Kiev Local Customs

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European Square along with Independence Square often become places of meeting of thousands of people who come there to attend different concerts.
The traffic is closed in Khreshchatyk and you can walk freely enjoying the music and your company.
There are concerts in summer in front of the Ukrainian House (the National Cultural Center).
These concerts attract lots of people on weekends.

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When you come to Independence Square, you will see the Gate of Archangel St.Michael who is the Patron Saint of Kiev.
The statue stands in the middle of Independence Square and was dedicated in 2001.
Archangel St.Michael is represented on the city's coat-of-arms.
I think it's a good idea for all the visitors of the city to browse Independence Square and take some pictures of it.
The city consists of ten districts, among them three districts are located on the left bank of the Dnipro and seven – on the elevated right bank of Kiev.
People call the elevated part of Right-Bank Kiev Upper Kiev and the flat part of it - Lower Kiev.

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If you have some time before your train leaves, why not take a bus tour of the city?
The bus tours are organized by Krayevyd Co.
Its booking-office is at McDonald's restaurant outside the railway station.
The bus tour lasts for two hours.
It costs 50 UAH for a ticket (the price can change).
The bus tour takes you around the main sites of the capital:

- St.Volodymyr's Cathedral in Shevchenko Boulevard,
- Sophia Cathedral in Sophia Square,
- St.Michael's Cathedral in St.Michael's Square,
- St.Andrew's Church in St.Andrew's Descent,
- the National Opera House in St.Volodymyr Street,
- Independence Square and Khreshchatyk;
- European Square;
- St.Volodymyr's Hill;
- Contract Square;
- Petro Mohyla Academy;
- the Ukrainian parliament building in Hrushevsky Street;
- Dinamo stadium named after Lobachevsky;
- Cave Monastery;
- a visit to St.Flor's women's monastery .

17-27 September
DECADE OF PHILHARMONIC ART
Dedicated to the Opening of the 140th Concert Season

With the support of the Foundation for the Patronage of Arts Development,
the Embassies of France, Italy, and Germany in Ukraine

THE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF THE NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC OF UKRAINE

Programme: L.Beethoven - Symphony No. 9

"VIKTOR YUSHENKO! What did he do for Ukraine? He did nothing for Ukraine!"
This complaint is something I can count on recurring every time I visit Ukraine & I have heard it repeated by most of those who speak English! The former PM is about as popular in Russian-speaking Ukraine as the serial killing cannibal, Anatoly 0noprenko...
I am not someone given to defending politicians, let alone sympathising with them, but in the casee of the unpopular Yushenko, I make an exception. Being a politician in Ukraine is, at best, a thankless task, with such a high proportion of the male population congenitally addicted to vodka, not to mention other substances, any attempt to emerge from the rundown state the dictatorship in Moscow left the country in, is asking the impossible. The state of mind of those I've spoken to on my travels in Russian-speaking Ukraine, is identical to that of spoilt children; itemising every single fault they perceive in their homeland, but abhorrent that they themselves might be expected to contribute any effort to remedy the Third World decay. every time I enter the new Ukraine, the words of President J.F.Kennedy become more poignant than they ever were when spoken to Americans; "Ask not what your country can do for you, rather, ask what you can do for your country..."
I would like to quote this in Russian, from a soapbox in Kiev, then run for cover from the immature vitreol these words would incite, because Ukrainians regard it as an insult to suggest that any responsibility for changing their homeland into a better place, should ensue with their action. Males who do not wish to be dragged down by their drunken fraternity, learn English, & plot their great escape to Australia, Canada, or the States. Their sisters do not bother to learn another language, but nonetheless advertise online for a foreign husband, whom they will not be able to speak a word to - utter genius! All moan about Yushenko as if he were a criminal, but the truth is, this man did more for his country in 2 years in office, than anyone else has managed in decades of mis-management. Yushenko observed how Ukraine's eastern neighbour, Turkey, transformed what was a Third World economy 2 decades ago, into a modern European force, mainly through the revenue from tourism. I made my original visit in 2005 - the same year his government withdrew the visa requiremnet for EU nationals, & received the shock of my life, when I did...
6 years on, I do not detect much progress, for despite Yushenko's best efforts, the people of the country are not interested to help themselves, & only a few have grasped the opportunity to benefit their plight by catering to tourists. Those who do speak English, astonished I should chose to visit their homeland & assuming I will not return, seem proud to tell me; "Welcome to Ukraine - it's a 'govno'hole!"
But, who made it that way, but their fellow Ukrainians?

Kiev might be the 'staleetsa' of Ukraine, but as with all cities outside the L'vov region, the predominant 'yizik' (tongue) is Russian, with bi-lingual signposting on the main routes in & out of the capitol. Ukrainian was 1 of the languages banned under Soviet dictatorship & despite 2 decades of separation from the old centre of power in Moscow, little seems to have changed, even in the attitude of folk half my age, who were born AFTER the fall of the Berlin Wall...
Many seem still to be umbilical to their 'motherland's' apron strings & regard the west as a threat, & it demonstrates what a fractious place 'the new Ukraine' is, that Russian remains the language of the capitol. Do not go there, believing as I did originally in 2005 - the propaganda emanating from the progressive movement in Kiev, that the country had westernised - it has not - & returning 6 years on, I detected not much, if any progress, especially in regard to tourists...
Soviet attitudes hold fast, & even the simplest things, like buying a bus or train ticket, are a bureaucratic exercise in the committee decision, in the union of nations that invented the internal passport. No automatic ticket dispensers exist to avoid the language barrier, so if you cannot speak Russian, plan ahead your visit in advance & use online translation software to write out your travel requests on notes, before you arrive...
The service you receive will depend on the temperament of whoever is on duty - so they might be very polite & helpful, or they might go out of their way to be the opposite. Just count your blessings if you get your ticket for the price requested - requiring change can cause problems & dishonest clerks will pocket the difference, which can be quite a sum if you have just arrived & obtained notes from an 'automat' (ATM).
Kiev is joint co-host city for the international football tournament to be held in 2012 - foreign fans who arrive here for this, are in for a short, sharp, shock...

when traveling by train, be prepared that your travel companions might be too excited to meet you. for some of them, you will be the first foreigner they have ever met on the train, or even in their life. Most likely they would not speak your language, but they will try to impress you with Ukrainian hospitality. Th Ukrainian hospitality might translate into ask you to share a dinner with them and in some cases, offer you a drink "za znayomstvo" ('nice to meet you' drink). The drink can range from a beer to numerous shots of vodka. Usually a polite ‘thank you’ and ‘no’ (dyakuyu, ya ne pyu - ukr.) will do, but if your travel companion keeps insisting, say that you take medication that do not go with alcohol (ya pryimayu liky - ukr.) In rare instances, which will hopefully never happens, your companion might keep bugging you. in that case, ask a conductor to move you to another compartment.

it's customary to remove your shoes after you have entered a Ukrainian house. the main reasons for that are: 1) Ukrainian streets, unlike streets in Europe or U.S. are quite dusty, and tent to get dirty after the rain or snow. 2) in most of Ukrainian houses/apartments people have carpets/kilims on the floor. would you like to see the dirt on your kilims?? most likely not ;) so out of courtesy, and to save your host a cleaning effort, it's advisable to take your shoes off. don't worry, you will be offered a pair of slippers instead. if concerned about hygiene, just say that you prefer to remain barefoot (or in socks) :)

in some instances, the host will tell you not to remove the shoes, but don't assume that. simply ask :)