Memories

                                         Kiev Trivia

     We had many vodka drinks on this trip. We learned that vodka is often mixed with a fruit

liqueur. Many of them were very good.

      I happen to like borsch and I ate a lot of it on this trip, however, the very best was in a

Kiev cafeteria. It was hearty and superb. The worst was in the Moscow hotel.

Never give a Chinese a clock as it means death, Give a vase, or any other item instead.

 

      That year the Russian Orthodox Easter corresponded to May 1. Big festivities were

planned for the breaking of the fast. Walking into the restaurant on the sunny Sunday

morning we accepted a glass of wine and was greeted with Christos voskrese (Christ is

risen). We were unable to respond in Ukrainian. We were then directed to a nearby table

holding decorated hard-boiled eggs and paska. Paska is a special decorated bread which is

always torn and never cut. The breakfast buffet held special Easter fare. A local gal

translated much of the food for us. What a nice surprise!

     Later in the morning at the Lavra Monastery there were long lines of people with their

baskets of food waiting for it to be blessed by the priest.

    We learned about salo—a pig fat product that is served many ways. It is white in color

and reminded me of Crisco. Apparently it is popular in this part of the world although it did 

not  appeal to me in any form.

In Hong Kong it is good to know that taxis charge round-trip fare when using the tunnel 

under the harbor between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. They have to return to wherever 

they started and pay the tunnel toll again.


 In Russia it might be good to know that Kvass is similar to beer without the alcohol content 

and is made from fruit and berries. Mors is made from berry juice which has been diluted  

and fermented.

INTERESTING DRINKS

               Fun Drinks from Different Places

Iced Tea, not in Europe

      Forget about ordering iced tea in Europe. (There is some possibility you might find a vending machine that that has a bottle of Lipton.) Overseas mentality: Tea should be drunk hot!

       In Linz, Austria after a particularly hard day of biking I was dying for a big glass of iced tea. I went to the hotel bar and bought a cup of tea. Then I asked the bartender for a large container of ice.

     With a strange look, he did oblige me. I took the tea and ice to my room telling the bartender I’d return the cup and container when I came down for dinner. I made the best tasting and refreshing iced tea ever!

When staying on Turneffe Atoll in Belize, I asked the kitchen for a large jar so I could make sun tea. This was a new technique for many. The sun was hot, so it didn’t take long to brew.

Mojitos

    A mojito is a rum fruit drink popular in Cuba. We were served one with nearly every lunch and dinner. Combine the juice of a half lime with one ounce of rum, then fill the glass with lemon-lime soda. Add mint leaves.
   In Cuba a four-prong stirrer is included to release the essence of the mint. Ernest Hemmingway not only enjoyed the drink but made it popular in his literature. Sweet and fruity it goes down easily.

Now mojitos are a popular drink most anywhere.

Origin of the Daiquiri

In 1898, shortly after the Spanish-American War, a mining engineer arrived in Santiago, Cuba to find mine workers apprehensive about drinking the water because of malaria.

He added a bit of rum to boiled water and then topped it off with lime juice and sugar. The concoction was soon duplicated and refined moving to ‘society’ in Havana. The rest as they say is history, but this is where the daiquiri originated.

Vodka

   The Russians take their vodka seriously. We visited a vodka museum where there were 2600 different brands of vodka on display. Vodka is often mixed with a fruit liqueur. In Kiev we learned the five rules for drinking vodka. It should be drunk chilled, but never iced. It is drunk from a small shot glass and with food. A little vodka, a little food prevents a headache. Never mix it with anything bubbly, and avoid bubbly drinks after drinking vodka. Do not switch vodka with another liquor. Finally always drink with friends.

Wine on the Ghan Train

In Australia we bought a bottle of wine in Hahndorf for the overnight ride on the Ghan train to the Outback. The bottle opened easily, but there wasn’t a glass in our stateroom. We stared at the couple of Styrofoam cups on the sink.

Well, these two old Girl Scouts used of what was available. The wine was excellent, but I have to admit, it was the only time I’ve ever drunk wine from a Styrofoam cup!

Wine Bar

At the hotel restaurant at Mt. Cook, New Zealand, I ran into my first and only wine bar. For a nominal flat fee, you could help yourself to the well stocked wine bar as many times as you wanted. The wine bottles were sitting in iced buckets, and you had to pour your own. That was not a problem, and what a bargain!

Mate de Coca

    One day while walking in the neighborhood I ran into a fellow who asked where I was going next. When I told him Peru, he launched into a horror story about a relative who got altitude sickness yada yada yada. What would I do if that happened to me? Flippantly I said, “I’d drink coca tea, like the natives do.”

     You can imagine my surprise when I found plenty of hot coca tea always available in hotel lobbies and on all restaurant menus. Our porters brewed it for us on the trail. I drank a lot of it. I think it tastes like most any herbal tea and was no big deal. However, I did not chew any coca leaves!

Smoky Beer

The city of Bamberg, Germany is known for rauchbier, smokey beer. In 1678, a fire in a brewery sent smoke into the area where the hops and other beer ingredients were stored. Not about to lose a whole years’ harvest, the beer was brewed anyway. It had a distinctive smoky aroma and taste, and as they say the rest is history. I think one either loves it or hates it, but is is different!

Guarapo de Cana

Perhaps sugar cane juice is more easily understood. At the sugar mill in Cuba the gal added a good dose of rum to each glass of the tan colored liquid. Actually it was quite good, maybe it was the run? I expected it to be sticky and very sweet, but it was not.

Scotch

There are so many brands of Scotch in Scotland that one must name his brand when ordering his drink. Just asking for ‘Scotch’ will produce a blank look from the bartender.

