Food for the Weary Traveler

It took me several days to fall into a rhythm of working and eating which was satisfactory. For the first seveal days after my arrival, I attempted to buy groceries to prepare and eat in the apartment. This was time consuming and awkward, especially since the nearest grocery store is a couple of blocks away. Early on, I also visited McDonalds a couple of times, which is directly across the street from the apartment. This also had great drawbacks, not the least of which is the cultural irony of traveling ten thousand miles from America to one of the great cities of eastern Europe--to eat American food. And, of course, on at least two days a week I would eat at University cafeterias while we are teaching, and Olga has invited me to eat with her a few times (although walking to and from her apartment can be very time consuming.)

In the last seveal days I have fallen into a new, economical and time-saving rhythm of eating Ukrainian food prepared in any number of inexpensive cafeteria style establishments. Here you can buy borsht, shashlik and a wide variety of authentic dishes for a few hyrvnia. I have located a number of these establishments, including one only a block or so from my apartment. I usually visit these establisments twice a day.

I then supplement my daily dining with eating fruit for breakfast--oranges, etc. These can be purchased at a number of street locations, including an excellent fruit stand located on the near corner of Taras Shevchenko park.

Money Changers

I am amazed by the vast numbers of money changers in this city. It seems that in every block there is at least one yellow sign advertising the presence of a currency exchange. Each day the exchange rates are posted in Hryvnia, Dollars, Euros and Rubles. Usually these exchanges are little booths located in the lobbies or the showrooms of other businesses--pharmacies, clothing stores, etc. The clerk inside the booth will take your American currency, pass it under an ultraviolet light to check for possible counterfeit bills, print up a receipt and then give you the proper Ukrainian currency. It is very quick and efficient, and by shopping around a little you can get better exchange rates, although that task has never interested me for the sake of saving a few small coins.

The omnipresence of these currency exchanges shows the continued reliance of the Ukrainian economy upon foreign influences--Russian, European and American. The average citizen is very aware of the currency markets. Indeed, much of the commerce of the city is transacted in foreign currency, especially Dollars. I have had three different merchants quote me a preferable price in Dollars rather than Hryvnia.

Navigating the Metro

It is now about 5:30 p.m. I had a wonderful day. I first decided that I needed to learn how to use the Metro system. I purchased a couple of little green plastic tokens at a cashier's station (they cost 50 kopiykas each, or half a griven). I deposited my token in the turnstile, then followed a vast throng of people and we descended into the entrance at Lva Tolstovo. Here you descend into a long escalator, perhaps several hundred feet long, into a cathedral like space with archways opening onto parallel tracks, one on each side. I noted that some of the ornate grillwork bore the year, "1960," so I am assuming that is when it was built or refurbished. There is also, embossed in the brick and cement work, colored signs showing the direction of travel, all of the succeeding stops, as well as connections down the line. The trains come rushing in every few minutes, pause probably twenty seconds, and then hurtle off down the tunnel. After observing the procedure for a few minutes, I ventured into the subway car headed for the Maidan station. There I disembarked, and found the connecting tunnel which leads to the sister station, Chreschatik, which is on a different line.

The connecting tunnel is amazing. It has a high arched ceiling, and the whole thing gradually rises, then falls again to the other station. The connecting tunnel must be considerably longer than a football field. It was here that I met my new friend, Valery, playing his accordian for passing change.

At Chreschatik, I again observed and studied the signs, then boarded an east bound train for Arsenalna, a station further east. It was here that I hoped to begin a walk down the Dnieper River to Pecherska Lavra. When I got to the surface, however, I found that it was now raining steadily. I paused in the square at Arsenalna long enough to watch a plainly dressed woman, wielding a very old-fashioned looking broom, sweeping a spot for her to display her fresh flowers. I also inspected the Arsenalna statue, which is a war memorial, noting both the remaining sickle and hammer imagery of the former Soviet Union, as well as the poignant flowers and bouquets recently laid there.

Deciding to go to Pecherska Lavra another day, I again descended into the Metro at Arsenalna. Here the depth of the train platform is amazing. There two very long escalators leading down, each of which was easily 3-400 feet.

I left the Metro at Chreschatik, and decided to look for "Arena City," where I understood a somewhat Western-like grocery store exists. I had in hand the handwritten notes from the family of one of the other judge instructors, giving directions. Their teenage daughter wrote the notes out and, not knowing any Russian or Ukrainian, had drawn a very nice picture of the Cyrillic words "Мандарин Плаза" ("Mandarin Plaza")and logo on the grocery store door. I soon became lost trying to navigate the streets of downtown Kyiv, but in my travels, I recognized the logo and words written by the judge's daughter, and so decided to buy groceries. I purchased a couple of loaves of bread, some butter, honey, milk, orange drink, cheese, oranges and cold cereal. Upon leaving Mandarin Plaza, I asked a uniformed security guard how to get to the Lva Tolstovo Metro stop. He told me that it was only one street away and showed me the direction. I was quite proud of myself for being able to converse enough to find my way. Incidentally, I must not look like a total American idiot here, because in my travels I had two different people stop me to ask for directions.

Valery and His Accordian

I promised my son-in-law that I would find him an accordian in Kyiv. I found it my first morning.

In the vast, cathedral-like passageway connecting the Kreschatik and the Maidan Metro stations I met and spoke with Valery, who was just setting up shop for a day of accordian playing. The acoustics of the vast arched ceiling were amazing, and he had quite a number of paying customers--Metro goers who dropped a few coins or small bills on his knapsack as they passed.

Money Worries

I have been told that travelers cheques are useless in Ukraine, because no one will cash them; and credit cards are risky, because everyone can steal them (or at least steal the data). Hence, I am traveling today with cash.

A few weeks ago I bought a hidden money and passport belt or pouch at Shapiro's, a local travel store. It is an ingenious little device which attaches to your belt, but is secured inside your trousers on the side. Here I have my cash, passport, other identification, insurance information and (for emergencies only) a major credit card. I have practiced using my money belt exactly once. It is a little awkward--especially when you need to get your passport out in a hurry; people may do a double take at this guy reaching down into his pants for something--but it works. Of course, I will make sure that I attach the thing to my belt loops. Otherwise, I have visions of dropping the whole enchilada on the concourse floor, while I walk away obliviously with my luggage.

I understand that there are a plethora of money changers in the City where I can turn my American cash into the local Hryvnia. One of my fellow judges, who taught in Kyiv in September, tells me that there is a kiosk just a half a block from the apartment where he went every day or two to convert money.

Based also upon advice I have been given, I will carry a small wallet in which I will put only a small amount of Hryvnia bills. This I will use to purchase meals, souvenirs, books, etc. That way I won't have to fumble to pull my money belt or pouch out of my pants, thus broadcasting to the world that here is some idiot carrying a HUGE wad of cash around Kyiv.

One of my worries has to do with the condition of my American currency. When I went to my local bank here in America a few days ago, I asked for fifties and hundreds. Since then, I have been told that the Ukrainian money changers only like to change the NEW fifties, and eschew the old ones. Late last night I inspected my fifties, and found that most of them are the old issue. I hope that I will be able to use them.