So after we settled into our hostel, Bev, myself, Neigel, and my brother took the metro to the center of kyiv. Neigel left us at the Chernobyl museum. Bev had booked a tour of the actual chernobyl for today. (I wish I had booked the tour, however i was not organized enough). Afterward, we walked to Kontraktova Square, where we met an odd Slovak guy named Andre, who was a history nerd. He latched onto our little posse and started to give us a narrated history tour of the area (for free). We walked the whole of Volodymyrska Street, from bottom to top and then back down. He lectured us on how this street was the veins of kyiv, the aristocrats on the top of the hill and the market square on the bottom.
halfway up the street is the Bulgakoc Museum. Both Bev and I are fans of Bolgakov - I loved The Master and Margarita (bought a new copy in Prague and shipped it back 2 weeks ago in fact). so she and i attempted to tour the home/museum. the price was psoted 20 hv, however the museum woman was a bitch and tried to charge us 75 hv for the tour. we said - no - and snuck around th back and gave ourselves our own tour.
we climed a hill behind Bolgakov's home to see the view of the 3 hills of the witches. stories say that witches gathered on these hills to celebrate their craft and influenced the writings of Bolgakov.
lastly we finished climbing the street and toured St andrew's church at the very top, a beautiful baroque church done in golds tourquois and reds.
we went back to the center of town, Independance Square, where in 2004 the Orange Revolution took place, insuring that Ukraine was no longer under the influence of the Russian government. we again at at the Ukrainian cafeteria for more borsht and beer. we finished the evening with a vodka walk around midnight, to the sounds of fireworks.
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