We got into Kiev just after 7:00 in the morning on the night train from Odessa. A transfer was waiting for us and got us to the hotel, where we left our luggage. We then had breakfast in what it is probably Ukraine’s version of Andy’s Pizza – Puzata Hata (a self serve restaurant, dishing out a good mix of Ukrainian and international cuisine at very reasonable prices).
With breakfast behind us (which in my case included a good portion of spaghetti bolognese) we were ready for yet another city tour. We met our guide right in front of the restaurant, where we already got a bit of current Ukrainian history. Special focus was on the Euromaidan protests, that started on November 21st 2013 – essentially an uprising of the Ukrainian people against its government and the government’s decision to suspend the signing of an association agreement with the European Union. The protests resulted in the deaths of more than a hundred people and were the starting point of the Ukrainian revolution to come in 2014, which resulted in a new government and constitutional changes – also a new president was elected. Clearly the pro-EU / opposing-Russia move was not to the liking of everyone in Ukraine, so tensions rose especially in the East and South-East of the country – eventually resulting in the Annexation of Crimea by Russia during February and March 2014.
Today Ukraine is a country at war, though the casual visitor will only realize that, if he or she watches and listens carefully. The country and especially Kiev – though are very Western, pro-EU places – and are probably more open than most other European cities.
Our city tour officially started, where the Euromaidan had started a few years back – at the Maidan – or Independence Square. We crossed the square and made it up the hill towards Sofiyivska Square. Here Saint Sophia’s Cathedral was right in front of us and the Monument of Bohdan-Chmelnyzkyj on the other side.
We continued along Volodymyrska Street and made it to a small park with the remains of the Church of the Tithes respectively Church of the Dormition of the Virgin – the foundations of church going back to the early 10th century.
The church next door was a bit younger – St. Andrew’s Church, constructed in the mid 18th century and currently under renovation. I nevertheless made it into the church grounds to get to the viewing terrace with superb views over Kiev and the Dnepr river.
After a break, to take in the views, do some souvenir shopping or to have a quick espresso, we continued along reet towards the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – housed in another example of grand Soviet architecture.
St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery – just next door – clearly plays in a different league … built during the middle ages (with the church dating back to the early 18th century), destroyed during Soviet times and rebuilt after Ukrainian independence. Now this is what I consider grand architecture.
In front of the monastery things got a bit bitter though. The people have started to put up a memorial to the victims of the current war right here – – and with the war going, that memorial is growing daily. One might not get the sense of Ukraine being a country at war, while in Kiev (or Odessa) – yet here the war suddenly felt close.
We completed the circle back to the maidan with a walk through Volodymyrska Hill Park and another good view over the city and the river.
We made it back to the hotel in time for check-in, after which we had a free afternoon, to enjoy at leisure. As I had no additional days booked in Kiev, I had a clear plan for the afternoon – I had to go to what is probably the prime attraction of the city – the Kiev Pechersk Lavra Cave Monastery.
So after hotel check-in and a quick lunch, a metro (and a number of sheer endless escalator rides) got me to the station closest to the monastery. A 20 minute walk later (going through a park with several war memorials) I made it to the gates of the monastery … and ended up spending a few hours in the compound, checking out museums, churches – and of course going into one of the cave systems. Photography was limited here, hence no photos to share here.
