Ukraine: Kiev Revisited
November is clearly the worst month to visit Ukraine – days are short and uniformly grey and dark, weather is near or below freezing and humidity in high 90s freezes you out almost instantly. The sun doesn’t play off the golden domes off all the Kiev churches and cathedrals and green parks and squares are nowhere near that color. Still, a good exploratory stroll through Kiev on a cold November day was a good way to see how many things have changed since 2010 when I was here last time. Cathedrals are still the same – large and beautiful with their vibrant pastel colors and golden domes. There’s more graffiti-covered houses and various monuments and memorials to the war with Russia and separatism, more yellow-blue Ukrainian banners and patriotic slogans and posters. People seem more united and energized, albeit less tolerant (just my personal impression, no need to explode in flaming commentaries please). Even the souvenirs are edgier – less dolls in traditional Ukrainian clothes and more toilet paper with the face of the eastern neighbor’s President.
