One Year Anniversary of the Trip to L'viv, Ukraine

Ah, yes. Exactly one year ago on this day, we visited L'viv, in Ukraine.

It was kind of what I expected in some ways, yet not at all what was expected in some other ways.

Still, it was an absolute thrill to visit any part of Ukraine during our European trip last year. This was one of the highlights, and since it has been exactly one year - and since I feel just a bit of cabin fever this year as we are all going through the Covid lockdown - it seemed appropriate to post a remembrance of this trip to L'viv, Ukraine, including my original thoughts and impressions. 

So here goes:

Our trip to L'viv,  Ukraine

I can only post a few pictures of our visit to L'viv,  Ukraine yesterday, because the internet is unusually slow so far this morning.  Pictures were taking too long to upload,  and so I will return to this later with more pics from L'viv specifically,  and from our day in Ukraine, more generally.

Some of the places that we visited in L'viv included Lychakiv Cemetery, which was,  strangely enough,  I thought,  the first place that we visited. We also visited several old churches, the Old Town,  and the L'viv Opera,  which was quite lovely.

First,  though,  it was a very early start.  I had set the alarm for 4:30, as we had to be at the bus stop by 5 a.m..  As it turned out,  we ended up being almost ten minutes late.  But,  we got on the bus.  It was still dark and cool,  which I always enjoy early in the morning like this.

Part of the reason why we needed to leave so early was that the border between Poland and the Ukraine is not a joke. On our trip through the Bieszczady a few days ago,  we saw the Polish border patrol several times,  reminding me of the American border patrol presence near the Mexican border. We took our trip to L'viv on a Wednesday,  because Tuesday was booked up.  The tour guide informed us that Wednesday and Friday are the quiet days crossing the border.  Even then,  it can take up to three to four hours to cross.

I have crossed between Canada and the United States numerous times,  and my experience has always been that they check you in the country that you are entering.  It was the same at the American-Mexican border.  But here,  we were checked by both sides,  both times. The Ukrainian border patrol was wearing camouflage and assault rifles,  and we saw some guards standing at a post very near the border,  looking very much like prison guards on watch duty.  Again, this border crossing was no joke.  Remember,  Ukraine was at war just a few years ago,  and lost Crimea to the Russians.  While Poland was not involved,  there have long been tensions and hard feelings still exist between the two peoples.  Many Polish people shared stories of horrors perpetrated by the Ukrainians both before and towards the end of World War II, and even after.  The Ukrainians,  though,  also have stories of horrors perpetrated by the Polish.  Each side has committed atrocities against one another. Hard feelings and suspicions remain,  and have never really been fully resolved.

Just after getting back last night,  I posted just a few photos of our trip.  My brother wrote that I had crossed into the country where our grandfather on my mom's side,  as well as some other family members,  had lived the earliest years of their lives.  That is true,  although it should be noted that the borders have changed dramatically since then.  At the time when they were living there,  in fact,  the part of Ukraine that we visited,  including L'viv,  was still a part of Poland, although Poland itself was a part of the German,  Russian, and Austro-Hungarian empires.

Still,  it was a thrill to visit this place,  and see the current Ukraine for the first time.  The lettering on signs included letters that were so different than anywhere else that I have been to,  and so even this was a thrill for me.

As already mentioned, the Lychakiv Cemetery was our first stop, other than the border. English translations to the guide were not available,  and so my son and I could only understand so much. Yet,  even this had a certain charm. Many of the tombstones had images via statues or sculpted engravings within.  This ultimately reminded me of my Ukrainian grandfather,  and perusing his stamp collection.  There were always pictures of some prominent people in any given nation's history,  but the inability to read or understand translated to a lack of knowledge and the air of impenetrable mystery regarding their significance in history.  That was what this visit to the cemetery was like.

This was a local tour operation that serves almost exclusively Polish people,  and I guess that they only get Polish clientele,  for the most part.

One thing that really surprised me was the weather.  Whenever I thought of the Ukraine,  or Russia  for that matter,  I always imagined brutal,  punishing cold weather,  with a few months in the summer as the respite from that. But on this day,  at least,  it was suffocatingly hot.  The heat was relentless,  and there was no escaping it.

The L'viv Opera:

Putin's face is featured prominently on toilet paper sold in L'viv.  We had heard about this,  and I could not resist taking a picture, even though I didn't want to actually buy it. 

The L'viv Opera House:

The Armenian Cathedral: