A weekend in Kiev

Departure from Moscow

We left Moscow on the 9 pm night train, 3 Italians and various Russian friends, with the occasion of celebrating the birthday of one of the girls who were with us, in perfect Russian style. A night to remember, in the carriages of the old iron trains spent among songs, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs and liters of vodka. The memory will remain indelible of the elderly ladies who at 3 am flanked the train in the snow, stopped at the border with Ukraine to sell cigarettes, stuffed toys and pickled cucumbers..and the temperature was close to -15°... A leap back in time, as if inside a novel set in the old Soviet Union.

Arrived in Kiev at 10 in the morning we headed straight for the apartment rented in the center of Kiev by metro. For 70 euros you rent an apartment with 2 large rooms. The standards are not very high, especially those of the apartment buildings, but the interiors of the apartments are clean and satisfactory for a few nights. Visit of the center of Kiev: Pz.Independence, Santa Sofia, S.Michele, S.Andra and Andreivski st. Evening with a typical Ukrainian dinner. I highly recommend Borsch and Garilka!

Morning dedicated to visiting the workshops along the climb to S.Andrea and then to visiting the Percheska Lavra Sanctuary, today the residence of the Ukrainian Metropolitan. The visit to the caves is incredible and absolutely not to be missed. A rare..and peculiar atmosphere. Nighttime return to Moscow...back to work!

The city is truly beautiful, worth visiting. An authentic atmosphere. You spend very little and the people are exceptional with Italians, even though very few speak English.