Chernigov After Dark

Since Alex and I managed to miss daylight yesterday, Vara and Alex took me on a little nighttime tour of Chernigov. We drove around for a while and there was an interesting comparison between Soviet housing and older and newer architecture but basically Chernigov looks like any other city... just with more gold-domed churches and more people in fur. WAY more people in fur. So after we drove around for a while it started to snow and the boys took me to a little river port where we got out of the car, climbed a 1,000 year old staircase ("America isn't even as old as this staircase!") and walked around this beautiful old park. As we walked Alex and Vara pointed out different historical landmarks: Here is the oldest church in the former S.U., These are the twelve cannons that defended Chernigov many years ago. Etc. Etc. I was fascinated by how interested and proud they were of their city, of their landmarks, of their history. (By the way, Vera is a friend of Alex who I've met twice now. He doesn't speak English except for "pen, pencil, girl, boy and table" but I adore him anyway. Funny how you can judge someone's character without even having a proper conversation with them. (Or perhaps that's a skill I've acquired living abroad.))

Eventually we got cold and headed home.

"I want to see Ukraine during the day." I said.

"Neit" Alex said, "it's better in the dark."