Saturday, August 29, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
HOSPITALS AND CLINICS AROUND ISTANBUL
Health and Medical information from Lonely Planet...includes addresses and phone numbers.
Click Here
AMERICAN HOSPITAL
GUZELBAHCE SOKAK NO. 20
TELE: 0212-311-2000
TAKSIM EMERGENCY HOSPITAL
SIRASELVILER CADDESI NO. 112
0212-252-4300
Click Here
AMERICAN HOSPITAL
GUZELBAHCE SOKAK NO. 20
TELE: 0212-311-2000
TAKSIM EMERGENCY HOSPITAL
SIRASELVILER CADDESI NO. 112
0212-252-4300
RANDOM GENERALIZATIONS ABOUT EAST EUROPEAN HISTORY....
Eastern Europe is associated with the Slavic people who moved into the region between 600 and 800 AD...after the Germans had moved further into Western Europe...
And also with two non-Slavic "Asiatic" people who settled ...later...among the Slavs...namely the Hungarians and the Bulgars...
The Hungarians settled down in the Danube valley...and gave up the nomadic ways of the Asian Steppe.. Although is is often said that, even today, Hungary "dreams of Asia."
The Bulgars moved into the region that is now Bulgaria--as conquerors of the Slavic people who were already settled there. But the Bulgars assimilated into the Slavic population totally-- because they were fewer in number...and in effect the Bulgarians became a New "hybrid" Slavic Race...although with many Asiatic traits. This assimilation process was completed by the year 1000.
The Albanians and the Romanians are remnants of the Old Roman Imperial population long before the arrival of the Germans and the Slavs.
By the 900's each future "nationality" of Slavs had a kingly dynasty... But these original Slavic Dynasties eventually died out...because they spread their land holdings between too many sons, who usually fought among themselves...weakening their State.
So the original Slavic Dynasties became weaker and weaker...and were subject to conquest. First, by the Mongols around 1240 AD...but later by their more settled neighbors.
In General, many Slavic Races "peaked" around the year 1000...about the time when most Slavic peoples converted to, either Orthodox, or Roman Christianity.
As a result of this weakness some Slavs literally became "nationalities" without a "state"...
Consider:
The Chezks of Bohemia were dominated by the Germans of the Holy Roman Empire and later the Germanic Habsburgs of Austria...
The Ukrainians were totally taken over by the Russians and the Poles...
And the Bulgarians were the first to fall completely to the advancing Ottoman Power.
Worse, the hapless Romanians were a geopolitical football for about 500 years...more so than any other people of Eastern Europe! At least the Bulgarians were solidly in the Ottoman Empire for that time period...
All of these peoples did not achieve a national "state" again until after World War I...
In the 14th Century the Poles joined the Baltic Lithuanians to form a large medievel state...that managed to hold off the Russians, the Germans and the Ottomans-- for a while--but eventually the Poles and Lithuanians were partitioned by their powerful neighbors--the Russians, Austrians and Prussians....in the 1770's.
Certain parts of Eastern Europe became mere pawns in the geopolitics of the day... Wars between Europe and the Ottomans became frequent...with many Europeans power playing the Ottoman "Eastern Question"...to their own advantage.
What is now Romania and Eastern Hungary and parts of Western Ukraine were routinely divided and re-divided...by war... among the Great Powers of Russia, Austria and the Ottomans...
The Romanians...a non-Slavic remnant population of Roman times...were also a "nation" without a State for much of their history...and more often the pawns in the Great Game of Geopolitics in Eastern Europe.
Much of Eastern European history seems to be a Great Game... between the Russians, the Germans (Austria and Prussia)... and the Ottomans...
Many "nationalities"-- like the Bulgarians, Ukrainians, Romanians, Balkan Serbs, Albanians and Romanians (two non-Slavic Roman remnants)...and to some extent the Chezks, who were the most Germanized of the Slavs...and later the Partitioned Poles...were simply out of the game...and were simply rural peasants in their own lands.
In the case of Bulgaria--that period of "non-statehood" lasted for 500 years...!
It was the decline of the Ottomans in fact that gave us much of our 20th Century history...as the New Imperialists from Western Europe...France and England...sought to become players in the Eastern European "Great Game." because of their interests in Africa and the Middle East.
This brought the only strong and "Independent" Slavic nation at that time...the Russians...in direct conflict with the New Imperialisms of the day...
Russia had been steadily increasing it's power since breaking free of the "Mongol Yoke" in the 1500's...as the Czarist autocracy in Moscow become more centralized. And greatly benefited from the increasing disorganization of the Polish-Lithuanian state.
Indeed, it was a rather minor dispute between Austria and Russia over the fate of Serbia that started the First World War...which as they say: Changed Everything.
And set the historical course for much of the 20th Century...
And also with two non-Slavic "Asiatic" people who settled ...later...among the Slavs...namely the Hungarians and the Bulgars...
The Hungarians settled down in the Danube valley...and gave up the nomadic ways of the Asian Steppe.. Although is is often said that, even today, Hungary "dreams of Asia."
The Bulgars moved into the region that is now Bulgaria--as conquerors of the Slavic people who were already settled there. But the Bulgars assimilated into the Slavic population totally-- because they were fewer in number...and in effect the Bulgarians became a New "hybrid" Slavic Race...although with many Asiatic traits. This assimilation process was completed by the year 1000.
The Albanians and the Romanians are remnants of the Old Roman Imperial population long before the arrival of the Germans and the Slavs.
By the 900's each future "nationality" of Slavs had a kingly dynasty... But these original Slavic Dynasties eventually died out...because they spread their land holdings between too many sons, who usually fought among themselves...weakening their State.
So the original Slavic Dynasties became weaker and weaker...and were subject to conquest. First, by the Mongols around 1240 AD...but later by their more settled neighbors.
In General, many Slavic Races "peaked" around the year 1000...about the time when most Slavic peoples converted to, either Orthodox, or Roman Christianity.
As a result of this weakness some Slavs literally became "nationalities" without a "state"...
Consider:
The Chezks of Bohemia were dominated by the Germans of the Holy Roman Empire and later the Germanic Habsburgs of Austria...
The Ukrainians were totally taken over by the Russians and the Poles...
And the Bulgarians were the first to fall completely to the advancing Ottoman Power.
Worse, the hapless Romanians were a geopolitical football for about 500 years...more so than any other people of Eastern Europe! At least the Bulgarians were solidly in the Ottoman Empire for that time period...
All of these peoples did not achieve a national "state" again until after World War I...
In the 14th Century the Poles joined the Baltic Lithuanians to form a large medievel state...that managed to hold off the Russians, the Germans and the Ottomans-- for a while--but eventually the Poles and Lithuanians were partitioned by their powerful neighbors--the Russians, Austrians and Prussians....in the 1770's.
Certain parts of Eastern Europe became mere pawns in the geopolitics of the day... Wars between Europe and the Ottomans became frequent...with many Europeans power playing the Ottoman "Eastern Question"...to their own advantage.
What is now Romania and Eastern Hungary and parts of Western Ukraine were routinely divided and re-divided...by war... among the Great Powers of Russia, Austria and the Ottomans...
The Romanians...a non-Slavic remnant population of Roman times...were also a "nation" without a State for much of their history...and more often the pawns in the Great Game of Geopolitics in Eastern Europe.
Much of Eastern European history seems to be a Great Game... between the Russians, the Germans (Austria and Prussia)... and the Ottomans...
Many "nationalities"-- like the Bulgarians, Ukrainians, Romanians, Balkan Serbs, Albanians and Romanians (two non-Slavic Roman remnants)...and to some extent the Chezks, who were the most Germanized of the Slavs...and later the Partitioned Poles...were simply out of the game...and were simply rural peasants in their own lands.
In the case of Bulgaria--that period of "non-statehood" lasted for 500 years...!
It was the decline of the Ottomans in fact that gave us much of our 20th Century history...as the New Imperialists from Western Europe...France and England...sought to become players in the Eastern European "Great Game." because of their interests in Africa and the Middle East.
This brought the only strong and "Independent" Slavic nation at that time...the Russians...in direct conflict with the New Imperialisms of the day...
Russia had been steadily increasing it's power since breaking free of the "Mongol Yoke" in the 1500's...as the Czarist autocracy in Moscow become more centralized. And greatly benefited from the increasing disorganization of the Polish-Lithuanian state.
Indeed, it was a rather minor dispute between Austria and Russia over the fate of Serbia that started the First World War...which as they say: Changed Everything.
And set the historical course for much of the 20th Century...
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
ESCAPE NIGHT CLUB IN SOFIA BULGARIA
ESCAPE IS CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE THE BEST TECHNO CLUB IN BULGARIA...TOP DJS...AND CELEBRITIES FREQUENT THIS PLACE...
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
I NEED A TICKET....
English:
I need a ticket to _____ for tonight
one way or round trip?
How much does it cost?
