Keith got into town and we headed out for a beer and some food at a local place called Viola’s Beerstube. Food was good and not so expensive. Afterwards we walked up the hill to a dance place that had been recommended to both of us called Avalon. No cover charge but also pretty quite. There were a dozen or two people inside dancing and having drinks. We hung out there for an hour or two and then walked back to the apartment. Called it a night.

From the museum we walked up a long winding street full of vendors hawking hand made items like Matryoshka dolls, lacquered boxes, soviet era hats, medals, etc. Most of it seemed like over priced junk, Keith negotiated for a wooden tree that had a Santa and a snowman inside it. He thought he reached a price but when he went to pay the guy was asking for US Dollars and not Ukraine Grievnas, so that deal fell through. We walked back to the apartment stopping at the grocery store to get some things for breakfast.

That night we went out to meet a person that I had talked to on the internet. We met up and went for coffee and sushi. We talked for a couple hours before she headed home and Keith and I went to a bar where we had a couple beers and listened to some live music before walking home in the freezing cold.

The next day we got up kind of late and headed out to Kyevo-Pechers’ka Lavra a very holy site for the Orthodox Church. The outer area is full of gold domes building with beautiful religious paintings on the outside. There were also great views of the river and parts of the city including Rodina Mat, a huge statue in the old soviet style. The place also has a series of caves. Admission to the caves is free but you need to buy a candle for one or two Grievnas. The passage ways are very narrow and there are small rooms that contain glass coffins with the bodies of priests. The bodies were wrapped in decorated cloth but occasionally you would see a real hand or a toe sticking out. There were many people praying to the bodies or leaning over the coffins weeping. It was an interesting sight.

After leaving the church grounds we headed over toward the Rodina Mat statue and the museum of the Great Patriotic War (WWII). On the way we went past a couple areas containing all sorts of tanks, armored personnel carriers and helicopters. A little further on was another area with planes, artillery and a rocket and mobile launcher. We got lots of pictures but it was getting dark so we went to the museum but it was closed for renovation so we walked back to the church and caught a bus to the metro and a metro back toward the apartment. We tried to get dinner at Viola’s again but it was too crowded so ended up with Japanese food at the grocery store. The store has 3 or 4 small restaurants located inside so you can have a bite while doing your shopping. After dinner we talked about going out to a bar but we were both tired and had to get up early in the morning so we decided to have a beer at home then turn in for the night.

Up early in the morning for the Chernobyl tour. Keith is really excited about seeing Chernobyl and so am I but I am also a little nervous. Everyone says it is safe but safe in the Soviet Union and safe in America are a little different. We picked up three more people for the tour and headed off on a 90 minute drive to the Exclusion zone. 30 kilometers from the reactor we had to stop and show passports while the guards checked the paper work and then let us proceed. We came into the city of Chernobyl where we met our guide. He told us about the area and the accident. 50 of the residents returned to the city to live and there are about 15,000 people who live there part time doing maintenance. He lives there 15 days at a time. He had a radiation detector and showed us that the background radiation in Chernobyl (30 milirads) is about twice that as in Kiev 14 milirads).

We drove to several places and I won’t detail the entire tour, I will save that for boring people in person. We went to the reactor that has the accident (Reactor #4). We got within about 100 meters of it and the radiation was getting pretty high, though not dangerous, at least that is what they told us. (500 milirads). From there we went to Pripyat, the city closest to the reactor. It is completely deserted and has the highest radiation of anyplace in the area. They evacuated the city within 72 hours. Looters have been through it since then but it is still amazing to see. We walked through a few buildings then climbed 15 flights of stairs to the top of an apartment for a view of the whole area. It was deathly quiet and still. On the way down we explored by entering some of the apartments. People evacuated so fast they left many things behind like shoes, a piano, furniture, etc. The next stop was an amusement park that was supposed to open only a few days after the accident. It obviously never did, and the rides were just left there in disarray. We also went into a school that was full of beds for the kids, lots of toys and drawings. It was surreal. During the walk we had to avoid stepping on any moss which collects the radiation. There were also a couple "hot spots" that measured around 1400 milirads. We were told that 1200 became dangerous.

On the way out of town we drove through the "Red Forest", a grove of trees that had turned red as a result of the radiation exposure. We couldn’t get out of the van due to the high levels of radiation at this place. One final stop before returning to Chernobyl was a memorial to the people who had died working there. The list was long but when I asked about total deaths I was told that they estimate about 600,000 people have died as a result of the accident. How sad.

We finished up with a really nice lunch back in Chernobyl before the drive back to Kiev. Before lunch you need to stand on a big machine and place your hands on these pads. After a few seconds, if you are lucky, the light turns green meaning you are not carrying a high dose of radiation. The food was great and very traditional Ukraine.  There were cold meats with cabbage then Borsch followed by pork and mashed potatoes.  Desert was a sweet pancake with sour cream.  Keith and I were a bit worried that the food we had for lunch was locally grown but too late for that now as we ate it all.

At the final checkpoint we had to get out of the van and go into this big room. In the middle of the room was a row of big gray machines. We each climbed onto one and put our hands on the pads and waited while it cleared us. Once it did the gate on the machine would open and we could cross to the other side and the exit. We all passed and headed back to Kiev.

That night Keith and I went to a disco called Shooters for a few beers.  I called it a night early as my cold was acting up and I wasn't feeling great.  Keith stuck around for a while longer and walked home.  Slept in in the morning and headed back to Prague later in the afternoon.

All in all a great trip, but I have to stop getting sick when I go to Kiev!

If you want to see the pictures of Chernobyl I have uploaded them on Shutterfly: 
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0EcM2rlu4aMXoA

The Dnepro River

A medieval statue in Independence Square

The tower at St. Sophia, Kiev's oldest church

Rodina Mat, a statue the towers over Kiev

Memorial to the Jews that were rounded up and executed by the Germans in Kiev

Monument to the Jewish children killed by the Germans

An Armored Personnel Carrier at the museum

A mobile missile launcher, the things we feared for generations

One of the posters at the Chernobyl Museum

Chernobyl Pictures

The memorial to the fire fighters that died at Chernobyl, they did not know the reactor had been breeched

Keith and I in front  of Reactor #4, the one that was breeched

Pripyat, the town closest to the reactor and the one abandoned with in 72 hours.

The Ferris Wheel in the amusement park that never opened.

High Radiation levels in some places

Bathroom in the grade school in Pripyat