Just Lviv It!

Lviv, Ukraine - September 12-14, 2014

Based on the Nike slogan, the marketing ad "Just Lviv It" is being used to attract visitors to this western city in Ukraine.  We had  heard from several people who had already visited Lviv, that it was a very "European" city and had a different "feel" than Kiev.  So on Friday evening we boarded the 5:35 fast train to Lviv.  We travelled with our friends Tim and Jessica who were also visiting Lviv for the first time.  We had a great weekend; the weather was perfect (sunny and mid 70s) and our hotel was strategically located within walking distance to all of the city highlights.  Even though we really only had one day to enjoy this famous Ukrainian city, we were able to visit everything we had on our list from 8am to 11:30pm on Saturday.  Then, at 6:00am on Sunday morning we were shuttled from our hotel back to the train station for the 5 hour ride back to Kiev, a quiet, sleepy return, yet filled with lots of happy memories.

The beautiful, ornate Kiev train station

 

 

Lviv is known for its chocolate, and the first place we found open for business on Saturday morning was this very unique chocolate shop:

 



 

They specialize in chocolate "antique tools and hardware". 

 



 



We bought a wrench, some nuts and bolts, and door hinge.

 

Next, we stumbled onto an outdoor used-book flea market.  Of course it was set up around this statue of "someone" holding a book.  Unfortunately, I did not find out who this literary giant was, but I did pick up a couple of Ukrainian cookbooks.  Thank goodness for the one that has pictures!

 

 

 



 A recipe for borscht

 the Ukrainians love their fish, and dill...

 and berries! 

The dessert section of this cookbook was very small (sorry, Mom)

 

We saw many signs of Ukrainian national pride in Lviv.  In front of City Hall there were some school children dancing to a contemporary patriotic Ukrainian song.

 

 

Across the street from City Hall was a tiny shop loaded with hundreds of ribbons and trimming.  I bought 4 meters of traditional Ukrainian trim.  Since I'm not much of a seamstress, maybe I can use it to trim some pillows.



 



 

We ate lunch at the famous Krievka bar and grill.  It is an underground establishment which requires a secret password to enter. It was an actual underground, secret hideout during WWII.  Luckily we had practiced saying "Glory to Ukraine!" in Ukrainian so that when we knocked on the door and the doorman opened the door, we were ready.  I tried to get a picture of that moment, but it's a bit fuzzy because when the doorman saw me with a camera he started yelling, "No photo, no photo!  The food was so-so, but the experience was fascinating.

 



 

 Waiting for the door to open...

"Glory to Ukraine!"

 

Our check came in an empty shell casing!

 



 

Some additional sights from around the city:

 



 

 

 

 

Yes! We Have Hot Water

We have been back in Kiev for two weeks and it feels like we never left.  We have settled back into our routine of going to school, walking to the grocery store, keeping up with the laundry (the drying rack only holds one load at a time), and other daily chores. 

Of course we started back this year with a lot more knowledge about our jobs, where to shop, how to use the public transportation, etc.  The one thing that was the same as it was last year when we arrived is that there was no hot water.  We expected this because it happens every summer in Kiev, but we were hoping that just maybe it would be turned back on by the time we got here.  Unfortunately, we were told that this year no one knows when, or if, it will be turned on again.  Because Ukraine is no longer receiving gas from Russia, the country is trying to conserve energy so that the homes and apartment buildings that use hot water for heating will have enough to get through the winter.

Fortunately, we returned to a surprise.  The first week we were back, our landlord installed two hot water tanks in our apartment: one for the bathroom, and one for the laundry room and kitchen.  Now we do not have to rely on the city for hot water.  It's been wonderful, but also been a bit ironic.  Since we've been back, the weather has been so hot and sunny that a cool shower actually feels pretty good.  Don't misunderstand; I have welcomed the hot water and used it many times already.  Now we just have to pray for another mild winter in case Kiev shortens the number of months we are provided with heat.  I guess if we get cold, we can just sit in a tub of hot water for a while.

 Hooray for hot water tanks mounted to the walls in the laundry room and bathroom!

Yes, We're Going Back

Summer 2014

We have been asked the question "Are you going back to Ukraine?" everywhere we've been this summer visiting friends and family.  Sometimes the question is asked more like a surprised statement: "You're going back?!"

