2022
After Covid travel restrictions had eased up this year I finally managed to visit Ukraine for the first time in my life this year in September.
Kiev
The capital Kiev (Kyiv) is an impressive city with a rather complicated and not too distant political/historical past. Therefore my first stop was the Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti) in the town center which only saw its latest revolution in 2014. While now it is host to a musical fountain light display, its historical prominence cannot be denied.
The classical tourist thing to do in the city is definitely taking in the numerous majestic churches, monasteries and cathedrals which due to its golden roofs and unique architecture stand out quite a bit. The most famous is probably St. Sophia’s Cathedral which big open courtyard garden links several building complexes and exhibitions. It is worth paying extra for the dazzling climb and sight of the bell tower. A ten minute walk from there is St. Andrew’s Church, which doesn’t have much to offer from the inside, but its pompous location on a hill side is worth the ticket to enter the complex. Its architecture and the backdrop of the city are quite impressive. On the walk back you might as well stop by St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery, which basically has that to offer what is says on the tin. If you are still in the mood for some more golden domes and really want to receive the knock-out punch plan a day or two to see all of Kiev Pechersk Lavra, which is a momentous monastery divided into the upper and lower Lavra. It is massive! By the time I got there I kind was over the whole churchy vibes, but if that is your thing you might as well start with it. There are also famous caves (mind different opening hours and last entry), which I didn’t get to see, but I heard they are worth it.
I personally really liked the complex around the Ukrainian State Museum of the Great Patriotic War, which is a massive park complex at the edge of the city with a huge statue, the Motherland Monument towering over it. The statue itself is already worth the trip as it is quite the sight.
If you stil got time on your hands you might want to consider a boat trip along the river, but Kiev does not really have a traditional skyline other than the Motherland Monument, so I found the trip a bit dull. Also a bit lower on the list is the Kiev Fortress, which has not that much to offer, but the small hidden away exhibitions give an impressive insight on latest revolution. There is also a Toilet Museum nearby, which is tiny and quirky, but you might wanna consider going just so you can say that you have been to a toilet museum. The staff is very attentive and want to make sure that you have a good time.
Chernobyl
As someone who was in Japan during the big 2011 earthquake and impacted by the subsequent Fukushima reactor breach and nuclear fallout, I am morbidly fascinated (and scared by) the dangers of radiation. Chernobyl which obviously was the sight of the biggest nuclear catastrophe in history is most accessible from Kiev. You can book various day (or week) trips to gain some more “hands on” insight on this historical event. I booked with Chernobyl Tour. The guides were very friendly, funny, knowledgeable and always put our safety first. When entering and leaving the exclusion zone you will get checked for radiation regularly and the guides tell you what to do and where to go (or rather what not to do and where not to go).
Our first stop was the Duga Radar, an old abandoned Soviet spy radar facility, which apparently never quite worked. It is worth the detour as it is a huge and massive construction which is too big to fit into one picture.
I was very much surprised on how close you could get to the actual Chernobyl Reactor #4. You can basically stand right in front of it. I assumed I would only be able to to see it from the distance. Being so close to what is a monument to a such a critical disaster in human history was quite the humbling surreal feeling. Definitely worth the trip just for that. We had lunch in a cafeteria just a few meters away from the reactor, which was also a bizarre feeling: Having lunch in the cafeteria of the exclusion zone itself. Depending on time the tour will take you to all sorts of abandoned sights and villages which all look like the set of a post-apocalyptic zombie blockbuster. Most famously the abandoned Pripyat Amusement Park and the surrounding town.
What I found most striking was the knowledge of the tour guides of where to look for high radiation. You can rent your own Geiger meter and hold it against certain objects and in certain areas. From one moment to the next the Geiger meter will just go berserk. A reminder of what strong and invisible force radiation can be.
Kiev Gay Scene and Kiev Pride
As you might know, a lot of my traveling evolves around exploring the gay scene in foreign countries. While I like the big party Prides in Western countries, I think it is hugely important to show solidarity and support Pride movementns and LGBT scenes in general on an international level. Because while we have achieved a lot in in Western countries only a few hours away on plane the picture looks much more different and grim. See also my post on Warsaw Pride.
