recollections of ukraine 2007 - rozylowicz · items of interest (craftwise); onyx from turkey looks...

Recollections of Ukraine ... 2007 April 28th - May 9th

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© 2007 Ed Rozylowicz, All Rights Reserved

Friday, May 4th (continued) ... Our exploration of Kyiv continues ...

We were over-churched by the visitation to the Kyiv-Pechersk complex. We made a casual retreat and headed back to the Metro. Natalka left us

at this point as she wished to visit with a friend … and who can blame a young 17-year old hanging out with old folks like us.

On the way to the metro we made a detour to visit a nearby park … one overlooking the river … affording a good look at the Kyiv cityscape.

Panoramic view of Kyiv and the Dnieper River

The park holds a soviet-era memorial … an obelisk … dedicated to the memory of fallen soldiers during the great war …

… and a row of markers lining both sides of the long pathway leading from the main street to the obelisk.

As a holdover (I suppose) from the Communist era, it is traditional for Ukrainian wedding parties to visit these memorials; a gesture of remembrance and to honor the heroes of the state. This day was no exception as we saw a number of weddings parade through the park.

Finishing our stroll we took the metro back to an area near City Center to begin the next leg of our exploration of Kyiv’s attractions.

The House with Chimeras …There is one really weird building in the very heart of Kyiv. No one can pass it by without staring at it. It is easy to find: travel by metro to Kreshchatik station and exit on to Institutskaya Street. You cannot confuse this house with any other

building around it. Its magnificent facades and intricate staircase at the front door are decorated with fantastic sculptures of beasts and chimeras, which seem to be taken from the pointed roofs of Notre Dame in Paris. Concrete-made heads of rhinoceroses and elephants, crocodiles and antelopes are walled into this mysterious house. Nimble stone lizards scale the pillars. And there’s more. Elephants’ trunks are used as gutters, gigantic toads and sea monsters make up the roof. Figures of women have chains, leaves and buds on their heads instead of hair. And just what is that gigantic python at the corner of the house meant to signify? Only the architect knows the answer, and he died long

ago. The house was built by Vladimir Gorodetskiy, an extremely talented Kyiv architect and equally extraordinary and mysterious personality, who lived at the beginning of the 20th century. Architecture was his vocation, but hunting was his primary passion, which benefited

from most of his free time. Dreams about African savannas and its dwellers all came to life in fantastic images of the House with Chimeras. The architect built the house for himself as a present for his 40th birthday, in less than two years (in order to win a bet). It was also one of the first buildings in Kyiv to make use of cement, concrete and new technology. It soon became one of the city’s primary architectural sights,


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and remains so today. Every citizen of Kyiv knows it, and a sadder tale that goes with it: Gorodetskiy’s young daughter drowned in the Mediterranean shortly before building commenced, and the house was in fact built in her memory. Not that makes the demons which adorn the house easier to interpret.

Some details of the house …

… rhinoceros …

… frogs …

… elephants …

… stag heads …

The building is used today only for state functions and to receive dignitaries … who I suppose must have a strong stomach or a sense of humor. The building is located across the street from the …

… Kyiv office of the President of Ukraine …

… who is scheduled to arrive sometime that afternoon …

… at which point all security will kick in … the gates closed and all visitors kicked out.

We leave knowing that we have seen what we came to see and the president can have his space back.

Our next stop is …

The Ukrainian National Bank … is over 100 years old. It was built in early Renaissance style and has survived revolution and two world wars. The griffons; emblems of Kyiv, Podillia, and Volyn regions; symbols of trade, transportation, industry, and agriculture on the outside of the building have remained intact and have not been changed since construction. While renovation and restoration has preserved much of he building’s features, however, some have alas been lost. During the last period of renovation the aroma of roses – which emanated from the garden in the interior courtyard and was delivered to the rest of the building via a special ventilation system - was lost.


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The Ukrainian National Bank

It is only a short distance between these last three points of interest and the heart of Kyiv … Maidan Nezalezhnosti, city’s central square. What makes it different today, as well as our entire stay in Kyiv, is that political protests are being held here in support of the various political factions. Today, the current president’s foreign minister is jockeying for his 15-minutes of fame by giving a speech to the assembled.

The demonstrations are essentially peaceful but boisterous … with plackards and posters and banners fully deployed …

… with each political party denoted by the color of their flags …

… the faithful listening intently …

… and marching in a disorderly fashion.

It should be noted that the ordinary citizen does not participate in such political demonstrations … the participants are paid protestors … $10 USD per day per protest. Nice job!

The lady watches and hopes for a peaceful resolution … similar to the “Orange Revolution”.

The day ends for the three of us at 17:30 when we slip away for an early supper at a chain restaurant. Our fare of is principally Ukrainian dishes (do not recall precisely what), beer and wine.

We say good night to Olesya … we will meet again tomorrow at 10:00 for last-minute walking and shopping … and head on back to our luxury apartment.


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But we get antsy and wander out at 20:00 for another walk-about … at my favorite time … dusk.

The building across the street from us looks bewildering … deep red in color …

… and emblazoned with all kinds of figures …

Maidan Nezalezhnosti at night … protestors are in their tents or gone home for the day …

Main Street shopping …

City Hall …

Glitter and glitz …

We crash at 21:00.

Saturday, May 5th ... Our last day in Kiev … still a few sites to visit; do some shopping for trinkets, gifts, and souvenirs.

We’re up by 8:30 … do our packing … have to vacate the apartment by 13:00. Olesya met us at 9:45 and (again) went to the same downstairs, around the corner, restaurant for a full breakfast.

