Visit to Kyiv

Yesterday we went on a day trip to Kyiv, we set out early, before 5am on the 296 mile journey. Which took us through the heart of Ukraine, past acres of ploughed fields stretching for miles either side of the motorway.

We arrived at about 10.30am on the outskirts of the city and took the metro (underground) train to the Olympic Stadium, which is the home to FC Dynamo Kyiv.

We then walked towards the city centre past massive office blocks and smart shops.

We arrived in Maidan Square, the location of much of the violence and demonstrations a few weeks ago. It is all quiet at the moment but the barricades are still there, being manned by protesters.

Pedestrian access to and from the square is through a number of gaps in the barricade.

 Vehicle access is the same.

Many tents have pictures and flowers outside in memory of those who died during the violence a few weeks ago. 

However if you turn round from the barricades life still goes on, with businesses and cafes still operating.

We continued our sightseeing past museums and grand building with beautiful architecture.

 Later we again caught the Metro to the Dnieper River, which is very wide as it flows through Kyiv on it's way to the Black Sea.

On our way back we stopped off at a roadside transport cafe where they BBQ your kebabs over a wood fire while you wait.

Here we are about to tuck into our kebabs and salad.

We then went to a man on the roadside just outside the cafe who was serving tea & coffee using water boiled in a 'Samovar' which is a heated brass container with a central  metal pipe where wood is burnt to heat the water. It originates from Persia and is now used in Russia, many eastern European countries as well as Kashmir and the Middle East. As you travel along the road you see many of these set up on the side of the road for travellers to stop and obtain drinks.

We continued our journey back to Odesa arriving sometime after 8pm, we were all tired but it had been worth the long journey for the experience of visiting Kyiv and seeing more of Ukraine than we would normally see on a regular team visit.