The reason we visited Ukraine was supposed to be just for the 2018 Champions League Final at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv. By the end of the trip, we realized how unique Ukraine really is…
We stayed at an adorable two bedroom apartment (Sherborne ApartHotel). It was the classic Ukrainian apartment, it looked exactly how I’d imagined. We got settled in and got a good nights rest for the next day.
We woke up to a beautiful, sunny day and decided to map out our walk to the stadium. It was about 1.3 miles. Later that day we ate at Sliver Spoons near the stadium, it was a very nice meal. A lot of European countries do not put ice in their drinks, it was very different. Then we stopped at a Ukrainian candy store called “Roshen” in Kyiv.
⚽️GAME DAY⚽️
Soccer fans from all over the world crowded the streets chanting all kinds of things. I’ve never seen such a large group of people so passionate about soccer, aka fútbol. The fan zone was packed, we were shoulder to shoulder with all of the sweaty, drunk fans with body paint caked from head to toe. I didn’t have a strong opinion on who I wanted to win, but I wore a Real Madrid jersey. My mom, dad, and brother all wore Liverpool jerseys. My brother, Ethan, is a huge soccer fan and chose this trip for his birthday and graduation trip.
Before the game started, we sat down at a restaurant full of Liverpool fans. A nice man named Will, covered in red spirit wear and flags, drove 27 hours to cheer for Liverpool. This man was an extremely intoxicated, overly enthusiastic supporter of Liverpool (his favourite team). Did I mention he had a bright red puppet bird and blow horn? He was singing, dancing, and making bird noises around our table throughout our whole meal. Then we noticed a statue of Michael Jordan inside the restaurant that looked nothing like him AND his number was reversed to 32. Even though it definitely could have been a different person, people were in lines to take pictures with the statue. This was a very unique experience, and the game hasn’t even started yet!
When we got to the entrance, the chaos grew. Some security guards held machine guns and batons, others were just hanging out.
After we got through security, we began walking to our seats. On the way to our seats we passed a group of Liverpool fans. They were all screaming and jumping, until they saw my jersey. I could’ve cared less who won, but Ronaldo’s on Real Madrid, so I had to choose it. Anyway, they all stopped jumping, stared at me, and started booing me away. My little 14 year old self, just smiled and awkwardly walked away with my pretzel bites. We finally got to the seats, a sighed in relief as I saw all of the Real Madrid jerseys in our section. They all hugged me and taught me the cheers while the rest of my family covered up their Liverpool shirts. Moral of the story: I chose the right team. The game was fun to watch, but it didn’t even compare to watching the crowd screaming, cheering, crying, laughing, expressing every single emotion every second. That was one of the most exciting experiences I’ve ever been a part of. Real Madrid ended up winning 3-1. It was very emotional for the Liverpool fans. As they walked out, you could tell how important soccer is in every single one of their lives.
The next morning, we prepared for an all day walking tour of Kyiv with the BEST tour guide, Victoria (Instagram: @bestkyivguide). If you or anyone you know are planning on visiting Ukraine, I definitely recommend taking this tour! Especially if you love walking, you will definitely get your steps in. You will see beautiful architecture like The Iron Lady, experience riding a super long escalator ride to the deepest Metro Station in the world, and get to know your amazing guide.
The next day we met up with our guide, Tetiana, for a food tour. We were not expecting the large quantity of food we would be eating, but we did walk a lot of it off. This tour was very well organized and our guide was very knowledgeable about the city. We visited many unique restaurants, but my favourite would have to be the “hidden restaurant” called The Last Barricade. We needed a secret password to enter, and we would have never found it if we weren’t on the tour. This is the place I fell in love with dumplings. We ended the day with dinner at Rukkola for a nice Italian meal and then Lviv Chocolates for dessert.
This trip to Kyiv was a very unique experience that I will never forget. I really enjoy soccer, but I would not consider myself a huge fan. The people watching at that game was so amazing, it felt like I was in a movie. The apartment we stayed in was awesome, a little sketchy at night, but overall a great experience. Both of our tour guides were wonderful and we still keep in touch!
We were expecting a completely different trip and experience, what we got significantly exceeded our expectations. Thank you Kyiv, Ukraine.
