TRAVELLIVE 05-2017

Kyiv city
- the
heart of
Ukraine
Kyiv is an
outstanding city,
and at the same
time is the most
u n d e r e s t i m a t e d
European capital,
according to numerous tourist guides. There are not
just a couple of "must-see" sights that usually attract
tourists in many other cities, but hundreds of precious
hidden treasures, which are displayed in architecture
and art. It is hard to expect less from more than 1000-
year-old city!
Let's start with the Monastery of Caves, Kyivo-Pechers'ka
Lavra, set on hills above the Dnipro River in 11 th century
- with its gold-domed churches and the underground
tunnels lined with mummified monks. Sounds a bit
mysterious... In fact, it is the holiest land for the millions
of Orthodox Christians.
Iryna Kokota
PHïNG VI£N VÄ BLOGGER
T# DO NGòI UKRAINE.
Ukrainian freelance
journalist and blogger
N®m 2014, c´ Æ∑ Æi du
lch g«n mÈt n®m trong
vÔng ß´ng Nam É tr≠Ìc
khi kh∏m ph∏ Vi÷t Nam,
n¨i Æ≠Óc c´ nhÀn xät "lµ
mÈt Ɔt n≠Ìc Æ«y thÛ v"
vµ Æ∑ quy’t Ænh Î lπi Æ©y.
Trong hai n®m qua, c´
Æ∑ vi’t nhi“u bµi v“ Vi÷t
Nam nh≠ng ch≠a c„ bµi
nµo giÌi thi÷u Ɔt n≠Ìc
qu h≠¨ng c´. C´ cÚng
nhÀn th†y nhi“u ng≠Íi Vi÷t
Nam bi’t r†t ›t th´ng tin v“
Ukraine, dÔ n„ nªm ngay
trung t©m ch©u ¢u vµ c„
v´ sË Æi“u ngπc nhin thÛ
v dµnh cho du kh∏ch. ß„
lµ l˝ do Æ” Iryna Kokota
muËn giÌi thi÷u bµi vi’t nµy
trn Travellive. Ukraine c„
nhi“u Æi“u k˙ thÛ nh≠ng
b∏u vÀt qu˝ gi∏ nh†t cÒa
n¨i nµy, theo c´, ch›nh lµ
nh˜ng ng≠Íi d©n nÂng hÀu
vµ lu´n sΩn lng giÛp ÆÏ
ng≠Íi kh∏c.
In 2014, she had been
traveling for a year through
South-East Asia until she
discovered Vietnam. She found
it to be a fascinating country
and decided to settle here
for "some months"to know
more about its traditions and
culture. So far, it's been two
years she has been living
here. During this time she
wrote many articles about
Vietnam, but none about her
own country. At the same time
she has noticed that many
Vietnamese know so little
about Ukraine, despite the fact
that it is located right in the
heart of Europe and has many
interesting things to offer. That
is the reason why she writes
this article for Travellive. Of the
main treasures of her country,
the most precious one, in her
opinion, is its people, warmhearted
and helpful.
Next, St. Sophia Cathedral is the oldest church in the city,
which has spectacular millennial mosaics and frescoes.
Kyivo-Pechers'ka Lavra and St. Sophia Cathedral, both,
included to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Entrance
fee is around USD4.
One of favorite tourist places is Andriyivsky Descent
(called by locals Andriyivsky Uzviz), very often compared
to Monmartre in Paris. It is a narrow down-hill street
full of historical landmarks like, for example, the
house of Mikhail Bulgakov, who wrote the enigmatic
novel "Master and Margarita". There are a lot of cozy
restaurants, art-galleries, and shops, selling hand-made
Ukrainian handicraft and old soviet relics.
The Landscape Alley is within walking distance of
Andriyivsky Descent. Perhaps, the funniest place in the
capital consists of hilarious contemporary art sculptures,
covered with bright colorful mosaics. Imagine, you
appear in Alice in Wonderland’s world... This is it!
Pirogovo Open-Air, covering around 150 hectares near
Kyiv, is the largest outdoor museum in the world. It
is a N01 place to visit while being in Kyiv in summer.
There are over 320 museum constructions like houses,
cowshed, windmills, churches that represent rural
life, traditions and culture of Ukrainians living in the
different parts of the country hundreds of years ago.
TRAVELLIVE 135