We started our day with coffee and eclairs at a nearby coffee shop and planed our day using free wifi. Before embarking on our trip we tried to find information on using an iPhone without phone service but only on wifi. There are so many online forums that have answers but none that know what they're talking about. With the iPhone 3GS on airplane mode and wifi on, wifi works fine and even the gps works for maps and picture exif tags. Best thing is, the maps stay in the memory and can be easily used for navigation. One difficulty we found was addresses sometimes don't show up in google maps even when searched in Cyrillic.
The Andriivs'kyi descent was our first chosen destination. Lining the cobblestone street all the way down were venders selling paintings, needlepoints, old war paraphernalia, and other knickknacks.
On our way through the park along the Dnipro's bank, we stopped for a treat, Lily's favorite ice cream. The park is amazing as with venders selling all kinds of refreshments, including espresso on every corner. We walked by amusement rides, overlooks, outdoor theater, soccer stadium, and the puppet theater. The atmosphere was relaxed, even with lots of kids out celebrating their graduation. The park in Kiev overlooking the river bank make Central Park seem kind of silly. Along the river the park is like a cross between the Blue Ridge Parkway and Central Park.
The culture mix of pre-soviet, soviet and post-soviet can be seen to influence and come together in unique instances, including clothing choices of each generation. The frequent use of English language in written and spoken. Although it is customary during a monetary transaction to place money down on a counter rather than handing directly, the newer coffee shop counters are designed to hand money across.
We got tickets to see a puppet show at the The Academy Theater of Puppets, an interpretation of the Divine Comedy, it was interesting but not very good.
An evening stroll after the play, down to Khreshchatyk, by the Opera house on our way back to the apartment. So far we feel safe walking around the city, and overhear American tourists often.
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