We backpackers complained that not all the street names or road signs were in English in St. Petersburg.  Then we saw almost no signs in English in Moscow. 

Now that I am in Kiev, I could not even find the street names!

Why is that?  One theory has it that in the Soviet era its people could travel within the USSR, but foreigners were not allowed to visit.  Therefore things like streets names were very much local knowledge.  Even with an increasing number of tourists visiting today, Russia and Ukraine are slow in making things easy for outsiders.

Kiev is like a mini-Moscow, but more laid back.  People still push and shove each other on the subway, but they are nicer about it.  For the few who understand English, they are more than willing to help.  Even the people who do not speak English will give you lengthy directions .

Things are pretty cheap here, including tourist souvenirs.  I paid two U.S. dollars for a pack of twenty postcards, more than enough to send to everybody on the list.  When I brought the stack of them to the post office, the female staff got so tickled that they all wanted to help with the stamps. 

My favorite ritual is to find and climb to the highest point of the city. But such attempts were not successful in Helsinki, St. Petersburg or Moscow. In Kiev I climbed the bell tower of its landmark, the St. Sophia Cathedral.  The view on top was awesome!

------------------------------------------------------------ -----

Lviv.

Originally I was planning to spend two days at Lviv.  But then the ticket lady at the train station said I could either leave in the same evening or four days later.  So I forked over the cash and packed my bags. 

During the fourteen hours in Lviv, I got to climb to the highest point in its city center, which is the clock tower in its city hall.  Yes!!