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Bangkok Post: Kiev's charm
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4 October 2010
The Ukraine capital disarmingly engaging oozing with warmth and vitality of youth, Bangkok Post writes in the article "Kiev's charm offensive"
Who goes to Ukraine for a holiday? Those in the know do. Kyiv, better known as Kiev, is a young and vibrant city of nearly five million people offering a diverse array of activities for visitors. They are the same as for residents, and that is one of Kiev's most appealing aspects; because Ukraine is devoid of the oozing masses of tourists engulfing other European capitals in northern summer, it is easy to mix with the locals, who, despite any language barrier, have to be counted among the friendliest of Eastern Europeans.
Kiev will surprise people expecting grumpy residents and fusty attitudes. The city's openness is obvious in the new generation, who sport piercings and wildly coloured hair just as their counterparts in other countries do these days. Kiev is also a devout place where ladies dressed in black flock to the many Eastern Orthodox churches and monasteries for a bit of contemplation and prayer.
All walks of life are accepted more than would be imagined in this part of the world, where _ relatively short periods aside _ creativity and forward thinking have thrived for more than a thousand years in this, one of Europe's oldest capital cities. All those beautiful imperial buildings we admire in such places as Prague and Vienna? While not as numerous or as elaborate, those in Kiev, too, reflect the city's former wealth in appropriate detail and scale, though 19th-century buildings are mere babies in a place where monasteries have existed for more than a thousand years.
Most of Kiev's major attractions are located within a comparatively small area in and near the city centre and can be reached on foot. For visits further afield, hotels can arrange for taxis or for cars and drivers to be hired for a specified period or for the day. Alternatively, the Kiev metro system provides inexpensive and efficient transport to the city's outer districts.
Read the full story here:
Bangkok Post
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