Travel: Ukraine
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Top Kiev Spot: Zamkova Hora, Castle Hill With An Amazing View
Isn’t this view wonderful? I just loved Kiev and since we were only there on an introductory visit I can’t wait to go back and explore! Fortunately as we walked up Andrew’s Descent in Podil I remembered something about some stairs, so when I saw them I knew we just had to make the climb, and boy was it worth it. The view from Zamkova Hora, Castle Hill is not to be missed! Come, lets take a look!
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Top Kiev Spot: The Colorful Architecture Of Podil
If you ever decide to visit Kiev, and I hope to go again in the not too distant future, do spend some time exploring the Podil neighborhood, as it is truly delightful! I just love the colorful stucco buildings, the street cars, the street art and a feeling that didn’t remind me of anywhere else in the world! Kiev has some truly amazing sights and you can do it really inexpensively, a studio apartment vacation rental in the Podil neighborhood can be rented for around $20 a night, really truly! In the mean time, come with me for a little walk around the neighborhood, won’t you?
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Kiev’s Khreshchatyk Street Is The Fifth Avenue Of The Ukraine!
After spending Passover in the Ukraine, in relatively economically depressed areas, arriving in Kiev and seeing one of the top 20 most expensive shopping streets in Europe was truly a shock. Kiev’s Khreshchatyk Street is said to be the Ukraine’s answer to London’s Oxford Street and New York’s Fifth Avenue, so don’t be surprised to row upon row of high end stores like Tiffany, Bulgari, Gucci, Louis Vuitton etc. And I must say, the grandeur of the architecture and the street itself is much more impressive than Fifth Avenue, so maybe do your shopping or rather window shopping here? Ah yes, and no beeping horns and traffic as the street…
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Jewish Stained Glass Windows Celebrate Triumph Over Tragedy
These beautiful and very modern stained glass windows are located in the Podil Synagogue in Kiev, Ukraine. They are colorful and graphic and I do wish I could get a breakdown of all the elements and their meaning, as there was certaily a great deal of thought and effort put into their design. One of the overwhelming feelings I get from looking at this set of stained glass windows, located in the lobby of the Synagogue, is the idea of triumph over tragedy, which is certainly a very fitting concept now that we are in the period on the Jewish calender called “the three weeks” leading up to the very…
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The Historic Podil Synagogue, Kiev, Ukraine
One of the greatest delights on our trip to Kiev and the Ukraine this past Passover was getting to know the historic Podil Synagogue in Kiev, which is part of a small compound also containing a kosher meat restaurant, a kosher breakfast, and early dinner cafe, a kosher food store, a kosher hotel, and a boy’s yeshiva. Ah yes, and there is also a matzo bakery! The synagogue has been restored to all its glory, and it was such a relief to come to a foreign city and have everything we needed at our fingertips. In the USA and Canada one can find more than enough kosher products in any…
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Public Art In The Ukraine: Wall Murals In Kyiv!
On our Passover trip to the Ukraine I had neither time to do research before hand, nor internet access once on the trip, so the whole experience was very much a surprise, and things are still unfolding as I start to do research about many of the things I saw, and of course photographed! I’ll admit, I’m generally not a fan of huge wall murals, and especially those on historic buildings, but some of the examples I saw in Kiev (many from the car so no possibility of photographing them) were really quite interesting, and I actually really love the two examples that I did get to photograph! As it…
