The word is a very exciting place

Lviv, the jewel of western Ukraine, suffered just like the rest of the country in both the USSR and the world wars. The Lonsky prison memorial museum is a testament to that fact. The prison, restored and holding an exhibition on it's history, shows you just how brutal and cruel political regimes can be. From on the spot executions, to padded sensory deprivation cells, it demonstrates the lengths people go to silence different voices and opinions. It's also a place to reflect on past history, and to show the warnings signs to spot to prevent it repeating. These places are awful, but are so important to visit so we can learn from history. Places like this should be mandatory to visit by everyone. On a lighter note, if you're needing a bit of calm to ease your mind, then the Vernissage flea market is a good place. I personally find wandering up and down lines of stalls therapeutic, even if I don't buy anything. Flea markets have a particular pull for me, as they are f...

Ukrainian night trains are certainly an experience. I ended up hanging out with a load of Hungarians who were on their way home after a stag do in Kyiv. The conversation and beer flowed, but I was rather tired when I was awoken by the carriage attendant telling me that Lviv was just half an hour away and I needed to get my stuff ready to disembark. The night train was as you can imagine, fairly uncomfortable and a long time. Ukrainian railways are in dire need of investment and improvements, but then again, it's all part of the experience! Just be aware though, in the summer night trains are often fully booked, and you may not find them the most restful of experiences. Saying that, it's a cheap way to get around, as your transport and accommodation costs are included together, plus you then get the whole day to explore the city then. I arrived in Lviv at about 5am or round abouts. There was no trams at that time, so it was a half and hour walk to the hostel. I stayed in Drea...

I had to save the best til last. The real highlight of Kyiv is the Pyrohiv national museum of folk architecture (also called the Pirogovo open air museum) Think an ethnographic park with rescued historical buildings, but imagine it to be big enough to be a town in it's own right. The museum was incredible. Nestled on the outskirts of Kyiv, take the metro to Ippodrom station, then you'll need the trolleybus (a bus that runs on overhead power lines like a tram) number 11. It's just a short walk from the bus stop which is the last stop, under the road through the subway then out to the park. It's surprisingly easy to get to, even if you can't speak Ukrainian! The park costs 50 Hyvrenia, which is just under 2GBP, so its great value, and there's also several places to get food and drinks inside the park. You can wonder from recent soviet architecture, to farmsteads that are nearly a thousand years old. The entire countries domestic history is represented here, and...