The statue I'm standing with us Leopold Masoch......inventor of masochism......yep the same one. A hole in his pants had a surprise if you dared to put your hand inside.
Saturday, 5 January 2013
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
Lviv
I arrived at around 11:30 at night and had directions to my hostel using a bus or a tram...too bad the hostel didn't tell me the trams wouldn't be running when I emailed them to tell them how late I would be getting in! I walked all down the road before I saw a sign with times for the tram. I decided to walk a bit more and hopefully find a bus stop. The signs were terrible! And of course tourist information had been closed when I arrived. I got on a bus and asked about the stop and he said he would go there....not sure if it's a regular stop! He let me off and I easily found the building. Finding the front door was another thing. I walked one way but there was nothing, so I walked along the side, one door was locked and another door was open. I walked inside but all I saw was dirt, garbage and wood....kind of like a construction zone! I could see lights on a floor above me but was having some real concerns about climbing the stairs. I stood at the bottom step and thought "well better give it a try"! And of course my hostel was up there, above an area that I can only describe as uninhabitable by Canadian standards! At first glance my hostel seemed OK, small but OK. It was after midnight but everyone was up with lights blazing which I found odd. I got the last bed in the dorm room and when I went to the bathroom I realized how small the hostel really was. No common area, a tiny kitchen with a hot plate and a microwave and a gross bathroom! I was too tired to think about it so went to bed. And was kept up by snoring by not one, not two, but three people! I got up when someone came in the room and started talking to his friends. I thought about it and decided that sitting in bed all the time and not meeting anyone was not how I wanted to spend new years. I searched on the hostel booking site and found a hostel with a bed for that night and checked out. I had mapped out directions but after walking around for a while not finding anything I pulled out my tablet. I asked someone for help and it turns out I had walked in the wrong direction! Ugh. I started heading back when an old woman stopped me and pushed on my bag from the bottom. She signaled that I should be rolling my bag on wheels. I smiled and walked towards the tram. I got on #6 and asked the driver about the street. She shrugged and continued driving. As I moved further into the tram I saw a man lying on the ground, oh geez. Another passenger was signaling me about something but I couldn't figure it out. The tram stopped and a security guy got on to help with the guy in the floor and the driver came over to help with directions. I showed the map I had and her and 3 other passengers discussed. She motioned to stay and then asked about my ticket! Oops....another passenger getting off handed me his ticket! How nice. The driver told me when to get off and pointed the way. I walked around the old city but couldn't find my street. I finally found a hostel and decided to give it a try. I was welcomed in and I realized after that it was guests who were getting me to come in and put my bag down. The owner spoke no English so they translated for me. I got the last bed in the 8 bed dorm, staying with this family. They helped me make the bed and then we went walking around the town. Climbing a tower we saw the old town below us. They welcomed me to their meal and made me tea. Iryna even gave me a vest when I said I was cold. They spoke little English but between Julia and Iryna we could get by. Turns out by the way that the tram driver had sent me walking in the wrong direction. I guess it was fate that brought me this lovely family.
The next day I went in to town with them for a bit but soon headed back for a nap. They fed me dinner again and then I took another nap. At 11 pm I got up and we went to the main square in front of the opera where we watched fireworks and drank chanpagne. In Lviv there was no countdown but fireworks began to go off...and it seems everyone had brought their own firecrackers, fireworks and other explosives to set off for the rest of the night. What a night!
Yesterday was more of the same, spending time in bed trying to get rid of this cold. I had the most amazing time with this welcoming Ukrainian group of friends and family and am sad to say goodbye. They were so kind to a stranger.
I checked into a new hostel and will be here until Friday when I go to Istanbul. I am starting to feel more normal so hope I'll be able to kick this cold before then!
Kiev
The next day in Kiev started slowly. I felt exhausted so stayed in bed as long as I could. I then decided to take the vernicular up to see some modern sculptures in a playground. They were very cool. And as an added bonus I saw a beautiful church when I got to the top. I decided to walk down the steep road as my hostel was at the bottom and so was the metro. Along the way small stands sold souvenirs. I bough two wooden pysanky (Ukrainian Easter eggs) for school. I took the metro to a monastery where there were interesting caves built by the monks. It took awhile to figure out where the caves actually were as the signs were only English at the gates. I finally just followed a bunch of people and found them. The kind lady who had pointed me in the direction at the beginning of the church complex told me to buy a candle, so I did. I didn't know what to expect, besides caves, but they weren't really. They were corridors built between coffins. I can only assume they were bishops or someone high up in the church since the glass topped coffins showed fancy embroidered tapestries covering bodies and faces. Head pieces could be seen, sometimes shoes...and sometimes wrinkled, mummified, brown hands. The first time I noticed one I had to hold in the squeal. People all around me were praying, kissing pictures, kissing coffins and crossing themselves. I sure wish I had some warning. I walked through the labrynth of hallways before heading out. I wasn't really sure what to think of the experience. There were some coffins much too small to be an adult....I need to do some research about what I saw. Next I went to independence square. I wanted to see it at night with all the lights lit up. The friendship arch glows like a rainbow. It's beautiful. I was not feeling the best and was exhausted after my short day out so I went back to bed. Laying there watching movies was just what I needed. I got up for a short time to say hi and bye to my new friends but was soon back in bed.
I was disappointed when at 8 am the next morning the front desk allowed some people to check in. I had been having a great sleep until then. I was feeling really unwell but no real symptoms other than exhaustion. I checked out, a little late, and sat in the lobby organizing myself. I went out and had lunch and then to see the Horodentsky building which was a private residence that was covered by animals and other mythical creatures. It was pretty neat. After the short excursion I already needed a break so I went back to the hostel for a couple of hours before leaving for my train.
Travelling first class was nice but not as posh as you might think. I loved Kiev and could have easily stayed longer but on to new sights in Lviv!
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