New Year and Christmas in Kyiv
New Year and Christmas in Kyiv
Christmas tree on Sofia Square in Kyiv
On New Year's Eve, we are all waiting for a miracle, but the holiday passes, weekdays come, and our dreams and desires remain unfulfilled. In life, I used to rely only on myself, and I arrange holidays for myself. This year I decided to spend the New Year and Christmas in Kyiv. My friend, with whom we traveled together, got a job in the capital, she made a plan of our activities for the upcoming holidays. To be able to visit as many interesting places as possible, we always choose budget travel options. Train tickets need to be ordered in advance, I began to look through them from December 15, at that time there were only seats in the compartment car, I didn’t want to change my plans, so I bought a seat in a compartment on a branded train Novoalekseevka-Kyiv for 520 UAH. , a reserved seat ticket in the opposite direction cost me 210 UAH. The cheapest type of housing in Kiev is places in a hostel from 60 UAH. in remote areas up to 130 UAH. in the center for a day, if you immediately pay for a week, it will be cheaper - 450-500 UAH. in 7 days. I had been in Kyiv once before, and it didn’t impress me, it was snowing heavily, I didn’t see its architectural ensembles covered with snow, temples and monuments, I didn’t notice its beauty and grandeur.
And Kyiv is impossible without Podil
This time Kyiv met me with bright sun and spring-like warm weather. There was no trace left of the snow that had been falling asleep here a week ago. It was my first time staying in a hostel. The three-room apartment was furnished with bunk beds, our room could accommodate 10 people, we had to put our things in a drawer under the bottom bed. There was no wardrobe, table and chairs in the room. The kitchen was quite large, one bathroom and toilet for three rooms. Of course, there were some inconveniences, but we were not going to sit indoors.
On New Year's Eve
On the same day, we went to Sofia Square, where the main tree of the country was installed. The whole area sparkled with magnificent illumination, which shone and shimmered, next to the grandiose buildings the Christmas tree did not seem high. After pushing among the people in the square, we returned to the hostel. At 17 o'clock we went to the Actor Theater to see the play Two on a Swing by William Gibson. After the performance, everyone who stayed in the hostel for the New Year holidays gathered at the table. Beautiful congratulations sounded, I read my poem written on the eve of the New Year. At 22-30 we went to the square to celebrate the New Year 2018. The most popular drink here was mulled wine (classic, cherry, pomegranate) for 50 UAH. per glass, we chose honey-pear, it warmed. Trade was in full swing: souvenirs, gingerbread, kebabs, grilled vegetables, fried sausages were sold. People stood in groups, world hits sounded, illumination, spotlights, crackers, confetti, sparklers created a festive atmosphere. At about 24 o’clock, the President’s congratulation sounds, and now the clock is already counting 12 strikes, and with each strike of the clock, one of my desires is sent to the Universe (I wrote 12 of them), the energy of all people, and there are hundreds of thousands of them here, helps their movement upward, and they fly away into space, picked up also by the fires of the salute made after the twelfth blow. Everyone congratulates each other on the New Year, but each company keeps apart, there are no common dances, round dances. The New Year has come into its own. The next day, January 1, we went on foot to roam the city. Kyiv attracts and fascinates, you can walk for hours through the streets, looking at monuments, golden domes of cathedrals, architectural structures. Its sights allow us to plunge into the atmosphere of grace and splendor. We stopped in the Shevchenkovsky district of the capital, walked along the streets of Yaroslavov Val, Vladimirskaya, Shevchenko Boulevard, reached Khreshchatyk, Independence Square, the Friendship of Peoples Arch, from where a magnificent view of Kyiv opens.
Independence Square
On this day, we went about 14 km on foot, got a sea of positive, and Kyiv became closer to me and relatives. The next day we decided to go to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. There are places on earth that not everyone can visit, you need to grow up to them. Lavra is the oldest and one of the main Orthodox shrines. This is the first monastery in Kievan Rus, where temples of the 11th century have been preserved almost in their original form. An atmosphere of peace and goodness reigns on the territory of the Lavra. We went to the temple, put candles. Having walked around the Lavra and feeling its extraordinary spirit of holiness, we got hungry and went into the refectory, where we had an inexpensive lunch, paying 50 hryvnias for a Lenten lunch.
Kiev-Pechersk Lavra
There is a memorial complex dedicated to the Great Patriotic War not far from the Lavra. The majestic statue of the Motherland with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other makes an impression, none of the photographs reflects its grandeur, strength and power. Its height is 102 m, more than the height of the Statue of Liberty. From here a magnificent panorama of the Dnieper and Kyiv opens.
Motherland
One of the most interesting places in Kiev is Podil. This is an ancient lowland part of the city, earlier merchants and artisans settled here. The architecture of the houses here is also interesting, but the buildings are low. The main square of Podil is Kontraktova Square, known from pre-Mongolian times. A Christmas tree was also installed here, it was possible to have fun on the artificial ice rink. But looking at the people who did not know how to skate and were standing at its sides, I did not dare to put on skates, since I had not stood on them since I was in school. After lunch we visited “Puzata Hata”. This is a chain of fast food restaurants with traditional Ukrainian cuisine and affordable prices. We decided to spend the evening here on January 6, and we paid 100 UAH.
Our cultural program included a visit to the operetta theater and watched Strauss' Die Fledermaus. Operetta is always a holiday, a colorful fascinating spectacle. From the operetta I always get real pleasure, so it was this time. On January 6, in the evening, we listened to an organ concert in the Nicholas Church, where Christmas evenings were held in the Baroque style. Honored Artist of Ukraine Irina Kharechko performed organ works by I. S. Bach: Choral Preludes “One God in Heaven”, “10 Commandments”, Pastoral. The spirit of Christmas reigned in the cathedral, everyone felt unity with music and the Universe. On January 7, we once again went to Sophia Square, went to the Mikhailovsky Golden-Domed Monastery and the church on Andreevsky Spusk. This ended my acquaintance with Kyiv, and closed another page of my travels
St. Michael's Monastery
