Russia House | Trip Reports | Part 2
Part Two: Posted to the Russian Women's List
Other Reports: One | Three | Four |
Hello All!
This report will detail some of my experiences in Lviv, which was my
port of entry and departure from Ukraine. After a crazy two days of
flight delays, freezing temperatures and sometimes complete desperation,
I finally arrived in Lviv on New Years Eve. My UW and her agency
weren't expecting me for another 2 days because of the flight delays in
Chicago so they were off partying when I arrived.
With the help of a fellow traveler, I was able to get a room at the
Hotel George near the center of the city and I immediately collapsed for
some sleep. I was awakened by loud explosions and flashes that lit up
the windows.....the New Year's celebration had begun. Part of me wanted
to go join the fun and another part was still scared to death to be
alone in a strange place. I settled in, with the singing and fireworks
in the background, and began to record the first of many installments of
my audio journal of my trip.
The celebration finally died down by about 4 am and I was able to get
some sleep. I had my official initiation into life in Ukraine......late
to bed and late to rise. Very different for an American used to getting
up at 5 am every day.
Some observations:
The George is a nice hotel; rooms were 70 USD per night with private
bath. The water always worked and was hot. The phone worked well and I
could call America with my ATT calling card....the George was the only
place I was to use it while in Ukraine. The hotel was very secure and
quiet. It has an exchange office in the lobby and an office where I
could purchase train tickets, maps and get other information about
Lviv. Most of the staff could speak at least a little English and were
pleasant to deal with. Check out time is 12 noon.
I met with my interpreter and Halia at the George on New Years Day and
went to a party at Halia's house. My first impression of Halia was when
I came down the lovely main staircase at the George and could see her at
the bottom as I descended. She looked better than in her pictures and
had an earthy quality about her. We had no great romantic meeting
because I had only been writing to her for a few weeks.....I would say
we met more as friends, which was fine with me. Romance develops slowly
for me, usually with women I have been friends with for a time.
Halia and her roommate Marta live in a small apartment near the center
of Lviv. She had a number of friends over for a continuation of the
celebration begun the evening before. I got my first taste of Ukrainian
celebration.....I had never been so well fed and made so many
toasts......
One of her friends, Oleg, could speak some English so Elle (the
interpreter) excused herself and I was was suddenly surrounded by all
these people talking in a foreign language, something I got quite
comfortable with later during my trip. Oleg sold electronics equipment
and was interested in my digital camera so we talked tech stuff for a
while. As Halia became more comfortable with me, she started speaking
English. I could tell she was understanding some of what I was saying
but she later told me she was afraid to try speaking because she might
get it wrong. She got over her shyness and soon we were talking quite
easily.
Over the next few days we got to know each other better and I began to
learn my way around Lviv. I depended a lot in the beginning on my
driver, Oleg, but after a while I started wandering around a bit on my
own with the help of a map that I got at the George. Halia and Elle
took me up to Castle Hill where there is a breathtaking view of the
city. The trail was snow and ice covered and I probably fell on my butt
a dozen times; the view was worth every bruise. I could imagine a
Polish or Austrian Count surveying his surroundings all those centuries
ago.
We also went to a Museum where a number of ancient rural buildings from
around the Lviv Oblast were brought in or reconstructed to resemble
original structures. This is where the beautiful hand carved and joined
wood that you see in photographs in the Lonely Planet Travel Guide comes
from. It is amazing how they joined such intricate pieces of wood
entirely without fasteners and carved such beautiful images in them.
All of this to weather the elements throughout the ages. As a
woodworking hobbyist, I had a particular interest in this part of Lviv's
history.
I found that Halia and I were much alike and got on much as best friends
might. I did not feel any strong attraction initially but this is
normal for me. I did admire her skills in the kitchen and the quiet way
she would look into my eyes when we talked. She seemed much wiser than
her 29 years. She seemed more Western than what I expected, possibly
because she works for an American foundation in Lviv.
We visited a number of old palaces that are now museums and I got a
taste of what Lviv was like 300 years ago for the few wealthy people who
lived there. It was at one of these palaces that I saw the only
machine-gun toting guard that I was to see in Ukraine. In ususal
Ukranian efficiency, the museum required visitors to put on special
slippers to polish the original parquet wood floor and not damage it.
These slippers wouldn't fit my big American hiking boots so I offered to
remove them and just go in my socks in the slippers. Of course, they
would have none of that so, after a little discussion in Ukrainian and a
couple of strategically placed hryvna, I was allowed to continue in my
boots, only to be confronted by the guard and relieved of my backpack.
Ah, life in Ukraine! After all that, it was a lovely museum, with many
original icons, jewels, paintings and furniture from the 17th century.
Halia took me to a quiet cafe near Svobody Plaza where an inexpensive
and tasty meal could be found served by waitresses dressed in
traditional Ukrainian costumes. I got to try fried tongue, fried
brains, vareneky and other Ukrainian dishes......the tongue was a little
tough, but tasty; I liked the brains and was quite accustomed to
vareneky, which are like a dumpling filled with different things, like
meat or potato or mushroom, or fruit; they are quickly boiled and eaten
hot with a little sour cream on top.
I received a good lesson in shopping when Halia took me to the outdoor
market so she could buy the fixings for a dinner she was to cook for
me. At these markets is nearly anything you could possibly want or need
at (mostly) very reasonable prices. As long as you have money, there is
plenty of food (and most everything else) to be had in Ukraine. They
also have beautiful flower markets at the bazaars (markets) and this is
where I purchased the flowers and chocolate that I would give Halia
prior to my departure for Odessa.
The time passed quickly and soon goodbyes were in order. I was to
travel by train to Odessa to meet two other ladies and learn about the
cosmopolitan city on the Black Sea. Halia, with her bouquet of flowers
in hand, and Oleg took me to the train station and made sure I found my
carriage. I cannot emphasize how important having help for these things
was to me. I don't have the travel experience of many of the members on
the list and might have been overwhelmed trying to find my way. This is
one area where knowing the language and being able to read it would be
very helpful. Also, I was just beginning to learn to ask for help
rather than tough it out on my own; I would get much better at this as
the trip progressed.
Anatoliy (the agency owner) purchased train tickets for a private
sleeper car owned by a company called EFA Tour. I wanted privacy so he
purchased all the tickets for a compartment. The train trip cost about
50 USD each way for the whole compartment. I thought this was a bit
high but after opening the door to my compartment I knew I was glad I
spent the money. Flowers on the table with a linen table cloth, linen
sheets for the bunk, warm blankets and a goose down pillow. There were
originally four bunks in the compartment, so it was quite roomy. And
quite warm as well.......I was glad the attendant brought by a couple of
bottles of mineral water before serving tea. After tea, I made some
recordings in my audio journal, did some reading and then fell asleep to
the muffled click, click of the train wheels and the gentle rocking of
the carriage......
I would be in Odessa in the morning..........and on a new and exciting
leg of my journey. That, and more of my adventures with Halia when I
returned to Lviv, in part Three.
Thanks for the positive responses to my first post.....I do hope to
become one of the priviledged few to enjoy the love and attention and
loyalty of a special lady from Ukraine. I can say that the way they
took me in to their families and circles of friends was quite
intoxicating. I am already back into Expedia and Travelocity planning
my next trip! I never knew what home really was until I went to
Ukraine........
Russia House | Trip Reports | Part 2
