Eighth Entry: Ukraine Countryside to Kiev

The beautiful Carpathians

 Exterior of the fence house

No chimneys-just vents in the roof-as it served as

a smokehouse for meats.

The living area surrounded the center courtyard. Animals

lived in exterior rooms that provided insulation.

 A well

 As we walked to the musician's house, we came upon

a pig being slaughtered.

The musician's house...he collects a little bit of everything!

Traditional clothes

He plays many instruments. One of the first songs was

the same tune as "The Arkansas Traveler."

Wool on the fence

On up the road-the woolen products

Easter Egg Museum

Wonderful small museum with beautifully decorated eggs. The docents

apologized that the lights were out; therefore, we couldn't see exhibits in the

interior rooms. When we left the museum and walked through town, all the lights

were out. Shopkeepers took this time to sweep the sidewalks,

arrange outside displays, and chat with neighbors.

Great location for wedding pictures

Our dear guide, Andriy

The market...ladies stand in line to sell their goods, food, milk, etc.

Dining with Andriy and his beautiful wife....

It was at this time he booked our room in Kiev and one for our guide (from another

agency) who would meet us. The place looked fine, and since we only had an overnight

stay in Kiev....yes, we planned this trip in a hurry....it was in an ideal location.

Looking out the window in our rail car

Very pleasant sleeper car for our trip from Ivano-Frankivs'k

to Kiev. JP and I were extremely thankful for

Andriy because when we saw the big train sign in

Cyrillic, we just looked at each other! What would we have done

without him?!



Seventh Entry: Life with Art

The best way to know a country and a culture is by traveling in the rural areas. Darkness had settled over the countryside by the time we reached our destination, but we were met warmly by our gracious hostess. Being an artist, she has created a whimsical, happy, and hospitable world.

Delicious food...salad, polenta, pickles, cheese and wine...

Random thought:  I chuckle when people say they love polenta, but won't even taste grits. After checking internet sources, the answer is that they are basically the same...just different types of corn.)

Upstairs with regional clothes and linens

-a very nice collection
(Please note the creative shelving.)

My new friend-a sweetheart who kept me warm during dinner

Random thought:  When JP first saw me, he said, "AJ, you

need to color your hair. You're not all wrinkled yet!"  As of today, the

experiment continues although when I told Flint that I was getting

my hair cut yesterday, his words were, "Are you going to get

it colored, too?"  Hmmmmm.......

Yard art: The sidewalks, house foundation and more were decorated like this. It almost made me want to
break our dishes when I returned home! I mentioned this to my dear friend, D'J, and told her that her colorful
dishes would be much prettier than my rather plain ones. She informed me not to use her name and broken
dishes in the same sentence!

Our entrance

The goat-contributor to the meals-enjoying the morning

Excellent breakfast on served on traditional pottery

With our lovely hostess and creator of this fantastic place

Sixth Entry: Into the Countryside

 Lunch stop at a rather eclectic place...

lots of collections inside and out

 The fire kept us warm and cooked our food.

 Delicious soup! Andriy introduced us to the shot of

vodka with our meals.

 The truck next to us at the gas station was filled with apples....

 ....and they shared!

The beautiful Carpathians



 Exquisite regional embroidery held by its artist

(I'm admiring this piece as I blog.)

In the market area

Apparently, people are 'locking in their love'

all over the world.

Fifth Entry: Lviv Walking Tour

We ate a delicious breakfast while listening to some good jazz at the Lion's Castle Hotel. Andriy (Green Ukraine) introduced us to our lovely guide, Joanna, for the walking tour of Lviv.

A street sign for the coffee we use at home, but please

note Ukraine's use of the Cyrillic alphabet.

Former KGB building

Joanna commented on the heavy traffic that day. The cars

in this picture (except the one on the tracks) were parked,

and the drivers had decided to walk.

 Panels depict two of the four seasons

 So touching to see people praying in public since

the lady definitely lived during the time that right was denied. When we

passed this way again, a larger group had gathered.

Fascinating and incredible amount of history

on one monument

 Disagreement in history covered by added metal

writing under the individual cannonball

Jesus must feel this way quite often as He looks

at us from above.

 

European Football Championship

games 2012 scheduled for Poland and Ukraine

Churches had been used for museums or gymnasiums.

 Book Market

 Made in the USA...National Cash Registers...an old pharmacy

that is now a museum

So much to think about!