Tips about Kiev, Ukraine
With about 2,8 million of inhabitants, Kiev (Kyiv) is the biggest city in Ukraine (a post I wrote about an overview of the country), in addition to be the capital. Options to leisure and culture are abundant, there are lots of things to do, I’d write a long list if I tried to describe everything the city offers. Below, it’s exposed a basic list of what to do in Kiev, and it’s also easy to move by metro throughout the city.
Only to complement and satisfy curiosity, Ukrainian flag carries 2 colors: blue referring to the heaven and yellow to the grains.
Places to visit in Kiev
St Andrew Cathedral: an orthodox curch, in barroque architecture in Russian style. Built between 1747 and 1754. While going inside the churches, it’s recommended to women cover the shoulders and head with a scarf/veil.
Maidan Nezalezhnosti: Independence Square, or simply Maidan, it’s the central square in Kiev. There’s a nice visual around it with the buildings, gardens and monuments. It’s a point for locals meet in the downtown.
Roshen’s store: if you’re crazy for chocolates and candies like me, I recommend to visit the Roshen store in Kiev. Chocolates and candies for very good prices!!!
Podol: the oldest neighborhood in Kiev, a former Jewish until the II World War.
Olympic Stadium: one of the legacies of 2012 Euro Cup, hosted by Ukraine and Poland. A beautiful stadium and the home of Dinamo Kyiv, one of the biggest Ukrainian football clubs.
A river beach: if you enjoy to get a tan and to swim like me, you can also chill out in front of the Dnipro River.
Food
You have to try borsch, the main food of Ukraine, a kind of beet soup, served mixing the smetana (a kind of cream). Varenyky is another dish to try, as well as drink the Uzvar.
It’s also important to remember that Ukraine is the 2nd biggest producer and consumer of vodka (guess what country is the 1st!). When drink a good vodka, for “cheers!”, say “nazdarovyia!”.
Who is this Shevchenko?
While walking in Kiev, it’s possible to see everywhere places named as Taras Shevchenko (in Cyrillic, Тара́с Шевче́нко), who was writer, artist, poet, public and political personality. He lived between 1814 and 1861 and is pointed as the founder of Ukrainian literature and of the modern Ukrainian language. His work and creations are symbol of resistance to the Russian Empire during the times of Czarism, which took him to live in exile for 10 years (1847–1857) in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He is one of the icons of Ukrainian identity.
Hope I had helped you to get a clue of what to do in Kiev. Enjoy this city like I did!
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