| More information about Ukraine:
Ukraine, Kharkov & Kiev
Geographical Location & Population
Ukraine is situated in Eastern Europe and
lies in the Dnipro River basin. Neighboring Ukraine are the countries
of Belarus, Russia, Moldova, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania. In
the South, Ukraine is washed by the Black and Azov Seas. The area of Ukraine
is 603,700 sq.km, the population is 51,728,400. Kiev (Kyiv, in Ukrainian),
Capital of Ukraine, occupies a territory over 790 sq. Km and is situated
on the banks of the Dnipro River which divides it in two parts – the left
and right ones. About 3 million people live in Kiev. Approximately 85%
of the Ukrainian population are Orthodox Christians; 10% are Catholics
of the Byzantine rite; 3% are Protestant (mainly Baptists); 1.3% are of
the Jewish faith.
Kharkov is situated in north-eastern part of Ukraine
and has approximately 2 million residents. Kharkov has much to offer in
the cultural and architectural arenas with its wide tree-lined boulevards
and historical buildings. Kharkov is a major industrial center that includes
companies specializing in electronics, engineering, aviation, food and
chemical production, etc. Also Kharkov is often referred to as 'City of
students' as over 40 educational institutions are located here, including
one of the best universities of foreign USSR (Kharkov State University),
all-Ukraine famous Law Academy, Aviation Institute, where many of famous
scientists have studied, and many more - more than in any other ukrainian
city.
Climate
Climate in Ukraine is temperate-continental, but for the Crimea where there
is a subtropical climate of mediterrainian type. Winters are long, snowy and
cool, average temperature in January is - 6°C (21° F). The coolest month is
February. Summer is short, not very hot, average temperature in July is +19°C
(67° F). In July and August the thermometer gauge can raise to +35-40° C, but
more often it stays at + 25, 30°C. Change of seasons is very distinct in Ukraine,
snowy winter, flowering warm springtime, hot summer and gilded autumn.
Electricity
Standard voltage in electric networks all through Ukraine
is 220 volts. Faults in electricity supply occur very seldom and, as a rule,
are immediately eliminated.
Paying Tips
Restaurant bills normally include a 5% service charge, however, you'll often find that a
few extra hryvnias (10% suggested) can make your dining experience a lot more pleasurable.
Ukrainian Money
Ukraine is a cash economy. Use of credit cards is
limited to the better hotels, Western-style restaurants, international
airlines and select stores. Customs regulations prohibit sending cash,
traveler's checks, personal checks, credit cards or passports through
the international mail system to Ukraine. These items are regularly
confiscated as contraband by customs authorities.
Official state currency since 1996 is hryvna. We have money bills by nominal
values 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 hryvnas and small change coins by nominal values
1,2,5,10,25,50 kopecks. Payments on the territory of Ukraine are realized only
in national currency (hryvnas). You may change hard currency for hryvnas at
exchange posts scatterred all over the city and at banks. In order to avoid
fraud and troubles, do not use services of street changers. You can get cash
for your travellers checks in hotels and some banks. Credit cards are taken
for payment only in large hotels, restaurants and shops.
See more information about Hryvnia at The National Bank of Ukraine site.
Also pay attention to the description of protection techniques implemented in Hryvnya as counterfeit currency is not so rare.
NOTE: Changing any currency for Ukrainian currency or another
currency is legal only at banks, currency exchange desks, at hotels
and at licensed exchange booths. Changing money with black-market traders
is illegal and can be dangerous.
Credit Cards
Ukraine is a cash economy. Traveler's checks and credit cards are gaining
wider acceptance in larger cities. Use of credit cards is limited to the better
hotels, Western-style restaurants, international airlines and select stores.
American Express, MasterCard, and Visa are commonly accepted. A passport or
diplomatic card may be required whenever a credit card is used. Customs regulations
prohibit sending cash, traveler's checks, personal checks, credit cards or passports
through the international mail system to Ukraine. These items are regularly
confiscated as contraband by customs authorities. However you can use services
of international money transfer companies, such as Western Union.
Water
For drinking water, Kharkovites use water filters, or boil tap water. We do
not advise you to drink tap water without filtering. Better buy drinking water
at shops. Big popularity among Kharkovites enjoys water retrieved from artesian
bore holes, 600 and more meters deep. Cars selling artesian water can often
be seen throught the city. This water is much cleaner than the tap water, and
usually is aerated. In each house, there is cold and hot water. But do not wonder
if at the end of spring or in midsummer they suddenly cut off hot water for
a month for cleaning the pipes. Many Kharkov residents are rather stoically
reacting to these things and even try to train themselves washing with cold
water at this time :-)
Operation Hours
Workday
in state-opened and private companies usually begins at 9.00 and ends at 18.00,
with dinner break at 14.00-15.00 or 13.00-14.00, the days off are Saturday and
Sunday. Most of the banks are open for visitors from 9.00 till 13.00, days off
- Saturday, Sunday. Don’t be surprised, but restaurants and grocery stores can
be locked for dinner at the lunchtime exactly. There also exists such a notion
as "technical break" for 15 min usually at booking offices, which can happen
each 2-3 hours. What they need it for nobody knows. And if your queue has come
exactly to the time the "technical break" begins, you will not be served. You
will have either to wait till the break ends or occupy a queue in other pay-desk,
but there is probability that your new queue will come to exactly the same technical
break there.
