The Dog Days in Lviv

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Somehow the cities and countries slip away from me so fast. I am constantly thinking of what I am going to write in an attempt to communicate with you what not only my experiences are as I travel but also how each place is unique, amazing, and memorable to see. Unfortunately, I many times find myself lacking the words or the coherent commentary to describe all the things that are happening to me. However in a few days I will say goodbye to Eastern Europe, and my past few weeks at least deserve an attempted summation.

As many good things seem to inevitably end, I had to say goodbye to the spectacular city of Kiev, and the good friends with whom I had been spending my days had to go their separate ways. I think I could have stayed there for a month and not tired of it, but time doesn’t stop just so I can linger in a place a little bit longer. So forward, onward I went to Lviv (Lvov), Ukraine; a city that sits on the Western border of Ukraine and is described as being a city that is smaller, more charming, and quaint due to its proximity to the rest of Europe. Upon arrival, Lviv struck me as exactly that but in a much greater state of disrepair. I immediately could notice slower pace of life and the aging feel by simply looking around and feeling how the people moved and interacted with each other; it created a sharp contrast to Kiev’s bustling streets and squares. After being there for a few days I began to realize that Lviv is populated by an incredible amount of elderly people who sadly appear to be living in rather poor financial conditions. Many of them shuffle around, some collecting bottles, some selling baked goods, and others pass the time playing chess in the park. For some reason, in Kiev I had been insulated from that side of Ukrainian life. I knew that there had to be a number of impoverished people because the salaries are not so good anywhere in Ukraine; a teacher for instance makes less that $100 USD per month, but you normally don’t see that when you’re walking around in a nicer part of the city. That’s where it’s hard to get an accurate picture of life in a country, because as a foreigner and a traveler, you usually only have the time and the means to see a small cross-section of another society.

I spent a total of 6 days in Lviv; the first few days I was quite disenchanted with the city and was already planning my route out; however, out of forced necessity, otherwise known as infrequent trains to my next destination, I ended up staying longer than I anticipated. I am rather glad that I did actually; in those few days, I discovered the softer side of Lviv if you will, the part that you remember and want to take with you in your memories. There was thing in particular that did it for me—the Lychakiv Cemetery. It is a sprawling, hilled area with graves dating back more than 5 centuries. Many of the graves are imposing and impressive, and they are accentuated by the somber, slightly unkempt, forested grounds that surround the tombs and headstones. I found myself all alone, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, among people of ages past with both Ukrainian and Polish names, and during that time you could feel the history and the smell in the air the moist richness of the earth.

That experience helped to calm my nerves after spending roughly 3 hours trying to buy a single train ticket in the Lviv train station which has to be the single most inefficient ticket dispensing transportation system on the face of the planet, and let me tell you I have seen some absolute nightmares in other parts of E. Europe. I would like to describe it in detail, but it will probably piss me off again. I’ll just say that it is NOT SERVICE ORIENTED!

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Photos

A Sleepy Street
One of the many tired streets you can find while wondering around Lviv.

Cathedrals Everywhere!
You couldn't turn a corner in Lviv without seeing another cathedral to explore. They are all tucked into little back side streets as well.

A way to be remembered
This is a small taste of the headstones of Lviv's famous cemetery.

Roark?
Reminded me of a description from an Ayn Rand novel.

Comments

[Janice]

Hi Grant
Hope you're enjoying the end of your experience abroad! Janice

[Lindsay Hoge]

Hi Grant, I just looked over all your journal entries. This is so neat! I'm so jealous of you! All these places look amazing. You are very lucky to be able to do this. You write very well! Hope you are well, I will keep checking checking your journal for new entries.

[Mark]

Service Oriented
Buying a train ticket is pretty bureaucratic but not super bad...but the trick is you really need to speak Ukrainian or Russian..if you only speak English you're pretty much scr**wed.