Gary J. Kirkpatrick Art and Travel Blog
Expressionistic art
Gary Kirkpatrick We walk to museums, to look at buildings of particular interest, to lunch or dinner. I can not help but look at the people. Ukraine was part of Russia for hundreds of years but the area has been inhabited for over 30,000 years. Who are they? The ethnic group called ‘Ukrainian’ is Slavic, as are Russians, Poles and parts of the old Yugoslavia. They do not seem in general to be quite as blond with super light skin tones as I noticed in Russia, but close enough.
This small book encapsulates my years in Paris.
We flew with friends to Dar Es Salaam, the capitol of Tanzania, to go by train to Zambia. The train trip was an adventure of its own. Our destination was a tiny village where our nephew Travis worked as a Peace Corps volunteer, helping the locals build a damn for their fish farm.
Saint Sofia, dating from the 11th century, is one of the most important churches of Kiev. It is named after the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, an amazing structure dating from the 3rd century Roman period, when Istanbul was called Constantinople after the Roman emperor Constantine. The buildings bear no resemblance to one another, however. Saint Sofia’s origin is in the Kieven Rus period, when the region was governed by a loose federations of Slavic and Finnish people. It has the impressive golden domes you find in Poland and Russia. The art decorating the interior has the same Byzantine look as well.
Kiev’s architecture is impressive, largely from the 19th and early 20th with some Soviet Russia era contributions. The city is built on hills, and on cliffs overlooking the Dnieper River. This allows great views of the rooftops as you walk about.
We visited this town to see the barge museum there. This town still has the boarding school barge owners use today.
Cohen names Trump in the effort to silence Stormy and McDaniel. Wham!
Bonjour de Paris! Flew here on Monday from Ukraine’s beautiful capital. Staying at a friend’s house while she is visiting family in the US. Yesterday we went to Conflans-Sainte-Honorine. There is a community of retired barge owners and workers, and the boarding school for the children of same, still in operation. There are lovely views of the Seine as well as some neat old buildings. Barges continue to operate on the Seine and other rivers of France.
