Wandering Woodwards: Kyiv, Ukraine

The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates Easter the weekend after 'The West', April 12th this year. Unbelievably, Roy had 5 consecutive days off!!! waaa-whhooo! (well, if he took off Saturday, which was a no-brainer!) Where to go? We had been wanting to attend the nearest Temple and since that happens to be in Kyiv, Ukraine, away we went! Yes, I was a little nervous, after all, there is a war currently being fought on their Eastern border with Russia. I needn't have worried, you would never know it and we spent two great days there and fell in love with Kyiv (the Ukrainians now spell it Kyiv rather than Kiev).
Ukraine is very flat with cultivated fields as far as we could see from the air as we landed. I believe at one time, it was called "the bread basket" of the Soviet Union. Kyiv is a city of almost 3 million and feels very "European". But unlike their European neighbors, everything is super cheap!!! Unfortunately the war has scared many of the American tourists away, but I would encourage anyone and everyone to GO! No Visa needed, the airport is super modern, and the city is very clean with friendly people. We felt very safe and our USD stretched much further than in Madrid or Athens.
And are you sitting down? The Woodward's had two solid days of SUNSHINE!! Unbelievably no rain! Yes, there was a brisk wind which made it a little chilly the first day but we were not complaining!

St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Cathedral

SHOCK after Ankara and Tbilisi! Drivers stop for pedestrians in crosswalks!!

These friendly guys were eager to pose with you for pictures and then wanted to be paid quite well (in Ukrainian terms) for that service. As we walked, we were offered white pigeons where we learned the set-up and said, 'NO thank you' to the monkey that was allowed to jump on Roy's shoulder, but we did succumb to these guys.

Independence Square or Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Ukrainian: Майдан Незалежності ).

protecting goddess from Slavic mythology: Berehynia

The 2014 Ukrainian revolution took place after a series of violent events involving protesters, riot police and unknown shooters (some say then-president Yanukovych ordered the police to shoot) here that resulted in the ousting of Viktor Yanukovych - more about him later. The candles commemorate the 100 people that died here.

A small, local political protest in front of the mayor's office

According to Old Rus chronicles, the founders of Kiev: Princes Kyi, Shchek and Khoriv and their sister Lybid

Wandering around we stumbled into an Easter festival at the Eastern Orthodox St. Sofia's Cathedral complex whose foundations were laid in 1098.

Young folk dancers and singers

These are real eggs, not wooden, and hundred were on display for the holiday.

And why we had come: the beautiful Kyiv Ukraine Temple

The people taking the picture near the doors are a proud American mother and father picking up their missionary son. We enjoyed a nice chat with this faithful couple - a daughter went to Guatemala and another daughter is preparing to leave for the Vladivostok Russia Mission, and when they heard I knew someone currently serving there, with great excitement they said," can we please have her email address, so we can ask what she really needs to bring?" After the session we were chatting with the Temple Matron (from Boise), as she found someone to call a taxi for us, and she mentioned they have never had two American couples at the same time. I smiled and remembered what a good friend once told me: "There are no coincidences with the Lord". I guess the P. family was meant to be connected with Sister Oler.
The next day we toured the city with a guide we hired, Vitaliy, who took us first to the "Museum of Corruption" (no joke). It was the 365 acre private estate of corrupt former President Victor Yanukovych,

who was ousted as the 4th President of Ukraine in February 2014 during the Ukraine Revolution. According to our guide Yanukovych embezzled Billions (yes, Billions with a capital B), from the Ukrainian people. This place is beautifully landscaped and has anything money could buy: indoor and outdoor tennis courts, indoor boxing ring, several saunas, a small farm, orchards and gardens - he would only eat food grown on the estate - plus a small private zoo, helicopter pad, giant garages, and golf course, and that is just the outer buildings. Inside the house, so we hear, is beautifully decorated, and has a shooting range, indoor pool, and gold toilet. All to the tune of at least $75 million dollars. When the Revolution broke out he ran for it taking $1Billion and eventually settled somewhere in Southern Russia. I just read on Wikipedia, in February 2015, Interpol placed him on their most wanted list. Yikes!
We didn't tour inside the house, maybe next time. Walking around the grounds or as Vitaliy called it, "territory", was breathtaking and disgusting at the same time. And why didn't the people know what was happening? A 5m (15') solid fence surrounded the estate, and the workers were sworn (and certainly threatened) to secrecy.

A delicious lunch of Ukrainian dumplings and chicken Kyiv. Yum! Afterwards into the city...

artwork in the women's restroom

We went to the outdoor park and military museum to see some old Soviet hardware...

Mig

a decommissioned ICBM missle launcher. scary....

This T-64 tank was on display in the military park. The Ukraine captured it in the separatist area about 3 months ago and it clearly had come from Russia. Ukraine demanded an explanation from the Russians to which Vladimir Putin replied: "Look, the 205th Motorized Brigade was driving from Stavropol to Minsk on a humanitarian mission and they took the wrong offramp and ended up in the eastern Ukraine. It could happen to anybody."
No joke!
This is the Motherland Monument, it commemorates all the soldiers honored with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and Hero of Socialist Labor during the war. The statue is 62m tall (203.4ft), which Vitaliy was quick to point out, is 16m taller than the Statue of Liberty (he's right, btw). Notice the huge shield on which is the (hammer & sickle) Coat of Arms of the Soviet Union. Originally meant to honor the Russians for fighting/beating the Germans out of Ukraine in 1943, it now galls the Ukrainians to no end with the recent Russian invasion.