Do I need to change trains.
Which platform for this train
Czech:
Potřebuji si letenku do _____ na dnešní večer
jednu cestu nebo kolo výlet?
Kolik to stojí?
Budu muset změnit vlaky.
Která platforma pro tento vlak
Romainian:
Am nevoie de un bilet la _____ pentru seara asta
un fel sau dus-intors?
Cât costă?
Am nevoie pentru a schimba trenul.
Care platforma pentru acest tren
Polish:
Potrzebuję bilet do _____ dzisiaj
w jedną stronę lub lot w obie strony?
Ile to kosztuje?
Czy muszę zmienić pociągów.
Jakie platformy dla tego pociągu
Bulgarian:
Трябва ми билет до _____ за довечера
Така или отиване и връщане?
Колко струва?
Трябва ли да сменям влакове.
Коя платформа за този влак
Turkish:
Ben bir bilet ihtiyacınız _____ gece için
şu veya bu şekilde tur gezisi?
Ne kadar mal olur?
Tren değiştirmek zorunda mıyım.
Bu tren için hangi platform
Ukrainian:
Мені потрібен квиток до _____ за сьогодні
в одну сторону чи в обидва кінця?
Скільки це коштує?
Чи потрібно змінити поїздів.
Яка платформа на цей потяг
Hungarian:
Szükségem van egy jegy ma estére _____
egy út, vagy oda?
Mennyibe kerül ez?
Muszáj változtatni a vonatok.
Melyik platform ez a vonat
Russian:
Мне нужен билет до _____ за сегодня
в одну сторону или в оба конца?
Сколько это стоит?
Нужно ли изменить поездов.
Какая платформа на этот поезд
I need a ticket to _____ for tonight
one way or round trip?
How much does it cost?
Do I need to change trains.
Which platform for this train
Czech:
Potřebuji si letenku do _____ na dnešní večer
jednu cestu nebo kolo výlet?
Kolik to stojí?
Budu muset změnit vlaky.
Která platforma pro tento vlak
Romainian:
Am nevoie de un bilet la _____ pentru seara asta
un fel sau dus-intors?
Cât costă?
Am nevoie pentru a schimba trenul.
Care platforma pentru acest tren
Polish:
Potrzebuję bilet do _____ dzisiaj
w jedną stronę lub lot w obie strony?
Ile to kosztuje?
Czy muszę zmienić pociągów.
Jakie platformy dla tego pociągu
Bulgarian:
Трябва ми билет до _____ за довечера
Така или отиване и връщане?
Колко струва?
Трябва ли да сменям влакове.
Коя платформа за този влак
Turkish:
Ben bir bilet ihtiyacınız _____ gece için
şu veya bu şekilde tur gezisi?
Ne kadar mal olur?
Tren değiştirmek zorunda mıyım.
Bu tren için hangi platform
Ukrainian:
Мені потрібен квиток до _____ за сьогодні
в одну сторону чи в обидва кінця?
Скільки це коштує?
Чи потрібно змінити поїздів.
Яка платформа на цей потяг
Hungarian:
Szükségem van egy jegy ma estére _____
egy út, vagy oda?
Mennyibe kerül ez?
Muszáj változtatni a vonatok.
Melyik platform ez a vonat
Russian:
Мне нужен билет до _____ за сегодня
в одну сторону или в оба конца?
Сколько это стоит?
Нужно ли изменить поездов.
Какая платформа на этот поезд
Thursday, July 16, 2009
FERRY FROM ISTANBUL TO ODESSA...A FOUR DAY EXCURSION.
TO AND FROM UKRAINE BY FERRY FROM ISTANBUL LOOKS LIKE A GOOD DEAL...
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
CHEAP SLEEPS IN LONDON....
COMING AND GOING FROM LONDON TO "THE EAST" IS POPULAR...
BUT SOME PLACE TO STAY IS NEEDED...
BUT SOME PLACE TO STAY IS NEEDED...
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
I'VE PUT HOSTELING INTERNATIONAL IN THE SIDEBAR
THIS IS A GREAT FALL BACK SITE FOR OVERNIGHT STAYS...
IT SHOULD BE A PERMANENT LINK IN THE SIDE BAR.
IT SHOULD BE A PERMANENT LINK IN THE SIDE BAR.
IN YOUR POCKET EURO CITY GUIDES ....
THESE ARE USEFUL...AND THE VIDEOS CAN BE INTERESTING...AS A WAY TO PREVIEW WHERE YOU ARE GOING....
WHAT'S ON IN MINSK...?
CLICK HERE....F.Y.I.
ACTUALLY A VERY NICELY DONE SITE...
HERE'S A SLIDE SHOW THAT GIVES SOME VIEWS OF MINSK AS A TYPICAL POST-SOVIET CITY.
TRY THIS SITE IN RUSSIAN...MANY GOOD LOCAL LINKS
BUT APPARENTLY....ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE AT THIS "GANGSTA" CLUB!
ACTUALLY A VERY NICELY DONE SITE...
HERE'S A SLIDE SHOW THAT GIVES SOME VIEWS OF MINSK AS A TYPICAL POST-SOVIET CITY.
TRY THIS SITE IN RUSSIAN...MANY GOOD LOCAL LINKS
BUT APPARENTLY....ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE AT THIS "GANGSTA" CLUB!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
SKY EUROPE AIRLINES...LOW FARES TO EASTERN EUROPE.
THIS LOW FARE AIRLINE FLIES FROM LONDON'S LUTON AIRPORT...CLICK TITLE LINK...
CLICK HERE FOR LUTON AIRPORT WEB PAGE
CLICK HERE FOR LUTON AIRPORT WEB PAGE
Monday, July 6, 2009
TAXI FROM AIRPORT IN SOFIA BULGARIA?
BOOK A TRANSFER IN ADVANCE TO AVOID RIP OFF RATES AT THE AIRPORT...
WELCOME TO BULGARIA...
WELCOME TO BULGARIA...
RENT AN APARTMENT IN SOFIA, BULGARIA
THIS WEB SITE IS WELL DONE... VERY PROFESSIONAL...
IT COULD BE A MODEL FOR APARTMENT RENTAL SITES WORLDWIDE...
EXCELLENT ENGLISH IS USED THROUGHOUT...
AND PRICES ARE REASONABLE...
IT COULD BE A MODEL FOR APARTMENT RENTAL SITES WORLDWIDE...
EXCELLENT ENGLISH IS USED THROUGHOUT...
AND PRICES ARE REASONABLE...
Sunday, July 5, 2009
ROMANIAN TRAIN SCHEDULES....IN ENGLISH.
IN ENGLISH IF YOU CLICK THE "UK FLAG" BUTTON IN UPPER RIGHT CORNER OF WEB PAGE...
Saturday, July 4, 2009
A VIDEO OF SOFIA BULGARIA...
BULGARIA IS AN ANCIENT COUNTRY... WHEN THE "TURKIC" BULGARS ARRIVED IN THE REGION OF BULGARIA...THE SLAVS WERE ALREADY PRESENT...
THE TWO PEOPLE INTERMARRIED...AND FORMED THE BULGARIAN NATION. BULGARIANS WERE THE FIRST SLAVS TO ACCEPT ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY...AND THEY WHERE VERY CLOSE TO CONSTANTINOPLE....AS WAS KIEV...WHICH ALSO ACCEPT ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY ABOUT THE SAME TIME.
THE CYRILLIC ALPHABET WAS "INVENTED" TO ALLOW BULGARIANS TO READ THE BIBLE IN "OLD SLAVONIC" ...WHICH WAS THE LANGUAGE OF THE SLAVS AT THAT TIME...
SADLY BULGARIA WAS CONQUERED BY THE TURKS IN THE 1300'S...AND WAS DOMINATED BY THE OTTOMAN'S FOR ANOTHER 500 YEARS...! THIS IS NOT UNLIKE THE FATE THAT POLAND SUFFERED IN THE 1770'S WHEN THE POLISH KINGDOM WAS MORE OR LESS ABOLISHED UNTIL AFTER 1918...
AND OF COURSE KIEV WAS THE VICTIM OF THE TATARS IN THE 1240'S...WHICH CAUSED THE RUS' TRIBES TO MIGRATE NORTHWARD TOWARD SUZAL, VLADIMIR...AND FINALLY TO MOSCOW...
TRAPPED BETWEEN THE ASIAN STEPPE NOMADS IN THE EAST AND THE "ROMANIZED" TEUTONIC TRIBES IN THE WEST...MANY "PEACEFUL" SLAVIC NATIONS HAD A PRECARIOUS EXISTENCE...UNTIL RECENT TIMES...
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
WHAT ARE EUROPE'S "FAMOUS HOSTELS...?"
THIS IS A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF HOSTELS THAT SEEM TO BE MARKETING THEMSELVES AS A GROUP.
MISS SOPHIE'S IN PRAGUE...
