours later from a different airport. Oh YES - this REALLY was a problem - because it was a problem for them too - if they issue a ticket and we don't have the proper visas, they get fined. We tried to find alternative routes back, but there was nothing available on July 30, Sunday, and I know Ed won't want to stay away another day - he already feels guilty about taking the week off for this trip. And even if we came back on the 31st, it would cost us $200 more than the other route. So I called the Consulate again, and this time I was told that this would NOT be a problem, but that I should come in and talk to their "diplomat." So I told the travel agent to issue the tickets as originally booked. But now they were no longer available! Her co-worker had just canceled the booking because she didn't want the agency to get a fine!!! For the first time since I've been here I was really pissed off. I cajoled, I begged, I was firm - I failed to get anywhere - so I picked up our passports and my 5000 Hryvna and got back on the metro to go home.

Once I got there I immediately went online and managed to make the necessary reservations for Moscow-Riga-Moscow - but it's costing more than it would have if they hadn't canceled the booking. And we still have to go back and get the Moscow-Kharkov tickets from Mir Travel because it's on UT Air and there is no English online booking available. Plus, Aeroflot (the Moscow-Riga-Moscow airline) emailed that even though my booking was confirmed, and paid for with my visa card, I had to go to an Aeroflot Office and get a paper ticket! I emailed and asked where the Aeroflot Office in Kharkov is, and was told that there is none, so I have to go to a travel agent and get them to do it! What a bitch this trip has been to organize!! And I feel so stupid having wasted all that money on the visas, and the ticket screw-up, and so inefficient to boot. But I'm sure it will be worth it - it's going to be a lot of fun exploring Moscow and Riga with the Smiths. And I just got an email from Dian with a list of all the concerts that are on in Riga - Sting!!! And an organ trio concert!!! And then, of course, there's always the Bolshoi!

By now it was time to go to the Puppet Theater - today's show was "The Golden something or other". There were lots of kids there - it was so much fun to see and watch and hear them. The puppets ("kuklas" or hand puppets, as opposed to marionettes - I wonder if Kukla from Kukla, Fran and Ollie, one of my favorite TV programs as a kid, derives from this word) were wonderful, and during intermission we went upstairs to the Puppet Museum. On the way up we passed cages with parakeets and cockatoos and other birds in the stairwell, all of which seemed a lot happier and in better condition than the birds at the zoo. On the second floor there were some more cages with a bunny in one, a parrot in another, a turtle in yet another, and finally two guinea pigs! On the third floor we found the "museum" - displays of puppets that were just wonderful to see close up. It's amazing how varied they are and how much emotion they convey. Now if only they had a gift shop. Chatchkes for Ed to buy!! And that I would like!!! But no such luck - maybe we'll get back to the Crafts Museum soon and it will actually be open - that's reportedly the place to buy "souvenirs."

It was blazing hot on the third floor of the Puppet Theater, where the Museum was located, and since we couldn't understand a word of the puppet show, and since it was really hot in the theater as well, and since we are going again tomorrow evening, we decided to call it quits and come home. Ed is a happy camper watching Germany and Argentina go into extra time in the World Cup, as I type away on my blog.

Dinner At Melnitsa

Dinner at Melnitsa was really lovely. Here I am enjoying the balmy summer evening. The set up is great - each table is set in a little landscaped alcove so that it feels very private, but still enables the diners to see and be seen. There were several "She's going out with him???" moments - i.e., beautiful young girls with very short skirts and very high heels, with short, stout, sweaty older men! You get the picture.

The taxi ride there was a bit of an adventure - we hailed a cab and asked, we thought, if he knew where "Restaurant Melnitsa" is. Da Da he said. Ed set the price at 15 HVA and off we went - in what seemed to me, after having studied the map earlier, the wrong direction. After about 20 minutes Ed looked out the window and told me that we were near Arkadiy's office - I told him that, if this was true, we were definitely going in the wrong direction! A few minutes later the driver pulled up in front of some modern looking complex - Nyet Nyet we said - Restaurant MELNITSA. Oh, now he understood! He was very unhappy (not knowing that we had already decided to give him more money), but off we went again. The cab drivers here go so fast (actually, only 45 to 50 miles an hour, but the cabs are little tin cans and they are swerving constantly to avoid trolley tracks, so it feels like 100 miles an hour), and you constantly feel that your life is in danger!




After about 10 minutes we began to see people in bathing suits walking towards us, so we were encouraged. And then we came to the Kharkov River - and a MASS of humanity - honestly, you couldn't see any land at all, it was ALL people. At 7:30 in the evening!! The cab driver wanted to leave us at the top of a narrow road leading to the beach, but we insisted that he take us to the restaurant - and good thing we did too - it must have been at least 1/2 mile further on down the road, and I was wearing my backless high heels for the first (and now, I think, the last) time! No way I could have made it! The road was blocked everywhere with people walking back from the beach. Everyone in the city, it seemed, had gone to the beach - I assume because it was a holiday.

The trip back was not nearly so eventful, or so long. We managed to ask the waiter to call a taxi for us and to wrap up the uneaten portion of our dinner (I had seem someone take home food from another cafe one night, so decided that it was definitely possible to do so here. We, of course, had ordered enough for 4, but everything was so delicious - the crepes with red caviar, the cold eggplant stuffed with baba ganoush, the cold spinach mixed with humus, the hot borscht, the bread, the butter. By the time the roast pork with potatoes in it's own hot clay pot and the lamb shashlik arrived we were stuffed!

We were quite pleased with ourselves at having managed to get the left-overs wrapped and the taxi called. Felling very confident, we showed the taxi driver our paper with our address written on it in Russian, and when Ed asked the price (by saying Skillet), the guy had no idea what he was talking about. So I said "Skeelkuh?" and the driver pointed to the meter. Uh oh, we thought, this could be a recipe for disaster. But what could we do? After going a few meters the driver stopped some people to ask them how to get to our apartment!! They spoke English and we explained that they should just tell him to go down Pushkinskaya and that we would show him where to stop (he was trying to find Chubarya Street - which really has nothing to do with getting us to our apartment, even though it is officially where our building is located). He drove off - at the usual 150 miles an hour (or so it seemed) - and we got home straight away, with the meter reading 18 HVA.

I've been wondering how I'm ever going to readjust to prices back in the U.S. when we go home, and I have finally figured out a system that I think will work. I'm going to pretend that I am spending Dollars here instead of Hrivnas - so if something, like a cappucino, costs me 5 HVA here I'll pretend it cost $5, which is about what it would cost in the U.S. We picked up Ed's dry cleaning today - a suit jacket was pressed, a pair of khakis and a dress shirt were washed and ironed - total cost: 52 HVA. Just about what it would cost in dollars at Brown's. Actually it would probably cost more there!! Ed is going to have to get a haircut soon, and he checked the price at Beatric (the cosmetic surgery center/gym/beauty salon up the street from our apartment), and they told him it would cost about 50 HVA, which is just what it would cost in dollars in the US. (They told me that my haircut and a 2 process color treatment - base coat and highlights - would be 250 HVA - again, just what it would cost in the US in dollars!) I'm sure that Beatric is one of the most expensive places here, but it's convenient, and it seems as if they might know what they're doing. So Ed is getting his hair cut there tomorrow at 11. I'll wait and see what they do to him before I give it a try!

Today we were able to go see the Art Museum (only the 2nd Floor - the 1st Floor requires a separate ticket!). It cost 2 HVA and was well worth it. The building was once a pretty nice structure, we think, but it doesn't make for a very good museum. This country, and this city in particular, are so poor - it is really heartbreaking. There are some really good paintings and drawings in this Museum, in particular Venig's "Ivan the Terrible and his Wet Nurse" and Losenko's "Abel," but the lighting is terrible, and several pictures were covered with cloths to protect them. Not only is the light damaging to the paintings, but it also prevents the viewer from seeing them in some cases. The lights (fluorescent ceiling lights) were manually turned on by the women docents in each room as we entered (these women also guided us to make sure that we didn't miss a room, and that we proceeded through the Museum in the proper order, which was chronological!), and turned off when we left. There were only 3 other visitors when we were there.

We struck out at the Crafts Museum (always "zafstra" - tomorrow) and the Police Museum ("zafstra" again - we think), so we're going to wait a couple of days before we try them again. We passed a children's store on our way back and went in to take a look. Ukrainians worship children, and we were amazed to see what was on offer. This store has everything - there is absolutely no problem getting anything you need for infants and children, from pampers and huggies, to the most elaborate stroller/car seat combos from Italy. We wanted to get something for Jackson and Allan, but there was nothing Ukrainian there at all. Almost everything was American, with English writing or American cartoon characters emblazoned on it! We'll keep searching.

Ed had his weekly phone call with Zaza and Nadia today and was able to report that office space has finally been found, and that Gennady is out looking for furniture (which he may actually have to carry into the office himself!!). Zaza authorized Ed to tell Gennady that he should advertise for a translator - that funds were available to pay for that position - so at least there will be someone in the office who will be able to help Ed communicate with the lawyers. Ed is soooooo anxious to get started - this delay has been hard on him. But he's used the time very productively - he hired a translator to read him the Code of Criminal Procedure, and he's had several meetings with Arkadiy and Gennady - so he has a really good understanding of how the system works here - and he's worked out a plan for having the PD Office lawyers, once they get started, file a series of motions that will bring the systemic problems to the surface and force the courts to deal with the glaring discrepancy between the Constitution and the law, on the one hand, and the practical reality of the police and prosecutors' procedures and conduct(which fly in the face of the statutory and Constitutional provisions), on the other. I hope he can accomplish even 1/100th of what he hopes to do here. It will be a real triumph if he does.

Ed told Zaza and Nadia that he had plans to be away for a few days at the end of July, and that he had planned this trip long ago, when he thought the office would get started at the beginning of June and would be well into it's second month of operation by the time he planned to leave. He told them that he would be going to Moscow where, he explained, he will be meeting with a Justice of New York's highest appellate court who, he is sure, will have many words of wisdom to help Ed accomplish his goals in the Ukraine (all true, but not exactly the real reason we were meeting the Smiths in Moscow!). No problem - thank God - after all the trouble I had getting the visas for this excursion First, I had to get more pages added to Ed's passport (there weren't sufficient pages for the Russian visa because his passport was older than mine and all his visa pages were used up!), and then I had to use an expedited service to get the visas on time; the whole process ended up costing about $400!!! Which reminds me - I'd better check and make sure that visas are not required for Latvia!

Tonight we are going to see "Swan Lake" at the Opera Theater. I'm very curious to see whether this ballet is as well attended as the Giselle we saw with Markova, or whether there will only be a few people there, as there were for the opera the other night.

The Kharkiv Zoo

Today, June 28, is Constitution Day in the Ukraine, an official holiday. (We see here the flowers laid at the foot of the Schevshenko Monument in honor of the battles fought by Ukrainians throughout the years to secure their freedom.) We thought we would take a chance and walk two blocks to the Craft Museum to see if it was open. It wasn't. Then we thought we'd take another chance and walk two additional blocks to see if the Art Museum was open. It wasn't. So we decided to go to Schevshenko Gardens and visit the Zoo. It was a perfect day for this excursion - it was hot, but not humid, and not as hot as it has been - so as long as we stayed in the shade it was really pleasant outside.


We stopped at a really beautiful "Apoteka" (Pharmacy) for some band aids and what I hope is Hydrogen Peroxide (the band aids cost a fortune - $5!!), and passed by the former KGB Building (now the Ministry of the Interior) and the famous statue of Shevskenko on the way there.






































The first really good thing that happened was that we spotted a vendor selling freshly popped popcorn just outside the zoo entrance!! Ed has been longing for popcorn, and I wish I could find some popping corn so that we could make some at home - but so far no luck. (I did find nice cheap vases yesterday though - they were $5 each and they look like they were made for our apartment. I also found paper towel and good TP, so no more trips to Target for me!) We bought a medium popcorn and it was great! It cost a lot ($2 each) to go to the Zoo - that's not a lot for us, but for the people who live here it would be quite an expenditure.

I never liked Zoos very much, except for the Children's Zoo and Petting Zoo in Central Park. I find them very sad places. I'll never forget watching the Polar Bear in the Berlin Zoo (when I was there with Donna in 1990) pace back and forth endlessly, pausing only to beat his head against the wall occasionally. Well, that scene was repeated here. I watched a poor fox, all alone in a very small cage, pacing back and forth.

The animals looked very down in the mouth in the heat (the polar bear had no shade at all, and only green scummy water to take a dip in), with flies buzzing all around, and things not smelling too good in many spots. They had a very good collection of birds but, again, the conditions were so appalling that we couldn't really enjoy or appreciate them.

The only animals that seemed at all happy were the paper-mache or topiary ones, like these panda bears!! There were lots of kids at the zoo though, and that was fun to see - especially in the petting zoo area. There also were all sorts of rides for kids in and around the zoo, as well as several poor guys dressed up in clown and cartoon character suits (e.g, Spider Man), with huge heads that they had to put on over their own heads. It must have been over 100 F inside those things, and we saw several with their "heads" off, drinking beer and trying to cool off! We opted for "morosivo" (ice cream) - a delicious vanilla bar covered in thick dark chocolate.





We made our way back home, stopping of course at our markets to stock up on our favorite cereal, bottled water, juice, borscht, perogies and fruit. Ed and Belle were exhausted and decided to take a little rest this afternoon in the cool of the air conditioned bedroom.
I'm working on the blog and soon will stop to get ready for our dinner at a restaurant we read about called "Melnitsa" (The Mill), which is in a mill on an island in the river at the edge of the old city and serves what is supposed to be excellent Ukrainian and Georgian food. This is the perfect weather to enjoy something like that. It took us forever to figure out how to ask "Is the restaurant open tonight?" and even longer to figure out how to dial the phone, and then get the right number when it became clear that the phone numbers in our guide book are outdated. But we finally got through and, I think, asked the right question. Anyway, someone answered the phone, and I'm pretty sure she said "Dah" when I asked (I think) "Is this Restaurant Melnitsa?" So, we're going. It involves a taxi ride - you can only get there by car - and it will be interesting to see how well we do in directing the taxi there and getting one to take us home!

The Kharkiv Synagogue

I forgot to mention that we stopped at the Synagogue on the way to the metro station for our trip to the tractor factory. Betsy had asked me earlier, after I posted the pictures of the view from our apartment window, why there was still a synagogue in Kharkiv. During the Soviet regime, of course, it was not used as a synagogue. But after the breakup of the Soviet Union and the independence of Ukraine, the synagogue was rebuilt (it's actually quite an unattractive brick building on the outside, but not too bad inside) - in 1995 I think - and when we went in there were about 10 or 15 men who were talking, having tea and biscuits, on their cell phones and/or praying in full regalia with the tallis and the other things that I forget the names of (the little boxes they tie on to themselves). This was a Monday so it was not official services time. I'll have to check it out on a Friday night or Saturday. I'm not even sure they let women in - I may have to go the upper level, although these guys didn't look like they were Hassid, but they did seem pretty orthodox.

A Short Excursion

The trip to the tractor factory was something of a dud. There was indeed a huge factory, with a high wall with razor wire wound around the top, but we couldn't go in and there didn't seem to be any tractors on display (or, if there were, we couldn't find any). It was sort of weird because there is this immense factory in the middle of what seems to be nowhere, in the midst of green park-like areas. Nearby there's a war memorial to those who died in World War II fighting the Nazis. There is also an abandoned children's amusement park not far away, with a ferris wheel, merry-go- round, etc., sitting among the grasses and weeds that have grown around it. It's also clear that every form of transportation can take you to the factory - trams, train, metro, bus - they all pass by and stop there. It's located just off a very large street "Prospect Moscovy," and is still in use, presumably churning out tractors. Of course I thought about "The History of Tractors in Ukrainian," which has nothing to do with the tractor factory (or very little, anyway), and practically nothing to do with the Ukraine, but a lot to do with the attempt by many Ukrainian women to get a one-way ticket out of this country and into the U.S.

There seemed little point in hanging around the factory, so we got back on the metro and made our way home (stopping of course at my favorite market to buy some perogies and borscht). We saw the usual sights on the streets of Kharkiv - women in short skirts (these pictures do not do them justice), and dogs getting a breath of fresh air!

The heat just seems to sap me of all energy. After Ona (the cleaning woman) left, I made one small trip outside to look at the store we had passed on the way home from the Opera that seemed to have some vases (I have been searching for vases ever since we moved in). There were beautiful things there - it was basically all Mikasa - and very expensive, but still probably a lot less than the price in the States. Still, I don't want to have to move things from Kharkiv to Kyiv, and I really don't want to invest in anything here, so the search for really cheap vases continues.

This short excursion really exhausted me. I had stopped at my local market on the way back and noticed that they too had borscht for sale - so I bought some for a "borscht off" tonight. I also bought some fruits and vegetables - the saleswoman at that particular section is really sweet - she helps me get the names in Ukrainian for all my purchases, and when I was a couple of Hryvnas short, and handed her a bigger bill to cover the whole price, she handed the big bill back and told me "Zafstra" (tomorrow) - in other words I could pay her the balance tomorrow. I thought that was pretty amazing.

I got back to the apartment, completely drained by the heat!! But I had to leave again in 15 minutes because Alona had called to tell me that she would meet me at 4 p.m. so that we could pick up my Fed Ex package (this damn FedEx package is almost as big a burden as the luggage was at the beginning of the adventure!). I met her at the McDonald's at Independence Square, near Rozy Luxemburg Square. She had to take me to the "office" because the way addresses work here I never would have found it on my own. We had to go into a drugstore, through that store to the back, and up three flights of stairs to Room 17. There sat a man, with my Fed Ex envelope and lots of other FedEx things. He and Alona had a conversation during which, I have a feeling, he was expressing great amusement at the phone calls to me and my responses, in Ukrainian, that I didn't speak Russian. I had to sign my name, in Ukrainian!!! (I printed it - but that seemed to satisfy the man.)

I knew that the package had some papers that required our signature, so I opened it on the spot, signed where required (for both of us I must admit - with Ed's full approval), put it in the return envelope that was included in the package, and gave it back to the man for the journey back to LA. What a waste of time (for me) and money (for Goldman Sachs) that all turned out to be! (I can only imagine what the FedEx costs were!) But it's done, and now Alona has arranged with the FedEx man that if any packages come for me he will call her, and she will arrange a time with me for delivery so that it can be brought directly to our apartment.

Well, now I really was done in. When I got back to the apartment I drank two 1.5 liter bottles of water and gradually recovered. We had our borscht off - I think the one from the local market wins - it has some beef in it and is really delicious, and a lot less expensive than the other. I took to my bed with my book and fell asleep at 8 p.m.!!

Sex and The City, Kharkiv Style

Yesterday, when Ed took Belle for her morning ablutions, the elevator arrived with two other passengers already in it, carrying a few bags of provisions. This was too much for Belle, and she resisted going in (she's used to having the place to herself), but Ed persuaded her. They went down about two floors before the elevator stopped. This is MY worst nightmare - it really scares me. The other people took out their cell phone and made a call (presumably to the "guard" downstairs) and in a minute or two the elevator started up again. On the return trip the elevator wouldn't move at all when Ed got in with Belle, and he and she had to walk up the 8 floors. Everything seems fine now, but this is something I'm really worried about. I can't possibly trudge up the 8 flights with marketing packages and water bottles! I'd better get that phone number right away and make sure I'm NEVER in that elevator without my cell phone!

After a quiet day we had a light supper consisting of the remaining things I had bought at my favorite market the day before - the unidentifiable objects turned out to be delicious (of course - everything is!) - they were sort of like mashed potato outsides stuffed with mushrooms in one case, and with chopped meat in the other. Yummy! One of the blintzes was stuffed with chopped meat of some kind and the other with cheese - it tasted exactly like the cheese blintzes my mother used to make. I really did eat most of this food at home when I was a kid. My parents had friends with Polish backgrounds (Peggy & Ralph) who served wonderful perogy, Russian-backgrounds (the Krentskis) who used to have us over for black bread and butter and kilbassi (sausage). My mother served cold borscht with sour cream all the time (I hated it then - beets - yuck!), and made (from scratch) fabulous cheese blintzes (my father specialized in the potato pancakes, kasha verneki, and matzoh brie). We used to have herring in sour cream or with onion frequently, and salads of chopped radishes, cucumber and scallions in sour cream. I feel like I've come home! A Jewish version of "Recherche du Temps Perdu"!!!

We walked over to the Opera Theater (it's so pleasant walking in the early evening when the sun is low in the sky and not beating down) for our first opera in Kharkiv. Unfortunately it will also be our last here!! Not so good. It was Tosca, and when Tosca is bad, it's really bad. Unlike the ballet performance, it was very poorly attended. Our seats were fantastic - 8th row center aisle - no one in front of us, next to us or behind us!! Soon after the curtain went up we knew why - Mario (the lead tenor) was just ridiculous. He was wearing shiny patent leather (or rubber) boots that looked like a combination of Wellies and cowboy boots, a black satin shirt that showed every bulge is his unattractive body, and his face (with a big mustache) looked like a cartoon. (I think they probably used those same boots in Pique Dame, which our friend Sasha had walked out on because the tenor was so bad - it was probably the same guy!). He sang as if he was giving a pop concert (sort of like Celine Dion), with that little catch in the throat that pop artists and contemporary Broadway musical singers seem to specialize in. And Floria Tosca - ohmygod - she was so unattractive - and her singing did not make you forget that she was fat, had a horrible black wig, and looked like some sort of caricature. She had on a huge pink dress with big baby-doll puffy sleeves that just compounded the problem. Her singing wasn't awful, just not very good. Scarpia was the best of the lot, but his voice wasn't very strong (at least he could act a little - the others made it look like a silent film melodrama). We gave it a shot, but left after the first act, at 7 p.m. I don't think we'll try that again. We'll wait for Kyiv!

We walked over to the beautiful cafe, where we had eaten at about a week before, on Sumskaya opposite Schevshenko Gardens. This is definitely a place where the "beautiful people" of Kharkiv go to see and be seen. Almost everyone there is very young and very attractive - and they are almost all women. It's rather expensive for Kharkiv (for example, I had a poppyseed cake and cappacino and Ed had a gin and tonic (with a real lime - the first we've seen in Kharkiv!!!!), and this cost us $8 - quite a lot by Kharkiv standards. But it was worth it, as we spent an hour sitting there watching "Sex and the City" Kharkiv style. There was a table of four young women just below us, and I think they were celebrating one of their birthdays. They went through two bottles of sparkling wine before ordering their dinner and it was really fun to watch them interact. One was really interesting looking (I would say beautiful in an unconventional way), with long dark blond hair, and wearing a green skintight top that showed the outline of her black bra underneath, exposed midriff and tight green cargo pants. She had on a great pair of 4" high Corkee type shoes with pink and green and yellow stripes on the heels, and a bag (which clearly wasn't a matched set with the shoes, but which went with them very well) with stripes of the same colors. We thought that she was the Carrie Bradshaw of the bunch. The Samantha of the group was really a sexpot - she walked in wearing skin tight capri length jeans that sat on her hips, with a black thong showing above it. (Ed actually thought this was a fashion faux pas, but I explained that this was really the way to wear it if you had the body and the youth and the confidence required to carry it off!) She too had on a skin tight top with exposed midriff, and very glittery dangling earrings and necklace with a flower barrett in her long blond hair. She had on sky high spike heeled pink mules and a bag to match. The other two were the more conventional of the quartet - the Charlotte and the Cynthia Nixon character - the lawyer - I can't remember her character's name. I really wished Ed had brought his camera - a photo posting here would be perfect!

We got home to find that Belle was up to her old tricks - she had managed to sniff out the chocolate in my night table drawer, open the drawer and eat up all that was left of my Vosges chocolate that I had brought from home (only about one square), and one square of the delicious dark chocolate that I had bought here. (I keep the chocolate in the bedroom because it melts in the kitchen unless I put it in the fridge, and who likes to eat ice cold chocolate!!) She's unblievable. But she clearly feels at home now - she has her chocolate supply just where it's supposed to be, and instead of cats to bark at through the canal doors, she has the elevator which keeps her very busy.

It's amazing how NOT homesick I am - when I'm doing my blog I actually feel like I'm talking to my friends! And then I have actually talked to some people, and will talk to more soon. I had a great conversation with Jane and Jenny yesterday - it's just impossible to believe that we've only been away three weeks!!! I spoke to Milton and also to Claire Pollack a couple of nights ago. I've had two or three conversations with Michael Oliver and one with Jeremy, a few with Laura, and I also spoke to Dian about our upcoming trip! And then of course there are my scrabble games which, with the exception of Vicki who is on vacation in Italy, continue uninterrupted!! Jane asked if I was homesick and I told her that I really wasn't - that I had my "home" with me - Ed, Belle and my computer (Ed chimed in "not in that order!"). It's not that I don't miss seeing people - I do - but I still feel very connected to everyone, and the main reason for that is the blog, and the feedback I get from friends who are reading it. I am so glad I am doing this - I forgot who suggested it - someone at the dog park, I remember that much - and it was Glen who told me where to go on the web to set it up. I think I would feel quite isolated without it.

Today we're going to make an excursion by metro to the tractor factory and stop at Target (for more soft TP) on the way home. Kharkov was famous for it's tractor factory - this should be interesting.

Ed Makes A Guest Appearance On The Blog (Illustrations Courtesy Of Peachy)

Dear Reader:

It has been requested, as the British say, that I "get on my legs" and hold forth on the state of the Ukranian criminal legal system, which we are here to assist in reforming by establishing a Public Defender system.

As you know, we are starting in Karkov, a city of contrasts; crumbling Russian cement block buildings beside glittering golden domed cathedrals; broken sidewalks leading to swift, efficient subways; friendly, helpful people with broken spirits; elderly "bubushkas" begging on street corners as oligarchs speed by in polished SUVs, crowded with body guards.
But these observations are best left to Susan's practiced eye. However, I must digress for a moment in praise of my "Peachy." Under rather difficult circumstances, she has found an apartment which she has converted into a warm, homey refuge. I am amazed how she maneuvers around a strange city, in which only Russian is spoken and provides us with all our needs, including delicious meals. Due to her ever present computer, we listen to NPR and BBC radio while sipping our tea and munching on Perogy. This trip would have been of an entirely different character without her. "Full marks" for Peachy.

But back to the task at hand. I have met with the Deputy Minister of Justice, judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers and human rights advocates. I have had the relevant portions of the Constitution and the Criminal Procedure Code translated for me. These laws all codify the same rights we have in our own system. The problem is that there is a contradiction between the written word and the practice in reality.

The typical criminal case commences when a suspect is "invited" to the police station in handcuffs. This does not constitute an arrest, because then the suspect would be entitled to an attorney. During the next 2-3 day period the suspect is expected to confess, like the 90% of other detainees. If the suspect is unreasonably stubborn he is beaten, and I don't mean a little slapping about. Last week a lawyer's client had his eye put out and the week before a man was beaten to death. If a complaint is filed, an investigation consists of other officers asking the abusing officers if they beat the suspect. When the officers state their denial the investigation is closed. If the suspect has money he can negotiate with the police to bribe them to drop the case. If no deal can be made, the case is referred to the prosecutor and the official Investigator, and the suspect is finally entitled to access to an attorney. Each time the attorney wishes to confer with his client in custody, the attorney must obtain a special permit signed by the Investigator or the judge and co-signed by their superiors, a process that takes days each time.

The obstacle to effecting change within the system is that there is no appellate process as we know it. If a case is appealed, the Ukranian Court does not write a decision that could be used as a precedent to reform these practices. The Court merely writes a one line judgment. This leaves the legislature (Rada) as a source of reform, and thus subject to the complications of Ukranian politics. There is one other vehicle that I have proposed. The Constitutional Supreme Court does issue general statements (Resolutions) on constitutional questions, when requested by a trial judge. We will be keeping statistics and examples in the Public Defender Office and seeking a petition, signed by some prominent people, using a request by a sympathetic judge.

A few words about a typical trial may give you an idea of how things work. The court building is quite run-down and in need of repairs. Here you see the door to the courtroom. The wooden hallways are worn by the tread of feet over the decades, with slats of flooring missing or broken. The relatives of the defendant and the victim mill about in the hallway waiting for the court to open. Suddenly everyone scurries to the far end of the hall. The corridor reverberates with a deep growl and sharp bark - the dogs are coming. A soldier appears with a snarling German Shepherd on a chain. When the corridor is cleared, the defendant shuffles toward the court, shackled and chained, between two guards, who force his shaved head to his chest, so he cannot look about.


The courtroom consists of a wood veneer bench, opposing attorney tables, and a rostrum in the center, facing the judge, where witnesses testify. The defendant sits in a barred cage to the side. The inquiry starts with the judge talking directly to the defendant and asking him to confirm his confession or explain why he is not guilty. The Investigator and prosecutor then ask some questions. Finally, the defense lawyer is asked if he or she has anything to say. Then the victim or his family addresses the court, followed by any witnesses. The defendant is then found guilty and the case is recessed for a few days. During this time, the defendant's mother brings parcels of food to the jail to sustain him, and his
family attempts to raise the proper inducements to encourage the authorities or the court to be lenient at sentencing.

Hopefully this gives you a partial picture and a greater appreciation of the need to be vigilant in the protection of our own liberties.

Google Earth And Other Things

Thanks to Joe Fogarty, Ed's second cousin Jen's husband (is there a word for such a relative??), I have discovered Google Earth and have located our apartment building and other landmarks!! It is just amazing. If it's a live satellite feed I can go outside and wave to everyone at an appointed hour, the detail is that good. Now I'll go to Google Earth and look for 217 Sherman Canal - maybe I can see Gillian and Steve sitting in the garden!

It looks like Ed might have an ingrown toenail - maybe not such a big deal in the U.S., but quite worrying here. It looks infected and it's slightly terrifying to think of going for medical care (especially if it involves any cutting!!!) here in Kharkiv. I have a supply of antibiotics, but I'm not sure which one is best for this purpose, so I'm going to email our internist and see whether Cipro or Amoxicillin is the answer (I have a feeling it's Amoxicillin). I'm having Ed soak his foot in hot water, but I'd really like to get some boric acid - how the hell do you say boric acid in Russian!!

I went out yesterday to try and find some sandals for Ed so that his toe could get some relief when he has to leave the apartment (and then has to wear shoes). I took one of his slippers with me (not as heavy as a shoe and, in this heat, every ounce you carry matters!) as a measuring tool. I found a pretty okay looking pair (claiming to be Dolce and Gabanna, no less - and they actually may be the real thing because they cost $60, a fortune here) that just made it in length. I brought them home, along with more juice, bottled water and other necessary supplies, and they fit!!! And they don't even look too dorky. A real success.

I finally got some frames for the photos I brought over with me. And I found the most adorable little frames for pictures of Allan and Jackson (now I just have to get Jed and Jason to email me some photos that will fit in these!).







I got a really beautiful frame that will be perfect for the small picture of us with Scott & Joan. There were some very useful, simple frames for $3 each, and I got a bunch of those for my photos of me, Allison and Laura at our college reunion about 10 years ago, Beanie & Muffin (pictures of Woody and Belle came with their own frames to the Ukraine!), the McGuires and Waldens and us at Emerald Isle, and the photo at Susie's birthday lunch at Lucita's in 2001. I got a very cute frame for Allan's Christmas photo too.

I still need some more frames - I have a picture of us with Laura & Portis on New Year's Eve in Vienna that I want to include, as well as pictures of Jason and Sandra, and Jed and Jenny, that are musts. I also need a really big frame for the Bark Park Friends collage that Jill made (the holiday group Bark Park photo is beautifully mounted by Jill on black paper and doesn't need a frame). But I'm quite pleased with my choices so far. It took this long to find a shop that sells any frames at all! These were found in a Kodak store near Soveitskya Monument. It ended up costing more than I had expected ($60 in all), and I had to go change money to make the purchase. I went to about four money changers, but none of them had any Hryvnas!! I finally gave up, but fortunately this is one of the few stores in Kharkiv (maybe in the Ukraine!) that takes credit cards, so I was able to get the frames after all.

I then went to my current favorite food shop on the corner of Sumskaya and Poet's Square. I got some great looking salmon, tomato and cucumber salad, cold borscht, more of the blintze looking things, with different fillings this time (I like food surprises!), two other unidentifiable objects that look delicious, and a variety of perogy (the little hot breads stuffed with different fillings). There were two young girls who helped me identify the fillings - there was meat, cheese and chicken, three different fish varieties, onion (I had that the other day - I was actually able to identify that one myself!) and one that they didn't know the word for - so the pantomimes began. One girl drew a circle on the side of her belly and I began guessing. Stomach? No. Intestines (tripe)? No. Kidney? Bingo! No thanks, I said. I ended up with the cheese and chicken, and the beef, which I just had to eat on the spot! Ohmygod was that goooooood. I also got some sweet ones (cherry, strawberry and apricot) for Sunday breakfast. This entire feast cost me $10 - definitely enough food for lunch today, dinner tonight and dinner tomorrow night too, for both of us! I had the borscht for lunch and I almost swooned with pleasure - cold, full of beet slices, dill and masses of sour cream.

I set up Skype so that Ed could use Skype-out and call Jed at a prearranged time of 7 a.m. Saturday his time (5 p.m. Saturday our time), and also Jason (no appointment made, but he was home). At these rates (2 1/2 cents a minute) we can afford to keep in touch!!

We had the salmon and salad for dinner, and then the most delicious vanilla ice cream (it's so much richer than the ice cream back home) and chocolate truffles! Not bad!! We made an early evening of it and retired to the cool bedroom to read. I fell asleep at 8:30 p.m. and didn't get up until 8 a.m. It's really amazing how well we sleep here since it doesn't get dark until about 10 p.m. and it's bright sunlight by 5 a.m.

We had our sweet perogy for breakfast (not as good as the savory, in my opinion) and we're spending a quiet day at home - Ed is soaking his foot, I'm doing my blog, we're both reading the weekly Kyiv Post, and then we go to Tosca at 6 p.m. tonight. I hope it's as good as the ballet - but that might be too much to expect. And anyway, we really do have to save some pleasures for our stay in Kyiv!!

Photos At Last!!!

Here is our apartment building as seen from the back, where we enter. I know, you think it looks like any high rise on York Ave. in Manhattan, but trust me, it doesn't!
And here is where we enter the building,as seen from the inside looking out. It's much worse as seen from the other direction!


Then we get to the elevator doors - we forgot the interior shots - actually there was no room to hold the camera up and take a picture in there!











This is the view of our living room fake wood built-ins (although they're not at all built in!) and the door to our bedroom. This is before I put out all my photos and made it more homey.

I forgot about the entry way and the nice little nook where I put the beer glass with the flowers Ed bought me.












And there I am with Belle, working on the blog in my "office," which doubles as a kitchen. You can just see the edge of our sofa in the corner.



Here we see some kids cooling off on top of the vacant building opposite ours, as seen from our apartment window.




Another view from our apartment window - you can see the dome of the Synagogue and the gold domed top of the Cathedral.




Here we have a view of Belle's favorite bathroom spot as seen from the driveway leading into our apartment entrance. I know it looks lovely from here, and it's really not bad, except maybe for the disconnected fountain in the center which now serves as a large pit into which people throw garbage. Not their dogs' garbage however - no one here picks up after their dogs except us!


Poet's Square - the sweet little park that connects Sumskya and Pushkinskya just south of our apartment.



The "candy striped" Blagoveschensky Cathedral - one of only three surviving churches in Kharkiv.




Uspensky Cathedral which was turned into an Organ Hall during the Soviet era and now functions as a concert venue. We haven't been there yet, but we'll go soon.







Kharkiv Train Station - I've actually never seen this view except for Ed's photo because I always arrive by metro, which leads directly into the station.




The interior of Kharkiv Train Station - it's quite a lovely building. I didn't really notice until my third trip there because I was always so concerned about finding the ticket window for "foreigners"!




A woman selling those dolls that fit into one another in Schevshenko Park.



Detail on a lovely pre-war building on Sumskaya Street



The underground shops at "Historical Museum" Metro Station



The "Monument" - a favorite "meeting place" in Kharkiv. I can't tell you how many travel agents I met at the Monument!


The queue waiting to board the mini-van buses that run throughout the city


The trolleys at Constitution Square


Some women exiting the metro on a Thursday afternoon