| 81 When he realised that travelling inspires him to write, Miloš Petrović simply decided to create a unique blog, Putuj.rs, where – for the last six years already – he has shared his experiences of world cities. What makes him special, and one of the most popular travel bloggers, is the fact that his posts contain exhaustive descriptions of the city in which he is located, but also information of interest to all world travellers. Here he shares with us his experience from Kiev, where, he says, he found himself unplanned. “Kiev is a classic example of Soviet era trends. Huge boulevards, wide buildings of a speci c construction style, fromthe eastern side of theDnieper Plain, from the western hills. The rst impression of Kiev largely depends on the season. My winter tour brought with it a cold impression of real Ukrainian winters,” says Miloš, adding that this didn’t put him o touring the length and breadth of the city. “It’s best to start a tour from one of the landmarks of Kiev – Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Independence Square. Its surroundings are particularly interesting, as it is edged by a semi-circular plateau and old buildings that have been renovated nearby. The route from this square to the monastic Saint Sophia Cathedral to the north, as well as to LeoTolstoy Square to the south, represents only the very heart of Kiev.” The city has characteristic monasteries of a special style and with a speci c yellow colour. Themonastic St. Sophia Cathedral is one of the symbols of the city, due to its beauty, splendour and history, and is therefore also among the most interesting buildings to tour. “The monastery isn’t far from the centre and is very easily reached. The interior is fantastic and will certainly leave you breathless. You should certainly also visit other monasteries, especially the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, which is considered a cradle of Orthodoxy,”explains Miloš, adding that after visiting the monastery it is worth seeing the metro, which has existed for just over 50 years and is certainly one of the city’s attractions. “It’s best to start your journey at Arsenalna Station, which is one of the deepest in Europe. The rest of the ride is a classic metro experience, much like the one in Moscow. This is a huge advantage, because you can reach any destination easily and cheaply. I’m sure you won’t pay less for a metro ticket anywhere, which costs the equivalent to around 20 dinars [24 euro cents]...” Nevertheless, this mode of travel can be somewhat tiring, so you might be best advised to take a small break and warm yourself up with co ee, tea or horilka, which some research claims is the world’s best vodka. There are many such places in Kiev, but Miloš’s choice is the wider surroundings of Maidan Nezalezhnost, as well as Leo Tolstoy Square, where there are large numbers of cafe-bars. “If you overdo it a little with the horilka, you’ll simply have to try the traditional tastes of Ukrainian cuisine, such as borscht andvareniki, apastry that canbe lledwith fruit, cheese or meat. A large number of Ukrainian and Georgian restaurants occupy spots throughout Kiev, but the ethnic Crimean restaurant Khachapuri &Wine and Puzata Hata are de nitely stops that you must have on your gastronomic map.” “It’s best to start your journey at Arsenalna Station, which is one of the deepest in Europe Vožnju je najbolje započeti sa metro stanice Arsenalna, koja je jedna od najdubljih u Evropi iStock / sergeybrovko
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