PERHAPS A PLACE TO STAY IN PRAGUE...?
THIS HOTEL/HOSTEL HAS A NICE ARRAY OF ACCOMEDATION...AT GOOD PRICES...CLICK HERE.
ANOTHER REVIEW...
THIS HOTEL/HOSTEL HAS A NICE ARRAY OF ACCOMEDATION...AT GOOD PRICES...CLICK HERE.
ANOTHER REVIEW...
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
PATTERNS OF EAST EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT...
YOU HAVE PROBABALY NOTICED THAT MANY EASTERN EUROPEAN CITIES HAVE SIMILAR LAYOUTS...AND EVEN SIMILAR HISTORIES...
LET'S GENERALIZE...A BIT...
YOUR CITY IS LOCATE ON A MAJOR RIVER...PREFERABLY AT SOME IMPORTANT SPOT...PERHAPS JUST DOWN STREAM FROM THE JUNCTION OF TWO LARGE BRANCHES...(GREAT FOR TAXING PEOPLE PASSING BY...!)
YOU BUILD ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE RIVER...SINCE MOST OF YOUR "ENEMIES" ARE COMING OUT OF ASIA...AND MAKING THEM CROSS THE RIVER TO GET AT YOU... PROVIDES A NICE "FIRST DEFENSE"....SORT OF A "NATURAL MOOT."
YOU LOOK FOR THE HIGHEST GROUND....THEN BUILD A CASTLE OR FORTRESS THERE...A SIMPLE WOOD STOCKADE WILL DO TO START.
YOU ALSO PUT YOUR MAJOR CHURCHES AND GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS IN THIS HIGH GROUND FORT...AND PERHAPS HAVE AN "OLD" MARKET SQUARE AS WELL...
THEN...YOU WALL IT ALL IN....
THERE IS A SMALL SUPPORT SETTLEMENT ...JUST OUTSIDE OF THE WALLS ...WHICH EVENTUALLY BECOMES "OLD TOWN"... SOMETIMES A BRIDGE IS NEEDED TO GET TO THIS OLD TOWN...SOMETIMES NOT.
EVENTUALLY, THERE IS ANOTHER NEWER SECTION ...THAT BECOMES "NEW TOWN..."
THERE ARE DISTRICTS IN THE NEW TOWN FOR DIFFERENT "TRADES"...AND OF COURSE ONE OR MORE "NEW MARKET SQUARES" FOR COMMERCE AND FAIRS....OFTEN THESE "MARKETS" ARE LOCATED NEXT TO THE CATHEDRAL OR A LARGE CHURCH OR OTHER PUBLIC BUILDING...EITHER INSIDE THE WALLED PART OF THE CITY...OR PERHAPS IN THE NEW TOWN "TRADES" AREA...
YOU HAVE A NEARBY GHETTO FOR JEWISH RESIDENTS...
GOOD EXAMPLES OF THIS TYPE OF MEDEIVEL "CITY PLANNING"...ARE MOSCOW...SMOLENSK...KIEV...KRAKOW...PRAGUE...
WARSAW...AND BUDAPEST... ET AL...
ALL HAVE SOME VARIATION OF THIS MEDEIVEL "CITY PLANNING" ....
.....
OK...NOW FAST FORWARD...TO MODERN TIMES...
AFTER THE CITY WALL IS TORN DOWN...YOU HAVE
1. A RING ROAD...! VERY MODERN DEVICE FOR TODAY'S URBAN TRAFFIC...BUDAPEST, MOSCOW ARE EXAMPLES...
2. A PARK THAT RINGS THE OLD SECTION...AS IN KRAKOW
3. A COMBO OF PARK AND BOULEVARD...SEE MOSCOW...
THE OLD TOWN BECOMES A TOURIST ATTRACTION... AND THE NEW TOWN BECOMES COMMERICAL...HOTELS, BARS, DISCOS...RESTAURANTS...MUSEUMS AND THEATERS...
THE NEWER SUBURBS FILL UP WITH MASSIVE APARTMENT BLOCKS...MOSTLY "STALINIST" ...OR OTHERWISE DEPRESSING...
AND FINALLY... IT'S ALL CONNECTED UP BY THE METRO SYSTEM...
NOTE THAT SAINT PETERSBURG IS AN EXCEPTION TO THIS PATTERN ...AS PETER THE GREAT STARTED THE "NEW TOWN" FROM SCRATCH...WHICH BY THE WAY ...SOMETHING SIMILAR WAS WAS DONE IN POLAND BY A FAMOUS POLISH NOBLEMAN A BIT BEFORE PETER'S REIGN...
SO WAS PETER MORE INFLUENCED BY THE SITUATION IN POLAND...? OR BY HIS FAMOUS "GRAND TOUR" OF WESTERN EUROPE....? OR WAS HE JUST TRYING TO AGGRAVATE THE KING OF SWEDEN...AS MANY PEOPLE THINK TODAY?
I THINK THAT RUSSIANS AT THAT TIME SAW THE WESTERN WORLD THROUGH THE "PRISM" OF POLAND...EVEN THOUGH POLAND WAS "THE ENEMY" MOST OF TIME...
RUSSIAN HISTORY SIMPLY MUST BE UNDERSTOOD AS CONNECTED TO THE HISTORY OF WESTERN EUROPEAN "CATHOLIC" SLAVS...LIKE THE POLES , SLOVAKS, CROATS, CZHEKS AND OTHERS IN THE NON-ORTHODOX PART OF EUROPE...
LET'S GENERALIZE...A BIT...
YOUR CITY IS LOCATE ON A MAJOR RIVER...PREFERABLY AT SOME IMPORTANT SPOT...PERHAPS JUST DOWN STREAM FROM THE JUNCTION OF TWO LARGE BRANCHES...(GREAT FOR TAXING PEOPLE PASSING BY...!)
YOU BUILD ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE RIVER...SINCE MOST OF YOUR "ENEMIES" ARE COMING OUT OF ASIA...AND MAKING THEM CROSS THE RIVER TO GET AT YOU... PROVIDES A NICE "FIRST DEFENSE"....SORT OF A "NATURAL MOOT."
YOU LOOK FOR THE HIGHEST GROUND....THEN BUILD A CASTLE OR FORTRESS THERE...A SIMPLE WOOD STOCKADE WILL DO TO START.
YOU ALSO PUT YOUR MAJOR CHURCHES AND GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS IN THIS HIGH GROUND FORT...AND PERHAPS HAVE AN "OLD" MARKET SQUARE AS WELL...
THEN...YOU WALL IT ALL IN....
THERE IS A SMALL SUPPORT SETTLEMENT ...JUST OUTSIDE OF THE WALLS ...WHICH EVENTUALLY BECOMES "OLD TOWN"... SOMETIMES A BRIDGE IS NEEDED TO GET TO THIS OLD TOWN...SOMETIMES NOT.
EVENTUALLY, THERE IS ANOTHER NEWER SECTION ...THAT BECOMES "NEW TOWN..."
THERE ARE DISTRICTS IN THE NEW TOWN FOR DIFFERENT "TRADES"...AND OF COURSE ONE OR MORE "NEW MARKET SQUARES" FOR COMMERCE AND FAIRS....OFTEN THESE "MARKETS" ARE LOCATED NEXT TO THE CATHEDRAL OR A LARGE CHURCH OR OTHER PUBLIC BUILDING...EITHER INSIDE THE WALLED PART OF THE CITY...OR PERHAPS IN THE NEW TOWN "TRADES" AREA...
YOU HAVE A NEARBY GHETTO FOR JEWISH RESIDENTS...
GOOD EXAMPLES OF THIS TYPE OF MEDEIVEL "CITY PLANNING"...ARE MOSCOW...SMOLENSK...KIEV...KRAKOW...PRAGUE...
WARSAW...AND BUDAPEST... ET AL...
ALL HAVE SOME VARIATION OF THIS MEDEIVEL "CITY PLANNING" ....
.....
OK...NOW FAST FORWARD...TO MODERN TIMES...
AFTER THE CITY WALL IS TORN DOWN...YOU HAVE
1. A RING ROAD...! VERY MODERN DEVICE FOR TODAY'S URBAN TRAFFIC...BUDAPEST, MOSCOW ARE EXAMPLES...
2. A PARK THAT RINGS THE OLD SECTION...AS IN KRAKOW
3. A COMBO OF PARK AND BOULEVARD...SEE MOSCOW...
THE OLD TOWN BECOMES A TOURIST ATTRACTION... AND THE NEW TOWN BECOMES COMMERICAL...HOTELS, BARS, DISCOS...RESTAURANTS...MUSEUMS AND THEATERS...
THE NEWER SUBURBS FILL UP WITH MASSIVE APARTMENT BLOCKS...MOSTLY "STALINIST" ...OR OTHERWISE DEPRESSING...
AND FINALLY... IT'S ALL CONNECTED UP BY THE METRO SYSTEM...
NOTE THAT SAINT PETERSBURG IS AN EXCEPTION TO THIS PATTERN ...AS PETER THE GREAT STARTED THE "NEW TOWN" FROM SCRATCH...WHICH BY THE WAY ...SOMETHING SIMILAR WAS WAS DONE IN POLAND BY A FAMOUS POLISH NOBLEMAN A BIT BEFORE PETER'S REIGN...
SO WAS PETER MORE INFLUENCED BY THE SITUATION IN POLAND...? OR BY HIS FAMOUS "GRAND TOUR" OF WESTERN EUROPE....? OR WAS HE JUST TRYING TO AGGRAVATE THE KING OF SWEDEN...AS MANY PEOPLE THINK TODAY?
I THINK THAT RUSSIANS AT THAT TIME SAW THE WESTERN WORLD THROUGH THE "PRISM" OF POLAND...EVEN THOUGH POLAND WAS "THE ENEMY" MOST OF TIME...
RUSSIAN HISTORY SIMPLY MUST BE UNDERSTOOD AS CONNECTED TO THE HISTORY OF WESTERN EUROPEAN "CATHOLIC" SLAVS...LIKE THE POLES , SLOVAKS, CROATS, CZHEKS AND OTHERS IN THE NON-ORTHODOX PART OF EUROPE...
BOOKING HOSTELS IN EASTERN EUROPE...
THERE ARE MANY HOSTELS AVAILABLE IN EASTERN EUROPE...
IT WOULD PROBABLY BE A GOOD IDEA TO "JOIN" THE "HOSTELS INTERNATIONAL" AND GET THEIR CARD...JUST IN CASE YOU ARE ASKED FOR IT BY THE HOSTEL TO SHOW SOME KIND PROOF OF MEMBERSHIP... ALTHOUGH MEMBERSHIP IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE NEEDED...?
BESIDES...THE CARD IS CHEAP...ABOUT $28 PER YEAR IN THE US...
YOU CAN BUY THE "PACKET" FROM MANY TRAVEL AGENTS...WHO SELL THESE MEMBERSHIPS...
THEN YOU SIMPLY REGISTER YOUR CARD ON-LINE... SO YOU'RE "LEGAL"....
NOTE THAT YOU ARE OFFERED SOME "FREE" INSURANCE WITH MEMBERSHIP...SO A NAME AND ADDRESS AND PHONE OF YOUR "BENEFICIARY" WILL BE NEEDED...WHEN FINALIZING YOUR MEMBERSHIP.
HOSTELS ARE A GOOD FALL BACK POSITION WHEN TRAVELING...
MANY OFFER SINGLE ROOMS AT A FAIRLY CHEAP PRICE...IF YOU WANT TO AVOID THE "DORM" SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS...
WHICH CAN BE PROBLEMATIC IN SOME CASES...BUT ARE USUALLY OK...
IT WOULD PROBABLY BE A GOOD IDEA TO "JOIN" THE "HOSTELS INTERNATIONAL" AND GET THEIR CARD...JUST IN CASE YOU ARE ASKED FOR IT BY THE HOSTEL TO SHOW SOME KIND PROOF OF MEMBERSHIP... ALTHOUGH MEMBERSHIP IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE NEEDED...?
BESIDES...THE CARD IS CHEAP...ABOUT $28 PER YEAR IN THE US...
YOU CAN BUY THE "PACKET" FROM MANY TRAVEL AGENTS...WHO SELL THESE MEMBERSHIPS...
THEN YOU SIMPLY REGISTER YOUR CARD ON-LINE... SO YOU'RE "LEGAL"....
NOTE THAT YOU ARE OFFERED SOME "FREE" INSURANCE WITH MEMBERSHIP...SO A NAME AND ADDRESS AND PHONE OF YOUR "BENEFICIARY" WILL BE NEEDED...WHEN FINALIZING YOUR MEMBERSHIP.
HOSTELS ARE A GOOD FALL BACK POSITION WHEN TRAVELING...
MANY OFFER SINGLE ROOMS AT A FAIRLY CHEAP PRICE...IF YOU WANT TO AVOID THE "DORM" SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS...
WHICH CAN BE PROBLEMATIC IN SOME CASES...BUT ARE USUALLY OK...
Saturday, June 27, 2009
GOING BY TRAIN FROM GERMANY TO EASTERN EUROPE?
THE TICKET OUT OF GERMANY CAN BE EXPENSIVE UNLESS YOU SHOP AROUND...
Friday, June 26, 2009
SEAT 61 IS A HUGE SITE ABOUT EUROPEAN TRAINS
THIS IS A LARGE AND CONFUSING SITE...BUT IT SEEMS TO COVER MOST ASPECTS OF EUROPEAN TRAIN TRAVEL... WITH SOME INTERESTING SUGGESTIONS AND ITINERARIES....
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
EXPERIENCE KIEV...SOME SUGGESTIONS HERE.
WHAT THEY SAY:
A PLACE TO STAY AND AIRPORT TRANSPORT TOO... THANKS!
While in Kiev, it is helpful to know that there is also an agency in the train station which rents apartments, hotels and rooms in Kiev at daily rates starting at 15 dollars or on a long term basis. The office is located in the south terminal of the main railway station in office 35 (on the 2nd floor above ticket counters 38-39).
You'll be there in a few minutes if you're arriving by train. From the Borispil airport you can take a bus marked "polit" which will take you directly to the south terminal of the main train station for approximately 4 dollars.
A PLACE TO STAY AND AIRPORT TRANSPORT TOO... THANKS!
PRAGUE AIRPORT INFORMATION
THIS TITLE LINK HAS A NICE OVERVIEW OF THE AIRPORT SITUATION IN PRAGUE...
THE BUS FROM PRAGUE AIRPORT TO CITY CENTER SCHEDULE
AND HERE IS THE PRAGUE METRO MAP...IF YOU NEED IT....CLICK HERE
"For the quickest transport to the city centre or the nearest metro station we advise using bus routes no.119 and no.100.
If you take the No.119 bus (intervals of 5 to 20 minutes, journey time of 25 minutes) you should get off at the last stop called Dejvicka where you can transfer to underground line A."
Note: Dejvicka is the "A" or Green Metro stop in the top left of the Metro Map. Provided above.
Friday, June 19, 2009
WHAT IS EASTERN EUROPE...?
I CONSIDER EASTERN EUROPE TO BE THE SLAVIC PART OF EUROPE...
STARTING IN PRAGUE...THE OLD KINGDOM OF BOHEMIA...WHICH WAS THE MOST WESTERLY EXTENSION OF THE SLAVIC PEOPLE...
VIENNA WAS GERMAN...BUT THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN EMPIRE HAD MANY CATHLOIC SLAVS IN IT...BY CHOICE OR BY FORCE!
THESE PEOPLE ARE MAINLY THE CZECHS, POLES AND SOME UNIATE UKRAINIANS...WHO STILL RETAIN THE ORTHODOX RITES...ALSO THE CROATS AND THE SLOVENIANS...
THE "CROATS" BEING THE MORE WESTERLY AND THEREFORE "CATHOLIC" SERBS...WHILE "EASTERN" SERBS ARE MOSTLY ORTHODOX...
THE EASTERN SLAVS BEING THE BELORUSSIANS, THE MALORUSSIANS ...OR UKRAINIANS...AND THE RUSSIANS...COMPRISE THE GREAT MASS OF ORTHODOX SLAVS.
FINALLY, THE BULGARIANS TO SOME EXTENT...A VERY ANCIENT CULTURE....
AND THEN THE YUGOSLAVS... THE WORD "YUGO" SIMPLY MEANS "SOUTH" IN MOST SLAVIC LANGUAGES....
ALL THESE ARE THE GREAT SLAVIC ORTHODOX NATIONS...OF EASTERN EUROPE...TO THIS DAY.
THE DIVIDE BETWEEN THE CATHOLIC SLAVS AND THE ORTHODOX SLAVS WAS HUGE... AND PERSISTS EVEN TO THIS DAY...
WITH THE UNIATE RUTHENIANS AROUND LVIV ....BECOMING SORT OF... HALF CATHOLIC AND HALF ORTHODOX...WITH THEIR ALLEGIANCE TO THE CATHOLIC POPE ...BUT RETAINING THE EASTERN ORTHODOX RITES...
ALL THIS HAPPEN BECAUSE OF AN OLD TREATY MAKE BY THE POLES WITH THE POPE ...CONCERNING THE RUTHENIANS AROUND LVIV AND IN THE CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS...
THE HUNGARIANS ARE NOT SLAVS... RATHER A GROUP OF INVADING PEOPLES... FROM THE URALS, WHO ARE SOMEWHAT RELATED TO THE FINNS...AND NOT THE "HUNS" AS MANY THINK...
