When most people think of a relaxing holiday they envision a hot climate, a cocktail and maybe a hammock by the beach. I decided to do a complete 180 and visit Ukraine, a place that is undergoing major growing pains since their independence while a bloody civil war that is dividing the nation. As a country of my birth Ukraine holds a dear place in my heart and although I haven't been back in over a decade this month long trip was an eye opening experience.

PART 1 // PART 2 // PART 3

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Kiev, Ukraine

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Last time I visited Kiev I was 11 years old and having never been to a big city before I remember feeling overwhelmed and excited in equal measure. The metro, the busy streets, the constant hustle and bustle was intoxicating. Thinking back not much has changed except the streets are busier and louder, there are far more beggars and street performers and everyone under the age of 30 is glued to their mobile phones. Roadworks and preparations were underway to get the city ready for Eurovision but in typical Ukrainian fashion they were barely done even though the event was just a few days away.

As a city Kiev was completely destroyed during the Mongol invasion in 1240 and has had a long road towards the recovery we see today. In the pages of history Ukraine is a relatively new country having gained their independence in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990. This transition has had an impact on the values and culture of the city which will not lie down for anyone and is prepared to fight for what it believes in. The 2014 Protests and The Orange Revolution are some recent examples of this attitude that has tragically lead to the death and injury of thousands of Ukrainian citizens.

Unfortunately I only had a few hours to spend in Kiev before travelling south to meet my family but I was overwhelmed by an immense sense of pride in my country and what its currently fighting for. Kiev is well on its way to becoming a major European city and a must visit for any fans of history and architecture. Don't be dissuaded by horror stories and mainstream media, as long as you keep your wits about you, Kiev as a whole will be an enchanting experience.

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Melitopol, Ukraine

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When wars start the people who are likely to profit from a specific conflict tend to use old tactics to reach their ends. The 'us vs them' mentality is tried and tested and used to this day for one reason - it works. My family is currently bang in the middle of such a conflict as Ukraine is split www.americansleepmedicine.com/ambien-insomnia-treatment/ politically into the West (pro Ukraine) and East (pro Russia) sides. The truth is no one is completely right as there are far too many variables to paint a black and white picture. Confirmation bias from both sides also makes the whole situation impossible to decipher.

Not to diminish the impact of the conflict but 99% of people I talked to during my trip disagree with it but have no way of changing things. The majority of politicians are corrupt and are usually in it for themselves (or corporate interests), while the people have no way of migrating even if they wanted to. The average salary is $100 a month and a full time job is considered lucky. There is no such thing as fixed hour contracts or holiday leave. Everything has to be negotiated.

The majority of population just wants to get by. They have little time for Kim Kardashian's latest drama or getting upset because their football team didn't win a match. Shakhtar Donetsk FC actually had to move to a different part of the country because their stadium got destroyed during a bombing raid. There's a sentence I didn't think I'd write in 2017. If history has taught us anything its that the causes and repercussions of this conflict will be studied for decades to come.

Despite all this the country is as beautiful as ever. We managed to go fishing, travel to the seaside and put on a barbecue for the family despite the overarching sense of dread. One night we took a walk through the countryside and look at the milky way (as there was minimal light pollution). During our walk I heard fireworks going off in the distance, I asked "What are people celebrating?" The reply was "That's not fireworks, that's gunfire". This moment will stay with me for a long time, it's almost surreal to think how quickly people get used to these things and go on as normal because they have no other choice.

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War is when the young and stupid are tricked by the old and bitter into killing each other.

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I never edit these articles, if anything it's a stream of consciousness that is bursting to get out. A picture is worth a thousand words so please enjoy the images even if you can't relate to the text and remember to be nice and sympathise with everyone. We're all in this together ✌️

PART 1 // PART 2 // PART 3

As always stay classy and if you have a story you wish to share please contact editorial@thestyledivision.com or tag your social posts with #DVSN

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Gandhi once said 'The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members'. This might be an odd way to start my post about Amsterdam but I believe the Netherlands have got the right idea about how society and culture should develop in the 21st century. In 2016 I visited Amsterdam on a number of occasions and even though the flight from London took less than an hour it felt like the polar opposite of the English capital. At first glance Amsterdam does not feel like a capital city. It's far too quaint to compete with the grand scale of Paris or Dubai or historical richness of Rome and yet as soon as I stepped out into this city it felt open and welcoming. It felt like home.

