Kiev, Ukraine

A Few Hours In Kiev
Kiev (also spelt Kyiv) is the capital of Ukraine and one of the biggest cities in Europe. It has been standing on steep hills overlooking the Dnipro River for more than 1,500 years. Since then, Kiev has developed into a valuable center of East Europe attracting foreign businesses and investors to its economic and natural potential.

After a 12 hour overnight unairconditioned train ride, our Mission Team, minus Ben, arrived in Kiev a little after 6 am.  Ben stayed with missionary Tim Akers for an extra week.  They headed to Lviv on the Lottie Moon van after they dropped us off at the train station in Ivano-Frankivsk.  We were picked up by another Ukranian Baptist in his unairconditioned van.  We toured the Old City of Kiev, then attended a 2 hour church service at First Baptist Kiev.  Did I mention that the church was unairconditioned too?  And where did we sit, but in the hot balcony.  Again, not really complaining, just stating facts.  Wow!  I am spoiled!  Thank goodness for airconditioning in the USA!

So we, did a walking tour in our hot, sweaty clothes we put on the day before as we headed to the Carpathian Mountains (thank goodness for good ole USA deodorant).  Did I also mention that we slept in these clothes on the train???????? 

The train station at Kiev.

A church right outside the train station.

First Baptist Church Kiev where we attended a 2 hour worship service. 

 Even though we had no clue what they were singing or what the 2 sermons were about, we did recognize the last song the choir sang.  It was  "It Is Well".  Brought me to tears!

We parked outside the church and then did a walking tour of the old city.

Not sure what this is.

Inside First Baptist Church Kiev. 

We sat in the balcony.  Hot again!  Debra was smart enough to purchase a fan in the mountains.  She fanned with it.  Cynthia fanned with her passport.  I fanned with a piece of paper I found in my purse.  I think we may stink! 

The choir loft in the church.  The choir sang 3 songs.  They had beautiful harmony and the church had wonderful acoustics.

A church in old city Kiev.

We went to a monastery.  This is a garden on the grounds.

Outside the entrance to the church at the monastery.

The garden at the monastery had both flowers and vegetables.

This is a church that was rebuilt in 1999.

A view of St. Andrews Church from below.

This is a statue of Samson in Kiev located at the Fountain of Samson which you see below. 

The fountain is a Ukrainian Baroque fountain in the Podil raion of Kiev. It was constructed in the 18th Century, later demolished by the Bolsheviks either in 1934 or 1935, and rebuilt in 1981.

The Fountain of Samson

St. Andrews Church

When we went inside this church there was a wedding taking place.  We stayed and watched for a little while.

Perched at the top of Andrew’s Descent, this colourful Baroque church is one of the city's best known landmarks. It was built in the late 18th century by Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli whose other works include the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg.The church is situated on a steep hill and has a wonderful view of the surrounding area.The St. Andrew's Church is no longer used as a religious institute but now contains a museum within its walls.When you walk through the doors, the first thing that strikes your attention is the amount of magnificent paintings and sculptures that are held there on display. These precious art pieces are works from well-known Ukrainian and Russian artists and are beautifully displayed for all to see. There are times when the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church uses certain parts of the St. Andrew Church occasionally for religious services.

Another view of St. Andrews Church

This is the Golden Gate in Kiev.

Golden Gate is a unique fortification architecture monument that survived until nowadays. It was constructed in 1017-1024 and served as a main gala entrance to Kiev. The great tower with Annunciation Church delighted contemporaries and terrified enemies, die to its inaccessibility. The name of the Gate in Kiev reminds of famous entrance to Constantinople: Kiev prince Yaroslav Mudry wanted to underline that his country was as powerful as Byzantine Empire. In the 16th-17th centuries Golden Gate was in poor condition, but it was still used as a gala entrance to Kiev until the middle of the 18th century.

The reconstructed pavilion of Golden Gate was opened in May 1982, when the country celebrated the 1,500th anniversary of Kiev.

A view of the city of Kiev.

This scene reminded me of San Francisco.

Another beautiful church in the city.  This picture is not very clear because I actually took it as we were riding in the car. 

After church, we went up to St. Andrews Church, then our guide took us to a buffet for a late lunch before we headed out to the airport. 
We arrived at the airport in Kiev and flew to Amsterdam.  We STILL have on those same sweaty clothes we put on yesterday before going into the mountains.  Double yuk!