Ukraine
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Kiev – 13 reasons to visit the capital city of Ukraine
I visited Kiev this year on my way to Chernobyl. I admit that I didn’t expect to see “fireworks” on the spot. I don’t know, maybe it was a matter of my attitude, but for sure I didn’t fall in love like in Lviv. Even though it’s really worth seeing this city due to an interesting mix of past and modern times. In total, I counted thirteen reasons why the capital of Ukraine deserves tourists’ attention. Mother Motherland Statue It’s a huge monument, more than 100 meters high, standing on one of the Kiev hills. It’s one of the largest structures of this type in the world. It is even…
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Visit Chernobyl… before it fades
Chernobyl, the name of this city to this day gives a lot of people the creeps, although many years have passed since the catastrophe. It took place on the night of April 25-26 in 1986 as a result of the nuclear reactor accident of the power unit no. 4. It’s one of the biggest disasters in the history of nuclear energy. A huge area was contaminated in Belarus and Ukraine, many people were forcibly displaced, a large part of the area was closed, and the radioactive cloud spread throughout Europe. How does this place look like now, 35 years after the catastrophe? This question has been bothering me for a…
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Russian Woodpecker – Duga in Chernobyl Exlusion Zone, Girl off the Trail
Russian Woodpecker (Duga) was my first point during exploration in Chernobyl, although I must admit that I would prefer it to be the last – such a cherry on the cake of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. I won’t hide that I went to Chernobyl, mainly to see the famous Moscow’s Eye not the site of the nuclear power plant disaster. Moscow’s Eye is the colloquial name given to the Soviet over-the-horizon radar system, which in the USSR was called Duga, or “bow”. The system consisted of three radars with a range of 3,000 km. Radars were transmitting and receiving devices that used the reflection of short radio waves from the…
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Odessa, Ukraine – “Long Live the Bribe” and an elegant makeshift
Odessa – a popular resort at the Black Sea. It’s considered one of the most beautiful cities in Ukraine. In my opinion, of all the places I have visited in Ukraine, it’s certainly the most elegant city. However, my heart has long belonged to Lviv (which I wrote about here). In general, my thoughts about Odessa turned out to be in line with reality. Odessa aspires to be an exclusive seaside resort but on the other hand, makeshift and kitsch can be seen at every step. However, I must admit that this mix makes this city so interesting ? The most recognizable building in Odessa is the Opera House. Apparently,…
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Lviv – love not from the first sight
I’m arriving at the bus station, what’s the time actually, it’s hard to say, because I haven’t woken up yet. I’m getting off the bus, it’s pouring out, I can see only the gray and gloomy, neglected bus station. I look around, and it doesn’t look any better, damaged buildings and bus stops. A quick glance at the tram tracks, crunched on the four sides of the world. Although I’m still unconscious after a night trip, my gut instinct tells me it’s better to get on the bus. While I’m watching the monotonous landscape of the city, I’m asking myself: is this really beautiful, antique Lviv, I’ve heard so much…
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Lviv restaurants
Restaurants and cafes in Lviv are famous for their unique atmosphere. Some of them are hidden in narrow nooks of the old streets. They surprise by their diverse decorations which match perfectly with surrounding buildings. There’re also thematic restaurants such as „Gas Lamp”, where its inventor – Ignacy Lukasiewicz sits at the table. A few steps farther, Leopold von Sacher Masoch welcomes and invites to his restaurant where we can be spanked with a quirt. Restaurants in Lviv are not only creative places there you can also eat delicious food. In order to feel the city’s atmosphere and taste delicious cuisine, you can go to Kumpel restaurant (address: Vynnychenka 6).…
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Sweet Lviv and the best coffee on sand!
During organizing a trip to Lviv, it didn’t run through my mind that it’s the land of milk and coffee. We used to connect Ukraine mainly with cheap alcohol, cigarettes and halva made of sunflower seeds. By the way, it wasn’t only our image. We saw it on our way back to Poland. When we heard one big noise of bottles at the bus station, we knew that this journey would be very hard. In a fact, the reality turned out to be worse. During more than 6-hour customs inspection which was ended in pushing the bus (battery had gone flat) I was thinking why in the depths of 54…
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Lychakiv and Cemetery of Eaglets – difficult History lesson
On the Lviv hills is a place which is the best History and Art lesson. It’s Lychakiv Cemetery. It was built at the end of 18th century and it’s one of the oldest burial grounds in Europe. The whole necropolis is somewhat a metaphor of the death embodied in sculptures which look like real figures which present grieved angels and sounded in eternal asleep or fossilized in mourning people. Beautifully decorated gravestones, tombs and shrines seem to struggle not only with passing time but also they fight a losing battle with overgrowing vegetation. But not only artistic aspect makes this cemetery exceptional. It’s an expression of multicultural character of Lviv…
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Only in Lviv!
We’ve been waiting for a trip to L’viv for a long time. This city is a part of long Polish – Ukrainian history. We hadn’t known what to expect there but our visit turned out to be a journey to the past. Having got off at local bus station at 8 o’clock, we saw another reality. This city brought us back to the old, pre-war Warsaw times and resembled Polish conditions around 30 years ago. It was a very important cultural center. Many famous Polish writers, scholars or artists lived here. A lot of Polish prominent figures were buried in the old Lychahiv Cemetery and in the city many monuments…
