zaporozhye, heart of the cossacks

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Zaporozhe, heart of the Cossacks

If you want to fall in love with Zaporozhye take a long stroll in the early morning while the City is still drowsy with the previous night’s sleep. There is much to see and do at Zaporozhye, but it is a subtle place: you have to look harder.

flash earth coordinates: 47 51’ 4.4”north by 35 6’ 59.8”east, focused on a park on prospekt lenina

Getting there: the usual suspects apply: train, bus, plane. I came here from Kharkov on a very nice coach, but unless you’re coming from kiev apparently the older, less pleasant buses are the norm, so you’re forewarned. The train is still my favorite option-- the #71 & #72 trains to and from kiev take about 8.25 hours-- but commuter plane service does connect with zhulyani in kiev.

Where to stay: there are a number of hotels & even a motel near the city center; I stayed in Hotel Yes, conveniently located for a short walk to the river beach or a lovely park, but a little inconvenient for just about everything else. Still, it is brand new, inexpensive, w/ great amenities, and a very quiet locale. Best suggestion: if you stay here, hire a taxi: because the City is so spread out, you’re likely to need one anyhow.

Taxi service: allUkraine GSM taxi: dial 567 on a cell, tell the operator your city, and when you’ve been transferred to the appropriate dispatcher, tell them time and address for pickup.

Dining: there are restaurants for all dining tastes near hotel yes or city center too numerous to list. Even the inhouse restaurant at Yes was pleasant: a lovely atmosphere, good service, and an English-language menu. Nearby is jolly roger, a shashlik restaurant on the river that will have you drooling while you wait; it ius charmingly got up as a ship, with masts, rigging, architectural ribbing, even a few ancient wooden dories, and the most peculiar collection of wax sailors and pirates. Within spitting distance of 2 nightclubs, this place is a keeper.

Things to do: Zaporozhe being at the epicenter of Cossack culture and history for so long, exploring this heroic past is probably the most interesting & entertaining thing the City has to offer. Of course, the hydro dam has altered the geography of the Cossacks’ river with its famous rapids, but it is still easy to imagine the notoriously independent warriors-- ukrainian patriots and Republicans-- in their impregnable island sich. History museum of zaporozhsky Cossacks is a day trip to khortitsya island. Car enthusiasts: look sharp for the famous tiny Zap: there are still a few around. There is also the Glinka concert hall on lenina if you’re looking for a more classical experience, and a couple of kinotheatres up the street. If you want to buy some flowers, try the lovely little flower shop behind the macdonald’s at lenina and prospekt metalurgiv.

Favorite thing: I realize this is going to sound peculiar, but there are some truly gifted graffiti artists in Zaporozhe. There is a fence on prespekt lenina quite near the hydro dam, and another on a construction site near the old bridge to khortitsya island, and if you don’t feel like exploring then a wall on the river near jolly roger restaurant offers a truly magnificent selection. The combination of color, subject, and composition is outstanding-- as good as the best pretentious abstract painters in the usa, only these artists remember it’s about the painting.

Zaporozhe, like mariupol, is a Russian-speaking town, so study a little before you go. Barron’s “Russian at a glance” is a very helpful phrasebook. If you’re still unsure of your skills, try mila at www.mila-interpreter.com : she is an enthusiastic communicator, gifted philologist, and a completely charming companion. Whether you’re on a romantic tour (esp. if you’re on a romantic tour!) or business, you won’t be disappointed. She can also facilitate transport and accomodations.

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Photos

cafe
a splendid little cafe on lenina quite near the hydrodam

jolly roger restaurant
shashliks on the river

glinka concert hall
the classics on prospekt lenina

the beach
a sandy beach on the river between hotel yes and the jolly roger

hotel Yes!
inexpensive, comfortable