Kyiv has a funny geography. The Dnipro river cuts the city in two. I live on the left bank of the river, which if you look at a map is actually on the east (right) side. I'm told that it's so named because if you look in the direction of the river's current, the left bank will be, well, to the left.
I spend a lot of early mornings gazing out the window of the metro as it slowly creeps over the river and makes its way toward the city center. It's a great vantage point to take in the sprawling landscape of the Ukrainian capital—the fantastic view of the Mother Motherland statue, the smokey factories off to the south, the bored security guards pacing along the platforms by the floating hotels. But probably the best time for metro-gazing is in the winter. During the cold months, the entire river freezes over and dozens of fishermen cluster on the ice to try and catch some big whoppers.
On an especially frigid day in February, I decided to gather my nerves and walk across the frozen water to hang out with some of them. I've seen frozen lakes and ponds in Eastern Washington, but I have to say that standing under a bridge in the middle of a huge river was one of the most surreal experiences I've had in Ukraine.
I caught up with a little group of fishermen who were more than happy to show me the proper way to ice fish.
The catch of the day. |
Ukrainians have a different technique than Americans. I don't know the details, but I think it involves more cigarettes.
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This tool is used to drill into the ice. Walking toward these guys, I saw dozens of holes in the ice where other groups had been fishing. |
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