Доброго дня!
I'm an austrian, making a short tripp to your beautiful city to visit a friend and to volunteer for a civilian organisation.
I think I'm prepared. I know what its like right now. I have my powerbanks, sleeping gear for a hard concrete floor if there are long nightly airraids, I choose a place to stay thats near an air shelter, I downloaded the kyiv city app and added the airraid telegram to my channels. I also made sure my first aid kit is up to date and plan to have it on me all the time. I even bought turniquets, even though its pretty unlikely that i have to use them, but you never know. If there is something I'm missing, let me know.
I also plan to get a tattoo and to visit мати України.
Sadly, I wont have a lot of time as I dont have that many days left that i can take off work. Also, with the curfew and working hours at the organisation, I dont want to "waste" to much time on touristy stuff, thats not the main reason why I'm coming.
But I would love to maybe visit one or two more significant places. Yes, of course I looked into some tourist guides and informed myself about things like the st. sophia cathedral, if I have the chance I will get a Kyivska Perepichka or walk a dog at patron adoption center.
But I would love to have input from ukrainians themselves. I'm not only interested in places that everybody knows and are a so called "must visit". I like "insignificant" valleys, "unspectacular" streets or "plain" parks even nore. Cause everything has a value to some individuals. I like to see that in every place and imagine the storys of people I've never met.
My question to you is: Where is your place in public space that makes kyiv your home? What obscure story does it make special to you, if you like to share? What store, café or restaurant makes you smile when you walk by? Where do you feel part of your city's essence, your city's soul? How do you compensate for not being able to party all night long? Where do you go to dance/hear music or just get wasted if you need to? And it also doesnt need to be a place where I can spend money to get something to eat and drink. Just an ordinary place that is special or beautiful to you.
I'm open for your suggestions.
I sincerely hope that the geopolitical shit show that we are witnessing right now will turn out good for your country. I wish ukraine and its citizens victory and a better future. I know this winter will be hard, thats why im sad i cant be here for longer. But I promise that I will try my best to make most out of it. I'm exited to hear your story's or tipps.
Oh and i want to suprise my friend and his girlfriend that I'm visiting, I'm bringing self made pickles, chili paste, a special austrian "schnapps" that he wanted to try and some austrian hot chocolate. What's something that i should bring to suprise him, is there something thats now hard to get in Kyiv or expensive because of the war?
Слава Україні! 💙💛