When exploring (or looking for) a gay area in Kiev, it became clear quite quickly that there really is none. While being gay is not illegal in Ukraine, equality and human rights on the matter are not quite there yet. So there was no real gay area or district in Kiev, but through some googling and recommendation from people who have been there before I identified two main gay bar/clubs which are completely hidden away. So if you didn’t know they were there, you would have zero chance of running into or finding them. The first one is called Lift, which is tucked away on the 4th floor of an old apartment tower block (I can’t even find the Google Maps entry now, so I just linked the entrance site and there Insta page is here). The entrance looks like you would stumble into the opening of a cheap teeny horror movie. No signs, no colours, no rainbows, no nothing. Once you managed to make your way to the fourth floor you will step into a “normal” colourful, noisy gay bar/club environment. The party starts late, but once it gets going it was an incredible fun positive atmosphere. The second club which I think is still kind of new is called Portum. Also hidden away in the back of a courtyard with not indication that it exists from the outside the club is a bit bigger and maybe a bit more on the fancy side of the spectrum. Either way, it is an amazing location on two floors with great staff, music and fun vibes. Despite the fun environments which do exist if you actually find them I couldn’t help but wonder what impact it has on gay person in Kiev to have to “hide” away in those two locations just to be able to be yourself.
Kiev Pride (Equality March) was definitely the highlight of my trip. In advance the organisers sent out safety regulations for participants which speak for themselves. Some of them said not to put your rainbow flag out until you reached the protest starting ground and equally to put it back right away once the march was over. They also recommended not to walk home alone after the march and to let someone know where you are and when you are back home (kinda like going on a really dangerous cave exploration?).
When I arrived at the march site there were zero (!) corporate sponsors, no floats, it basically was full on protest march. We were around 7000 people and the march itself didn’t take too long. It was protected by a huge police presence who escorted the protestors along the way. At times it seemed that there were more police than protesters. But what a feeling it was to be there and be part of it! I felt very humbled and privileged to be among such brave people. Very emotional!
At the end of the march everyone had to be transported off via the subway. I asked the police if I could just walk back to my hotel, but they told me that everyone participating in the march had to go on the subway for our own safety. Once on the train it turned out the train would not stop until the very end (!) of the line. So all the gays literally got shipped away and then at the end of the line naturally everybody had to go back into town. Quite a bizarre experience and (apologies for the krass comparison), but I felt like being on a train to a concentration camp. What added to that strange feeling was the fact that as suggested everyone had packed away there rainbow flags and colourful shirts and accessories and where there was screaming and shouting and protesting before, now everyone stood in repressed silence.
Once back in the city I was still feeling quite buzzed so I decided - against the official advise - and took out my rainbow flag while marching by myself this time back to the hotel (in retrospect this was either quite bold or rather stupid - or a bit of both). Thankfully nothing happened to me other than a few people coming up to me and caringly suggesting that I should put the flag away as it would be way too dangerous to walk around like this. While it is not illegal to show a rainbow flag (unlike in Russia), the amount of people coming up to me sure made it seem like it was a dangerous affair. I got a few looks, but no one made a bad comment and I didn’t get beaten up. When I arrived back at the hotel I learned that the hotel also was the base of the volunteers who organised the event (can’t applaud them enough!!). While they were quite baffled why someone living in the UK was visiting the Equality March in Kiev, they shared a lot of their experience of organising the march and what it means to be queer in Ukraine, for which I am very grateful.
Their social media even ended up using a photo of me during the march for their Intersex Awareness social media post. So I definitely managed to leave my mark. In all seriousness, like so many other countries Ukraine has quite a way to go when it comes to LGBT rights, but thanks to the work and countless efforts of the people organising the march and daring to go out on the street to protest, I am hopeful that we are heading in the right direction.
What is next? Well there is Euro Pride in Belgrade, Serbia this year. Who is in? 🙂
