Kiev Local Customs

Politics are very important to the Ukrainian people. While i was in Kyiv they were holding parliamentory elections. Tents, flags, Posters, were all over Kyiv. People giving out ribbons and free hats and banners.

It is an exciting time to be in Kiev as they are very proud of their nation and are passionate about politics.

Street parties and concerts are also held in Khreschatyk during this time free to the public.

I think the place for this tip cannot be among shopping tips because of the reason that flea markets are not only the place for food and clothes shopping, but also for communication, meeting of friends, eating out, and just strolling for the heck of it.

On Kiev's flea markets you can buy everything from food, beverages, clothes, shoes to parfumes, furniture, etc. Also the products are from different countries, mainly Ukraine, Turkey, China, Poland, Germany, and Italy. There is a big chance for bargaining and buying stuff for cheaper price, there is a large assortment of everything.

Of course, as a tourist, I doubt you will have a lot of discount on a product, because there are always an opinion that tourists are very rich and don't care how much they pay for things. However, it is a good place for you as a tourist to see the part of Ukrainian culture: buying and selling things.

The largest and most popular clothes markets are:
- Petrovka (subway station Petrovka near book market)
- Troyeshchina - the biggest one, you won't be able to see it all in one day (special minibus goes from Petrovka to there, located on the left Dnipro banch in residential area Troyeshchina)
- Svyatoshino - (subway station SVyatoshino) not as reach as other, however, can be interesting to see, because the lower part of market is located in park, there is no pavement).

I was told by a few local people that if you are going to give, give to the old people (mostly old ladies) who beg on the street. Most senior citizens in Ukraine receive a pension of about $80 a month. Ukrainian tradition requires children to look after their parents, but when children won't help, or the old people don't have any children, the old people suffer (and die before their time).

Fishing is the part of Ukrainian culture. As a rule it is a part of male population, but sometimes men don't mind if women come along with them. What for? Well, who will cook that fish? However, many man cook fish soup better than any woman.

Some men love fishing so much that they spend cold spring days as that one I took a picture on indulging themselves in delight of fishing from Dnipro banks. During all seasons you can see somebody with fishing pole nearby River Port, along Dnipro banks, or on numerous river islands.

Residents of apartment buildings can be very creative about children's playgrounds, which may have different hills, rides, sand boxes. Sometimes they can be very colorful like that on my photo. I remember when I was a kid I spent a lot of time there.

People of all ages in Kiev are opened to display their affection. Maybe older people are more reserved, because during Soviet Union it was inappropriate to hug and kiss on streets. However, things changed and couples love to go to downtown, walk around, sit on the benches on Independance Square, at cafes and just on the stairs.

I admire Friendship Arch lookout. I can stay for minutes there enjoying the views of the city. But my single friends don't like that place much as I do. They pull my sleeve saying that they are bored, that they were not in this place for years and don't much regret that. I noticed other Kiev residents have feelings as my friends do. I guess it is like with people who all their life lived near ocean and don't have as much attraction to it as tourists do.

But to my happiness I realized that there are two groups of people who like this place: tourists and couples in love. You may see both in that spot in any weather and any time of the day. The difference between them is that tourists are busy with taking pictures and talking about the view, when couples in love stay in silence hugging each other, look at the city and kiss. Isn't it romantic?

Kiev has many beautiful restaurants, clubs, and casinos. Unfortunately, the beauty of exterior of such places is not safe because of full-of-strength youth around that is looking to break something, or steal. Glass box as a kind of protection for expensive lamp was created by restaurant “Tsar” located near Theatre of Puppets (European Square). Maybe it doesn’t look very appealing, but it is secured.

In Kiev many businesses do such work.