Free day in Kyiv

Wednesday, July 18

First full day in Kyiv – on my own

Well, today was my first full day on my own here in Kyiv. After a fairly uneventful evening last night (of which the adventurous part was walking from Central Baptist down to, as I like to call it The American Embassy/Church of St. McDonald’s down by the Dnipro. I hadn’t really planned to do it, but I was ambivalent about where to eat supper, and Cola Light was calling my name. I think it my have been about 5 miles, round trip. My feet were not happy with me after that. But, it was definitely an adventure.)

This morning I had adventure #2. I had scheduled a meeting with Wes Janzen, of the Kiev Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (KSOC) at their offices down near the Opera House. En route, I took the Metro (subway) which is normally an experience in and of itself, but this was fairly routine. New non-Cyrillic signage, notifications in English and clearer maps all made this a “normal” subway ride. Once I got off the “Teatralna” stop of the subway, it was about a 5-minute walk up the hill to Opera House square.

On my way, I made several observations since I was alone and had no one to talk to (even myself!) It struck me how quiet Ukrainians are when in large groups. There was virtually no talking – so quiet with thousands of people sharing the same space! Neatly funneling into lines, neatly boarding the escalators, and no talking on the train whatsoever. Fascinating. As I stepped onto the incredibly long escalator, I heard Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor playing somewhere over a loudspeaker. That was a first here, and it made me smile.

Wes and I shared a good 2+ hours together, getting re-acquainted and dreaming of the future. He is relatively new to his current position, though he has been Guest Conductor of KSOC since 2006 or so. We finished our time together with a quick visit to the Church of St. Volodmir, an Orthodox church near the Opera that I had never yet seen in all my trips here. It was remarkable inside. After that, I said “dopobachinya” to Wes, and shortly after Serhiy met me for lunch at a Café just up the street from the German Embassy and near the penthouse apartment of the Klitchko brothers, famous Ukrainian boxers. After lunch, we walked around Kyiv for what seemed like hours, because it was! We walked down Kreschatyk Street and some of the little underground malls located in many parts of that famous street.

Tonight, a quiet evening in my room allowed me to organize all of my receipts for the trip thus far. That was fun! Clearly, I know how to have a good time! Tomorrow the men’s chorus festival begins. Looking forward to it.