“Praha?”
- Virtual Traveller 86
- May 19, 2020
- 4 min read
Day Four: Country No. 20
UKRAINE Arrival Time: 1:51am
Ukraine is the second largest country on the European continent and part of it sits on the Black Sea coastline. It gained independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Tensions have been especially bad in recent years following invasion by Russia of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014. A dispute that continues.
Lviv
I flew into Lviv, via Minsk, in just under four hours. One of my quicker flights! The city lies in the west of Ukraine and is only about 70km from the Polish border. You can see traces of its Polish and Austro-Hungarian heritage in the architecture of the city. I had a quick tour of the cathedral and then headed to “Lvivarnya” which is described as a “Beer Cultural Experience”. I only mention this because the bar had an AMAZING ceiling. Me and ceilings!
Kiev
I left the beer and travelled to the capital of Ukraine, Kiev. The city sits on the banks of the Dnieper River. During a backpacking trip in 1994 my friend and I travelled from Slovenia to Prague using the once-a-day train service from Poprad. As we settled into our seating compartment my friend happened to turn to another passenger and ask “Praha?” Good job she did because we were actually on a train heading to Kiev! However we had a problem. By this point the train was packed like sardines, even out in the corridor, and we had to somehow get to the door with big rucksacks on our back.
Thankfully a passenger took pity and intervened. I have no idea what he said but I assume it was an instruction to let us through. Somehow we squeezed our way through everyone and made it to the carriage door. Where we were literally pushed off the train! Managing to land safely on the tracks below we then had to leg it across and board the correct train. A train that had begun to move! How we managed to jump aboard with rucksacks strapped to our backs is something we still can’t quite believe. Over the years since Kiev has become a place we kinda wish we’d actually made it to. Even if at the time we thought differently.
So I was looking forward to finally seeing something of the city. And yes, it is beautiful. Stunning architecture and ancient frescoes. I wandered around the city courtesy of Street View.
From the top, left to right: view of Dnieper River; St. Michael’s Golden Domed Monastery.
Bottom row: Refectory of St John the Divine; View of Independence Square.
Kiev has many museums and I visited several. Ivan Honchar Museum (National Centre of Folk Culture) has a collection of over 30,000 items from the 16th to early 20th centuries. The National Museum of Art of Ukraine is the oldest museum in Kiev. It opened in 1899 and has a collection of Ukrainian art dating from the 12th century to the present. Founded through the efforts of Ukrainian intellectuals it was the first public museum in Kiev.
Top left: “They are listening to the lyricist” by unknown author in the 1800s. Ivan Honchar museum. Below this: “A Tale of a Girl and a Peacock” by Petro Kholodnyi in 1916. Tempera on wood. National Art Museum.
On the right: “The Intercession” - Icon from early 13th century. Tempera on gesso-grounded softwood hollowed panel. National Art Museum.
I also saw some street art. Respublica festival takes place in Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine. Bringing together street art and music it has become internationally recognised. All proceeds from the festivals are spent on painting more graffiti art. Mainly on buildings in areas of the city that are run-down or derelict. I absolutely love this picture.
“Girl” by Volchkova, 2013. Physical location: Червоноармійська, 48, Kamianets-Podislki, Ukraine.
“St Sophia of Kyiv“ is a conservation area in Kiev and comprises both museums and historic buildings. It has over 90,000 artefacts, including archeological materials, arts and crafts, and architectural drawings. One of these buildings is St Sophia’s Cathedral. The cathedral was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1990 and rightly so. I have never seen anything like it! I could probably spend days staring at the frescoes, most of which are 11th century.
Truly incredible! I am so glad I added Ukraine to my list of countries to visit. I have already told my friend that once lockdown is over and it is safe to do so, we are planning a trip for real! Kiev “is a city on the brink of something magical. Plagued by its recent history and even its current events in the eastern part of Ukraine, Kiev is going through its adolescent years and the results are nothing short of inspiring; (Megan Starr, National Geographic).
Leaving Ukraine: 3:59am
Sources
Google StreetView
I am doing this challenge to raise funds for The Scoliosis Association UK (SAUK) and for the NHS Charities. You can read my reasons for choosing these in an earlier post. I am trying to raise £500. Any donation is gratefully received and can be made by clicking on the link below. Thank You.
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