Вихідні в Києві (Weekend in Kiev)

Like Warsaw, I saw Kiev as a good budget destination during peak tourist season in Europe. Added to that, the city offered a somewhat more challenging visit (at least by European standards), as there is considerably less English spoken by the locals or displayed on the streets. Fortunately, when the city hosted the European football championships in 2012, they added the basic Latin alphabet to (major) street signs and outdoor tourist maps. (I tried to study the Ukrainian Cyrillic alphabet before leaving, but it's not easy, as its letters do not transliterate to Latin letters on a one-to-one basis.)

Despite the ongoing conflict in the eastern Ukraine, Kiev was relatively safe. Various travel websites warned of corrupt police that would pester tourists for bribes, but those warnings must have been outdated, because I found that most of the police officers tried to avoid me altogether (I think they were worried that I would ask them for directions in English).

Day 1

My hotel was located next to the Independence Square, so I started the first day by checking out Kreshchatyk Street. I was expecting a touristy street lined with high end shops, but it felt more like a regular commercial street with everyday stores (e.g. grocery stores, fast food outlets, mid-range clothing stores). I'm not sure why some tourist websites list it as a place to visit, but perhaps they were referring to the underground shopping area close to the square. Nevertheless, there are underground shopping areas scattered around Kiev and the one near Kreshchatyk didn't stand out from the rest of them.

Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square). The Independence Monument stands in the center of the square, with my hotel (Ukraine Hotel) to the right. This square was the site of several political protests, including the 2004 Orange Revolution. At the moment, there are displays commemorating those who lost their lives here during the Euromaidan protests of 2013-2014.

From the square, I walked northwest towards Saint Sophia's Cathedral and then further north into Old Kiev. While Kiev is a geographically large and hilly city, it turns out that most of its historical landmarks are clustered close together and within a (relatively) short walking distance, so most of its sites were easy to reach on foot.

The exterior of Saint Sophia's Cathedral. The cathedral is part of a larger complex which includes a bell tower (which also acts as a gate to the complex), a refectory, a library, a school and park space.

The interior of St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery. This was one of two side-altars that were centered by a slightly larger service space. None of the cathedrals and monasteries that I visited in Kiev had seating, such that everyone attended the services standing (except for older seniors).

The centipede cats at Peysazhna Alleia (Landscape Alley). This was one of several colourful sculptures in which you could sit and relax. This area was more appropriate for children, but it offered a unique experience that contrasted from the Byzantine architecture of Kiev's cathedrals.

The exterior of St. Andrew's Church. When I went inside, I walked into the middle of a very small wedding ceremony (aside from the priest, the couple and two witnesses, there was only myself and three other tourists crowded in a small interior). The beginning of the Andriyivsky Uzviz (Andriyivsky Descent) is to the left of the church. The descent is a winding, steeply sloped street lined with vendors selling various local goods (mostly clothing and handmade crafts). 

After Old Kiev, I took the subway to Mariinsky Park. While I could have walked the distance, it was already 35°C and very humid by mid-afternoon such that the sweltering heat was slowing me down. Plus, the closest subway stop to the park was Arsenalna, which is currently the deepest subway station in the world. This was only noticeable in that it took two very long escalators to get from the ground entrance to the subway platform.

Mariinsky Park contains several monuments to past Ukrainians and related events. Pictured is the January Uprising Monument.

Further south is Pechersk Lavra (Monastery of the Caves). This monastery is a very large complex containing 11 churches and four museums amongst several gardens and administration buildings. Pictured is one of the smaller churches, the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, with one of the monastery's cemeteries in the foreground.

Further south is the Rodina-Mat (the Motherland Monument). This was like a Ukrainian version of the Statue of Liberty, only taller and shinier.

Due to the slower pace of the day, I did not have time to visit any of the museums at Pechersk Lavra or the Museum of the History of the Ukraine in World War II (underneath the Rodina-Mat), but I figured I could make a quick stop elsewhere during the next day.

Day 2

I went back to the Mariinsky Park area on the second day, but on the opposite side where I could visit the National Art Museum of Ukraine. The museum is small, but it contained a wide range of both classical and contemporary art by Ukrainian artists.

In the National Art Museum of Ukraine, this is a memorial painting to O. Venetsianov, by Halyna Borodai.

In the National Art Museum of Ukraine, this is Irodiada, by Anatoliy Petrytskyi.

Next to Mariinsky Park and Mariinsky Palace is the Ukrainian Parliament.

 

On the way back to the airport, I stopped by St. Volodymyr's Cathedral. The Eastern Orthodox churches in the city appear to have less formal scheduling for masses, because most of them had services running non-stop, with a continual flow of patrons coming and going as they pleased.

The front of St. Volodymyr's Cathedral.



Near the cathedral is the Taras Shevchenko Memorial Park, with a monument to the artist in the center. In the other direction is an interesting red Greco-Roman building of the Taras Shevchenko University.

So that was Kiev in a weekend. I'll admit that the city was not as interesting as most of my previous travels, but this was partly caused by the hot weather slowing me down and preventing me from visiting as many sites as I normally would have. Still, I enjoyed taking on a slightly more challenging European destination and experiencing a city with a more eastern flavour (Warsaw felt very westernized). I should also mention that the tourist traffic in Kiev was very light and the vast majority of tourists were from eastern Europe, such that I often felt like I was the only westerner in the whole city at the time.

