Photo-story: Kiev, Ukraine

 

Most of you love pictures. I like them too, I have almost 1 terrabyte of pics and 25,000 printed pictures from the pre-digital cameras era. Still need to scan them As most of them are lovely. Back them, I was thinking a few moments to take a picture. Now, you take hundreds per minute and you choose afterwards. But, it is pretty hard to sort them out, as well. Nevermind ! As of today, I will have a series of photo-stories from around the world. I hope you will like it And as the Euro 2012 is in full blow, I thought to show you some sights of Kiev, the surprisingly wonderful capital of Ukraine and the host for the Great Final of Euro 2012. A city of old, majestic buildings, golden churches, beautiful scantily-clad girls and cheap vodka

Pictures of Kiev, Ukraine

Let’s start with a gateway of the city – the Railway Station

Kiev metro, looks similar to the Moscow one. Same, same, but different !

Famine monument, dedicated to the millions killed by the communist-induced famine in 1930s

The jewel of the Kiev churches – Pecharska Lavra, completely destroyed during WW2 (apparently, by the Red Army), rebuilt after Ukrainean independance

Just take a closer look !

and inside

And to complete the fairy tale atmosphere, here is the Little Red Riding Hood with the Grandma. The wolf could not be spotted as he was probably in the Parliament

Lower Pecharska Lavra which houses the famous catacombs full with the bodies of the monks

If you go in a holiday, the lines are long. I gave up and returned on a Tuesday early morning (like 7 am :). It was a full experience

Not very far away, the famous “Tin Tits” statue  – the Motherland

Oh, boy, this is huge !

Tanks in Kiev… make love, not war

The almost century-old funicular of Podil

Which lifts me to the Michael’s Cathedral. Demolished by Stalin, rebuilt in 1990s

St. Sofia Cathedral, the first church of Ukraine

Let’s sip some culture at the Kiev Opera

Golden Gate of the City. Gold is gone, name remained

Main square – the Independance Square – Maidan Nezalejnosti

With its partly golden statues

The last of the great churches of Kiev – St. Andrew

Some popular souvenirs – connected to the Soviet Regime

Who has traveled to Ukraine ? What did you like ? What did you dislike ?