Kyiv, Ukraine: World in Review

I don’t know why, but I did not expect a great deal from Ukraine. It’s one of those countries that at the time, I didn’t know a great deal about. At the time, I thought that it didn’t have much to offer, so when the opportunity to go cropped up, I took it hoping to see what it did have to offer; and my expectations were blown into low orbit.

Upon arriving into Boryspil International, I was met with armed guards wielding assault rifles, head to toe in camouflage. As a British person, guns are a very unusual sight and I couldn’t help but judge the book by its cover, it’s one of those countries, I thought to myself. Soon after, I found out nobody smiled either, a woman took my passport from my hands, military men to her left and right, and asked me why I was here. I told her I wasn’t really sure, just visiting and meeting a few friends. After dubious inspections and several long minutes, she decided I was indeed a real person and let me pass.

Here’s where the fun begins… She was the only person I encountered for the following twelve hours that spoke ANY English, the native language of course, being Ukrainian/Russian. So I just walked out the airport, attempting to gauge my surroundings and figure out where the hell I actually was. It was then I tried to get back in the airport to go to an information desk, only to be stopped in my tracks by a burly Russian holding an AK-47. Alright then. No idea what the guy was saying, I’m assuming by his body language it wasn’t anything pleasant. I was lost, confused, alone. I’ve never been one to panic, but I would be lying if i wasn’t a little bit concerned at that precise moment.

Not to worry, got to buckle up and press ever onward, it’s the British thing to do. And by that I mean I sat on a bench in freezing weather trying to get on the airport WiFi. A kind faced man approached me and clearly had a sixth sense for lost souls, and told me to get on his bus and he can take me into the city, so I handed him some hryvnia (her-ev-knee-a) and off we went, into the deep unknown. I got off at three different stops and each time he told me to sit back down. At this point, my fate was entirely in the hands of destiny, but honestly that’s the reason we travel in the first place is it not? Comfort zone a thousand miles away.

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Orthodox Church of Kyiv, Ukraine.

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Eventually I got to a train station, but couldn’t read any signs, and no one could understand what I was saying, and those who spoke a little English, I couldn’t really understand them either. After several hours wandering in the icy wind lugging around my backpack, I ended up resigning to a nearby KFC, got a coffee because it’s the only thing on the menu I recognised, managed to download Uber and found a ride. Let me preface this with telling you, that this taxi ride was one of the greatest moments of my life. A middle aged man called Nikolai pulled up beside me, his grin beaming from ear to ear, and he did not speak a word of English, naturally. I hopped in, told him the street my hostel was on, and we started the drive.

I love this man already, he whips his phone out, holds it above his steering wheel while navigating traffic, and is talking to me through google translate, I’d then speak into his phone, and vice versa. Meanwhile he’s paying more attention to his phone than the road, swerving in and out between lanes, driving too fast, cars honking from every angle, he didn’t care, so long as he could have a conversation with me apparently. He ends up taking me around some monuments and landmarks and telling me of their historical significance, surely just to charge me a bit extra for the mileage but I didn’t mind, I was having a blast. It felt just like being on a roller coaster, but with a Slavic man shouting facts into your ear as you reach the peak.

A strong shake of the hand and a farewell, he was gone. My hostel was directly in the centre of Kyiv, and let me be the first to tell you how beautiful this city is. The architecture is so regal and impressive. It was more western than I expected, with all the same shops and fast food joints that we are used to. It felt very much like London to me, but if about 80% of the population had emigrated. Ukraine is an old country with a lot of history, civil wars, territorial disputes, and its capitol really showed that. Monuments and statues all around for wars fought long ago, abundant with relics from the Soviet era. This city alone is enough of a reason to visit, but if you’re not sold on the buildings, then let it be known that they have so many pubs and restaurants open 24 hours a day. When I finally met with my friends, we spent the next few days enjoying the place for what it offered, many 4am kebabs, beers and jollies were shared.

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Christmas market, Kyiv, Ukraine.

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The food in this country is pretty good, it can seem strange if you aren’t accustomed to eastern Europe (which I am not) but as long as you’re willing to try new things you will be fine. It’s also very cheap, for some reference, a pint of beer will set you back somewhere around £1-2, even less in some places. We had pigs ears, borscht (beetroot soup) and of course, a chicken kiev, because how can you not. Oddly enough it had a bone through the middle, and came with exactly seven peas.

It wasn’t intended, but we ended up being there for Christmas, which is on the 7th of January in Ukraine, if you’re ever going to go, I highly recommend going for that time. It added an extra layer of magic to an already wonderful place, the streets were full of stalls selling kebabs and pastries, the smell of spices filled the air, and mulled wine with cinnamon and dried orange by the gallon.

To put it bluntly, Kyiv is one of the best cities I’ve ever had the pleasure to visit. And one of the coldest. Yes, at first it was daunting, being somewhere where the native language isn’t your own, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that there is always a way, the universe has an odd way of guiding you through the darkness, sometimes it just happens to take the form of a crazy taxi driver. The people there are friendly, just a different shade of friendly than perhaps I am used to, but there was always amazing people willing to help you out with whatever you needed, and it’s because of those people I would absolutely return again. And the kebabs. Best kebabs in the world. Period.

Our next destination, Chernobyl.