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The Coming Cultural Shift

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I mention the Gandhi quote because the Netherlands isn't afraid of giving their citizens more freedom and treating them as human beings that do not require adult supervision. The UK retains it's colonial mindset which translates into an unspoken distrust of anything foreign whether that be people or a way of life. I have had a number of conversations with friends who think Amsterdam is some sort of student paradise full of parties, drugs and prostitutes because of a story they heard when they were young. The disdain they feel towards this place can be palpable simply because they cannot understand how a city can function because drugs are available all year round. All the while downing several pints of lager and stumbling home after picking a fight with a cab driver seems normal in comparison.

The fact is Amsterdam is future proofing its legacy and is on the way to becoming one of the best places to live in Europe. It promotes a healthy lifestyle and encourages its citizens to use alternative modes of transport. It comes as no surprise that gas guzzling cars will be banned from the city by 2025 while solar bike lanes are slowly introduced. The streets themselves are prioritised for bikes but if you must use a car, electric charging stations can be found every 50 meters. Less noise, less pollution and an overall benefit to the environment.

But surely with all these drugs around the crime rate must be through the roof? Actually it's the opposite. Amsterdam keeps closing prisons due to lack of prisoners. They have closed 19 of them since 2009 and converted a few more into youth centres. The rhetoric of 'all drug users are criminals' needs to die as there is now overwhelming evidence that the war on drugs simply does not work. It creates far more problems than it solves, costs the taxpayers billions of $$$ and is ineffective in stopping someone from doing something in the privacy of their own home. At the end of the day a drug is simply a chemical that alters your state of mind much like nicotine, alcohol or a painkiller. 'Luckily' we have numerous governments who know best and decide what's best for you with no ifs or buts. People who use drugs to relax or explore the depth of their consciousness should not be painted with the same brush as murderers or rapists. That's just my 2 cents but I always welcome a debate on the topic. I'll start with the fact that I was looking for a remedy to improve sleep and at AtivanOral.com there was a description of the remedy Ativan (Lorazepam). There was a time when Ativan was receiving my grandmother, whom his doctor prescribed for the night, so that she could sleep peacefully. Moreover, the dosage of Ativan was quite small, but nevertheless, even in this case, my grandmother began to have side effects several days later. However, it is worth noting that the side effect was small, apparently because the dosage was minimal. But even in this case, as it turned out, there may be side effects - by the way, the doctor, when appointing the grandmother Ativan, she buy Ativan online and warned us about this. But then we somehow did not pay attention to this.

So where am I going with this? Am i trying to get everyone on the streets swallowing tabs of LSD and chain smoking joints? I'm not but I will fervently defend your right to do so without fear of repercussions. If you would like to know more please read some recent scientific studies into LSD and anxiety or ketamine and depression. Please also note that I'm not advocating anyone do this without medical supervision, I'm just presenting a point of view that I feel needs to be considered and discussed.

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Get The Look

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As Bruce Lee once said "It's not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.” Since pondering this quote I started to minimise everything in my life including traveling as light as possible. In the pictures above and below you can see everything I carry with me on a daily basis. A man needs a well tailored suit, a smartwatch, pair of headphones and a book to keep his interest. At the moment I'm reading The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss for about the 4th time to squeeze as much detail out of it as I can muster.

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A Dose of Culture

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Much like London each area of Amsterdam has a distinct look and feel. It's easy to get lost in the myriad of canals and side streets but their quaint nature makes a wrong turn all the more worthwhile. Amsterdam was home to some historic painters such as Rembrandt van Rijn and Vincent van Gogh and you can see sights around the city that may have acted as inspiration for some of their earlier works.

