Dnepropetrovsk

The third time I went to Ukraine I went to Dnepropetrovsk, a Russian speaking city in central Ukraine and the home city of my wife. It was great to see all her relatives and where she grew up. The city clearly bore signs of the Soviet Union, but the city was very friendly and we found a coffee place which had the best coffee I've had so far in Ukraine. Will be coming back!

Soviet style...

In the Soviet Union Dnepro was one of the key centres of the nuclear, arms and space industries in the Soviet Union. In particular it is home to the Yushmash, a major space and ballistic missile design bureau and manufacturer. Because of its military industry Dnepro was was a closed city until the 1990s.

Found a Lenin monument!

No more Lenin on the central square...

Support for Maidan

Public transport

Affection

Lada

Stockholm at its best

I love it when the cherry trees blossom, and one does not have to go all the way to Tokyo to find them. Kungstradgarden in central Stockholm is at its best in late April-early May when the cherry trees are blossoming. Went there with Maria and my son and my mom to see the trees, and they were as pretty as ever!

Maria

Having fun!

Mom

Mom and our enthusiastic son!

Shoreditch street art

Shoreditch and especially around Brick Lane is a heaven for street artists.

Kiev is so much more than Maidan

I visited Kiev for the first time a week after the events on Maidan. The central parts of the city was still like a war zone, but there is so much more to Kiev than that! I love the large orthodox churches and we went on a walk in a park with lots of street art. Can't wait to explore more in this capital of my fiancee's home country.  Below St Andrew's church...

...and St. Sophia Cathedral

Statue of Peeing Colours in a park nearby... 

Soviet style letter boxes it the bottom of an apartment complex

My family

The Motherland Monument or the 'Rodina-Mat' is a monumental statue that is a part of the Museum of the Great Patriotic War. It stands on top of the museum building, is 62m tall and weighs 560 tonnes. 

Outside of the museum we found two 'well camouflaged' tanks 

Close by there was an army museum with not so colourful tanks...

The sun will soon rise for a better future for the people of Ukraine

I visited Kiev for the first time a week after the horrible events at Maidan Nezelezhnosti or the Independence Square, the central square of the city which was the centre for Euromaidan. Kiev is a beautiful city and at most places it was hard to imagine the horrors where more than 100 men and women lost their lives. The hardships for the country continues but i hope that the sun will soon rise to a brighter future for the proud people of Ukraine.

The week after the shootings the city was still a war zone...

...and the barricades were still there...

...but is was cleaning up time

Signs of the horror were still present...

...and people were mourning the lost ones

 But people tried to stay happy and give support to each other...

 ...and hopefully the sun will soon rise on a strong and calm Kiev again!

Where Shakespeare was born

Stratford-upon-Avon, which is knows locally as Stratford, has a population of about 25,000 but has close to 5 million visitors a year. Although it is very close to our favourite places in Cotswolds we have never been so last time we visited we decided to stop by. The town is absolutely lovely, and thanks to its history it has been kept fairly intact, which makes it quite different.

We saw most of the sites in the town but decided to leave Anne Hathaway's Cottage, which is located out of town, to our next visit. We loved it, so we will absolutely be back!

Shakespeare's birthplace:

High Street is a bit different from what we are used to:

Outside Nash's House, the house next door to the ruins and gardens of Shakespeare's final residence, New Place.

Hall's Croft, where Shakespeare's daughter Susanna Hall and her husband Dr John Hall lived. 

His grave

Stratford by night