There are many things to hate about Kyiv Boryspil. Like that the spelling on the door is not the same as the spelling on my boarding card. Like the fact that you have to go through an x-ray machine just to get into the building, because emptying your pockets in the doorway with no tables handy is loads of fun. Like the fact that it’s taken an hour to connect my tablet to the wifi.

Today I went to St Volodymyr’s Cathedral, said to be the prettiest (if not the most important) in Kyiv. In Kyiv. On a Sunday. Well, now I know what a Ukrainian Orthodox service looks and smells like. It’s prettier outside, that dark brown Art Nouveau thing is not as much to my taste as the mounds of gold in the other churches.

I walked down to Shevchenko Park where trees have eyes, all the benches are weird and children wear manes made of golden autumn leaves. Back to the metro at Khreshchatyk and along to Arsenalna to visit Rodina Mat, Nation’s Mother, a 91m statue of a warrior on the hillside, surrounded by a war museum. It’s just next to the Lavras but I didn’t walk to walk the extra distance on Thursday. I had lunch down there and then walked back.

Back at Maidan I did some shopping, finished lunch, collected my luggage and made for the airport. This time the Skybus was a coach and half empty, which was nice. Wifi’s not very good on it.

I also hate that there are only three places in this entire airport where you can get food or drinks – all takeaway bar things. Kyiv Boryspil, you need something like a mini Smiths.