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May the source be with you, but remember the KISS principle ;-)
Softpanorama Search
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Kiev is one of the most beautiful European cities. It has several interesting landmarks, good food and reasonably rich cultural life (several theaters, opera house, Classic music concert hall (called "Phylarmonia"), etc). Flights from USA include non-stop flights by a couple of Ukrainian airlines from NY (JFK) and Newark. Austrian airlines is also a possibility.
Group tours are very comfortable and usually well served. As for individual tour, unless you hire interpreter, you need to know the language to benefit most (and save some money). If you limit yourself to major sightseeing sites , but English speaking person might be OK on individual tour too.
Here is hymn of Kiev (a very beautiful song also called Kiev Waltz):
Softpanorama originally was monthly Kiev computer specialists meeting.
January 09, 2009 | NYTWhile I was living in Ukraine back in the early 1990s, I adopted a flea-ridden, one-eyed street kitten which I aptly named She Devil. Together, we thoroughly enjoyed my last years of bachelorhood. But, with my upcoming marriage to a nice girl with bad cat allergies, it became necessary to find She Devil a new home.
Given the general economic situation in Ukraine at the time (in stark contrast to the quality of life that the cat enjoyed in my ex-pat apartment), I decided that it would be best for She Devil to live with my parents in Maine, where my mother is the neighbourhood `cat woman.� Now for the fun part: how do you get a cat from Ukraine to Maine?
At the time, exporting a cat from Ukraine involved the acquisition of a number of certificates which, together, would constitute a valid pet passport. The first of these certificates was a document from a registered veterinarian which certified that She Devil had received all of the necessary immunizations (distemper, rabies, etc.) required under Ukrainian Law. At the time, Ukraine was undergoing a wrenching economic crisis � hyperinflation, power blackouts, political unrest: the chance of finding a veterinarian who had any vaccines was nil. However, after consultation with a local veterinarian and the exchange of some hard currency (the local currency was trading at tens of thousands to the dollar at the time), a certificate was produced bearing stamps certifying that She Devil had been vaccinated against every known antigen known to catkind.
Next, I required a certificate from National Cat Club (called �FAUNA�) that would confirm that my lowborn street cat was �not a rare breed or of national scientific significance.� With the customary manual transfer of some more hard currency (and no physical presentation of She Devil to anyone), a FAUNA certificate was produced certifying She Devil�s lowly status as a �Common Street Cat.� Under the certificate�s section entitled Distinguishing Physical Characteristics, it was duly noted: �Black Fur. Absence of a Left Eye.�
With these certificates taped on to her travelling case and several copies of the same in my hand, I travelled with She Devil to Borispol Airport in Kiev to begin the final exit procedure: the issuing of the �Live Animal Export Certificate� from the Ministry of Agriculture, which must be issued within 120 minutes of the said live animal�s departure from Ukraine. When I arrived at the airport with She Devil, I asked an official for the location of the Ministry of Agriculture Live Animal Export Certificate Issuing Office. She exclaimed: �Room 222 � it�s open �round the clock!�� as if I would be amazed by the constant stream of live animals making their way out of Ukraine on a daily basis.
I made my way up to Room 222 with She Devil (who was now in a considerable state of distress, despite having been administered what my local vet assured me was a �cat tranquilizer�) and knocked on the door. No answer. I knocked harder. There was a muffled response from inside and a dishevelled officer of the Ministry of Agriculture cracked open the door. I had clearly awakened him. Perhaps the 24-7 nature of the business of live animal export in Ukraine was not an exaggeration after all.
The Ministry of Agriculture official motioned me into his office and asked me to take a seat. I handed over copies of my certificates and gestured toward the originals taped on to She Devil�s carrying case. The cat was howling as only cats do in this kind of situation. The official sat down behind his desk and began to inspect the documentation, muttering �hmms� and �eh-hems� as reviewed the myriad stamps and testimonials. When he completed his review of the documents, he looked up at me and said gruffly: �I can�t let your puppy go.�
Already accustomed to the surreal nature of dealing with Ukrainian government officials, I played along. �Please sir, what documentation is my �puppy� lacking? Perhaps I might have brought it along with me and forgot to give it to you.�
He responded matter-of-factly: �The green certificate.�
�The green certificate?� I asked. �I don�t know if I am exactly familiar with the `green certificate,� but I might have seen it together with my other documents. Does this `green certificate� have a picture of US President Jackson on it?�
�Exactly. That�s the one I am looking for.� I produced the necessary `green certificate� which he hastily put in pocket. He immediately produced a Ministry of Agriculture Live Animal Export Certificate, which he then promptly stamped, signed and handed back to me saying: �Your pet passport is complete. I hope you and your cat have a nice trip.�— Tom Kearney, London, UK
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Last modified: June 14, 2009