Irish coffee

From 1939 to 1945 air travel from America was by flying boats that landed at Foynes, County Limerick, Ireland. After a long 18 hour flight, passengers were chilled from the boat trip from the seaplane to the terminal, often in cold, damp weather. They appreciated a hot cup of coffee or tea. The youthful manager of the Foynes catering service believed that passengers would welcome something stronger. The head Chef at Foynes rose to the occasion, developing, after some research, what is now known as Irish Coffee.

Lakka

Lakka, a cloudberry liquor schnapps, is strictly Finnish. It is a pleasant drink and I liked it.

Brits and their Tea

Although tea is the drink of Britain it is not drunk with or after a meal. Tea time is generally 11AM and 4PM. Tea is also a crisis drink; any time one has a problem it is talked about over tea. Tea drinking is pretty much the center of the family.

Delightful Drink

    When in Regensburg, Germany I kept an eagle eye out for the Café Prinzess. Dating back to 1686, it is the oldest coffeehouse in Germany.

      It was an extremely hot day so we opted to sit outside rather than in the warm room upstairs. Our iced coffee was served with chocolate chip ice cream. It was different, but good, resembling a float.

A pair of older German women seated near us were drinking blond angels, which was orange juice with ice cream floating in it. They looked refreshing. In fact they ordered a second one before continuing on their journey.

KIEV'S CHURCHES

                              Just a few plus a Couple Sweet memories 
       Kiev has many churches and we by no means got to them all but we did visit a few impressive ones

      St. Vladimir’s church took 30 years to complete, 1862-96. The seven dome, three aisle church only slightly resembles old Ukraine. A team of accomplished artists did the inside decorations and painting in eleven years. On each side of the big door were bronze figures of Princess Olga and Prince Vladimir on a blue enamel background. The white marble walls, marble floor, and richly painted walls accented with bronze ornamentation, all gave a feeling of spaciousness inside the church.

    

       Old Town’s historic buildings include St. Sophia’s, a UNESCO site since 1990 and the oldest church in the city. The 11^th century, 13 domed church is considered one of the most remarkable structures from the Kievan-Rus period. Built 1017-31 by Prince Yaroslav, the church houses some of the country’s greatest mosaics, frescoes, and ancient icons.  Modeled on St. Sophia in Istanbul, the church is actually a small complex of two churches, bell-tower, school and monks’ cells. Renovation in the 19^th century was done in Renaissance and Ukrainian baroque styles.

      On the extensive tour of the complex we learned there are 177 hues of color used inside. The old frescos were magnificent. Stalin closed the church in 1934. Gold covered domes were very popular with Slavs and the city is full of them---there are domes everywhere! The iconostasis is gilded over carved linden wood, a popular technique and is about one third the size of the original one.

      The four-story bell-tower stretches 230 feet into the air and features several architectural styles. The first story is typical Ukrainian of the early 17th-18^th century. The next two stories are embellished with molded decorations of Ukrainian baroque style and the fourth story is pseudo-Byzantine.

       We had a clear view of St. Michael’s domes in a straight line from the large church plaza. Almost a straight shot, it was an easy walk. A large statue sat in the left side of the large front church plaza. We did not spend a lot of time here but did marvel at the hues of slate blue, tan, brown and black that decorated the inside.  

    The magnificent 11^th century Cave Monastery is a collection of gold-domed churches and underground labyrinths lined with faithful monks who were mummified by the dry soil. Monks who lived in natural caves with the goal of spreading Christianity founded it in 1051. Spread over two rolling hills southeast of the center of Kiev, and located along the Dnipro River the Monastery of the Caves (Perchersk Lavra) is an active, functioning monastery compound containing restored churches and towers, as well as a printing works and miles of maze-like underground tunnels where ancient crypts hold ecclesiastical treasures.  For centuries Orthodox Christians from throughout Europe traveled on pilgrimages to the famous monastery. Many compared Kiev to Rome as a religious destination.           

      The 11^th century (1051) monastery consists of 86 buildings and eleven churches. At its zenith 1200 monks lived and studied here. Now there are 100 monks. Holy Assumption Church  has been damaged and rebuilt several times since 1073, but in 1941 Nazi planes reduced it to a pile of rubble. In 2000 the present cathedral was rebuilt in the same spot as the original one. There is a concert hall in the church.

      The bell tower was built in 1744 by a German after he won a competition. The 96 meters, four story tower  is the tallest monumental structure in Ukraine and is the center of the monastery. A library is housed in the first two stories. Three of the original 13 bells remain on the third story, and the clock is on the last story. There are 239 steps leading up to the top.

     Monks have a three-year probationary period. Monks do not marry, but priests do. The monastery was closed in 1922, became a museum, and reopened in 1988.

KIEV MEMORIES

     We had many vodka drinks on this trip. We learned that vodka is often mixed with a fruit liqueur. Many of them were very good.

    I happen to like borscht and I ate a lot of it on this trip, however, the very best was in a Kiev cafeteria. It was hearty and superb. The worst was in the Kiev hotel.

      That year the Russian Orthodox Easter corresponded to May 1. Big festivities were planned for the breaking of the fast. Walking into the restaurant on the sunny Sunday morning we accepted a glass of wine and was greeted with Christos voskrese (Christ is risen). We were unable to respond in Ukrainian. We were then directed to a nearby table holding decorated hard-boiled eggs and paska. Paska is a special decorated bread which is always torn and never cut. The breakfast buffet held special Easter fare. A local gal translated much of the food for us. What a nice surprise!

    Later in the morning at the Lavra Monastery there were long lines of people with their baskets of food waiting for it to be blessed by the priest.

     We  learned about salo—a pig fat product that is served many ways. It is white in color and reminded me of Crisco. Apparently it is popular in this part of the world although it did not appeal to me in any form.