Friday 3 August 2018
Approaching the outskirts of Kiev - where the rich folks
live......
Statue on the hillside.
More civilisation.
Passing yacht.
Local town to port.
Now that is rich!.......
...... as is this.
Kiev on the horizon.
Local rich folks checking us out..... fast........
...and slow.
This is what happened to the last cruise ship that didn't pass
muster!
Not sure - maybe a floating restaurant?
Where the plebs live - at least they have a local beach.
Approaching the
Darnystkyi
bridge.
Our first glimpse of the imposing Kiev skyline.
Still being checked out.
About to go under the
Paton Bridge
- the 'Motherland Monument' is on the hill.
Panoramic view of Kiev.
A closer view of the
Motherland
Monument - 62m (203ft) tall.
St.
Sophia's Cathedral complex.
Passing traffic as we approach our moorings.
Lots of pleasure cruise boats.........
.... and local graffiti.
Monument
to the Magdeburg Rights. - the oldest monument in the city.
Soviet era River Passenger Terminal - our berth is just to the
right past the cruise boats.
St. Andrew's Church undergoing restoration.
The Motherland Monument dominates the skyline.
Our shore excursion - to the '
Monastery
of the Caves'
Faded mural at the entrance......
... and the front entrance to the complex.
The Cathedral of the Dormition inside the grounds.
Looking back to the entrance.
Ruins of the city wall in the gazebo.
The
Great
Lavra Belltower.
Ornate entrance.
Standard icons inside.
Arty shot...
... say what you like......they are rather photogenic
Riches to the right, poverty to the left - or some such pithy
observation.
Another arty shot.........
.... I just can't stop myself.
"Meet us by the black cross" said our guide.
Statue on the walk down to the caves.
Structure near the cave entrance.
About to board our coach - Archangel Michael statue - with the
Church of Mammon(?) behind.
The entrance to
Saint
Sophia's Cathedral.
St Sophia's - yet another cathedral - but very photgenic.
The meaning of life???
Bohdan
Khmelnytsky Monument in Sophia Square.
Mirror image.
Approaching
St
Michaels' Golden-Domed Monastery.
Monument to Saint Olga and Saint Andrew, Saints Cyril and
Methodius.
Another view of St Michaels Cathedral.........
.... and the mural on the approach.
Holodomor
Memorial in Mykhailivska Square, Kiev - memorial to the
famine in 1932-33.
Government building as we walk towards
St
Andrews Descent.
'
After Two
Hares' monument on St Andrew's Descent.
St. Andrew's Church on the Descent.
Looking down the cobbled street.
Old wooden house.
No, not Cary Grant - but writer
Mikhail
Bulgakov.
Street mural called '
Revival'
symbolising the new Ukraine.
'Coffe Bus Club' - there's a double-decker bus in there somewhere.
Monument to
Petro
Konashevych-Sahaidachny in Kontraktova Ploshad (
Square
of Contracts)
Former Greek Monastery with the clock tower - now a branch of the
National Bank.
Landward side of the
Kiev River
Passenger Terminal - as we walk back to our ship.
Soviet era '
People's
Friendship Arch'.
Evening visit to '
Tsarskoe
Selo' restaurant for our 'Ukrainian National Folklore
Dinner'.
Inside the restaurant.
Pig statue outside the front door.
Leaving the restaurant for the coach journey back to the ship.
©Ken Duffey
August 2018