Kharkov (Харьков) is the second largest city in Ukraine. It has less of the mining-industrial feel than other cities in Ukraine that we have visited. It is touted as a cultural and educational center in the country, with 60 scientific Institutes, 30 establishments of higher education, 6 museums, 7 theatres and 80 libraries. In the central part of the city is a beautiful, big square called Freedom Square, which is said to be the sixth largest city square in Europe, and the 12th largest square in the world.

Public transport is the major means of locomotion here, just as it is in Donetsk. But unlike Donetsk, Kharkov has a "Metro" or subway, and so exploring the city via subway became another great adventure. The trains are fast and colorful and crowded, and they have stops in all areas of the city.

We learned how to change grevin into tokens and how to use the tokens to pass through the turnstyles into the subway tunnels. At first it was very intimidating to imagine traveling on these high-speed underground trains without experienced help. Elder and Sister Burr said that it was not a problem as long as you learned to listen for the name of the stop you needed. Sure enough, with intense listening, we could recognize stop names when they were called out in Russian. We were just glad that they did not limit announcements to Ukranian because we have not yet acquired Ukranian vocabulary. The interiors of the subway stations were amazing. Each section of the subway was decorated in a different style, but all were interesting, artistic and ornate with amazing chandeliers and tile-work.

If you are not aggressive getting onto the metro, you do not get in. Once you are in the car, it is important to stand with feet wide-spread, brace yourself and reach for something to hang onto. Riding the Metro is fast, efficient and reliable, but we think it would take a bit of getting used to.