Language
Official state language in Ukraine since 1990 is Ukrainian, but alongside
with it Russian is broadly used. In big cities, Russian is mostly used (particularly
in Eastern part, where you will hardly hear ukrainian speech), and in villages
- Ukrainian. All official documents are exercised in Ukrainian, mass media uses
two languages. More and more people in Kharkov speak English, especially students.
Hotels, restaurants, bars, private companies hire people who know English. But
do not hope to hear English in shops, kiosks, or town transport.
Crime Situation
In spite of the common in western newspapers view that the streets of Kharkov
and other ukrainian cities are dangerous for foreign tourists, this is not really
so. In fact, streets of Kharkov are much more safe than the streets of New York,
Los-Angeles or Chicago. You can freely move along the streets at night time,
if you keep your usual behaviour. Try not to call attention to yourself, don't
carry big sums of money with you, do not use services of street money changers,
keep your eye on your baggage and your own pocket when using public transport.
Do not carry money amounts greater than needed in your pockets, avoid getting
into taxi if there are already several passengers in it. Follow all principles
of good sense and your stay in Kharkov will be pleasing.
National Dishes
Borshch with garlic pampushky: this hearty soup traditionally
prepared from beets and cabbage and served with a dollop of
sour cream is a most popular first course. There are no less
than 40 varieties of hot and cold borshch, depending on the
vegetables and or meat in them, even some which don't have any
beets at all. Like most Ukrainian soups, all borshch recipes
are slowly simmered for maximum flavor. The tiny garlic buns
which are often served with it are akin to the ubiquitous garlic
bread of Italian cuisine.
Kartoplianyky or zrazy: another relative of the better-known
latke, this is no ordinary potato pancake. Nestled in the potato
dough, beneath the smetana or garlic sauce, you'll find a variety
of fillings, including meat, cabbage and carrots. A widespread,
traditional Western Ukrainian dish, zrazy are a little harder
to find in Kiev restaurants. What's more, by all accounts even
the best big city restaurants can't reproduce that special Western
Ukrainian touch.
Kovbasky: also known by their regional names - L'vivski,
Kyivski, Poltavski -, these smoked peppered sausages in mushroom
sauce are very sharp to the tastebuds. They are served hot,
with or without sauce. But don't confuse the small kovbasky
with their considerably larger relative, kovbasa, which can
be used to refer to smoked sausages in general.
Kotleta po Kyivsky: the famous Chicken Kyiv - stuffed
and breaded boneless chicken breast, is also called Kotleta
stolychna, the Capital Cutlet. Not a traditional Ukrainian dish,
it was a delicious soviet era invention to impress high-level
officials. Like most of the traditional dishes described here,
it has a number of cousins, including one from L'viv, with different
stuffings
Holubtsi: better known as cabbage rolls, holubtsi traditionally
consist of tender cabbage leaves stuffed with meat and rice,
often baked in tomato sauce, and served with sour cream. Equally
common stuffing include plain rice with onion or buckwheat.
A standard portion is often filling enough to be a meal in itself.
Kruchenyky: tender beef slices pounded, rolled, and baked
in a spicy carrot sauce.
Kvaslianka:this national dish known
as riazhenka in Russian, is by all accounts responsible for
the difficulties which Western-style yoghurts have had entering
the Ukrainian market. Kvaslianka consists of sour curds, quite
a bit sharper than yogurt, but with sweet, home-made jam instead
of artificial fruit flavorings.
Okroshka:this spicy, cold Russian
soup was a favorite of the rebellious Crimean government. The
Ukrainian equivalent is called kholodnyk and there is some debate
as to which ingredients compose the quintessential okroshka.
All agree that its tangy taste comes from kvas, the pungent
drink made from ferrmented bread which serves as its base. And
not just Crimeans regularly find inspiration in the combination
of diced potatoes, meat, radish, cucumber, green onion, and
boiled egg, with milk and hearty helpings of both kvas and fresh
dill.
Pechenia: known as zharkoye in Russian,
this delicious roast meat, potato and vegetable stew comes in
a small crockery pot, somewhat like traditional French onion
soup, but deeper.
Smazhenyna: one of Ukraine's simpler national dishes,
smazhenyna is fried' beef served hot in a spicy sauce with vegetables.
Smetana: the local variety of sour cream, smetana is often
sweeter than is common in the West, closer actually to heavy
cream. Smetana is topping for almost all Ukrainian dishes, from
borshch to syrnyky.
Deruny or ptiatsky:a small relative
of the familiar Jewish potato latke.
Varenyky:also known by the Polish
perogies, these are boiled or fried triangular dumplings. The
fillings vary tremendously: potatoes, cheese, mushrooms, cabbage,
and meat are just as common as, in the summer time, cherries,
plums and berries. All varieties are served with either melted
butter or smetana. Each Ukrainian region, restaurant, family
has its own favorite recipe. Former President Leonid Kravchuk
proudly announced during a New Year's 1995 interview that he
personally prepared his own varenyky for the holidays, based
on careful historical research of the development of this national
dish. And during his May 1995 visit to Kiev, US exPresident
Bill Clinton declared varenyky "one of his favorite foods."
The map of Ukraine
The following map is located at Lonely Planet. You can find various interesting
information concerning travelling around Ukraine there.
Time Table
This is a comparative table representing a difference in time between Kyiv and a number of other cities
Current UTC (or GMT)-time: September 8, 2010, 12:09 am
UTC is Coordinated Universal Time, GMT is Greenwich Mean Time |
|
