Kiev

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Arrived Kiev to overcast drizzly weather which cleared to a nice afternoon - this seemed to be the pattern for most of our stay.

Worked out the Metro underground rail system first; it is a brillant people mover with trains very frequent which reminded me of Hong Kong. Although the carriages are much older it doesn't affect the speed at which they drive them at. The escalators that connect to the underground are the longest/deepest in the world and also run as if on steriods - would be an OH&S issue in Aus. I can't believe Derek survived a tumble on one of these without being hospitalised and nothing broken; very lucky.

Kiev has an abundant supply of parks, churches and monuments; I've visited so many churches/cathedrals that I'm surely developing a halo - or is that the vodka.

The legs are holding up - Just! scaling bell towers and descending into monastory caves of churches all located as you might guess - on a hill, is taking its toll.

We visited an interesting open park museum (Pyrohovo Folk and Life Museum) of old Ukrainian villages reconstructed from various parts of Ukraine on what must be over 100 acres of land on the outskirts of Kiev. Getting there and back turned out to be part of the challenge as the advertised bus on the Internet no longer operates. Like a scene out of the Amazing race we did it without a cab.

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