Blogs from Lviv, Ukraine, Europe - page 6

So after a good amount of time in Poland I felt it was time for something new. I decided to hop on a train into Ukraine for a bit and see what was going on. I took a train into Lviv and found the only hostel to base myself at, and set out to see the town. It didn't take long to get a feeling I was in a different world.. All the writing was in Cyrillic and it was hard to find anyone who spoke English. I spent a few days eating Perogies and potatoes and exploring churches then I moved on to a small town in the south called Slavski. The Ladies at the hostel in Slavski set it all up and even gave me a paper with all the info to get there ... read more

The train pulled into Lvov at about 6.30 and I headed for the hostel on foot, hoping to check in and possibly catch a nap. Unfortunately, Marushka was asleep when I arrived, so I cruised the internet for a while, went to an orthodox mass downtown and was about to take a nap when a couple of people arrived at reception, also looking for Marushka. Failing to find her, we decided to have breakfast at a local hotel, which was free for them. Breakfast was a bit of traditional food, plus some coffee and we asked for a beer each as well... why not, its free :) They were pretty friendly guys, all speaking good English, on the final day of a hostelling conference. They needed to get stuff for their folks back home from Ukraine, ... read more

Our first official "sightseeing" day came on our third day in Lviv. Lonely Planet had a walking tour of the city, so we decided to do that. We visited many churches/cathedrals but some in particular stood out. The roman catholic cathedral was our first stop. It was quite impressive from the outside as it occupied the best part of Ploscha Katedralna. Inside was more like an art gallery than a cathedral. The stations of the cross were painted on every available wall and pillar. The whole ceiling of the cathedral had renaissance muriels covering every space. The next church worth mentioning is the Dominican church which was so grand and immense inside that it really didn't feel like a church. There was gold leaf decoration everywhere and so much detail in every tiny muriel, window or ... read more

We woke up at about 10 o'clock which is after the time water is available in central Lviv (only water is 6-9 morning and evening). Fortunately the hostel has a storage tank so toilets can still be flushed. I enjoyed my free breakfast which consisted of some interesting cereal and banana which wasn't quite like western cereal but was greatly appreciated all the same. From the hostel we headed off to find a book shop for a dictionary as we are completely lost without one; as one sign in ukrainian looks much like another. This then means we can't eat or function. So anyhow, we found a small bookshop but were followed round by a creepy security person. In there there were numerous phrase books but no dictionaries. We then went for a wander; round here ... read more

I shook my head in barely hidden frustration as another bulging Ukrainian oaf barged in front of me and slapped his wad of Hryvnia on the bus ticket counter. I'm a well tempered professional Englishman, proud of my queue skills and patience, but this was barbarism! I had arrived at the train station without a shred of Lviv knowledge, just the way I like it. I must have looked a little flustered because a woman tapped me on the shoulder and said she spoke English. Behind her, a gaggle of old Ukrainian women glowered at me, wondering why on earth their leader had engaged me in conversation. I explained my predicament. The woman looked non-plussed till I mentioned that my mother had been from the Ukraine (well, no need to give the full story... nevertheless my ... read more