We decide that, because of limited time, we would return to Andrews’ Descent and do some serious shopping. So … we take the metro ... get off nearby … and begin our shopping experience …


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The day is warm and sunny … our pockets are bulging with newly converted hryvnias … we’re set to buy!

Looking for bargains and items of interest (craftwise);

Onyx from Turkey looks like a good buy … and cheap;

Every stall has something of interest …

Continuing the hunt …

Ukrainian nested dolls and Russian jewelry boxes are all hand-painted …

Etchings by a gifted artist are appealing … so …

… a purchase is made …

… and we leave with smiles and full bags.

The time is getting late … its 12:30 … we must leave … catch a metro … and be back at the apartment to collect our luggage. Arriving back we are greeted by another property manager who is anxious for us to vacate as another client is due to check in. No sooner do we unlock the door the manager and new clients rush in … survey the rooms … and give us that look that says “get out!”

Oksana agreed to meet us at 13:00 to collect our bags … keep them locked in her car … so that we may continue another few hours of exploration. We left at 13:15 … Oksana dropped us off near a few other riverside attractions and returned to her apartment … we are invited later for a “last supper” in Kyiv at her place.


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Oksana sending us off for a short excursion …

We walk the short distance to the Building of the Upper Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine (1936-1939) …

… with the protestors ‘parked’ across the pathway in the adjacent park …

Right next door to the Rada is the …

Mariins’kyi Palace … closed to those not entitled to a special audience with President Yuschenko (2007), this beautiful blue- and cream-colored palace is nevertheless a pleasant place to walk around. Named in honor of Russian Empress Maria, the wife of Tsar Alexander II, the palace was completed in 1755 and excellently combines elements of Ukrainian and Russian Baroque styles. It’s reminiscent of the Summer Palace in St. Petersburg, and with good reason - they were designed by the same architect, Bartolomeo Rastrelli. The imperial family

resided here during their visits to Kyiv, and now meetings with high-ranking foreign diplomats are held in the palace.

Being a warm day we walk the park-like setting … buying some ice cream … watching the passing population enjoying the day. We pass by the Dynamo Stadium and it brings some recollections of its sordid history …

Dynamo Stadium … in the stadium is a monument honoring the life of Valeriy Lobanovs’kyi, Dynamo's famous coach who died in May 2002. Lobanovs’kyi won countless Soviet leagues and cups first as a player and then as coach, not to his mention his team’s two European Cup-Winners Cup triumphs and a string of Ukrainian titles. An even more poignant memorial is the one depicting in stern granite the four Dynamo players who were killed by occupying Nazis during WWII. Contrary to Soviet myth and many published materials, these players were not shot in their uniforms immediately after defeating a German side in a so-called ‘Death Match’. However, their team Start (consisting of players from Dynamo and other Soviet clubs) did defeat a team of German soldiers called Flakelf in August 1942 - in fact they did it twice in 72 hours by scores of 5-1 and 5-3. Only weeks later were N. Korotkykh, N. Trusevich, A. Klimenko and I. Kuzmenko arrested. Korotkykh, a NKVD (the precursor to the KGB) agent, was tortured and soon died, while the other three were executed in February 1943 at the Syrets death camp. Regardless, the less-romanticized reality shouldn’t take away from the players’ heroism, embodied when they ignored orders and refused to give a Nazi salute prior to their last game.

Kyiv is a garden city … the park we are traversing is a combined Cross and Mary Parks. Linking the parks is a footbridge … The Park Footbridge (1904). This bridge is commonly referred to as the “Bridge of Lovers” or the “Kissing Bridge”. In a less romantic name, it is called the “Devil’s Bridge”, due to the feeling of fear that immediately arises when one steps on the light bridge over a deep precipice. The many locks are left by lovers who are “together” in love and life.

We leave this place of romance and take the metro to Oksana’s. We are famished and wish to wind down our visit to Kyiv.


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Oksana’s apartment … in an old building but as modern as any … tastefully decorated … very comfortable … top floor …

Everyone seated for an elegant lunch buffet …

… canapés, salads, juice, wine, fresh vegetables, and cakes …

Oksana’s son … Marko:

Gracious hostess … Oksana

… and our ‘tour guide’ and dear friend … Olesya.

We sat and chatted until perhaps 17:30 … time to leave and head back to the airport. Oksana drove us to the Kyiv Central Railroad Station where we took another mini-bus to the airport (100 hryvnia - $20 USD).

Check-in at the airport was easy … security was light (my camera was looked over twice) … the wait for the plane to arrive was short and before we knew it we were off … back to L’viv. Uncomplicated flight; no dripping water from overhead bins. Food service on board was the same … two small sandwiches and something to drink.

We arrived in L’viv about 20:20. Andriy met his family … we bid a short goodbye … we will revisit each other again before our departure from Ukraine … and our driver Yuriy met us. We were back in Zymna Voda by 21:00. Yes, tired as we were we still had time for a light supper of crepes and sandwiches … washed down by beer.

Last note on Kyiv …

The hospitality accorded to us by Oksana and Marko in Kyiv was not in any way out-of-the-ordinary. Such accommodations are the norm in east-European countries. Oksana is an environmental consultant … speaks perfect English … a recent widow … a world-traveler … just a gracious hostess who would go out of her way to make certain that you are well treated and want for nothing. How many of us appreciate such treatment from total strangers? This experience is so common for us that at times we must make a conscious effort to remember that hospitality is given not to be expected. Kyiv was the highlight of our Ukrainian experience … which is not to minimize our friends from L’viv … but to visit a world-class city under such conditions is memorable.

recollections of ukraine 2007 - rozylowicz · items of interest (craftwise); onyx from turkey looks...

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