Kiev, Ukraine... A really pleasant surprise for the tourist!

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Kiev, a journey almost sudden ... I'd say a few days off, and finding a good offer, I did not think twice about booking! night flight with Air Baltic: Dublin-Riga-Kiev .. stop just 30 minutes, but no problems, as the hostesses accompany us to change planes racing ... despite being very small plane that is really comfortable, not as spacious as Ryanair more than ever ...!
29/04/11
the arrival at the airport of Borispol is on time, and I expect a beautiful sun that will make me company throughout the duration of the trip (rain was expected!) and a legendary coach (Atassi company .... but written in Cyrillic viscous, 25 UAH) in post-war style "only" 1 hour takes me to the metro station Vokzalna Borispol, west side of town .. and in a few minutes are in downtown. The Metropolitan of Kiev is famous for being very deep .. and it's super cheap! Just UAH 2-stroke ... 1 € = 11.70 UAH about impossible not to use it to move quickly;) Leave the luggage at the hostel Kreshchatyk TIU (great location and price, just 11 € per night), located on sull'ononima, close to the main square Maidan Nezalezhnosti, I begin to move about the city target the 3 major churches located near each other: St. Michael, St. Sophia and St. Andrew. The churches are simply stunning, an explosion of color from blue to yellow through green, with fabulous frescoes, simply unmissable! Admission is free to the church of San Michele, a fee for that of St. Sophia, and St. Andrew was closed due to renovations inside .. patience, it's time to get a tour of the famous Andriyivsky Uzviz, which starts from St. Andrew down for a few hundred meters, famous for its many artists and stalls selling everything a small Monmatre ..;)
Near it is the museum Chernobyl (Kontraktova ploshcha meters), sin is closed as long as it is very small is well equipped with documents and photos relating to the nuclear disaster 25 years ago.
The center of Kiev everything revolves around its main square and main street Khreshchatyk, closed the weekend that becomes a huge pedestrian mall where you can get to the river Dnipro, really huge that divides the city into two parts. After an excellent lunch at Pizzeria Cocker (it's him ... here our singers are like legends, Toto Cutugno, Pupo, The Beatles ....) I head to the park overlooking the Dnipro, perfect for relaxing, for a simple walk, or to escape from the scorching sun .. we are abundant 20 degrees, and I assure you that spending by 10 is quite remarkable little Dublin!
30/04/11
Another beautiful day ... fortunately! The Pechersk Lavra monastery, waiting for me .. I'm curious to see how it will be, given that for many is the main attraction of the city, with its churches and underground tunnel ... we'll see! 5 minutes by metro (station Pechersk) and a walk to the Dnipro River and arrive in front of the monastery (entrance 25 UAH), which frankly does not disappoint ... very large with many churches of rare beauty, and the famous caves where you can see some remarkable tombs and frescoes (the entrance is free and is equipped with a candle, while for women it is essential to a scarf as a sign of respect). Very nice especially the sight of the structure seen from a distance .. with all the churches near each other .. The visit continues in the nearby Museum of War, with the chance to see military aircraft, tanks and other reproductions of the arsenal Soviet War mondaile, including two tanks colored (!) and the giant monument to Motherland ... probably a symbol of Kiev.
The morning flew with me and a light rain to the metro .. Hydropark direction, an oasis located in the Dnipro River (metro Hydropark), where in addition to seeing the miniature town (entrance 10 UAH), you can get a ride in the park, Prater style ... with some games and restaurants bordofiume .. I take the opportunity to eat the Shashlyk, fantastic lamb cooked in a spit Caucasus well, and look forward to the sunset ..