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Published: August 13th 2009
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Tower
The other sie view from bridge The overnight train was with no adventures. I was in same coupe with some construction worker, we talked a little and he was surprised that I am traveling in Ukraine and alone. I even told him about couchsurfing and he was concerned if my host will really host me and even offered place to stay if, by any chance, I had none (well it did seem like an honest offer, with no other intentions, so it was nice from his side).
Morning was sunny I, after putting my backpack in train station storage, went to the Old Town on foot. I did not know what to expect from this little town. Lonely Planet mentioned it as really nice, but none of Ukrainians seemed to know what is nice out there. The ones whom I told about this were surprised. But I was happy that it was warm at last and in this more southern town flowers were already blooming. Morning was relaxed just few people were in the streets. The Old Town is separated by bridge over a valley. I walked there and in the middle I stopped in “awe” expression on my face. And there it was - rocky valley,
View to Town
From backyard of church on one side a small waterfall and on other a tower on a cliff. I think I stood there for 5 minutes just appreciating the view. This alone was already worth the trip.
It was too early for cafes or shops to be open so I just went to the same tower I saw from the bridge. I sat there, on a cliff, looking to the valley. At that moment I really wanted to have someone to admire this view with. But traveling alone does have its own rewards, so those moments do not bring me down. I just had this calm happy feeling and was so glad that after all I decided to come here. There was just something dragging me to this place.
Some people passed me by going upwards or downwards to valley. One jokingly asked if I am not going to fall down, as I was sitting very close to cliff.
Then I decided to do some more lazy sightseeing and went to St Peter and St Paul church. It was nice building, as usually churches are. The mass was going on inside. I do not usually go to churches during mass, but inside female voice
The Watterfall
It was small, but still nice to see. was singing some extraordinary beautiful song, so that lured me inside. I avoided the priests going around people and just enjoyed the signing. It was magic.
04. 21 09:15 Café “Nika”
After church I went along trying to find some coffee. I usually drink coffee in morning when I travel, it more of a symbolic-meditative thing, than actual need of it. I just like sitting somewhere with cup of coffee and thinking of the place I went before and the place I am and places I will be. The thing that lured into “Nika” was Scorpion music playing. I was first customer and the lady was very nice. I sat outside on a straw chairs, looking at town slowly waking up. People seem to be really relaxed here, it seems like I am not even in Ukraine anymore. As for now, I really like this town.
Just a short stroll down the street got me in front of a bridge and on the other end of it there was the castle. I have seen quite a few castles in my travels, but some have this inner charm and some not. This one really had something magical. I
St Peter and Paul church
Where I heard the wonderful singing walked in it for maybe 2 or 3 hours, enjoying the inside and the view to the outside. One cool part was the dungeon. It is usual to see some part of dungeon in every castle, but this time it was something different. In the middle of cellar there was a wooden construction with iron gate on it. So you can come to it and peak downwards. And so I did and so my heart almost stopped. “Whow, that’s deep like Moraya” (For those who are not geeky enough to know, this is reference to “Lord of the Rings”, the deepest mine dug by dwarfs). It seemed endless and so big. I was amazing standing there and looking inside again and again. Then I had a though to drop a coin in to see if it has an end or not. And it did, apparently there was some water there, but still was deep down. That was really most surprising dungeon I have seen (I even went to it again, just before I was going out of castle). So after that I walked around castle for some time. I had another geeky reference moment, when I saw one bridge and
I could clearly imagine a cockroach salesman under it just like in Undercity (this is reference to an online game “World of Warcraft”, if you do not know, never mind). Then I decided to go to other side of river on a hill, on top of which some sort of construction that reminded me helmet of Sauron (again reference to “Lord of the Rings”, this post has more of them than usual). So I was going down the hill of castle and thee were many small houses with blooming apple and cherry trees and it all looked so idyllic except that it also looked so poor. So I had this theory that hobbits used to live here, but now Ukrainians do. And it was all really so nice - little bridges, little waterfalls, the cliffs, goats walking around, nice little gardens near houses. Just that there also was lots of trash everywhere and many other small things ruined the picture of Shire. So I walked up the hill and reached the Sauron-helmet looking metal thing and had my little lunch there. At the point, looking at this small town situated in this rocky valley I though that this would be
Cafe Nika
What I saw from my table sipping coffee one of perfect places to set up a hostel.
After that I walked around a little more and had a chat with local (who stared talking to me first, which is so not Ukrainian) about this town and tourism in Ukraine. Then I shopped for souvenirs in really nice little place and had a nice longer chat with the shopkeeper. She told me that just a week ago she met some other two Lithuanian girls who hitchhiked to this place. As I saw Ukrainians like Lithuania and all Baltic states and they usually refer to them all as one piece. So that woman even gave me one of souvenirs for free, but after that I bought all my “from Ukraine” souvenirs there, as this was the last touristy stop in my trip.
After this, even though I wanted to stay there for longer, I had to go to bus station. I gad to go to Chemerivtsy and I did not know when do minibuses leave or even from where. So I picked up my big backpack from train station and asked where bus station was. While walking like that, I really looked like a tourist and people were looking at
me more. So eventually I found the bus station and somehow through other people (who were again very helpful) my minibus. Gosh I was glad I know Russian once again.
So, overall experience in Kamenets-Podilsky was extraordinary. It is for sure one of my favorite places not only in Ukraine, but of all that I have visited. This little town has beauty and some inner charm that affects not only visitors, but also locals. People there seem to be happier, more open and calmer than in other parts of Ukraine. I would say that if you are going to Ukraine, you should see Lvov and Kiev, but you must see Kamenets-Podilsky, this little place where hobbits used to live.
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