Ukraine
Ukraine gained independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and has since veered between seeking closer integration with Western Europe. Europe’s second largest country, Ukraine is a land of wide, fertile agricultural plains, with large pockets of heavy industry in the east. Russia seized and annexed Crimea in March 2014, amid the chaos following the fall of President Viktor Yanukovych. Population 44.9 million. Area 603,700 sq km. languages Russian, Religion is mostly Christianity, Currency hryvnia. Capital of Ukraine is Kiev.
Ukraine Flag
Our 10 days in Ukraine was time well spent. Kiev was our first stop; the architecture was different to what we are used to, The Cathedral of St. Sophia, the Golden Gates and St Andrews Church are all amazing.
The Cathedral of St Sophia
Bell tower of Sophia
St Andrews Church
The Golden gates
We took a day trip out to Chernobyl, it was very interesting to hear what really happened here and how the Russians tried to cover it up. To this day they have no idea how many people died, besides the 31 workers on shift that night in 1986, no records were kept after the city of Pripyat was evacuated. Over Fifty thousand people had to be evacuated and it was all done within 48 hours. Most people had no idea that they would never move back to live here, the average age of the work force of Chernobyl was 26, there were a lot of young families that had dreams of a wonderful life here. They are still trying to decontaminate the whole area. Surprisingly the vegetation has come back in leaps and bounds. We also saw the huge Duga-3 system, part of the Soviet Anti-ballistic missile early-warning network it was nick named the Russian Woodpecker because of the noise it made, at the time the Russians tried to tell the locals it was a TV antenna. It was never used because of the explosion at Chernobyl.
Chernobyl
A memorial to the Fire Fighters
A fun park that was due to open 3 days before the disaster, it never opened.
Vegetation has come back in leaps and bounds
Russian Woodpecker
We had a great meal in Kiev, it was an Italian Restaurant called Osteria Pantagruel address, Mykoly Lysenka St I Kyiv Ukraine food, service and atmosphere was very good.
Odessa was very relaxing, the beaches are very nice (I had my first swim in the black sea, very refreshing). The city garden is a wonderful spot, it has concerts, movies, kids shows on most days and nights, it is a great place for the locals to socialize. The Opera and Ballet Theatre was nice, but sorry nothing on the Sydney Opera house. The famous Potemkin Steps are a must see they are considered a formal entrance into the city from the direction of the sea. The people are very helpful and friendly. The food was quality rather than quantity which suited me just fine.
Odessa beach
The City Gardens
We had a lovely time in the Ukraine