You know how it goes. You make plans for a day, and then struggle with schedule, events and people to carry out your plans. And when you finally exhale and sit down late in the day, you must confess that all your plans went down the drain.
At least it was a sunny day. First bright and sunny day in a long row of gloomy, dark days. Perhaps this very fact became the reason.🙂
I long wanted to visit a showroom of a local shoe manufacturer. But their open hours match my working hours. Besides, the weather wasn't friendly for walkers, mostly windy, and foggy. So when I got up today and saw a bright sunlight in my window, I rescheduled my working hours, grabbed a camera and went out.
It was so nice outside. Recent rain washed away all snow.
I try to revive my hobby, I mean photography. Before war, I was much more enthusiastic. So sometimes I take my camera when I go out but rarely use it.
When I left the house, the air alarm started. Damn it! My destination was in Kyiv city center, very close to the area that was hit but Russian missiles on 10th October. I'm not a coward, but lately we've been warned especially often not to ignore air alarms. I was thinking what to do... I walked in the direction of the subway and thought about what to do. In the end, I decided that I would get off one station later, go upstairs from the subway and walk back by feet.
This is how I ended up in Khreschatyk. They say that locals rarely walk here, only tourists. But today I have an excuse.😉
I passed by the city hall. This building was built after the WW II, and earlier there were several capital buildings, one of which operated the popular Hotel "Bel-Vue".
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The next building is a multi-story multi-brand store. It's decorated in New Year style.
At the central entrance, they installed current generated. You can roll the wheel, engine will generates small current and lighten... something. I guess. If it's similar to those that is installed inside of Kyiv Central Railway station.
From time to time, I checked my phone if the notification had arrived about cancellation. But it didn't. Although, everything looked peaceful and nice outside.
I turned right and saw this plaque on the corner of the building dedicated to Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, in whose honor the street is named. He is our famous commander, the first Ukrainian hetman and not only that. I didn't notice it before.
Across the street, people are standing in line for Kyiv Perepichka. It's a fast food establishment in Kyiv, where only one dish is served - a pastry with sausage. This dish is considered one of the culinary hallmarks of Kyiv and is mentioned in modern guidebooks and online tourist resources, including on TripAdvisor, Foursquare, Lonely Planet and others. On TripAdvisor, "Kyivska perepichka" leads the rating of fast food establishments in Kyiv, and has Certificate of Excellence 2015—2018 Winner.🏆
The Museum of History of Kyiv is located in the modern building on the corner.
Another unexpected finding - an Angel sitting on the balcony of the Taras Shevchenko National Museum. I passed by hundred times and never see it. So I had to google. In 2015, the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Ukraine presented the "Angel of Kindness" to Ukrainians. The author of the project is the Lithuanian sculptor Vaidas Ramoshka. He created the symbols of goodness - sculptures of white angels, which have a special light in them and protect the citizens and guests of the city.
Sculptures of "Angels of Kindness" were installed in Warsaw, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Tallinn, Dublin, Ljubljana, Riga, Minsk, Milan and even Guangzhou in China.
As you can see, the building was partly damaged on the shelling. There are many windows closed by sheet of plywood all around.
Now I am right at the spot that was hit on Oct 10th. City authorities fixed everything very quickly. Well, not literally everything...
This is Shevchenko park.
They have a New Year tree. It all is so contrasting, Christmas, New Year tree, traces of shelling, air alarms, blackouts. Today is 308 days already. Who in the right mind could believe it can happen, and it will last for so long, and we will hold on for so long.
The Shevchenko monument is closed temporary to protect from being damaged.
A bus stop decorated with a pattern in national colors.
Red University Building. It is the principal and oldest 4-story building of the Kyiv University. It was constructed from 1837–1843. Now it's one of the city landmarks.
And this is how it looked on Oct 10th.
I kept an eye on reports for "air raid clear" but vainly. It means that all municipal public transport is stopped, and since the air raid started in the morning and lasts for so long the shoe store was still closed. Crap. Not the worst of the problems though.
So I went toward subway, some lines still works, even during danger.
The first thing that interests me when I go home is whether there is power. Since the weekend, the situation in Kyiv has improved. But we still have emergency (unplanned) cutoffs.
The good news is we have power. The bad news is that it can disappear at any time. I have been wanting to do laundry for several days now. Today, due to the cutoff, the washing took all day. In the evening, I planned to go to the volunteer camp, but I didn't manage to do that either. In addition, a colleague who lives and works in the USA pissed me off with his complaints. Sometimes it is difficult to understand the reluctance to work when you have absolutely everything for comfortable work. Although, in the end, everything is relative. Before the war, we also grumbled and complained.
Well, at least my photos are uploaded, and hopefully, I will finish this post today, LOL.
Seize the day!
This is my submission to the WednesdayWalk challenge initiated and hosted by @tattoodjay.
Thank you so much for walking with me today. 💛
Cheers!