FINNISH AND HUNGARIAN LANGUAGES ARE NOT INDO-EUROPEAN ...AND HAVE ALMOST NO SIMILARITY TO SLAVIC LANGUAGES... MANY EUROPEANS HAVE A HARD TIME WITH THESE LANGUAGES.
STARTING IN PRAGUE...THE OLD KINGDOM OF BOHEMIA...WHICH WAS THE MOST WESTERLY EXTENSION OF THE SLAVIC PEOPLE...
VIENNA WAS GERMAN...BUT THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN EMPIRE HAD MANY CATHLOIC SLAVS IN IT...BY CHOICE OR BY FORCE!
THESE PEOPLE ARE MAINLY THE CZECHS, POLES AND SOME UNIATE UKRAINIANS...WHO STILL RETAIN THE ORTHODOX RITES...ALSO THE CROATS AND THE SLOVENIANS...
THE "CROATS" BEING THE MORE WESTERLY AND THEREFORE "CATHOLIC" SERBS...WHILE "EASTERN" SERBS ARE MOSTLY ORTHODOX...
THE EASTERN SLAVS BEING THE BELORUSSIANS, THE MALORUSSIANS ...OR UKRAINIANS...AND THE RUSSIANS...COMPRISE THE GREAT MASS OF ORTHODOX SLAVS.
FINALLY, THE BULGARIANS TO SOME EXTENT...A VERY ANCIENT CULTURE....
AND THEN THE YUGOSLAVS... THE WORD "YUGO" SIMPLY MEANS "SOUTH" IN MOST SLAVIC LANGUAGES....
ALL THESE ARE THE GREAT SLAVIC ORTHODOX NATIONS...OF EASTERN EUROPE...TO THIS DAY.
THE DIVIDE BETWEEN THE CATHOLIC SLAVS AND THE ORTHODOX SLAVS WAS HUGE... AND PERSISTS EVEN TO THIS DAY...
WITH THE UNIATE RUTHENIANS AROUND LVIV ....BECOMING SORT OF... HALF CATHOLIC AND HALF ORTHODOX...WITH THEIR ALLEGIANCE TO THE CATHOLIC POPE ...BUT RETAINING THE EASTERN ORTHODOX RITES...
ALL THIS HAPPEN BECAUSE OF AN OLD TREATY MAKE BY THE POLES WITH THE POPE ...CONCERNING THE RUTHENIANS AROUND LVIV AND IN THE CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS...
THE HUNGARIANS ARE NOT SLAVS... RATHER A GROUP OF INVADING PEOPLES... FROM THE URALS, WHO ARE SOMEWHAT RELATED TO THE FINNS...AND NOT THE "HUNS" AS MANY THINK...
FINNISH AND HUNGARIAN LANGUAGES ARE NOT INDO-EUROPEAN ...AND HAVE ALMOST NO SIMILARITY TO SLAVIC LANGUAGES... MANY EUROPEANS HAVE A HARD TIME WITH THESE LANGUAGES.
MAP OF HOTELS AND HOSTELS IN PRAGUE
I LOVE THIS INTERACTIVE MAP OF PRAGUE...
ALSO CLICK HERE FOR MORE HOTEL AND HOSTEL INFO ABOUT PRAGUE.
ALSO CLICK HERE FOR MORE HOTEL AND HOSTEL INFO ABOUT PRAGUE.
EASTERN EUROPE RAIL PASS...IS IT WORTH IT?
THE TITLE LINK HAS SOME INTERESTING INFORMATION ABOUT THE EASTERN EUROPEAN RAIL PASS...AND THE SYSTEM OF TRAINS SERVICING THE REGION...
Thursday, June 18, 2009
LUFTHANSA EAST EUROPEAN SERVICE
THE "WE FLY HOME" WEB PAGE OF LUFTHANSA HAS MANY EAST EUROPEAN FLIGHTS TO CONSIDER...
A TRIP TO LVIV...
LVIV IS AN INTERESTING SIDE TRIP FROM KIEV...
LVIV IS SORT OF UKRAINE'S PRAGUE OR KRAKOW...
WITH AN OLD TOWN AREA...CASTLE ON THE HILL...LOTS OF OLD CHURCHES AND BAROQUE OR EMPIRE STYLE BUILDINGS....ETC...
THE TRAIN IS AN OVERNIGHTER...IT COSTS ABOUT $40 TOURIST CLASS...FOUR BUNK ROOM...NOT ALWAYS CROWDED... BUT NO RESTAURANT CAR...JUST A LADY WHO SELLS BEER AND POP IN THE FRONT OF YOUR CAR...
THE LVIV TRAIN STATION ..."VOKZAL"... IS A SHORT CAB RIDE OR LONG WALK FROM DOWNTOWN...WHICH IS THE OPERA HOUSE AND THE SQUARE IN FRONT OF IT...
BY OVERNIGHT TRAIN ...YOU GET INTO LVIV VERY EARLY...SAY ABOUT 7AM...
THERE IS A MICKYD'S ON THE SQUARE DOWNTOWN FOR COFFEE WHICH OPENS EARLY..AND HAS "FACILITIES"...WHILE YOU WAIT FOR YOUR HOTEL ROOM TO BE READY...
I'D RECOMMEND THE GEORGE HOTEL AT THE END OF THE OPERA HOUSE SQUARE...ON THE RIGHT...A PINKISH BUILDING... THE SPELLING IS ODD IN CYRILLIC...SORT OF "XOPX"....IN UKRAINIAN YOU SAY "GEORGE" AS SORT OF..."ZZSH-OH-R-ZZSH..." MORE OF A "Z" SOUND THAN A "G" SOUND...
UKRAINIAN AND RUSSIAN LANGUAGES... DON'T "DO" "Hs"..."Gs" OR "Ws" VERY WELL...ALSO "Js"...AND...
TOURIST CLASS ROOMS AT THE GEORGE ARE CHEAP...ABOUT $40 PER NIGHT...BATH AND TOILET DOWN THE HALL...
OR...RIGHT BY THE OPERA HOUSE SQUARE IS THE "GRAND HOTEL" FOR A LITTLE MORE MONEY...
THE OLD TOWN AND THE RYNOK IN LVIV ARE WORTH SEEING...AND THERE ARE MAJOR MUSEUMS ON THE OPERA SQUARE... TWO DAYS IN LVIV WOULD BE A GOOD SIDE TRIP... TOTALLY NOT KIEV...
LVIV IS SORT OF UKRAINE'S PRAGUE OR KRAKOW...
WITH AN OLD TOWN AREA...CASTLE ON THE HILL...LOTS OF OLD CHURCHES AND BAROQUE OR EMPIRE STYLE BUILDINGS....ETC...
THE TRAIN IS AN OVERNIGHTER...IT COSTS ABOUT $40 TOURIST CLASS...FOUR BUNK ROOM...NOT ALWAYS CROWDED... BUT NO RESTAURANT CAR...JUST A LADY WHO SELLS BEER AND POP IN THE FRONT OF YOUR CAR...
THE LVIV TRAIN STATION ..."VOKZAL"... IS A SHORT CAB RIDE OR LONG WALK FROM DOWNTOWN...WHICH IS THE OPERA HOUSE AND THE SQUARE IN FRONT OF IT...
BY OVERNIGHT TRAIN ...YOU GET INTO LVIV VERY EARLY...SAY ABOUT 7AM...
THERE IS A MICKYD'S ON THE SQUARE DOWNTOWN FOR COFFEE WHICH OPENS EARLY..AND HAS "FACILITIES"...WHILE YOU WAIT FOR YOUR HOTEL ROOM TO BE READY...
I'D RECOMMEND THE GEORGE HOTEL AT THE END OF THE OPERA HOUSE SQUARE...ON THE RIGHT...A PINKISH BUILDING... THE SPELLING IS ODD IN CYRILLIC...SORT OF "XOPX"....IN UKRAINIAN YOU SAY "GEORGE" AS SORT OF..."ZZSH-OH-R-ZZSH..." MORE OF A "Z" SOUND THAN A "G" SOUND...
UKRAINIAN AND RUSSIAN LANGUAGES... DON'T "DO" "Hs"..."Gs" OR "Ws" VERY WELL...ALSO "Js"...AND...
TOURIST CLASS ROOMS AT THE GEORGE ARE CHEAP...ABOUT $40 PER NIGHT...BATH AND TOILET DOWN THE HALL...
OR...RIGHT BY THE OPERA HOUSE SQUARE IS THE "GRAND HOTEL" FOR A LITTLE MORE MONEY...
THE OLD TOWN AND THE RYNOK IN LVIV ARE WORTH SEEING...AND THERE ARE MAJOR MUSEUMS ON THE OPERA SQUARE... TWO DAYS IN LVIV WOULD BE A GOOD SIDE TRIP... TOTALLY NOT KIEV...