Visiting the famous Rijksmuseum should be at the top of your agenda. It contains Dutch art and history from the Middle Ages to the present day as well as some gorgeous architecture (interior and exterior) that took my breath away. The bicycle underpass that cuts through the museum is also something that needs to be experienced. Its acoustics amplify the sound of the bands that spend their days there while the locals whiz by on their assortment of bikes. Once you've had enough of the city take a stroll (or ride) through one of the parks the capital has to offer or visit the Botanical Garden (Hortus Botanicus) just outside the city center.

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We live in a time where capital and labour are more free to move than most people imagine. If you feel like you're stuck in a rut or working somewhere you hate just to get by please know that there is always another option. You just have to be willing to sit down, analyse your situation and take measured steps to move forward. You should always go where you're treated best, the rest will follow. In the next few months I will be looking to move into the VR industry (hopefully in Amsterdam) and I can't wait for you to join me on this unpredictable yet exciting journey.

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STYLEGRAM

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Thanks for reading my latest article. Give it a share using the links below so others can enjoy it too. For more check out my latest lookbook from Paris, street style shots around London or my trip to the magical city of Coimbra.

As always stay classy and if you have a story you wish to share please contact editorial@thestyledivision.com or tag your social posts with #DVSN

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Latvia may not be the first county you think of when planning a trip abroad but through serendipitous circumstances I ended up spending a week here in order to detox my mind and body. I spent the majority of the time on the outskirts of Riga with limited access to the internet and no phone signal which was a blessing in disguise. Wandering around the luscious forests I became more aware of our incessant connection with technology. As much as I feel it brings us together it has taken away the little necessities of life like a good conversation or contemplation. Any time I saw something of interest a little bit of my brain would go 'you should share this with everyone' and my arm naturally tried to reach for my pocket (for a deeper insight into this please read Andrew Sullivan's amazing article 'I Used to Be a Human Being'). On my last day I had a few hours to kill in the capital Riga so thought it would be a shame not to indulge in my favourite hobby and put that itchy finger to good use.

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Old Town Riga

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It is generally recognised that Riga has the finest and the largest collection of art nouveau buildings in the world. This is due to the fact that at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, when Art Nouveau was at the height of its popularity, Riga experienced an unprecedented financial and demographic boom. In the period from 1857 to 1914 its population grew from 282,000 to 558,000 making it the 4th largest city in the Russian Empire (after Saint-Petersburg, Moscow and Warsaw) and its largest port (SOURCE).

The bourgeoisie of Riga used their wealth to build imposing apartment blocks around the former city walls. In that period around 800 Art Nouveau buildings were erected. With its narrow cobble-stone streets, Old Town features gorgeous buildings built in various architectural styles – Romanticism, Gothic, Mannerism, Baroque, Eclectic and Modernism to name a few.

One of my favourite places to stumble upon was the Latvian War museum (above). It was founded in 1916 as the Latvian riflemen museum and is one of the oldest and largest museums in Latvia. The vines that cover the tower change colour throughout the year which makes it a building that's always in transition. A metaphor for the history contained within.

Like most cities I visit it felt like I only scratched the surface with regard to what Riga had to offer. One day is never enough to spend somewhere new but it does force you to get out there and explore. For anyone who is thinking of visiting Riga I suggest doing a little bit of research so the city surprises you throughout the trip. Booking an apartment through Airbnb would be ideal as you can walk around the city centre by day and indulge in the local culture by night. As a personal recommendation make sure to visit the Latvian National Opera or see the Dinamo Riga hockey club in action at the Arena Riga.

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Riga Lookbook

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As a throwback to my Style Division days here's what I wore during my trip. The temperature in Riga can get a little bit cold (it is a Baltic state after all!) so make sure to wear layers and grab a thick wooly scarf for good measure:

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STYLEGRAM

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Thanks for reading my latest article. Give it a share using the links below so others can enjoy it too. For more check out my latest lookbook from Paris, street style from London Collections or my trip to the magical city of Coimbra.

As always stay classy and if you have a story you wish to share please contact editorial@thestyledivision.com or tag your social posts with #DVSN

INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST