Irpen' Favorites

Favorite thing: After the market, we stopped by the town hall where they were having some sort of city festival. Knowing absolutely no Ukrainian and only about half a dozen words in Russian, I understood nothing. My host did explain that they were celebrating the anniversary of the establishment of Irpen and that the speakers were local officials and politicians. Had I only known what was going to happen a couple months later (in The Ukraine's national elections), I would certainly have been a lot more inquisitive.

It seems like the weather is changing; it's getting a bit colder. Behind us men are playing cards, smoking, and drinking coffee and other beverages. Now it's about 11 am and the town center is becoming very much alive.

Fondest memory: Right now those wire shopping carts are very appealing to me. But because of my pride as a man I will probably never buy one. Sounds pretty stupid, right? Why can't they make customized ones for men with big wheels, chrome plated hub caps, cool handle bars. Then I would buy one and accessorize it with a license plate that says "Proud to be Ukrainian." Most men at the market drive their mopeds, cars or bikes. They would never be caught dead with a cart. But if they had one that looked cool and fast, I bet they would be sporting it all around!