Home ----TRIP: Ukraine & Moldova 2009

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This is the second half of a two part trip which started in Estonia which is linked on our home page. Where in the world is the Ukraine and Moldova? Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe bordered by Russia to the east, Belarus to the north, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west, Romania and Moldova to the southwest, and the Black Sea and Sea to the south. The city of Kiev is both the capital and the largest city of Ukraine.
The Republic of Moldova is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east and south.
2 Our adventure begins in Lviv and continues south east with stops Ternopol, Chernivsti, then crosses the border of Moldova and stops in Chisinau. Continuing, we again cross the border back into Ukraine and stop in Odessa and Yalta before we reverse direction and take an overnight train up to the capital of Kiev.
3 A direct flight from Tallinn, Estonia (where we have just ended our first adventure) to Lviv, Ukraine would take about an hour and a half. Our trip, however begins at 3 a.m. and ends at 7 p.m. with short flights to Copenhagen, Denmark, a long layover, a flight to Warsaw, Poland with another long layover, and finally we arrive in Lviv. This is just the nature of getting from one place to another in these countries.
4 Ahhh, the terminal in Lviv. We landed and deplaned directly onto the tarmac and walked over to this building. Yes, it is the terminal! Once inside you know you are in a former Soviet country as you must get your elbows up and join the old fashioned Soviet bread line to squeeze through the cattle chute towards the passport check. There is one person checking passports for about 300 people, no seats, not bathrooms, no food or water. Amazing! (But fun, to us).
5 Our room is again, simple but adequate. It has everything we need.
6 After getting settled into our room we head out to discover Lviv and find some dinner. Right outside the hotel we discover this park and decide to follow the path and see where it leads us.
7 We pass some interesting architecture. Many of the buildings are ornately decorated in a Renaissance Italian style.
8 These statues are atop Lviv University, the oldest continuously operating university in Ukraine, founded in 1661.
9 Wait, Quicktime movie loading. Skateboarders and others enjoy the space in front of the University to practice their moves, and others just enjoy the walk through the park. The statue is of Ivan Franko, poet, linguist and reformer of the Ukrainian language, for whom the university is named.
10 Dinner is served. We find the Bictpo restaurant and have a satisfying dinner of cheese covered pork cutlets, mashed potatos and small salad on the side. It all costs just a little over $8.00 for two.
11 We find the St. Georges Cathedral, constructed in the baroque-rococo style. Construction of the present Cathedral was started in 1746 by Metropolitan Athanasius Sheptytsky and finished by 1762 by Leo Sheptytsky. Following the necessity of transferring the seat of the metropolitan of the Church to Lviv in the 1800s, St. Georges Cathedral became the mother church of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC).
12 Nestled in the coils of the dragon being slain by St. George we see Tobias, who seems to be happy to be here.
13 Strolling through the streets of Lviv makes for an interesting example of architecture.
14 Banks and buildings along the street as we walk down the park sidewalks.
15 We come across this interesting sculpture of Taras Shevchenko, a Ukrainian poet, artist and humanist. His literary heritage is regarded to be the foundation of modern Ukrainian literature and, to a large extent, the modern Ukrainian language. Shevchenko also wrote in Russian and left many masterpieces as a painter and an illustrator.
16 The detail on the monument is fascinating. Born a serf and orphaned at a young age, Shevchenko became prominent among artists who eventually helped to buy his freedom. He won many awards for his paintings and, while still a serf, publised a collection of poetry that was praised for "bursting forth like a spring of clear, cold water, sparking with clarity, and elegance of artistic expression not previously known in Ukrainian writing." Even so, he was eventually arrested and exiled for writing a poem critical of Tsar Nicholas I. Eventually allowed to return, he spent his last years on poetry, paintings and engravings before dying at 47. He had a huge impact and is considered the founder of Ukraine literature and the modern written Ukrainian language.
17 Further along the prospect we notice a crucifix prominently on display in the park. Many people stop and say a silent prayer here.
18 A fountain of the Blessed Mother Mary is nearby.
19 A bit further along the path we find this monument to Adam Mickiewicz, erected in 1904 for the 50th anniversary of Mickiewiczs death.
20 Continuing down the beautiful walkway towards the Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet just visible beyond the trees.