Kiev: A Snowflake Wrapped in an Icicle Inside an Iglue
Sunday, January 24, 2010
My 'block'
The C-c-c-c-old!
After whingeing on about the cold earlier in the winter, I feel like the ‘boy who cried wolf’ but, seriously – the last cold snap was nothing. If that cold was a wolf, then it was still a puppy and this weekend it just turned into a man-eating werewolf. It’s -20 something and set to hit -25 to -30 tomorrow. It beautiful to watch because it’s sunny and crystal clear but it ain’t funny once you’re out there. I (dressed in pants, long-johns, two pairs of sock, a t-shirt, shirt and jumper + big jacket and ridiculously large furry hat) attempted to go take pictures today and it went something like this
...and then I aborted the mission and went back home, with some seriously rosie-cheeks and drank some tea. Oh, but I have learnt to walk like a Penguin. It’s the only way to stay on your feet in this weather. There’s no John Wayne style swaggering in Kiev these days – we’re all focused on the floor and waddling like arctic birds.
It's so cold, the Dnipro River is frozen solid... so I went and stood on it :-)
Ice Babushkas; the not-so-mythical ice maidens of Ukraine
It seems that the only people working to clear the snow here in Kiev are large tough-looking old ladies. Even at midnight on Christmas day they were at it!
Of course, I’m glad that, at least someone is making an effort but surely that’s a man's job!? or better - a tractors job. Sending granny out to sweep the streets in sub zero temperatures seems a little harsh to me.
Maybe next year the city authorities will have a go.
I took this picture...
Then fell flat on back in the middle of the road and, in the process, took this picture
Ukrainian Optimism - The ‘Fast Tram’
haha… Either Kiev city maps were written by tortoises or in doublespeak.
