As promised, here are the last photos from the first day in Kiev. (I know — this is all from one day.) These are from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra — a “lavra” is a monastery complex. This is definitely a complex — I don’t know how many buildings there are, but there are a lot — and despite periodic rebuilding and updates, parts are very old. There is some stone rubble in the main plaza area from one of the original buildings, and it was dated to (I believe) around 1100. (That’s less than 100 years from the recognized founding of Kiev.)

This is also one of the main tourist draws for the city. The domes of the main cathedral have been photographed thousands of times, and can be seen from several miles away, depending on your vantage point. Most of the buildings required a separate admission fee, unless you bought the package ticket when you came in. (We didn’t, but that’s OK.) Despite being a big tourist destination, it really didn’t seem that crowded. Of course, we were there on the last day of Kiev Days, so maybe some of the people were attending other activities downtown.

It’s funny, I thought I had more pictures that this… I am almost positive that there were things I took pictures of that I haven’t found yet. Maybe my camera classifies things in unexpected ways. Well, if more photos turn up, I will add another gallery to this post.

Kiev Pechersk Lavra