LONELY PLANET UKRAINE FORUM IS GOOD SOURCE
LONELY PLANET'S EASTERN EUROPE "DEPARTURE LOUNGE" IS A GREAT SOURCE OF CURRENT INFORMATION AND TRAVEL TIPS...
YOU MIGHT WANT TO TAKE THE TIME TO GET A "NAME AND PASSWORD" FOR THIS SITE...
CLICK HERE
YOU MIGHT WANT TO TAKE THE TIME TO GET A "NAME AND PASSWORD" FOR THIS SITE...
CLICK HERE
BOOKING TRAINS, BUSES AND PLANES TO KIEV
TRY THE TITLE LINK FOR INFO OR TO BOOK TRAINS IN CENTRAL EUROPE...
Monday, June 15, 2009
HISTORIC KIEV....
KIEV IS A LARGE CITY TODAY...
IT MIGHT REMIND SOME AMERICANS OF CHICAGO...
THERE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT CREATE LASTING FIRST IMPRESSIONS....
FIRST...THE MASSIVE APARTMENT COMPLEXES...ALL WITH THEIR STANDARDIZED "STALINIST BALCONIES"... REMEMBER KIEV WAS AND IN SOME WAYS STILL IS A "SOVIET STYLE" PLANNED CITY.
THE TOURIST WILL SEE THESE BALCONIES BY THE THOUSANDS...COMING IN FROM THE AIRPORT....ALTHOUGH SOME APARTMENTS HAVE BEEN RENOVATED...OTHERS STILL SEEM RATHER "LOW INCOME"...
THERE ARE NEW APARTMENTS BEING CONSTRUCTED THAT DO NOT RESEMBLE THE "STALINIST" RESIDENTIAL "MASSIVES" THAT YOU SEE BY ALL THE SUBWAY STATIONS...ALL OVER TOWN.
AS A RULE... THE CLOSER AN APARTMENT COMPLEX IS TO THE METRO STATION...THE OLDER IT IS...
AND THE MORE LIKELY IT WILL APPEAR RUN DOWN...
THE "NICER" NEW APARTMENT BUILDINGS...WHICH ARE ALL STILL HUGE ....PERHAPS NINE TO FIFTEEN STORIES TALL .... AND ABOUT AS LONG AS A FOOTBALL FIELD...ARE THEREFORE FURTHER AWAY FROM THE OLD METRO STATIONS...AS A RULE...
MOST OLDER APARTMENTS HAVE COMMUNITY WELLS THAT TENANTS COME TO FOR DRINKING WATER...BECAUSE THE TAP WATER IN KIEV IS...WELL, ....QUESTIONABLE?
YOU WILL SEE PEOPLE COMING TO THESE WELLS WITH TWO HUGE PLASTIC WATER JUGS ON EACH HANDLE BAR OF THEIR BIKES...
WHY THEY CAN'T CLEAN UP THE WATER IN KIEV IS BEYOND ME...?
THE PARKS AND PUBLIC TOILETS IN KIEV ARE NOT UP TO US STANDARDS...
GENERALLY THE "MAINTENANCE" OF THESE "PUBLIC PLACES" IS LEFT IN THE HANDS OF "BABUSKAS" OR RETIREES...
THE GRASS IN THE PARKS IS A BIT TOO HIGH...AND THE WEEDS TO BIG...
AND THE PUBLIC TOILETS...FOR WHICH YOU HAND A BABUSKA 2 IN UKRAINIAN MONEY...? ARE, WELL... PROBLEMATIC.
LETS JUST SAY...USED THE MICKY D'S BATHROOMS....! OR THE ONES IN THE MAJOR HOTELS...
KIEV IS DIVIDED INTO MANY DISTRICTS NOW...
MOST OF THE "LEFT BANK" (FACING SOUTH) IS NOT HISTORIC...IT'S A FLAT FLOOD PLAIN THAT IS MOSTLY INDUSTRIAL AND MASSIVE RESIDENTIAL APARTMENT COMPLEXES NOW...BUT IT MAKES AN IMPRESSIVE "SKYLINE" ...VIEWED FROM THE HISTORIC CITY...IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S REALLY OVER THERE..."ACROSS THE RIVER"...
THE RIGHT BANK...ON THE HILLY SIDE OF THE RIVER...IS THE HISTORIC PART OF KIEV...
KIEV ORIGINALLY HAD THREE DISTRICTS...
FIRST THE OLD CITY ON THE HILLS WHERE ST SOPHIA AND THE MAJOR CHURCHES AND ELITES WERE LOCATED...
SECOND, PODIL...WHICH IS THE RIGHT BANK FLOOD PLAIN WHERE THE MERCHANTS LIVED...YOU GET TO PODIL BY TAKING THE FAMOUS ANDREWS DECENT...FROM THE HISTORIC CHURCH THAT RASTELLI ...DESIGNED IN THE 1750'S... RASTELLI DID THE HERMITAGE AS YOU MAY KNOW...
THE THIRD HISTORIC DISTRICT WAS ACTUALLY A "SUBURB" IN THE 11TH CENTURY...
THIS IS WHERE THE CAVES MONASTERY IS LOCATED ...
AND THE RULING CLASSES HAD THEIR "HUNTING LODGES" IN THIS "REMOTE" PART OF KIEV IN THE 1100'S!
...THIS DISTRICT IS JUST TO THE SOUTH OF THE OLD CITY...BUT IS STILL IN THE RIGHT BANK HILL COUNTRY...THE GOLDEN DOMES ARE VERY IMPRESSIVE WHEN SEEN FROM THE RIVER...OR ANYWHERE ELSE!
KIEV NEVER RECOVERED FROM THE MONGOL INVASIONS OF 1242...
BUT IT WAS NOT DESTROYED...RATHER IT WAS USED BY THE MONGOLS AS A GATHERING PLACE FOR THEIR LOOTING EXPEDITIONS ...FURTHER INTO EASTERN EUROPE....INTO POLAND, RUSSIA, HUNGARY AND EVEN PRESENT DAY AUSTRIA...
THE MONGOLS ... AKA "TATARS" .... DID NOT STAY IN WESTERN EUROPE...
BUT THEY WERE AN HISTORIC PLAGUE FOR THE KIEVAN RUS... AND THE NORTHERN RUSSIANS FOR OVER 200 YEARS...
AFTER WHICH THE MONGOL "EMPIRE OF LOOTING" FRACTURED AND FINALLY COLLAPSED...
ALTHOUGH THE CRIMEA WAS A HOLD OUT FOR THE MONGOLS...OR MORE ACCURATELY THE "TATARS" ...WHO WERE A BRANCH OF THE MONGOLIAN TREE... AND REMAINED UNDER OTTOMAN TURKISH PROTECTION ....UNTIL FAIRLY RECENT TIMES...
HENCE THE RATHER "ASIAN" INFLUENCE IN CRIMEA EVEN UP TO TODAY...
SO THE ORIGINAL THREE HISTORIC DISTRICTS OF KIEV ARE STILL RECOGNIZABLE TO THE VISTOR...
BUT KIEV HAS EXPANDED INTO IT'S SUBURBAN DISTRICTS ...WHICH ALL STILL HAVE A MOSTLY RUN DOWN STALINIST LOOK...
THE CITY IS NOT REALLY "OVER-STORED" LIKE THE US... MUCH SHOPPING IS STILL DONE AT THE UNDERGROUND METRO STALLS...
ALTHOUGH THERE ARE SOME TOP SIDE "SUPERMARKETS" THAT HAVE AMERICAN STYLE SHOPPING...
INDEPENDENCE SQUARE HAS THE GLOBUS SHOPPING CENTER WHICH IS ABOUT 80% UNDERGROUND ....LIKE MOST KIEV SHOPPING AREAS DOWNTOWN... AND IT'S VERY WESTERN IN APPEARANCE...LIKE ANY MALL IN THE US...
KIEVANS LOVE TO STROLL ON KRESHATIK STREET WHICH IS THE "MAIN STREET" ALTHOUGH IT'S NOT VERY LONG....
KRESHATIK EXTENDS FOR ABOUT LESS THAN A MILE FROM THE BASSARABIA MARKET (AN HISTORIC MARKET ...AT THE FOOT OF TARAS SHEVCHENKO BLVD.... WITH AN INTERESTING LENIN STATUE STILL STANDING)
IN SUMMER... KRESNATIK IS CLOSED ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY FROM EARLY MORNING ... UNTIL ABOUT 10 PM...FROM "TSUM" (NOT" GUM") DEPARTMENT STORE...TO INDEPENDENCE SQUARE...THAT'S ABOUT 1/2 MILE...
AND THERE IS USUALLY AN 'EVENT' OF SOME KIND PLANNED...WHICH BRINGS OUT THE CROWDS...
BUT SINCE THE METRO CLOSES AT MIDNIGHT...IT TENDS TO BE AN EARLY NIGHT FOR A LOT OF YOUNGER PEOPLE ...WHO HAVE TO GET HOME BEFORE THE METRO STOPS RUNNING...
