Blogs from Kiev, Ukraine, Europe - page 11

Wandering, Kolya, and the Caves Thursday I spent the day wandering around Kiev. I took the marshrootka (bus) to the metro and then went to Andrevskii spusk. It is a very old cobblestone street that climbs into the hills. On it are many very old churches and venders selling souveniers. I bought a Ukrainian egg, a real one. It is made out of an actual egg and has the most beautiful intricate designs. I hope that it doesn't break. It only cost $4. Everything is much less expensive in Kiev. On the way back I took the marshrootka again. It was 5pm, rush hour. I had to wait a long time in a line for the buses and when I finally got on I didn't get a seat. There were so many people in the bus, ... read more

Yesterday we went to a reconstructed 19th century Ukrainian village on the outskirts of Kiev. It was truly amazing. There must be about 100 buildings that make up the village-homes, windmills, churches, barns, ect. All of them are empty now and are preserved to look exactly as they looked when first built. The homes are mostly white adobe with thatched straw roofs. We walked inside some of the homes. The inside is also made to looks like the homes looked 200 years ago. White towels fringed with traditional red sewn designs, motar and pestels, baby cradles, ect. It was amazing. The buildings were spread across a hilly landscape. Trees, gardens, and fields separated the houses. We spent five hours walking around the village and still didn’t see all of it. No one lives in the ... read more

Last night I took the 14 hour train ride to Kiev by myself. I was really nervous about the ride there and about meeting up with my Kiev host family. When I first came to my train wagon I was even more nervous. Two of the other three occupants were already there. They were men in their late 20s and were drinking. They asked me where I am from and I said that I am from Canada because I know there is more predjudice against Americans than Canadians. Shortly after that, the fourth occupant of the cabin arrived. Her name is Oksana and she is studying to be a lawyer. She is very nice and we are going to keep in touch. She is only in Kiev for a day. When I get back to Moscow ... read more

Had a great time in Kiev - even Lenin shared Vodka with us. I'll tell you why some time...... read more

I love this city, especially the girls . . . The last few nights I was there I stayed with a great host - Yuriy and his girlfriend Julia, at their dormitory and was able to experience Ukrainian university life. Really not that different from American dorms, except the little things - like that their dorm was an hour train ride from the University, and the dorm had two working showers for 200 students. One of the nights I was there I made chili for them, which they all seemed to love. I also introduced them to Tabasco. The best, though was the next night when they showed me how to make Varenicky, which is basically the Ukrainian version of pierogies. Just like my grandma used to make! It was interesting talking with everyone about the ... read more