Kiev Adventure

I was camera-less for the last week of March because hubby went to Kiev, Ukraine and brought both our snappers with him. Well, I wouldn’t really complain because he came home with loads of photos and other stuff. I’m  happy because I’m not just a photography and travel bug, I’m a history buff too!

Above is a functioning monastery in Kiev. The monastery is located on the Western side of the Dnieper River, one of the major European rivers. The monastery was built during the Middle ages, as early as 1713! Just like many key landmarks around the world, it has been demolished (gotta hate war and politics for that). Thank goodness Ukraine gained its independence in 1991…the plans that has been going on since the 1970s finally saw fruition. The Domed Cathedral was opened again on May 30, 1999. Now, here stands a Baroque structure that though I didn’t see personally, is surely stunning even against the gray skies.

Photo above is somewhat a curious train station or so that’s how it appears to me. This obviously draws tourists as hubby caught someone taking a photo too. (I’m gonna ask him tomorrow what and where this particular place is.)

So aside from the photos, hubby got me a Zorki 1 model (1948–1956) (in Russian: Зоркий, meaning sharp-sighted). Zorki is the name of a series of 35mm rangefinder cameras manufactured in the Soviet Union between 1948 and 1978. Yes, it’s antique and I’ve yet to know its capacity. 🙂 I’m excited to be in a darkroom again and develop films and print them on my own…but I’ve yet to find black and white films. lol. (Hidalgo, where we buy those, is not reachable with a taxi-ride anymore.)

He also took home Faberge egg replicas, a Kyiv shotglass and beer glass and those Russian dolls or what my kids call Babooshkas, akin to Matryoshka dolls. One of the eggs (they serve as jewelry/trinket box) will be gifted to an aunt so I chose white when hubby asked which one should be left for us. The Matryoshka would be for mom-in-law (who will be coming over today to spend the long weekend with the kids). She collects those, as I remember, my daughter during her younger years used to play with her collection whenever we’re at her place. Dawty would take out each doll from the bigger doll and line them up like dominoes. She would stack them again inside afterwards, run to me and would show me the “whole” figure again.

I thanked hubby for the presents and the photos as well. I’d be all the more happier if he remembered to get me what I collect in our travels: snow globes. (Talk about being thankful!)