Dates: 25-29 March 2016.

As part of the Cymru squad’s Euro 2016 warm-up we would play Northern Ireland at home, followed closely by Ukraine away and closer to the tournament, Sweden away. A visit to historic Kyiv could not be passed-up.

The ever-patient Liz picked me up straight from the Cardiff City Stadium following a tepid 1-1 draw with Northern Ireland and we headed to Gatwick.

On arrival in Kyiv we grabbed a nap and then headed out into the biting cold and joined the obligatory free walking tour armed with scarves and coffee.

The walk offered many cool and frankly odd statues and sculptures, and here are a few examples:

The walk took us past The People’s Friendship Arch:

The evening ended with some local food and some shots with two Latvian sisters. The stools were pretty cool:

Independence Square looked pretty foreboding on day one, but day two was like a summer’s day and gave the city a completely different look. A nice contrast:

We did our own little tour on day two, taking in some very Soviet-inspired minaret-clad buildings, visiting Landscape Alley with its weird and wonderful art and installations, and the Pirogovo open-air folk museum:

Day three was the much-anticipated trip to the Chernobyl exclusion zone and the abandoned city of Pripyat. I was broadly aware of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 but after reading a number of articles over the years I felt I wanted to know more so we booked our places on the guided tour. The trip involved a mini bus ride into the exclusion zone, followed by food and checking out the Duga radar array. From there it was on to an abandoned school, a view of the ill-fated reactor number four and finally a tour of Pripyat.

The mini bus included a short film outlining the disaster, but it didn’t take long to get distracted by the scenery as we progressed closer to the exclusion zone.

Welcome to Chernobyl:

There is still a workforce within the zone that need to be fed, watered and housed, but the bulk of the scenery is dotted with abandoned buildings and villages:

A monument to the firemen who gave their lives trying to quell the flames of reactor four:

After eating (safe, imported) food at one of the few diners in the area we moved on to the Duga radar site. The Duga radar array was a Soviet over-the-horizon radar system used as part of the Soviet missile defense early-warning radar network. It was an impressive sight to say the least, and even though we weren’t really allowed to climb up them, our guide gave us the nod.

Duga radar array:

Click here for a short video that helps convey the array’s enormity.

Next was a short visit to an abandoned primary school near the power plant. Eerie just didn’t do the place justice:

After the school it was on to view the power plant and reactor number four in particular, which at the time was in the process of having a new sarcophagus placed over it. Being a warm and sunny day, the approach was fairly picturesque, with the Pripyat river in close attendance:

The  sarcophagus that is due to encase reactor four in 2017:

Reactor four:

If all that wasn’t chilling enough, the hour-or-so spent around Pripyat really brought it home. What hit first was how quiet the place is. Then you realise the size and the sheer emptiness, save for a few stray cats and dogs.

The deserted Pripyat town centre:

The local stadium that never hosted a game:

The “iconic” fair ground:

The swimming pool:

There seemed to be endless rooms and halls frozen in time:

With objects discarded, never to be used again:

Nature and local wildlife is said to be thriving in the area without the presence of humans. Not that it’s safe to interact with them, even if they appear to be cute:

Click here for a short video of the fair ground and sports hall.

It was a truly saddening and haunting experience but one I’m really glad I had. To see the aftermath of one of the largest disasters of the twentieth century was shocking but an education. The mini bus ride back was naturally subdued.

Day four was match day, but there was still plenty of exploring before we headed to the NSC Olimpiyskiy.

Saint Sophia’s Cathedral:

St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral and Vladimirsky Passage leading-up to it

An interesting “guard of honour”:

The Dnieper river with the Parkovy Pedestrian Bridge in the distance and The People’s Friendship Arch on the hill:

After a few beers we headed to the match. The NSC Olimpiyskiy is a vast, 70,000-capacity bowl:

As with most friendlies, Cymru lost (1-0) in a fairly insipid match. The highlight being afterwards with fans serenading the police, who were holding us back for a few minutes, with classic #WalesAway chants. A few of them even cracked a smile!

Click here for a snippet.

I think it’s safe to say we both agreed with this sign:

With the return flight being late on our final day we took the opportunity to visit the Eternal Flame, the WWII memorial, the Motherland Monument, and finally the Park of Eternal Glory:

Kyiv is a superb city, with plenty of beautiful buildings, great vistas, tasty food and buckets of history.