Kyiv - Into the West?

Hello there, fellow travelers,
Long before there ever was Russia as we know it, there was Kyiv. Housing generations of princes and dukes in the fortress on the bank of the Dnipro river, this city has been the centerpiece of a once great empire the Kievan Rus, the very first east slavic country to ever exist. It was here where the ancient East Slavic expansion began and spread throughout the whole territory from eastern Poland to Alaska. Today the city and its peoples are trying to move further west. Will they? And can they? Let's find out. Welcome to Kyiv.

While still some time ago, many people - if they ever heard of it at all - considered Kyiv as part of the old Russian / Soviet empire without any actually significance for our western world. That all changed when the pictures flooded the world showing hundreds and thousands of Ukrainians demonstrating on their Independence square for shutting close relations with Russia and restoring continuing orientation of the country to the west, as well as pictures of harsh and violent dispersal of these protesters and all the coinciding events generally well known as Euromajdan. Many people realized that day that Ukraine is much more than just a Russian colony.
The Independence square (Majdan Nezalezhnosti - pictured above) is the center of the city and servers as their national meeting point. This is where people gather whenever the situation asks it. While not super pretty, you shouldn't miss this spot for it still carries a lot of sentiment and memories for all those events.

Kyiv is probably best known for its numerous churches. Here is just a short overview of the most important ones:

Kyevo-Pecherska Lavra
Probably the number one tourist spot in Kyiv once you paid your respects on the Independence square is the Kyevo-Pecherska Lavra. This ancient orthodox monastery It is one of the oldest preserved structures from the times of the Kievan Rus and one of the most beautiful example of orthodox sacral architecture in the world. Its typical golden domed towers shine over the whole city.
The complex is divided in two parts - Lower and Upper Lavra. The Lower one has free admission and is still seat of a male monastic order, in the Upper part you can find all the well known churches and other religious buildings. The entrance fee is 25 UAH and if you want to take pictures, that would be extra 100 (crazy, right?)

St. Sophia Cathedral
The oldest still standing church in Kyiv was once the place for ducal coronations in the Kievan Rus. Its tall baroque-style domed tower offers an interesting view of the whole historic center of Kyiv. The prices are 20 UAH for the grounds, 80 UAH for the cathedral itself and 40 UAH for the bell tower.

St. Michael's Golden Domed Monastery
Just another golden domed religious area located just a few hundred meters far from St. Sophia. Apart from being a nice example of eastern church architecture, it let's you look into the monastical life of orthodox monks - the monastery is still functional.
Just outside the monastery you may pay respect to the victims of the Russian- Ukrainian war.

St. Andrew Church
And last but not least, this church simply deserves your visit. One, it is simply beautiful with its intricately decorated dome and towers, obviously inspired by european baroque, two, the street descending down from the church, the Andriivs'kyi descent, is you number one spot for buying any kind of souvenirs.

Getting there
There are two international airports in the city - Boryspil international, the seat of the national carrier of Ukrainian National Airlines and the Zhulyany airport served most notably by budget airlines. From Boryspil there are regular buses going to the city center (for 80 UAH), from Zhulyany it's even easier - there is a trolleybus connecting the airport the the city costing only 4 UAH.
Most international trains to the city arrive at the Kyiv Passazhyrskyi train station which is directly connected to the metro station Vokzalna.

Getting around
The public transportation system in Kyiv is very extensive and quite reliable. It's backbone is made by three lines of metro (red, blue and green) and can take you pretty much anywhere within the city limits. There are three transfer stations - just beware that each has a separate name for each line - for example the Zoloti Vorota on the green line and Teatralna on the red line). You need to buy a token for 5 UAH and once past the turnstile, you can travel as far as you want.

The metro system is supported by a network of trams, trolleybuses and buses. Just a short notice beforehand - avoid the trams. Unlike in many west European cities, these are super slow and it will take you ages to get somewhere.

And while talking about Metro, i cannot not mention some of the most beautiful metro stations in the world. Definitely check out the Zoloti Vorota station!

In conclusion
Even though most signs in the tourist spots are in Cyrillic and Latin alphabet, it is not a bad idea to learn at least basics of the Cyrillic. Also, it may be quite hard to actually find someone fluent in English so a few Ukrainian phrases may be useful.
The official currency is Ukrainian Hryvnia (UAH), the exchange rate is roughly 31 UAH for 1 euro. The cars drive on the right side of the road, toilet paper is usually splashed into the toilet - just beware the Turkish toilets, they can be challenging :D ) and they use type C power outlet.

And that's all for today :) Have a fantastic day.

Lex