THOSE WITH CARS CAN STAY LATER...AND THE CARS ARE PARKED ALL OVER THE SIDEWALKS...BUT IT IS ACTUALLY ORGANIZED AFTER A FASHION...SORT OF PARIS STYLE PARKING...
KRESHATIK IS A GREAT PLACE TO HAVE A KIOSK BEER...MAYBE A KIEVAN "HUT DUG" (HOT DOG)...GRAB A PARK BENCH ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE STREET...WHICH HAS THE WIDER SIDEWALKS...
AND JUST WATCH THE PEOPLE GO BY....
THE DOWNTOWN IS MOSTLY CLEAN...SAFE AND VERY MODERN... TRY TO FIND A JUNKY LADA...THERE ARE A FEW...MAINLY OUT IN THE SUBURBAN PARKING LOTS...BUT I THINK THEY ARE COLLECTORS ITEMS NOW...
KRESHATIK WAS MOSTLY REBUILT AFTER THE WAR...BECAUSE MOST OF THE BUILDINGS WERE BLOWN UP DURING THE NAZI OCCUPATION...SO KRESHATIK HAS A STALINIST 50'S IMPERIAL LOOK...
BUT... THE REST OF THE "OLD TOWN" AREA HAS A VERY 19TH CENTURY LOOK TO IT...WITH HIGHLY DECORATED BUILDINGS LIKE IN KRAKOW, PRAGUE OR LVIV...
SOMEHOW SAINT SOPHIA...THE CROWN JEWEL OF KIEV...HAS SURVIVED ...AS WELL AS THE VERY IMPORTANT "CAVES" MONASTERY ....AND FOR THAT WE CAN BE THANKFUL...!
MORE LATER.
IT MIGHT REMIND SOME AMERICANS OF CHICAGO...
THERE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT CREATE LASTING FIRST IMPRESSIONS....
FIRST...THE MASSIVE APARTMENT COMPLEXES...ALL WITH THEIR STANDARDIZED "STALINIST BALCONIES"... REMEMBER KIEV WAS AND IN SOME WAYS STILL IS A "SOVIET STYLE" PLANNED CITY.
THE TOURIST WILL SEE THESE BALCONIES BY THE THOUSANDS...COMING IN FROM THE AIRPORT....ALTHOUGH SOME APARTMENTS HAVE BEEN RENOVATED...OTHERS STILL SEEM RATHER "LOW INCOME"...
THERE ARE NEW APARTMENTS BEING CONSTRUCTED THAT DO NOT RESEMBLE THE "STALINIST" RESIDENTIAL "MASSIVES" THAT YOU SEE BY ALL THE SUBWAY STATIONS...ALL OVER TOWN.
AS A RULE... THE CLOSER AN APARTMENT COMPLEX IS TO THE METRO STATION...THE OLDER IT IS...
AND THE MORE LIKELY IT WILL APPEAR RUN DOWN...
THE "NICER" NEW APARTMENT BUILDINGS...WHICH ARE ALL STILL HUGE ....PERHAPS NINE TO FIFTEEN STORIES TALL .... AND ABOUT AS LONG AS A FOOTBALL FIELD...ARE THEREFORE FURTHER AWAY FROM THE OLD METRO STATIONS...AS A RULE...
MOST OLDER APARTMENTS HAVE COMMUNITY WELLS THAT TENANTS COME TO FOR DRINKING WATER...BECAUSE THE TAP WATER IN KIEV IS...WELL, ....QUESTIONABLE?
YOU WILL SEE PEOPLE COMING TO THESE WELLS WITH TWO HUGE PLASTIC WATER JUGS ON EACH HANDLE BAR OF THEIR BIKES...
WHY THEY CAN'T CLEAN UP THE WATER IN KIEV IS BEYOND ME...?
THE PARKS AND PUBLIC TOILETS IN KIEV ARE NOT UP TO US STANDARDS...
GENERALLY THE "MAINTENANCE" OF THESE "PUBLIC PLACES" IS LEFT IN THE HANDS OF "BABUSKAS" OR RETIREES...
THE GRASS IN THE PARKS IS A BIT TOO HIGH...AND THE WEEDS TO BIG...
AND THE PUBLIC TOILETS...FOR WHICH YOU HAND A BABUSKA 2 IN UKRAINIAN MONEY...? ARE, WELL... PROBLEMATIC.
LETS JUST SAY...USED THE MICKY D'S BATHROOMS....! OR THE ONES IN THE MAJOR HOTELS...
KIEV IS DIVIDED INTO MANY DISTRICTS NOW...
MOST OF THE "LEFT BANK" (FACING SOUTH) IS NOT HISTORIC...IT'S A FLAT FLOOD PLAIN THAT IS MOSTLY INDUSTRIAL AND MASSIVE RESIDENTIAL APARTMENT COMPLEXES NOW...BUT IT MAKES AN IMPRESSIVE "SKYLINE" ...VIEWED FROM THE HISTORIC CITY...IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S REALLY OVER THERE..."ACROSS THE RIVER"...
THE RIGHT BANK...ON THE HILLY SIDE OF THE RIVER...IS THE HISTORIC PART OF KIEV...
KIEV ORIGINALLY HAD THREE DISTRICTS...
FIRST THE OLD CITY ON THE HILLS WHERE ST SOPHIA AND THE MAJOR CHURCHES AND ELITES WERE LOCATED...
SECOND, PODIL...WHICH IS THE RIGHT BANK FLOOD PLAIN WHERE THE MERCHANTS LIVED...YOU GET TO PODIL BY TAKING THE FAMOUS ANDREWS DECENT...FROM THE HISTORIC CHURCH THAT RASTELLI ...DESIGNED IN THE 1750'S... RASTELLI DID THE HERMITAGE AS YOU MAY KNOW...
THE THIRD HISTORIC DISTRICT WAS ACTUALLY A "SUBURB" IN THE 11TH CENTURY...
THIS IS WHERE THE CAVES MONASTERY IS LOCATED ...
AND THE RULING CLASSES HAD THEIR "HUNTING LODGES" IN THIS "REMOTE" PART OF KIEV IN THE 1100'S!
...THIS DISTRICT IS JUST TO THE SOUTH OF THE OLD CITY...BUT IS STILL IN THE RIGHT BANK HILL COUNTRY...THE GOLDEN DOMES ARE VERY IMPRESSIVE WHEN SEEN FROM THE RIVER...OR ANYWHERE ELSE!
KIEV NEVER RECOVERED FROM THE MONGOL INVASIONS OF 1242...
BUT IT WAS NOT DESTROYED...RATHER IT WAS USED BY THE MONGOLS AS A GATHERING PLACE FOR THEIR LOOTING EXPEDITIONS ...FURTHER INTO EASTERN EUROPE....INTO POLAND, RUSSIA, HUNGARY AND EVEN PRESENT DAY AUSTRIA...
THE MONGOLS ... AKA "TATARS" .... DID NOT STAY IN WESTERN EUROPE...
BUT THEY WERE AN HISTORIC PLAGUE FOR THE KIEVAN RUS... AND THE NORTHERN RUSSIANS FOR OVER 200 YEARS...
AFTER WHICH THE MONGOL "EMPIRE OF LOOTING" FRACTURED AND FINALLY COLLAPSED...
ALTHOUGH THE CRIMEA WAS A HOLD OUT FOR THE MONGOLS...OR MORE ACCURATELY THE "TATARS" ...WHO WERE A BRANCH OF THE MONGOLIAN TREE... AND REMAINED UNDER OTTOMAN TURKISH PROTECTION ....UNTIL FAIRLY RECENT TIMES...
HENCE THE RATHER "ASIAN" INFLUENCE IN CRIMEA EVEN UP TO TODAY...
SO THE ORIGINAL THREE HISTORIC DISTRICTS OF KIEV ARE STILL RECOGNIZABLE TO THE VISTOR...
BUT KIEV HAS EXPANDED INTO IT'S SUBURBAN DISTRICTS ...WHICH ALL STILL HAVE A MOSTLY RUN DOWN STALINIST LOOK...
THE CITY IS NOT REALLY "OVER-STORED" LIKE THE US... MUCH SHOPPING IS STILL DONE AT THE UNDERGROUND METRO STALLS...
ALTHOUGH THERE ARE SOME TOP SIDE "SUPERMARKETS" THAT HAVE AMERICAN STYLE SHOPPING...
INDEPENDENCE SQUARE HAS THE GLOBUS SHOPPING CENTER WHICH IS ABOUT 80% UNDERGROUND ....LIKE MOST KIEV SHOPPING AREAS DOWNTOWN... AND IT'S VERY WESTERN IN APPEARANCE...LIKE ANY MALL IN THE US...
KIEVANS LOVE TO STROLL ON KRESHATIK STREET WHICH IS THE "MAIN STREET" ALTHOUGH IT'S NOT VERY LONG....
