Kiev's Second Chance.

I'm sure you all remember my less-than-fond recollection of our first stay in Kiev. I was not impressed. In hindsight, maybe I just went through my first experience with culture shock? Hmm. Don't know. But anyways, we were stopping in Kiev again for a few days before taking a sleeper train back to Warsaw for the rest of the EURO2012 tournament, so Kiev was given the second chance I otherwise probably wouldn't have granted it.

As it turns out, Kiev does have some good qualities.

Take kvass, for example. Spelled "kbac" in the Cyrillic alphabet, kvass is a typical Ukrainian beverage made from fermented rye. It is probably the only non-alcoholic beverage I've ever seen anyone drink here besides Orange Fanta. We tried it for the first time while strolling around downtown Kiev, and were surprised at how tasty it was. It tastes a bit like toast with honey, actually. It sounds weird to say that something tastes like toast, because really, toast is just bread, right? No. Kbac has that crusty, charry taste that is exactly how toast smells. That's the only way I can describe it to you. Toast. With honey. (And I love toast!)

Also, we tried what is, in my opinion, the best beer in Ukraine. The label is in Cyrillic, but if my translation is correct (which it may or may not be; I have come a long way in learning to read it), this beer is called "chyernigivska" (or something like that).

Then we found what we thought was an American restaurant called Route 66. It even had an American flag in it! (And Jack Daniels memorabilia EVERYWHERE.) But when we went inside, we found out it was a Ukrainian version of the American biker bar.

Sillyness.

We ordered another classic Ukrainian dish called holubtsi (although the "h" makes a hard "g" sound when Ukrainians talk), which was okay (very savory... like everything else here), Steve ordered a veal burrito (what??), and I ordered Ukrainian beef stroganoff which, incidentally, was made with pork.

And what better way to change a bad first impression of your city than to offer me not one, but TWO free walking tours???

WARNING: prepare to be photo-bombed.

The pictures above are of the monument (apparently referred to by the locals as "The Lollipop") where we met our tour guide; the base of the monument has the distances of every country's capital in kilometers from Kiev. Billy is pointing to Washington.

We paid a visit to St. Michael's Cathedral, which was painted blue, according to our guide, so that the blue and gold matched Ukraine's flag. There is a fountain in the cathedral courtyard (which is actually more of a birdbath, really, because there is no way for water to flow through it; it is more of a big stone basin) where, in order to bring luck to yourself, you must take a coin, wet it in the fountain (which a guy in our group poured his water bottle into since there was no water when we arrived), and make it stick on the bronze knobs on the side. That coin on the side? Yeah, I did that. I am a lucky gal. My wedding ring proves it. ;)

This hedgehog comes from a cartoon, and part of his story is that he is afraid of horses. Poor Billy was just trying to make a friend. :(

The bronze cat that Billy is sitting on apparently alerted a whole apartment building during a fire in the middle of the night. The cat died in that fire, but as thanks, the people of Ukraine put up a monument. Locals have since given that cat a girlfriend (in the tree) and a baby (made of forks?).

More pictures from around the city, including, of course, Olympic Stadium where the EURO2012 final will be held (in only a few days???), and Steve standing beneath a plaque that names him "President of Ukraine".

Okay, Kiev, you have redeemed yourself. Thank you for giving me some fond memories to look back on.