We’re back! And headed to Ukraine, an utterly fantastic country.

Quite possibly the best weekend break I’ve ever had. Honestly, it was fantastic. We explored the World’s deepest metro, over 100 metres below the surface and ate our way around Kiev. The food in Ukraine was fantastic and you can really taste how Ukraine got it’s nicknames the Soviet Union’s breadbasket. The produce was fresh, generous and flavourful. I particularly loved the pickled tomatoes served in Pervak, an old-fashioned Ukrainian restaurant right in the centre of Kiev.

Other highlights of Kiev included exploring the gargantuan Kyiv-Pasazhyrskyi railway station with the most complex arrivals and departures board I’ve ever seen. We also visited the Oleg Antonov State Aviation Museum and I’d argue this is a must-do for anyone at all interested in air travel. It’s a cornucopia of Soviet era aircraft in varying states of decay. You can get up close to all of the aircraft, and many you’re even allowed to board. This is an aircraft museum unlike any other.

We rounded our days off by bar-hopping around Kiev’s inexpensive bars. In one memorable bar, we even got roped into in a challenge where we volunteered to wear helmets and have them set alight by a flame blowing barman while downing shots. Who needs eyebrows, you only live once, right? 

We had a genuinely amazing time in Kiev - it’s refreshingly different from a typical European weekend break. There are only so many national galleries, cafes and churches I can appreciate. Kiev offers something refreshingly different, oh and it still manages to have beautiful orthodox churches and monasteries.

It almost doesn’t feel real that we were able to have such a fun time in Kiev while while Ukraine was still in the throws of the brutal Russo-Ukrainian War that continues to this day. Luckily Kiev is peaceful and seemed relatively normal while we were there. We noticed that people generally preferred to avoid speaking Russian, and the people we spoke with anger at the actions of Russia. I genuinely hope that there is a peaceful resolution before two long.

I cannot wait to go back to Ukraine some day.