"Cannon to the left of them...."

To The Crimea:

Well, tomorrow our vacation officially begins. We will leave the office at 4pm and head to the train station in Kiev. The train departs at 5:50pm and we will arrive in Crimea at 8:50am the next morning (a 15-hour journey). Crimea's southern coast is along the Black Sea - which is pretty cool - never really expected to see the Black Sea.

Anya says that Crimea is one of the most beautiful places in the Ukraine... that it has wonderful landscapes and and tremendous historical significance. She asked how you would say it was a place within the blood of every Ukrainian and Russian - - I think you would say it just like that. She has been vacationing there since before she was born.

One historical fact - the Crimean war was fought there between 1853 and 1856 [Wikipedia]. In October of 1854 was the Battle of Balaclava. As the child of an extreme Errol Flynn fan - I was raised watching his movies. My cousins will remember ' The Charge of the Light Brigade'... Based on a true story, but completely historically inaccurate (as a movie) - Errol Flynn rides to his death during this very battle. A safe bet would be that Flynn himself never set foot where the actual battle took place -- but I will, and very soon.

Crimea was also the home of the Yalta Conference.

"The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea Conference and codenamed the Argonaut Conference, was the February 4–11, 1945 wartime meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union—President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and General Secretary Joseph Stalin, respectively—for the purpose of discussing Europe's postwar reorganization." [Wikipedia]

Considering FDR is probably my favorite president ever (him and Abe Lincoln) - I'm pretty excited about this.

Ok, it is getting late here now... and we still have a little 'glintvein' (warm-spiced wine) to drink. So, tomorrow we leave. I have a feeling I won't be blogging for a good chunk of days... probably not until early/mid next week. But, please make sure to scroll down for a little taste of Crimea. Also, I should mention that we are meeting Anya's brother (Jeka) and sister-in-law (Inga) in Crimea -- we are all excited for this vacation.

Here are some of Anya's pictures from past trips.

Below you can get an idea of where I am - and where I am going.

Charge of the Light Brigade, by: Alfred, Lord Tennyson

... Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse & hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!

Dee-NAH-Moh (UPDATED)

European football will never become mainstream in the United States - it's just not going to happen. ESPN can hype it all they want, and so can FOX Sports, but my guess is that it will only ever occupy a niche market - unless the republicans are right and we are taken over by immigrants some day.

But, I would rather have a European football team than an American one. I am crazy you say? Maybe, but I'm sick of hearing how "soccer" is boring. There are 60 minutes of game time in the NFL (America's football league). How long does it take to play? I'd say 2.5 hours most of the time. How much time is the ball in action? 11 minutes, on average, according to the Washington Post... There is 11 minutes of game time - 1 hour of commercials. Seriously. But, yeah - "soccer" is boring... with its constant action and 90 minutes of game time played in 2 hours.

Anyway, I'm not going to convince anyone to change their mind. Besides, if America had "soccer" we'd probably figure out how to make the games 4 hours long and jam in 2 hours of commercials.

On to the Dynamo (Dee-NAH-Moh) Match

My first experience with European football was in Detroit - not long ago. I had a good time, although a) It is infinitely better in an open-air stadium (not a dome) b) the Dynamo match last night (against the Dutch team Ajax [I-yax]) meant something.

When Anna and I got off the subway car there was an obvious buzz in the air. In Kiev's subway stations there are a lot of vendors - selling just about anything - from pet food to bras, and everything in between. On this night, there were all kinds of vendors selling bootleg Dynamo apparel and paraphernalia - very cheap. I picked myself up a scarf.

The subway exit was basically the stadium's entrance. As we crossed the street and made our way to the gate a group of fans were cheering "Dee-NAH-Moh, Dee-NAH-Moh, Dee-NAH-Moh".

There were a lot of things that I really enjoyed about the Dynamo experience.

Subtle Stadium

Dynamo's stadium is not luxurious - it is not even large. But, it doesn't need to be. It is just a place to watch a football match - and the sport is the center attraction. It's why I always loved old Tiger

Stadium and wished they would have just fixed it up. That stadium was awesome because of its history - - NOT because it was designed by the same architect who built every other cookie cutter stadium in the last 15 years. While Dynamo's stadium isn't luxurious- it is in a beautiful setting. Above the stadium, on one side, is Mariinsky park (you can see some pics in one of my previous blogs).

OK... there aren't enough hours in the day - so I'll just post a few

more pics later... (By the way, the game ended in a 1-1 tie.) Headed into the city now, hope to post more thoughts on the game tomorrow.

Gotov k futbolu?

"With both teams desperately wanting that coveted spot in the Champions League group stages, this tie should be filled with relentless excitement and passion. Both squads are renowned in their respective countries but only one can ultimately move on."

~ Scott Krones http://www.sbrforum.com/Betting+Articles/Sports/15184/champions-league-preview-dynamo-kiev-vs-ajax.aspx

"The team from Holland is none other than Ajax [pronounced I-yax] the greatest Dutch club - multiple times champion of Europe, and arguably one the top ten European club teams, all-time. Dynamo Kiev has won more Soviet championships than any team in the now defunct Soviet league, and has utterly dominated theUkrainian top league since that league was founded in the early nineties. This is the first leg of a home and home elimination match, and must be one of the bigger sporting events in Ukraine this year. Also, I'll be able to watch the game live at 2:45 PM on Fox Soccer Channel."

~ My Dad

Needless to say - tonight I will be getting a first-hand taste of European football. If the beer is as cheap as everywhere else I've been - it should be a pretty interesting event. We walked by the stadium a couple of days ago, and it appeared to be pretty cool. They have a large statue for their most famous coach (Valeriy Lobanovskyy) The stadium is named after him, and is situated along side Mariinksy Park - a large and beautiful park with spectacular views -- take a look for yourself.

14th floor Ukrainian cuisine...

Lunch at the office was served on the 14th floor today (I am on the 17th.) We stepped off the elevator, turned left and walked about 25 feet into what seemed to be a small office turned impromptu cafe. There was a folding table with all kinds of homemade Ukrainian dishes. The woman behind the table put what you asked for (or what your translator asked for) on a plate, and charge you about $2. (Mine was a little more - I ordered the American portion - although, i still have half left.)

I had the Golubtsi (stuffed cabbage), teftelii (fried liver - which I was fooled into trying, but thought was delicious) and rice (rice).

I'd be in heaven if there was homemade food delivered to my office for less than $6 - - much less $3. I know the whole salary/prices higher in the USA deal -- but, the homemade food delivered to the office today was slightly cheaper than a trip to the Kiev MacDonald's - that has nothing to do with salary or currency.

Wandering around Kiev...

Saint Sofia (below and above)

National Opera of Ukraine

Below is a standard kiosk. They are everywhere -- and the beer is the same price as water. Premium.

Even in the Ukraine

First I saw Mormons (not joking), and then this....

World Press Photo Exhibit 2010

The WPPE was at the Lavra Gallery in the center of Kiev. The photos were a bit on the depressing side - including one of a house in downtown Detroit. Good to see we made it.