In case you haven’t noticed, «дорогие друзья» [dear friends], «я люблю путешествовать» [I love to travel]. «К сожалению» [Unfortunately], traveling can be quite expensive (which is why I’m not eager to buy my plane ticket back to England in January). But never mind that: let’s talk «о Киеве» [about Kiev], one of my favorite cities in the world. 

«Я была в Киеве год назад» [I was in Kiev a year ago]. Unlike the part of the trip in Russia, when we were on a ship, in Kiev we were «в гостинице» [in a hotel]. The hotel was the Radisson Blu and if you are going to Kiev anytime soon, «я бы рекомендовала эту гостиницу» [I would recommend this hotel]. (The hotel even has a website, by the way.) It is very conveniently located «в центре города» [in the center of the city].

What is there to see in Kiev? Lots! «Киев—очень старый город» [Kiev is a very old city], so there are lots of interesting historical sites. One of my favorite places «Софийский собор» [St. Sophia’s Cathedral; also called «Собор Святой Софии»]. «Он православный собор и был построен в XI (одиннадцатом) веке по приказу Ярослава Мудрого» [It is an orthodox cathedral and was built in the eleventh century on the order of Yaroslav the Wise]. If I remember correctly, services are no longer held in the cathedral because they could damage the woodwork on the walls. (Though apparently the previous president of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, still would go to a service there occasionally.) Also, the photo at the top of this post is of «Софийский собор».

Another wonderful place to see is «Андреевский спуск» [Andreyev descent], where «дом Булгакова» [Bulgakov’s house] is located. I love all Russian literature, but «Михаил Афанасьевич Булгаков—мой самый любимый писатель» [Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov is my favorite writer]. «Он написал Мастера и Маргариту» [He wrote The Master and Margarita], which we’ve been reading on this very blog. Another of his novels, «Белая гвардия» [The White Guard], not as well known as The Master and Margarita but no less inspired a work, takes place at «Андреевский спуск».

«Главная улица Киева называется Крещатик» [Kiev’s main street is called Kreshchatik]. It may seem silly to recommend a visit to a street, but «Крещатик» is no ordinary street: on weekends, it is closed to traffic and people like to «ходить по улице» [walk along the street] and enjoy themselves.

«Я просто люблю город Киев» [I simply love the city of Kiev]. I hope to tell you more about it in the future, especially its history.

Do you like these posts about Russian (and Ukrainian) cities? Is there any city in particular you want to learn more about? If so, please let me know in the comments. Also, if you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.