Musings of an Ukraine Traveler

On May 14th, Joyce, my longtime childhood friend and her husband Jim flew into Kyiv for a 3 week car tour of Ukraine. Here Shasha, the taxi man helps us unload.	We were fortunate enough to have rented a very nice 2 room apartment right on the main street of Kyiv--Khreschatik.
The chestnut trees beloved by Kyiv were in full bloom and our first day was sunny, but nippy for May. It's usually in the low 80s by now.	Joyce and I stock up for the kitchen in one of Kyiv's more modern markets. I chastised here about prices and she gave me one of those looks and said--think about US dollars not griven!
Dinner the first night was at the Surprise restaurant and a surprise it was for all of us. The service was that of a 5 star restaurant and the food matched.	We were invited upstairs where this light jazz combo entertained just us until about 10:00 when we left and another party entered.
Jim, Joyce and I felt a little underdressed in the plush surroundings, but it didn't stop us from thoroughly enjoying the food.	Jim took pictures of food at most places we ate. Everywhere including roadside shashlik stands always presented food beautifully.