Kyiv - Historical buildings

It is now September and I can finally get up to date with this blog. Sadly my computer died several weeks before the end of term taking my photos with it. I had access to the internet on the ipad but could not easily write this.

I have been back in Moscow for a three weeks, coming back a week early so I could get ready for school as the year 3s are staying at our school due to building work at School 2. I am enjoying the challenge of teaching Year 3 but it is a whole new curriculum so it is taking some getting used to. I am working with a lovely Scottish girl called Fiona. It's all new to her too, but we're making a go of it.

And so back to Kyiv in May. Peter and I had the opportunity to visit a museum of old Ukrainian houses from different regions. David and Aliona also took us to a reproduction Cossack village. Both similar and yet different and equally interesting. The museum of houses was interesting but so spread out. We walked miles. The Cossack village was far more compact and had several guides who spoke pretty good English so it was very interesting.

These first few are from houses built in the sixties to eighties. Though the fabrics are Ukrainian much of it reminds me of the UK in the fifties. We have found this so often, the Soviet Union and afterwards the Russian Federation are just years behind us and are catching up fast.

The houses have a distinctive style of their own but are similar to the houses we saw in Kostrama three years ago. We did learn that with these wooden houses the fire places and chimneys were laid first, often by the women of the village as it is the heart of the home. Then the rest of the house was built around it.

There are three churches on the site and are still used for services several times during the year.

 We saw these amazing candles. It took us little while to work out what they were. Then we saw one in a special holder which made it clear.

 

 

Just as we were leaving we were invited to go into the school. The timetable was very regimented with a lot of religious instruction. The lady guide was very interesting and made herself understood with very limited English. I just wish I could remember what she said.

 

The Cossack village was just one style and it was there that we learnt about the ladies making the fire.

This is a family tree. Boys are shown as leaves, girls as flowers.

Peter's beer. An interesting glass.

Cossack church

Draining tree

Vessels for pouring drinks

 

My lunch a pottage

 

The guide

The head man's house

 

 Peter and David being strong on the giant swing.

 

 Place setting for lunch

 

 Place your foot here for good luck before entering the building

 

Horses are very important to the Cossacks and so we saw some being trained.

 

It was a lovely few days away and set us up for the summer. It all seems a long time ago now but it was just what we needed after I was ill at Easter.

 

There is one more post to do and I'll get it done in the next few days if I can. Till then.