Kharkov - Kharkov - Харків - Харьков

[Isthmus]

@ Chris & JayH - I have nothing but positive things to say about Ukraine so far even if my experience is limited to a 3 hour stopover at Kiev and 3 days in Kharkov. After landing in Kiev I messaged my lady friend that I felt like I had landed in Germany, passed through passport, customs, collected baggage, changed currency, used ATM etc all with no fuss and no problems 

Also, being in Kharkov has been a breeze so far in terms of shopping, dinning out, using ATMs, getting around, feeling secure etc ... 

@ Boris, heading to my lady friend's apartment for dinner tonight so I will get to see what residential Kharkov looks like as opposed to the central city where I have mostly been so far.

PS - so glad that I have discovered Georgian wines, their reds rock 

[Chris]

@ Boris, heading to my lady friend's apartment for dinner tonight so I will get to see what residential Kharkov looks like as opposed to the central city where I have mostly been so far.

PS - so glad that I have discovered Georgian wines, their reds rock 

Yes there are some bad and poorer areas, but there is in virtually every major city around the World.

The Georgian wine is fantastic, we have it all the time over there, we even buy it from  a specialist supplier in the UK now, we like it that much.

[Boris]

Not trying to be negative. I love Ukraine, too. Like any city it is best to get off the beaten path sometimes to better understand the people and their culture a little better. 

[Muzh_1]

Isthmus:

My wife and son have been in Kharkov since the beginning of July and will be returning at the end of August. I've been talking to them almost everyday. She tells me it is hooter than hell and maybe this weekend will be less hot. She is staying south of the metro area very close to the airport so it shouldn't be as hot as in the city.

Go to the new mall. She showed me some pictures of it. Also, there are a few Georgian restaurants around the city. The best food, IMHO. Of course, the park and the zoo are nice areas to hang out.

Regarding the older buildings being renovated, unfortunately they are NOT following form or function. You can see a very modern-looking building right next to some old European architecture and it clashes; big time. The mafia just waits until the building is in real bad shape, buy it (actually, steal it just to be consistent), gut it, and in its place put a new modern monstrosity. Of course JMHO.

Apart from that I love the outdoor cafes which are being endangered and will become a thing of the past. So take advantage of them while you can.

Damn, hate to be such a pessimist. It happens every time I talk about the city. Reason being that I really love this city and it is a shame what the thieves are doing to it.

Anyway. Enjoy. 

[Isthmus]

@ Boris, I did go out last night to a southern part of the city full of high rise apartment blocks. Was OK, seen places like that in other parts of Eastern Europe (non-FSU) so nothing really that new there 

@ Muzh, apparently the weather in Kharkov has been really hot this summer but its been milder since I have been here. I haven't been to the zoo but have been to the Dolphinarium, that was good, and I liked the surrounding parklands there. Haven't spotted any Georgian restuarants yet but have eaten out in a few places so far, have found the quality of food to be decent and the service good 

As for the renovated buildings, have spotted a few that are being faithfully restored to near original appearance and was told that some buildings are protected now, so perhaps the short-sightedness of new commercial developments might be on the wane now (or at least I hope) ??

All in all, just to re-iterate, Kharkov is a pleasant city and my experiences in my brief stay in Ukraine have all been positive so far 
 

[Isthmus]

Went down to where the central markets are today (near the river, just on the south bank from the central city). Certainly different to the boutiques on Sumskaya, you get more of a feel where the average working class Kharkovite shops.

[Muzh_1]

C'mon, some pics, pazhalsta.

[Isthmus]

C'mon, some pics, pazhalsta.

Took a fair few pics with my iPhone. How do I upload them on RUA though, do I need to upload them on some pic sharing site first and then link them here ?

Leaving Kharkov tomorrow BTW, was nice, could have stayed here longer actually, I think the odds of me coming back here are high 

[Muzh_1]

At the bottom of the dialogue box you'll find "Attachments and other options" link. Click on it and select from your hard drive the pic. In addition, you will have options to do thumbnails or full fledged pics. Click on "(more attachments)" options for additional pics.

[Isthmus]

At the bottom of the dialogue box you'll find "Attachments and other options" link. Click on it and select from your hard drive the pic. In addition, you will have options to do thumbnails or full fledged pics. Click on "(more attachments)" options for additional pics.

Hmmm ...

"Your attachment couldn't be saved. This might happen because it took too long to upload or the file is bigger than the server will allow.

Please consult your server administrator for more information."

 

[Chris]

Try and reduce your image size! You can download a resized here

http://www.bottomupwebs.com.au/faq/89-xp-powertoys-image-resizer?catid=45%3Apc-tips

[Muzh_1]

Yep, file is too big. I usually resize with the "paint" option of Windows.

[Isthmus]

Still on holidays gents, will post some pics when I get back home to Australia