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Music and Art at the Ukrainian Institute of America
Posted by Dan on October 27, 2001 at 11:17:25:
In Reply to: Mariupol - Kiev posted by Diamond on October 27, 2001 at 08:26:56:
Kiev is a terrific place for a visit. Lots to see, tremendous history, many nice restaurants and so on.
Mariupol, on the other hand, is a pit. It rests on the Sea of Asov and is a primary industrial city in the coal region of the Donbas. Water from the Sea of Asov is used for cooling the many industrial plants in Mariupol (steel production, electricity, etc.) - and is used as a repository for their waste streams. The combination of air and water pollutants earned Mariupol the distinction from National Geographic some years ago as being the 2nd most polluted city on the face of the planet.
It has been a few years since I visited, but I understand the situation has only grown worse.
As for hotels, I stayed in a private apartment, and I am unable to recall the names of the hotels and restaurants. Interestingly, fish is still a principal dish served at many of the restaurants. When I inquired about the problem of toxins in the Sea, the locals just shrugged it off as being "normal." I ate it and it was tasty, but I worry about the long-term effect on the local residents - and so so they.
To travel there from Kyiv, there is a domestic flight to Mariupol that operates a couple of times a week from Jhuliany (NOT Kyiv's Boryspil - the airport for international arrivals and departures). Another alternative is flying into Donetsk - flights go every day - and then taking a taxi for a couple of hours over to Mariupol. Finally, there is a daily overnight train that runs to Mariupol.
My recommendation would be to plan to spend most of your available time in Kyiv, with only the briefest trip planned for Mariupol to meet necessary friends and family.
I hope this helps.
- Dan
: I just applied for my visa to Ukraine yesterday. I met a very nice
: woman on-line and am looking forward to meeting with her finally in
: the next few weeks.
: She lives in Mariupol....never been there let alone the Ukraine. I
: am looking forward to the new adventure...
: Any advice or info on this city would be appreciated. Or anything I
: should know about Ukraine in general. So far the people I met at the
: embassy were nice (and at the airline too). Info on Mariupol
: (hotels....places to stay) on-line is tough to find.....she is
: working on it too....but any other help or experience would be good.
: Also, she is meeting me at the airport in Kiev (I speak no Russian or Ukranian) -Since I will be
: arriving late (flights are only at one time of the day) we will spend
: one or two nights there and catch the only train in the afternoon.
: I've been hearing that the hotels in Kiev can be expensive and also
: that they might give us a hard time about the two of us staying in a
: room together (prostitution?....that's messed up).
: A safe-comfortable-affordable place to stay in Kiev where
: any "relationship politics" is not a factor - someplace warm and
: friendly....with a web site?....hopefully not far from the train station (to Mariupol)...would be ideal.
: Would it be better just to stay in Kiev longer? like to meet her family though...
: Thanks for the help....
: Diamond
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