Kiev, city of extremes
To say that the country of Ukraine has undergone many changes is an understatement. Its history has been defined by its geography, overshadowed as it is by its neighbours of Russia to the east, Germany and Poland to the west and the once mighty Turkish Empire to the south. However it was the Vikings who first invaded, followed by Prince Oleg of Novgorod, then the Mongols. 1569 was when the Poles had their turn, an event that led to the rise of the legendary Cossacks who drove the Poles out. Later they formed an alliance with Russia. Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire! Russia was always going to dominate and Ukrainians were seen as inferior and eventually forbidden from even speaking their own language. Much later, under Lenin and Stalin Ukraine was assimilated into communist USSR. In the 1930s Stalin imposed the dreadful famines throughout Ukraine that led to mass starvation known as the Holodomar. Then came WW2 and the German invasion. Kiev fell in 1942 and much of it was destroyed. After the war Ukraine was handed back to Russia again until finally gaining independence in 1991. Yet despite all this turmoil somehow the city has survived, together with some of its most sacred buildings and interesting architecture.
On Wednesday morning, having finished my two days at Peschersk, the owners of Dinternal Books, who run the book sale during Book Week at the school, very kindly organized a sight-seeing trip. Here are a few pictures to share with you.
Volodymyrsky Sobor
Indoor market - no prices - you are expected to haggle
Kievo-Pecherska Lavra (Monastery Caves) This was fascinating. The caves beneath the monastery are visited by thousands of Orthodox Christians a year. We went in only a few of them. You enter in silence, with a taper as your only light. Women must wear headscarves, out of respect. Inside the low, narrow caves originally occupied by St Anthony of the Caves are the remains of mummified monks. I wasn't sure what to expect but the relics and remains are all covered in heavy brocades within glass coffins. Occasionally a brown wizened hand can be seen.
Crossing the roads in Kiev is difficult as traffic is heavy so these underpasses are common. Beneath them are mini shopping areas. As you can see from the lettering above the underpass everything is in the Cyrllic alphabet which is fascinating to look at but difficult to decipher!
borscht soup - recipes for this traditional Eastern European dish vary but ingredients include some meat (usually pork) , plenty of vegetables, including beetroot . It is served with sour cream and pampushcas - small white rolls. Delicious. This wasn't part of the guided tour, by the way. We had this in the hotel the night before!