The word ‘Ukraine’ is supposedly derived from the Russian word for ‘edge.’ What is now Ukraine was once ‘the edge’ of Russia. Last weekend, I left Moscow two spend a few days on ‘The Edge.’
I caught my first view of Ukraine through the sliver of window by my bunk on the train right after waking up from a hot, stuffy night’s sleep. The view looked something like this:
The view out the window during the train ride really was a trip- no pun intended. As we drove across the farm land, I could see old women (Babushkas), wearing skirts and head-scarves, out digging around and working in the fields near the tracks. I felt like I had traveled back in time seventy-five years. If everything wasn't in colour, I could've thought I was watching an old WWII-era film clip in my high school History class. It was so very... Ukrainian. I can't even explain it.
After we rolled into a rail station out in some little town, I was suddenly shot back into the present. For some reason, I don't think there were dozens of men and women out selling giant stuffed animals and dried fish on the platform to passengers back in 1939.
Who wouldn't want to buy a humungous stuffed alligator that they'd have to cram into their tiny, swealtering train compartment and cuddle with for the rest of the trip?
After checking into our hostel, we set off for the Kiev Temple (aka- the one place we all agreed that we had to visit before getting back on the train to Russia).
The walk from the bus-stop to the temple.
The beautiful Kiev Temple.
My group in front of the temple after doing some work there.
Yes, three pictures of one building does seem like alot, but seeing as the fact that a temple now exists in a country that was part of the Soviet Union for decades is truly a miracle and I think deserves so many shots.
After going to the temple, we ate dinner at a place called Zata Xata. Real Ukrainian food for really cheap. And cherry vareneki (most Americans know them as pierogi), which I have been craving ever since and insist on figuring out how to make once I get home, seeing as they changed my life a little bit.
Yes, all of this for under $5- that's including the waterbottle. Does it get any better? I don't think so.
We decided to walk back to our hostel from the restaurant after dinner, even though we knew it was pretty far. It was quite an enjoyable walk and we got to see some of the cathedrals all lit up in the dark. Not having to ride another metro (we spend hours on the Moscow metro each week) and getting to enjoy the city and nice weather was totally worth getting a bit lost for a little while.
A guy we met at church on Sunday offered to drive us to the Lavra after church was over. Not only did he drive us to the Lavra, he voluntarilly ended up taking us all around Kiev that day and showed us the sights. It was so generous of him and he was so nice and not the least bit of a creeper. Here are some of the things he took us to see:
-The monument "Mother-Motherland" (aka- 'Big Mama') and the memorial complex at the Museum of the Great Patriotic War
She's kind of like the Statue of Liberty, only titanium and made by Communists.
-The Lavra, where we not only got to see this amazing view, but also a flea wearing golden shoes at the museum of miniatures. I would have taken a picture, but that would have involved having to hold my camera up to the tiny little magnifying view lens.
-The streets of Kiev
Safe and dry in Bogdan's (our Ukrainian tour guide) car as a downpour hit.
-Probably the best view of Kiev in all of Kiev. Getting to it involved walking down a rather steep, old coblestone street and then up an even steeper, almost eternal staircase through some trees on the side of a giant hill. The view was definitely worth the trek, though.
Team Bogdan at the top of hill.
Maybe it was the warm weather. Maybe it was the temple. Maybe it was the cherry vareneki. Maybe it was Bogdan and his generocity and shear awesomeness. Maybe it was Big Mama or the flea with the golden slippers. What ever it was, though, I think I love Kiev more than I love Moscow now.
Thank you Bogdan and thank you Kiev for being so wonderful.
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