Kyiv - Athens: from Varangians to Greeks

Easter in Corfu

From early morning funeral come out on Good Friday


Good Friday morning.


Good Friday night seeing bands on the streets of the island until late


Good friday night lights have color purple


Good Friday evening in the square 'Liston'


Holy Saturday.from very early people expect the custom with the pitchers.


Holy Saturday.Square 'pentofanaro'... just before 11 o'clock


...at 11 in the morning people go to their windows and throwing pitchers


Holy Saturday. All day seeing bands in the streets


Holy Saturday night and people stroll the streets of the island


Holy Saturday night with candles


Holy Saturday night with fireworks

In the land of czars (or tsars).

I have been to Moscow several times in my life, and it was always been a megapolis ("big city" in Greek - there you go). In 1986, when my family was fleeing from Chernobyl disaster, it had some 8 million residents. Now it is said to have about 20 million.



This is Kievskiy Vokzal (Kiev Railway station), where all trains from Ukraine arrive. Last time arrived here in 2001, and the surroundings changed a lot - I could not recognize the place.


Generally, I had no specific idea about capturing something specific on the camera (I only had one in my phone!), so I just tried to capture anything of interest on my way to center from hotel.



Like this new office building among the 19-century and mid-20 century neighbourhood.



Like this bigboard, advertising radio Kommersant, featuring a word game ("Hearing of the case")





Like this old church under repairs.



Like the Lukoil (huge oil company) headquarters office (just around the corner from the church)



Like this amazingly beautiful building, which actually resembles Riga for some reason - just on the other side of the street from Lukoil office.



Or like this inventive way to conceal the reconstruction of the building - again, just next to the Lukoil building.



As I was moving towards the Kremlin and Red Square, I was passing by old churches and houses...



...Soviet constructivism...





...Nicely curved street - with a mixture of styles and epoches...



... Example of probably the most typically Muscovite type of architecture, popular at the end of 19th century (I guess).



... And the big square, hopefully big enough to accommodate all the traffic (though here it does not look to heavy, but it is VERY heavy in Moscow, believe me).



Amazing example of Modernist architecture - I started at this famous "National" hotel for couple minutes - almost felt like I am in Glasgow.



Exquisite entrance to the restaurant - the Kremlin is just round the corner.



Here we are - entering the Red Square.
This church was built in 1636 to commemorate the victory over invaders by Minin and Pozharsky, and was completely destroyed in 1936. And completely rebuilt in 2001 (I guess). I entered inside and listened to the Easter service going on there at the moment.





The service has been broadcast outside, so as you oversee the Red square, you can also listen to the service mixed with loud advertiser of city sightseeing bus tours






The Red Square proper, workers from Tajikistan fix the pavement.



GUM - Gosudarstvennyj Universalnyj Magazin, State Universal Store, so basically the biggest Soviet shopping mall.



Nice perspective.



Ordinary underground passage leading to the metro station.



Cinema called "Pobeda" or "Victory". Flawed neon sign makes it look like Ukrainian word.



The sign beneath the pedestrian says "DEAF (PEOPLE)"



Almost a Paris. Entrance to the metro.



Tired guy in Moscow metro. He knows where to get off.

Thessaloniki protests

By tradition, every September Thessaloniki hosts an international trade fair, one of the few remaining fairs in the western world that are not targeted to a specific business sector. So let's say Thessaloniki hosts a fair of general interest.



In addition to the fair, Thessaloniki hosts by tradition every year anti-governmental protests that take place on the day the Greek prime minister makes his annual speech on the opening day of the fair.


By tradition, protesters swarm in Thessaloniki's city center in large numbers, but in different blocks.


By tradition, leftists, anarchists, gay anarchists, workers, greens, communists, public sector employees, unions... each have their own meeting points and march individually.


By tradition, these people protest for a range of different things. Others demand better pays, less working hours, while others demand the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan!


Here some firemen confronting some policemen. Kind of sweet.


And here is a scent of December.


It goes without saying that - by tradition - police is blocking all access to cars during this turbulent evening,


which makes the city center a paradise for us cyclists!


It takes a lot of effort for a car-free Thessaloniki.


But maybe it's worth it!