Folly is a brilliant word. It describes the state of mind of the man and what he built in a park north of Kyiv which he thought was his own private domain and would be his for ever. We travelled by boat on the 1st day of August. An 8-hour round trip from Kyiv's River Station at Poshtova Square. Leaving at 11 am, it's a full 2 hours on the water and through the locks at Vishgorod. Then you have 4 hours to yourself in the rolling, forested hills of the park. A couple of minuses: Payment of the boat trip does not include the park entrance. And though there are tour-guides on the boat, there doesn't appear to be any transport to take you from the riverbank to the main buildings high above. There are cycles, electric scooters and bikes, but they all can only be hired at the main (road) entrance up at the top of the complex. On foot, everything is a struggle uphill. The zoo (more like a working farm) was a highlight. The ostriches are a favourite. There are also deer freely walking around the park, quite tame watching the humans go by. At a quarter to 5, after the boat has sounded its horn, it's back on board, for the trip back downriver. We were surprised about halfway by a sudden summer shower which left everyone on the open top-deck absolutely soaked and scurrying for shelter down below. Other than that, no harm was done. Back at Poshtova Square, on schedule, at 7 pm.

Sasha picked us up at 10am as requested and we set off , his English was fantastic and his knowledge of this beautiful city was exceptional. We visited numerous sites , had lunch (not included but cheap) and were dropped off at the hotel around 3:30 . Loads of pics and memories, thank you !