I associate trams with cities and built up areas, and I found the idea of one pushing through trees and parkland a little strange - your description and pictures reminded me of a scene in Miyazaki's film "Spirited Away" involving a train pushing through water on a flooded track.
You don't miss anything! Jonathan, you are one very observant fellow! Your blog is so filled with details , I felt like I was actually walking, strolling with you. Great blog. And yes, it was a nice way to spend one's birthday. Sounds very relaxing.
Thanks Pierre! Thanks for your birthday wishes! Today Ana and I are taking a tram out of town for a picnic in the forest, with a very sweet cake. Some time soon we'll have a party. It makes me 24 - I'm officially in my mid-twenties!
Thanks Lili! Thanks for your message! I'm worried about this blog, the writing is as tired as I am and because I've been working so much there isn't much news. I'll try to be a bit more productive soon!
Kadety Egor, thanks for your message... one of my reasons for watching Kadety is that I used to live in Tver and I like the shots of the town in between scenes. The serial isn't bad as Russian shows go, I enjoy it, and Ana (Nastya) is quite fond of Makarov!
You are really back! So happy to be reading your blog again. Thanks for the "tour" of your cozy flat, and a glimpse of your typical day there. Washed armpits? That drew a laugh. Keep writing! (I'm behind with my travel blogs myself......)
You're back! I know, you never left. But am happy to be reading your blog again. And hey, that was a lovely photo of the wedding. Having it in black and white adds drama to it. Nice one.
Great blog - extremely well written and funny. Every time I read one of your pieces it fills me with longing to be back in the former USSR, which incidentally I will be on August 2nd. Please keep writing them more regularly!
Otlichny blog! Etot prochitav ya hachu srazu vernutsya v buivshiy sovietsky soyuz! znakomaya smes chelovekaninavistnichestva i nezhnosti vnuchannaya zhizney v etikh stranakh!
Strange Superstition and Cute Underpants Logo! You certainly have a love-hate relationship with Ukraine's Kyiv. I'm almost excited to know what lies ahead. I checked out the metro card logo and you are right about the underpants! Lol. Found the superstition really strange, but if Milen confirms it to be true, who am I to argue?
Keep writing, Jon....
Thanks, Milen! Knowing Ukrainians, I bet it's usually the mirrors that they forget to bring! Do Bulgarians have the one about not taking rubbish bags out at night or sitting at the corner of tables? I think about writing a book all the time - it's flattering that a few people have mentioned it to me. It wouldn't be about Ukraine though, I would spend 2 weeks in each of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan and write 16 or so stories of 2000 words. I don't think it will happen though, certainly no time soon, I'd have to find both a publisher and enough time and money to go. To let you in on a secret I've just started a new job in Kyiv so I'll be here for a while, only writing in my spare time. It's high time we finally met, are you in Kharkiv at the moment? J.
Good read again! Hey Jonathan, thank you for the new blog, it's entertaining as usual! You need to write a book! Meanwhile, good luck on finding a job! Change the area were you live, from your description, the place sounds disturbingly depressing.
That Ukrainian superstition is true, my girlfriend does the same. I can't remember if we have it in Bulgaria as well, but going back to the house when you forget something is definetely a bad omen.
Reading in good order............. Have decided I should start reading your blogs from the oldest if only to better appreciate your adventures and sentiments. Perspectives change with a little order in my reading. I find your blogs funny and at the same time sentimental. Very interesting combination.
OMG.........what a scare! I have been going through your blogs and found this one. What can I say? Thank God you survived that. What a scare. Hope the trauma of that experience has worn off completely by this time.
Going Home This is a beautifully descriptive blog (i.e. the London Eye compared to a five pence piece, and "melted into luxurious leather armchairs"). When are you away from a place for a while, you always see it with different eyes - some of your previously held perceptions change, but some remain the same.
I am a British translator and travel writer. I now live in London, after working in Ukraine for three years. My blog is a collection of stories about the people and places that have captured my imagination during my travels through Europe - I hope you'll enjoy them.
You can find more of my writing and photography at jonathancampion.com, and links to my published travel writing here.
J.... full info
EdVallance
Edward Adrian-Vallance
s dnyom razhdyeniya i spasibo balshoe za eto otlichnuiy blog!