The answer is "yes".  In fact our flight leaves today (August 4) at 4:10pm!  I have to admit that I had my doubts about going back to Ukraine as well, especially after the commercial airplane crash in July.  But, for now, Kiev is quiet, Kiev International School is open for business, and we are expected to show up for work on August 7.  And besides, we are "Educators on the Edge", and we will live up to our name! :)

  A few things have happened in the past few days to remind us that there are reasons why we should look forward to going back.  On Saturday, August 2, we drove to Pinehurst, North Carolina to watch one of our Ukrainian students compete in the U.S./International Kids Golf Championship.  We followed her and her father(aka her caddy) for 18 holes while she played the game of golf better than we've only dreamed of playing it.  In fact, after watching these 11 year old girls hit the ball so far and so straight, Jay is thinking that he should just throw his clubs into the ocean and give up golfing!   Even so, we felt a sense of pride for Ukraine being there with Maria and her father.  Later, after we returned home, I received an email from a student who will be a senior this year.  He expressed how much he is looking forward to his senior year and he can't wait to see me and get started on his applications for universities.  Plus, we also promised some friends that we would "babysit" their cats until they return later in August.  You see, we like our jobs and the people we've met in Kiev, and we are not ready to say good-bye.  So we are going back and we will pray for another successful and rewarding year.

Of course we had a wonderful time here in The States for the past 5 weeks!  The following pictures highlight the time we spent in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and South Carolina.

 Nicole, Ethan and Kati met us at the Pittsburgh airport

 

 Nicole had a special cake for us to celebrate some of the holidays we missed with them this year.

 

 

 It was a long first day back in the USA

 

Ethan and Kati lounging on Mimi's and Gramp's deck

 

 Meeting new cousin Maddie

 

 Celebrating the Fourth of July in Boalsburg, PA with family

 

 Catching fish at Lake Gaston, Virginia

 

 Celebrating some of our summer birthdays at Lake Gaston

 

 Kati, our granddaughter, with Katie, the dog, at Grandpa Jay's house

 

Having lunch with Uncle Bob at the Hofbrau House in Pittsburgh

Granddaughter Addison taking a selfie with Grammy in the background

Hanging out in Myrtle Beach with Bob and Haley

A new wreath for our front door in Myrtle Beach. Daughter-in-law Caitlin helped me make it while we were at Lake Gaston.

Jay with KIS student Maria at her golf tournament in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Maria's powerful swing!

Back in Kiev with Mabel and Ozzie



Kiev Walkabouts

Victory Day - May 9

We had the day off from school so we decided to explore more of Kiev.  The botanical gardens, we heard, are especially beautiful in the spring.  It was our main destination, but saw a lot of other sights along the way.  We took the Metro from our neighborhood, Svyatoshyn, to Shulyovska three stops away.  From there we started walking.  We did a lot of walking that day!  I think we covered about 20 kilometers (10-12 miles).

We passed the entrance to the city zoo

 and the circus.

The next picture shows the outside of a hotel.  "Ibis" must be a chain of European hotels because I remember staying at one in Paris in 1979 while on a school trip.  And that's why I took the picture.



This is where we stopped for lunch, "Oliva!", an Italian restaurant.

As it turned out, the botanical gardens were closed for the holiday.  I took this picture of the sign by the entrance gate.  I also took a few pictures through the fence as we walked the perimeter of the property.


                                     

 

 

An advertisement for Ukrainian Airlines.

 I'm not sure what this next building is, but it had some beautiful mosaics across the front of it.

A WWII memorial with fresh flowers placed around it for Victory Day.

 

A selfie in the park!

It was a great day.  We decided to take these walks more often when the weather is nice.  It was a good way to help us understand the layout of the city.

 

Ladies Day Out - June 8

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon Joyce, Kristina, Jessica, Traci, and I decided to go out for lunch and do some shopping on Andriyivsky Uzviz (Andrew's Descent), a cobblestone street in Kiev lined with souvenir stalls, Ukrainian crafts, and Soviet memorabilia.

 

The street is named after the apostle Andrew, who is believed to have climbed the hill here, affixed a cross to its summit and prophesied that this would be the sight a great Christian city.

 

Saint Andrew's Cathedral at the top of Andriyivsky Street

 

We ate lunch at a small bakery/café known for their fresh homemade sweet and savory strudels.  I decided to have the vegetable strudel so I wouldn't feel guilty about having a big piece of chocolate cheesecake for dessert.  The other savory strudels included chicken and cheese, onions and salmon, and cheese and mushroom.  The sweet strudels included cherry and apple. They also had an assortment of cheesecakes and other pastries.

  

You could watch the baker assemble the strudels through the window.

 

We ate on the outside porch of the bakery.

 It was a very busy day on the street; there were lots of vendors and lots of shoppers.

A beautiful mural depicting Ukraine.



 Me, showing off my new Ukrainian headdress, and Traci showing off her new Ukrainian blouse.  We all came home with some special treasures from the day including the memories we made being together.