KRESHATIK EXTENDS FOR ABOUT LESS THAN A MILE FROM THE BASSARABIA MARKET (AN HISTORIC MARKET ...AT THE FOOT OF TARAS SHEVCHENKO BLVD.... WITH AN INTERESTING LENIN STATUE STILL STANDING)
IN SUMMER... KRESNATIK IS CLOSED ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY FROM EARLY MORNING ... UNTIL ABOUT 10 PM...FROM "TSUM" (NOT" GUM") DEPARTMENT STORE...TO INDEPENDENCE SQUARE...THAT'S ABOUT 1/2 MILE...
AND THERE IS USUALLY AN 'EVENT' OF SOME KIND PLANNED...WHICH BRINGS OUT THE CROWDS...
BUT SINCE THE METRO CLOSES AT MIDNIGHT...IT TENDS TO BE AN EARLY NIGHT FOR A LOT OF YOUNGER PEOPLE ...WHO HAVE TO GET HOME BEFORE THE METRO STOPS RUNNING...
THOSE WITH CARS CAN STAY LATER...AND THE CARS ARE PARKED ALL OVER THE SIDEWALKS...BUT IT IS ACTUALLY ORGANIZED AFTER A FASHION...SORT OF PARIS STYLE PARKING...
KRESHATIK IS A GREAT PLACE TO HAVE A KIOSK BEER...MAYBE A KIEVAN "HUT DUG" (HOT DOG)...GRAB A PARK BENCH ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE STREET...WHICH HAS THE WIDER SIDEWALKS...
AND JUST WATCH THE PEOPLE GO BY....
THE DOWNTOWN IS MOSTLY CLEAN...SAFE AND VERY MODERN... TRY TO FIND A JUNKY LADA...THERE ARE A FEW...MAINLY OUT IN THE SUBURBAN PARKING LOTS...BUT I THINK THEY ARE COLLECTORS ITEMS NOW...
KRESHATIK WAS MOSTLY REBUILT AFTER THE WAR...BECAUSE MOST OF THE BUILDINGS WERE BLOWN UP DURING THE NAZI OCCUPATION...SO KRESHATIK HAS A STALINIST 50'S IMPERIAL LOOK...
BUT... THE REST OF THE "OLD TOWN" AREA HAS A VERY 19TH CENTURY LOOK TO IT...WITH HIGHLY DECORATED BUILDINGS LIKE IN KRAKOW, PRAGUE OR LVIV...
SOMEHOW SAINT SOPHIA...THE CROWN JEWEL OF KIEV...HAS SURVIVED ...AS WELL AS THE VERY IMPORTANT "CAVES" MONASTERY ....AND FOR THAT WE CAN BE THANKFUL...!
MORE LATER.
Friday, June 12, 2009
BEST TRAUMA HOSPITAL FOR AMERICANS IN KIEV
| National Emergency and Trauma Hospital Works 24 hours a day responding to the most of traumas/injuries in Kyiv City Address: 3, Bratislavskaya street 24 hours Information Station: 24 hours Admittance department: 24 hours Multi-Trauma department: 24 hours Hospital Resuscitation/Intensive Care Department: Hospital Blood Collection department phone, business hours: | 518-5111 518-0629 518-7259 518-7020 518-0479 |
AMERICAN HEALTH CENTERS IN KIEV NEWSLETTER
PROBABLY THE BEST BET FOR THE AMERICAN TOURIST....CLICK HERE
Monday, June 8, 2009
Beer Kiosks in Kiev
Kiev is full of Beer Kiosks...and it is legal to walk down the street with a bottle of beer in hand...
For Americans...just think French Quarter in New Orleans...or imagine that the beer is a Coke bottle... It's like that....
You see very few intoxicated people in Kiev...despite all the supposed drinking and the availability of beer at every street corner...and all along the sidewalks...especially at night downtown...
Kievans are rather shy and reserved...and even when drunk are seldom loud or obnoxious...
In addition to beer the "hot dog" Kiev style is popular... This is often served with "toppings" like cole slaw, corn, peas, and ketchup...and it's rather unique.
For Americans...just think French Quarter in New Orleans...or imagine that the beer is a Coke bottle... It's like that....
You see very few intoxicated people in Kiev...despite all the supposed drinking and the availability of beer at every street corner...and all along the sidewalks...especially at night downtown...
Kievans are rather shy and reserved...and even when drunk are seldom loud or obnoxious...
In addition to beer the "hot dog" Kiev style is popular... This is often served with "toppings" like cole slaw, corn, peas, and ketchup...and it's rather unique.
Dress and Fashion in Ukraine... Kiev Gangster Fashion...? Not Really.
A lot of people think that Ukrainians dress like "gangsters"... or even that they are gangsters!
This is totally false...
In truth, Ukrainians like to "dress up" especially when they are strolling downtown... But their "taste" in clothes is a bit different from what people from America are used to...
Younger men in Ukraine tend to wear "pointy" black dress shoes...even with jeans...this is considered to be very fashionable...
The typical male "dress code" might be a short "squared off" black jacket (leather if possible)...with black jeans or slacks...with the trade mark pointy shoes.
Kakki pants are very rare ...as are sneakers...if found at all...they are usually on younger guys!
A lot of younger men (18-34) also have shaved or close cut hair...this is often mistaken for being a "skin head" ...
To the "newbie" American in Kiev...this typical male fashion and hair style can be mistaken for being "gangster" or "racist." It's not...its' just a local fashion preference.
Women in Ukraine also go for higher fashion dress...high heels are common even on the roughest pavements... This tendency toward "chic" dress should not be mistaken for being a prostitute or sex trade worker....
So what's the point...?
Well...the way the typical young Ukraine dresses is different from what many Americans expect... Most Ukrainians are not overweight...they are rather on the thin side compared to the average American...and they like to dress up accordingly...
Why? Who knows....perhaps because they can!
Also there are a lot of "knock-off" high fashion items sold at the local "flea" markets...called "Rynoks"...which are often attached to or very close to the Metro Stations...
A lot of "shopping" in Kiev is done very close to the Metro Stops...the undergrounds are packed with tiny "shops"...this is for convenience in getting items back to your apartment...
Everyone, of course, lives in an apartment...mostly within walking distance to your Metro stop...
The one Rynok at Petrivca is especially large...and is stuffed with clothes sold from hundreds of small "stalls".... The typical American might find these "fashions" to be a bit "over the top"...or tacky...but that's the kind of thing Ukrainians like...
Petrivca Rynok also has a 7 day used book market attached to the regular market....
This Rynok also tends to sell a lot of "tacky "knock off fashions...at cheap prices...
So do not assume that every younger Ukrainian you meet on Kreshatik Street is a gangster or a prostitute...
You'll get used to the "Gangster Dress Code" after a few days...so don't panic...
This is totally false...
In truth, Ukrainians like to "dress up" especially when they are strolling downtown... But their "taste" in clothes is a bit different from what people from America are used to...
Younger men in Ukraine tend to wear "pointy" black dress shoes...even with jeans...this is considered to be very fashionable...
The typical male "dress code" might be a short "squared off" black jacket (leather if possible)...with black jeans or slacks...with the trade mark pointy shoes.
Kakki pants are very rare ...as are sneakers...if found at all...they are usually on younger guys!
A lot of younger men (18-34) also have shaved or close cut hair...this is often mistaken for being a "skin head" ...
To the "newbie" American in Kiev...this typical male fashion and hair style can be mistaken for being "gangster" or "racist." It's not...its' just a local fashion preference.
Women in Ukraine also go for higher fashion dress...high heels are common even on the roughest pavements... This tendency toward "chic" dress should not be mistaken for being a prostitute or sex trade worker....
So what's the point...?
Well...the way the typical young Ukraine dresses is different from what many Americans expect... Most Ukrainians are not overweight...they are rather on the thin side compared to the average American...and they like to dress up accordingly...
Why? Who knows....perhaps because they can!
Also there are a lot of "knock-off" high fashion items sold at the local "flea" markets...called "Rynoks"...which are often attached to or very close to the Metro Stations...
A lot of "shopping" in Kiev is done very close to the Metro Stops...the undergrounds are packed with tiny "shops"...this is for convenience in getting items back to your apartment...
Everyone, of course, lives in an apartment...mostly within walking distance to your Metro stop...
The one Rynok at Petrivca is especially large...and is stuffed with clothes sold from hundreds of small "stalls".... The typical American might find these "fashions" to be a bit "over the top"...or tacky...but that's the kind of thing Ukrainians like...
Petrivca Rynok also has a 7 day used book market attached to the regular market....
This Rynok also tends to sell a lot of "tacky "knock off fashions...at cheap prices...
So do not assume that every younger Ukrainian you meet on Kreshatik Street is a gangster or a prostitute...
You'll get used to the "Gangster Dress Code" after a few days...so don't panic...
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