Travel Pictures

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The building on the left is a good example of the style of new super expensive highrise apartments in Pechersk district.

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This is the stainless steel Russian-Ukrainian Brotherhood Arch.

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The Bell Tower at the top of Saint Sophia Cathedral, the oldest church in Kyiv. The church dates from the 11th century.

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Mikhailivskiy Monastery at night. This is only a reconstruction, the original was destroyed by the Soviets.

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I like how this picture juxtaposes the three main building types of Kyiv. On the left you have one of the the standard five-story housing complexes that make up the majority of residential housing in the city. In the center is one of the new hyper-expensive highrises that are going in these days, and on the right you have the church building now located on the October Hospital grounds. (it has been converted back into a working church)

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Besarabskiy Market. The produce here is ridiculously expensive, only foreigners and people with crazy money shop here. Normal folks shop at one of the less historical but much bigger markets located throughout the various Kyiv districts.

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Kyiv is actually a very green city, with an impressive amount of green space per city resident, beating many Western European capitals.

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This statue looked like he was helping the woman mop the fountain.

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Kyiv State University (also Shevchenko University). This is the central building of one of the most prestigious universities in Ukraine. That's Shevchenko facing it.

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Almost every nice day, there seems to be flocks of old fellows playing chess and dominos in this park along Taras Shevchenko.

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A train leaving Kyiv Central Station

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The fountain and statue of Ukraine's mythical founders: the brothers Kiy, Shchek, Khoryv, and their sister Lybid. The fountain is located on Maidan.

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Maidan on Independence Day 2004.

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The Russia-Ukraine Brotherhood Arch from below.

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The view of the Podil (trade district) from the Brotherhood Arch.

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Another view from the Brotherhood Arch.

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I like the pleasant fascades that are gradually being restored in central Kyiv.

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Just your standard telephone booth with legs.

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Kalyna berries, a Ukrainian national berry. I, however, think they're horribly sour.

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The Dnipro river.

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Some of the buses in Kyiv have far exceeded their lifespan. The view through this window is of a regular Ukrainian bazaar.

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Bogdan Khmenitsky, Ukraine's original man with a mace.

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Not Bogdan Khmelnytskiy. A costumed fellow advertising one of my favorite little restaurants in Kyiv, Korchma.

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The weird Power Ranger Action Figure statue at one end of Independence square.

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The super-tall column, surmounted by a woman in Ukrainian dress, which stands opposite the Power Ranger on Independence Square.

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I always thought it was amusing to look at the weird circle and line thing on the side of the building and know it used to be a hammer and sickle.

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A view of the Globus, multi-story underground mall underneath Independence Square. There is another underground mall, Metrograd, which stretches away along Khreshchatyk for a number of blocks.

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Bogdan Khmelnytsky and one of the ubiquitous massive construction cranes.

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This is my favorite people picture of all the ones I've ever taken.

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Another view of lady Maidan.

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Onlookers enjoy watching one of the half-dozen street musicians that set up along Khreshchatyk when the weather permits.

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I gain great satisfaction from knowing that the one Lenin statue left in central Kyiv is now forever looking through the front window of a "Mister Snack" fast food joint.

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This idyllic picture of young boys near a lake in far-western Kyiv was disturbed for me when I realized that they were out there smoking.

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The Train Station Metro station.

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The hulking monolith that is the Central Train Station. In actuality, I really like this building. The inside of the building was redone in a tasteful way near the beginning of my Peace Corps service. It make a nice contrast to the way the pleasant parklike atmosphere of Independence Square was made unpleasantly gaudy.

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I liked this balloon seller on Independence Day 2004.

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I really liked this balloon seller on Independence Day.

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A view of European Square from the top of the Dnipro hotel. The arch in the background is the "Friendship Arch" meant to commemorate Ukrainian and Russian unity.

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The end of Khreshchatyk near European Square. In the background is the dome of Sofia Kyiv Church.

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The Power Ranger lit up for Night Fighting Mode. Behind him is the Kyiv Metro (Subway) office building and the Kyiv office of Slavutych brewery. (or possibly just advertisements for the same)

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Lady Maidan flanked by one end of the Globus underground/overground mall and behind that the Hotel Ukraina. (which I hear is soon to be replaced by a much bigger, much gaudier building, which makes me think of the atrocious Kempinksy hotel in Odesa.