kiev

Yesterday Saturday we were picked up from our apartment at noon and drove to downtown Kiev. It is a beautiful city and the falling snow with close to below temps does not stop anyone from getting out. We first went to the mall which is underground and has two stories. We walked around saw the shops which are very similar to what we have in the states, Nike, Victoria Secret and Timberline. We got a coffee and left the mall to walk outside with our translator. The three of us walked to see some of the churches. The walk was beautiful in the snow and I can only imagine the beauty of this place in the summer. There are large statues and grand churches with many park like areas inbetween. Our translator was a wealth of information about the churches, the different religions in the area and how Russia and the Ukraine had their divide. He took us inside Saint Peter's church that was so amazing. It was filled with gold carvings and paintings on the wall. There were many people there as it was Saint Nicholas day yesterday. Having learned about the churches and walking around Kiev yesterday will be one of my most memorable parts of this trip. Next we went to lunch and it was good, all the food has been good, it was Ukrainian food and just hit the spot. The last of our stops was to buy train tickets. We could only get 1st class sleeper cars. Works for me if I can lay down flat while traveling I'll be happy. That was our day!

Things are different than they are in the states. Example we went to buy train tickets on Friday for Sunday and there were none but then we went back on Saturday and they had them.