Dwa Dni w Warszawie (Two Days in Warsaw)

I picked Warsaw as a destination in late July because it was more affordable in peak season than the more westerly European cities and because I hoped that it would offer cooler, drier weather than the humid summer days in Paris. While it certainly was more affordable, the weather was less cooperative on the first day (33°C and high humidity) but cooled down on the second (21°C).

Day 1

I started the first day at the Pałac Kultury i Nauki (Museum of Culture and Science) but only for the view and not the exhibits. The museum's building is the tallest in Warsaw and the eighth tallest in Europe, so it allowed a comprehensive view of the city before I took a more detailed look. North of there is the Ogrod Saski (Saxon Gardens), which contained a mix of fountains, statues and well-trimmed grass with flowers. Since the park is in the middle of Warsaw, it was more crowded than I would have liked for a quiet walk, but at least it provided shade from a suprisingly hot sun that day.

Ogrod Saski (Saxon Gardens) viewed from Plac Piłsudskiego (Pilsudskiego Square). The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier would be seen in the opposite direction.

Further north is the old town in Warsaw. Most buildings in the old town were painted in a tone that would contrast with the adjacent buildings, giving the streets a colourful but tasteful look.

The interior of Kościół św. Anny (St. Anne's Church). This was one of the more impressive church interiors that I've seen, with the dark wood contrasting with the light walls and brass fixtures. My camera could not do this justice.

Plac Zamkowy (Castle Square). On the left is Sigimund's Column (a monument to Sigimund III Vasa) and on the right is the Royal Castle.

Rynek Starego Miasta (Old Town Market Place). At the center of the square is the Warsaw Mermaid, a bronze sculpture by Konstanty Hegel, which also acts as a fountain with water running from underneath.

West of the old town was the Plac Krasińskich (Krasinski Square), which contained the Warsaw Uprising Monument as well as the Krasinski Palace. Unfortunately, the exterior of the palace was under heavy renovation and covered with scaffolding, and the interior was not accessible that day, but there was a beautiful garden behind the palace which again offered some shade and a break from the sun. There were also several museums in the area and I had enough time to visit the Museum of the History of Polish Jews (located on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto), which covered the difficult history that Polish Jews suffered from the 12th century to the 1940's.

In the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, this is a reconstructed bimah.

The Warsaw Uprising Monument in Krasinski Square.

My plan was to head south and visit Lazienkowksi Park, but on the way, the sky quickly went from lightly clouded to heavily dark-clouded and then a thunderstorm arrived within 20 minutes. It was already about 6:30pm by then, so my day wasn't lost but cut short by two hours.

Nowy Swiat (New World Street) right before a thunderstorm. This street is lined with overpriced shops and restaurants catering to moderate-heavy tourist traffic.

Day 2

I used the morning of the second day to visit Lazienkowski Park. The park contains some gardens, very small palaces and other chalets, but they're spread far enough apart that the area feels more like a park than a palace.

This is a shot of the large pond in Ujazdowski Park, just north of Lazienkowski Park. This park was more tranquil than its northern neighbour, as it wasn't overrun with tourists. Don't ask what the crow at the bottom is eating.  

The Orangerie in Lazienkowski Park. This was shot facing away from a small art museum containing the Roman sculptures collected by the royal family.

Lazienki Palace (also called the Palace on the Water). This palace is so small that it appeared to be only one room in depth.

On the west side of the park is the Chopin Monument. I lucked out in that there was a public performance of Chopin's works right around the time that I was visiting. I uploaded an excerpt from Fantaisie Impromptu, although the wind caused some background noise in the recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMjYKB2wpvI. I've been meaning to upload more videos to YouTube, but haven't found the time to do so yet.

The Chopin Monument during a public performance. The pianist was of course playing works composed by Chopin.

I had just enough time left before my flight to quickly visit the Zamek Królewski (Royal Castle) in Warsaw. After visiting various palaces in Paris, Vienna and Stockholm, I'm finding that the monarchs of 18th and 19th century Europe must have visited one another often and shared design notes, because the layout and style of the most commonly occurring rooms (throne room, assembly hall, antechamber, council chamber, soldiers' room) were eerily similar.

Adjacent to (or part of) the Royal Castle is the Tin-Roofed Palace, which contains a collection of oriental rugs (like those pictured) as well as the apartments of Prince Józef Poniatowski.

The Knight's Hall in the Royal Castle in Warsaw.  

So that was a weekend in Warsaw. The city offered a great mix of parks, palaces and landmarks, although I didn't get to see a football match due to rescheduling (Leggia Warsaw played a cup match earlier in the week so their weekend league match was bumped to late Sunday evening). I'll also point out that the city had some of the newest streets and public transit that I've seen in Europe, giving Warsaw a very modern and pristine feel. It's also worth mentioning that this city has by far and away the most talented buskers in Europe; I came across several violinists, accordionists and pianists, most of whom played as if they were aspiring professionals (or professionals out of work), capturing the mood and nuances of each composition that they played.