Sushi, cappuccinos, the internet… modernity sits easily next to ancient treasures in post-Soviet Kyiv
IF YOU'RE still eating chicken Kiev, it's time to stop. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine's capital has reverted to its original name, Kyiv. And it's not just the spelling that's changed: Kyiv has long been a city of ancient treasures b
ut is now also one of gleaming shopping malls, particularly around Independence Square. It was here that the protesters of the Orange Revolution gathered to dispute the results of the general election in 2004, rejecting the corruption of the old regime.
Since then, the country has entered a calmer period and foreign investment is rolling in, but the abrupt modernisation makes for some incongruities. I ate top-notch sushi and drank cappuccinos in internet cafés, but in my hotel a middle-aged woman was posted on every floor to mind the keys. Every evening people strolled around the squares, drinking beer and enjoying an Italian-style passeggiata. Yet for old women selling fruit from carrier bags the social security of the Soviet days was lost at a considerable price. On television you see Ukrainian hip-hop videos, but when it comes to advertising cars the main selling point is rust-proofing.
My first stop was St Sophia's cathedral and its bell-tower, which takes full advantage of its hilltop position. After wheezing to the top I was rewarded with stunning views of the city, golden domes of Orthodox churches glittering between skyscrapers and apartment blocks, and the vast Dnipro river curving into the distance. Entering the cathedral, my eyes took a while to adjust to the darkness, but then I was able to make out the stunning Byzantine frescos and mosaics, which date back to 1017. Biblical scenes with sad-eyed saints are depicted in shades of soft blue, faded red, dusty pink, orange and gold.
St Sophia's is in the upper town, where most of the main attractions are found – the seven golden domes of St Michael's church, the Botanic Gardens and the Golden Gate, a reconstruction of the city's old fortifications. At St Volodymyr's cathedral, the exterior seems typically orthodox but the interior is covered with art-nouveau murals. The broad boulevards lined with grand apartment blocks have a distinctly Parisian air, while shoppers stroll past shiny window displays or buy astonishing coloured pickles in the Bessarabsky market.
Linking the upper town to the riverside lower town is a twisting cobbled street called Andriyivsky Uzviz – Andrew's Descent. This is the route Kyiv's first Christian preacher is supposed to have taken after climbing the hill to fix a cross to its summit. The baroque St Andrew's church towers over the street. Happily for those lacking evangelical zeal, there is a quick, cheap funicular nearby to return you to the top of the hill. On the last weekend in May Andriyivsky Uzviz will be particularly bustling as Kyiv Day brings a host of street performers here to celebrate the city's founding.
Market stalls line the pavements next to shops, galleries and cafés in old wooden houses or buildings with white stucco work against blue or yellow walls. You can buy communist memorabilia, pearls or local pottery. At number 2 there's the Museum of One Street, about the people who have lived on Andriyivsky Uzviz. Actors, musicians, writers, Jewish and Christian communities, and the 19th and 20th centuries are well represented. With only a broad outline available in English, the experience is fairly impressionistic but still fascinating.
At the bottom of the hill is Podil, the former Jewish district. I visited the Chernobyl Museum, which made for chilling viewing. Frustratingly, the main exhibits are labelled only in Russian and Ukrainian, but stark black-and-white photos show the effects of the explosion and how radiation sickness has affected the locals. Even today, more than 20 years on, it is not advisable to swim in the Dnipro – the water is fine but silt on the riverbed might still be radioactive. The abundant local berries and fruit are safe to eat but you can only imagine the disastrous effect it had on the country – for centuries Ukraine had been known as the breadbasket of Europe, hence the national flag (blue sky over a yellow wheat field).
Back on Andriyivsky Uzviz, I headed for Za Dvomo Zaytsamy restaurant. Its name means 'chasing two hares', a reference to a Ukrainian proverb which became the name of a classic comic film, in which a barber puts on airs to woo not just one but two wealthy ladies, inevitably failing to catch either. The interior is rather olde worlde and in one of the rooms a brass band was playing cheery folk melodies for a large group. I'm not sure if that's a regular feature but it made for a convivial mood. Here you can eat well in the traditional manner – aubergine rolls filled with nuts and garlic, rabbit legs stuffed with cabbage and mushrooms, meat rolls with cherries and prunes, chicken stuffed with bacon and apricots – there's almost nothing on the menu that isn't stuffed. Washed down with beer and finished off with a cognac, it makes for fine dining.
There are times in Kyiv when the modern world leaves you behind and you remember how far you are from home. A trip to Pecherska Lavra, a monastery that was founded in the 11th century in a cave and has grown into a complex of gold-domed churches, museums, shops, chapels and a huge bell-tower, is one such. It's well worth exploring, especially for the old frescoed refectory and the fabulous jewellery in the Historical Treasure Museum.
Down the hill are the caves where it all started, the holiest place of pilgrimage in Ukraine. Female visitors must don a hat or headscarf and you'll need to buy a beeswax taper to light your way round. Once inside, low ceilings curve just above your head and glass coffins sit in niches. Each contains the brocade-covered body of a monk who died several centuries ago, naturally mummified by the cool, dry air. Sometimes a withered hand is displayed. Their velvet slippers are embroidered with grapes, corn stalks and crosses, their faces covered with velvet cloths.
With the flickering light of my candle I picked out the faces of saints in paintings above the coffins. The flash of a gold halo flickering out of the gloom made me understand the power this must have held – and still does – for the Orthodox believers.
On my last day, I strolled through Shevchenko Park, named after the writer Taras rather than the Chelsea footballer Andriy. Dozens of chess games were in progress, the players oblivious to the curious spectators, soaking up the early-spring sunshine and restricting their battles to the mind. Kyiv has seen some terrible times but to visit now is to enjoy the mellow charm of old European civilisation – cafés, culture, cathedrals – combined with a fresh mood of optimism.
FACT FILE: KYIVKLM (08705 074074,
www.klm.com) flies from Edinburgh to Kyiv (via Amsterdam). Return fares start at £286. The Hotel Vozdvyzhensky (
www.vozdvyzhensky.com) is the chicest hotel in town, and is well located just off Andriyivsky Uzviz. Prices of double rooms vary – check the hotel website for up-to-date details. The booking service
www.selectukraine.com/hotel is also useful.
