Does Yalta Have Beaches?

A true Workers’ Paradise There is a look Russians get in their eyes when you say the word “Yalta.” A far away look of remembrance and of a time long lost. They always brighten up and start in about how grand it really was back in the Soviet days. Even…

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That Was It?!

Kyiv ain’t all that Casions don’t count, either Nothing like the Hungry Duck Yep, Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, and home to two (2) million people, is a provincial city! I had my suspicions, and once or twice, I mentioned it, but last night clinched the whole concept for me….

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Bottles Make Bucks

Psst! Pass me that empty bottle You see them all the time, I know you do. You watch them scurry about, looking in trashcans, under park benches, and behind trees. You wonder why they eye your beer so closely, judging by the angle you drink at, how close you are…

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Breaking Rules with a Smile

Don’t forget that all-important registration when you get to Ukraine! The odd Salute Hotel Firemen never check doc’s Thankfully no jail time Kyiv feels so relaxed, so mellow, that sometimes I forget that I am still in the CIS. Take my Ukrainian registration for example. My first night in Ukraine…

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Can You Speak Ukrainian?

Even the Russians are confused by Ukrainian! Now I’m getting so confused. Everywhere I look, from the advertisements, to the menus, to the visa in my passport, everything is written in Ukrainian. Whenever I listen to the radio, watch TV, or listen to anyone speak, it’s always in Russian. This…

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