Andreevski Street in Kiev

KIEV

 "The Heart of Ukraine - the most beautiful and eye-catching city in all of Europe"

Here are some fun facts about this beautiful old city:

*Kiev celebrated its 1500th anniversary in 1982*

*The world's deepest subway station is located in Kiev with a depth of 345 feet*

*Kiev is the capital of Ukraine and the national language is

Ukrainian although most people actually speak Russian*

We got to spend an afternoon in the city before we boarded the train for an overnight ride. 

Three of my favorite things about this city are:

1) the crazy drivers

Sidewalks, railways, and tunnels are fair game,

pedestrians have to really watch out,

and traffic signals and road lanes are simply suggestions.

This one looked South Georgia style! ;-)

This picture is a little better.  People are in there respected lanes and traffic is actually flowing.

2) the cathedrals (next post!)

3) Andreevski Street

In Russian it is Андре́евский спуск pronounced "Andreevski spoosk" which literally means "Andrew's Descent", but often referred to by Americans as Andreevski Street.

It is a market on a steep street lined with many small stands where artists sell their art, crafts, collections, and souveniers.  At the top of the street it is mostly painters that lay out their masterpieces on the pavement.

or cobblestone streets, rather.

When you go further, you will pass stands with hand-made jewelry,

pottery, clothing, and...

"matroshka" of course!  (AKA nesting dolls)

Each detail is hand-painted.  Even the tiniest doll in the set.  These are a symbol of Russian culture!

There are not only Ukrainian/Russian souveniers, but also symbols of the Soviet Era such as big furry hats and WWII memorabilia. 

St. Andrew's cathedral also lends much Ukrainian/Russian charm to this old cobblestone street. 

Everything is quiet inside the church.  The ceilings are tall, the interior ornate, and the candles aglow.



Back outside on the street, the air is filled with the hum of the Russian language and dreamy music from a local musician.





We continue to make our way down this old street pausing to look at silver jewelry with amber stones and anything else that catches our attention.  I even practice my Russian.  "Skolka stoit?"

We make our way to the bottom of the street and stop to eat with our group at a local restaurant.
 

I even know what the food is this time around!  Big difference from the last time I was here!  Two other rather large differences?  One is I could order on my own and two is that I actually liked the food.

Cabbage salad, fried potatoes, cutleta (meatballs), and green borsch.  The green borsch was my favorite!



After lunch, we visited some parks

more cathedrals (next post!)

and went on a not-so-scenic "metro" ride to the river only to find out we had run out of time.

We had a train to catch! 

Hope you are enjoying this series of pictures and posts! 
Next up is "Onion Tops".