Falling in Love with Ukraine

A few months ago Ukrainian TV company CTV, invited me to participate in a TV series.

I already have a connection with Ukraine, as Hava, Shipi and Hanna’s mother who passed away 20 years ago, was from Kiev.

Hava, Shipi & Hanna’s Mother.

So of course I wanted to go and experience Kiev and meet the Ukrainian people, however I have to be very honest & admit that I was a slightly apprehensive.

I’ve been in the limelight for nearly 4 decades, and have been fortunate enough to have toured all continents & have been streamed into the TV sets of the population of most countries. I even know from my webmaster that I have people visit my website from every single country of the world, including countries that have very little internet access, and my show The Next Uri Geller in Russia, which shares a border with Ukraine, was hugely successful. However, Ukraine is a country I haven’t spent time in before, and I just didn’t know what to expect from Ukraine, how people would react to me. I just wasn’t sure what to expect.

But even within just a few hours of arriving in Kiev, I started to fall in love with the city, it’s amazing buildings, art, sculptures, and the incredible people of Ukraine who gave me the warmest of welcomes!

Getting the mic on for filming on the streets of Kiev

The minute that I set foot in this fantastic ancient city, it became clear to me in an instant that my previous concerns were completely wrong, and as the days unfolded I began to realize just what a special place this is, how lovely warm & sincere the people are, and that this would not be the last time I would be in Kiev!

Have you ever seen a door with such amazing detail?

From seeing all my photo’s, you may have the impression that I was in Kiev for a break. Actually, we had to pack in a great deal of filming into a short time frame, there were some very early starts, and the pictures you see here represent a microscopic slither of the wealth of incredible places, buildings & scenery that Ukraine has to offer.

I would love to have more time to explore Kiev and other parts of Ukraine, and to be able to spend more time to take everything in properly.

Early morning filming in Kiev

One of the places which astounded me, is the Gate Church of the Trinity. This is a church built in 1108, which was part of a huge fortification created to protect the Pechersk Lavre or “Kiev Monastery of the Caves” which were built in 1015. The outer surface of the monastery walls which lead to the gates are completely covered in frescoes!

There are so many things in Kiev to witness, and a picture says a thousand words, so below are a few more images I managed to snap on my blackberry in between a busy filming schedule.

Sunset in Kiev – what a beautiful place this is!

Wooden ballerina in Kiev street.

Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) building in central Kiev.

The biggest flower clock in Europe, Independence Square Kiev.

Some of the friendly staff of CTV Kiev.

Did you know I was a motivational speaker? Here I’m giving a motivational talk in Kiev to help people to give up smoking.

If you came to my website while I was in Kiev, you would have seen the Twitpic images as I sent them, and clicking on the link in the schedule to see where I was, you will have seen the larger pictures with explanations of what I was seeing & doing. In case you’re wondering why I do this, the is because I feel so exceptionally privileged to be able to see and experience the places, people & events that I experience, and I like to share with my readers as much as I possibly can.

I know that seeing my photograph’s and reading my descriptions & narratives isn’t the same as being here – and believe me if I could take you, and everyone who enjoys visiting my website & watching my shows, with me to everywhere I go, I really would! But of course that isn’t possible, so taking regular photo’s with my blackberry & posting them with details on my website – is the next best thing.

Will I be going back to Ukraine? Try to stop me!! I am going back for more filming next week, and then again at the end of November.

If you enjoy sharing my experiences with me as I meet extraordinary people & experience incredible places, then come back to my website often, look for the Twitpic widget on the right of the page, and just above that see my schedule. Click the links on my schedule to see what I’m up to, and of course if there’s ever anything you want to share with me about the places I’m going & the people I’m meeting, hit the contact uri button on the right hand side, and email me.