Kyiv Chaos: 689558 & 1804658571 – A Whirlwind
okay, so. kyiv. whew. where do i even begin? i’m still processing, honestly. i landed here with…well, a number. 689558. i don't even know what it was. a flight number? a street address? some kind of cryptic message from the universe? i’m leaning towards the latter. then i saw 1804658571. numbers everywhere. feels like a code, ya know? Anyway, the weather? it’s… a mood. i just checked and it's… a definite chill. a damp kind of chill. like someone spilled a glass of ice water on everything.
seriously though, the air is thick with a kind of quiet intensity. people move with purpose, but there’s also this underlying… resilience. it's humbling.
i’m staying in a tiny apartment near *Podil. the building itself is a character - peeling paint, creaky stairs, but the view from the window is incredible. i heard that the cafes in Podil are the best place to get a decent kvas - that fermented bread drink. someone told me that you have to look for the small, unassuming places - the ones with handwritten menus.
i'm trying to soak it all in. wandering through Maidan Nezalezhnosti - that's the main square. it's…big. and full of history. you can practically feel it. i even stumbled upon a tiny little street art gallery tucked away on a side street. check out this site for more about the local art scene: https://kyivstreetart.com/
the neighbors are… interesting. lots of older folks, but also a surprising amount of young people, artists, students. they seem to be carrying on with life, despite everything. if you get bored, Lviv is just a short drive away - a whole different vibe. i'm thinking of taking a day trip.
food-wise? oh man. i've been eating varenyky (dumplings) like it's my job. seriously, they're everywhere, and they're delicious. i heard that the best ones are at a hole-in-the-wall place on vul. Khreshchatyk, but i haven't found it yet. I saw a few folks checking out restaurants on Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/.
a local warned me about the taxi situation. apparently, some drivers aren’t always…honest. so i'm mostly sticking to public transport. it's a bit chaotic, but it’s an experience! i’m trying to embrace the chaos, to just let go and see where the numbers take me. i keep thinking about those two: 689558 and 1804658571. what do they mean*? maybe it doesn't matter. maybe it’s just the universe’s way of saying, “go explore.”
i'm heading to a local board to see if anyone's offering walking tours - https://www.thingstodoinkyiv.com/ looks like a good place to start. wish me luck. and send coffee. lots of coffee.
i’m trying to document everything, but it’s hard to capture the feeling. it’s a city that’s constantly shifting, constantly rebuilding. it's a city that’s full of stories, waiting to be told. and i’m here to listen.
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