Stilt-walking Shakespeare. Today is "Lviv Day", as well as being Mothers' Day in Ukraine, and starts with me accompanying Mykhaylo Stepanovych, my host, to a special sitting of the city council to celebrate both events. This is a formal event in the historic town hall  and includes speeches and the presentation of medals and certificates to Lviv residents for outstanding achievements. Some of the loudest applause is for the world female kick-boxing champion; Ukraine's most prominent chess grandmaster; and a woman who has had ten children (her husband, also present, smiles proudly). Afterwards we are invited to a reception hosted by the Mayor, Andrii Sadovyi. I chat to several people including the mayor; Oleksandr Shlapak, deputy head of the presidential administration; and city council members from different political parties. All seem delighted that I'm taking the trouble to learn Ukrainian, and am doing so in Lviv. I also meet the director of an open-air, non-speaking production merging several Shakespeare plays (including "The Tempest", "Hamlet" and "Romeo and Juliet"), which I attend and enjoy that evening. Rarely have I seen so many small children captivated by the Bard, which must be a good thing. The fireworks and stilt-walkers probably help.