Ukraine: Kiev and Chernobyl

I'm not going to spend a lot of time talking about Kiev because I honestly didn't spend a lot of time here.  Saint Sophia Cathedral was beautiful, traditional Russian architecture and a lovely bell tower.  Inside, it has the sarcophagus of Yaroslav the Wise.  It was a nice city with good food.  

The highlight of my time here was a day trip to Chernobyl.  It was a much bigger area than I realized.  I think it was 150 towns and villages that had to be evacuated.  On the tour, we were required to stay with the group since many areas were still radioactive.  It was very eery.  Businesses and homes were just abandoned.  There were still classrooms with desks and books, a day care with beds and toys, a grocery store with shopping carts and signs.  People had only a few hours to gather their belongings before they were taken away.  People did come back at different times to get things and loot the area, but otherwise it was pretty much left alone.  It was kind of like stepping back in time.  The tour guide had photos of some of the places as they looked before the accident, so it was interesting to compare them.