Another day of traveling, but a good day as well. We began the day in Romania, in Strada Mihail Sadoveanu, Oradea, Romania. It was a very nice hotel called Hotel Eden. Tonight we are staying in a very nice hotel in Kamianets-Podilskyi (Kameniec Podolski in Polish) called…..called….hmmmm, I’m not sure I know the name of it, but it is very nice and clean and I have a room and a bathroom….it is very nice, and right off the city square in Kamianets-Podilskyi–however you want to spell it (hint: Google it!).
We arrived here late in the day, after 5 PM local time, but still very light out. Though this is where we ended the day, there was a lot more between this end, and the beginning.
Our breakfast at our Romanian hotel was very nice, I had an omelet with ham and cheese, and some tomatoes. And bread. And butter. And a jam of a fruit whose name I have to find out. It was sort of like black currants, sort of like blueberries, but neither, I think…yet very good. Anyway, it was a very good breakfast, and then we hit the road.
We traveled quite a distance and got to the border, always an interesting experience. Wojtek cannot list patience as one of his virtues, and at the border, you need all the right stamps and inspections in all the right order. Fortunately, they know how to deal with impatience as well. It was a painless crossing, actually, and maybe less than an hour.
And then it was on the Chernivtsi (again, Google it!). We parked at the city center and spent about three hours wandering around. It is a very cool city with lots of history and historic buildings and churches and the like. And a wonderful University built during the Austrian occupation, in the 1800s. Again, pictures will follow–eventually.
We stopped for lunch at a “fast food” place that advertised hamburgers and “chicken nuggets,” but I had some sort of very good Ukrainian soup and a sort of pizza….Hard to describe. It was OK but would have been better if cooked a bit longer in a hotter oven. Still, it was very good, and the soup excellent. Since I was not driving, I had a Ukrainian beer with my lunch. We all enjoyed our lunch.
We were in Chernivtsi for Ukrainian Independence day, the 20th anniversary, and saw a parade and a gathering with speeches and the like at a central place. At some time (in the future) I will blog about the politics of Ukraine–once I understand them better–and Ukrainian-Polish-Lithuanian-Rus History ( a more complicated subject), but suffice it to say that Ukrainians today love their country and are very proud of it. It was good to see. And interesting.
Eventually, we took off and headed to Chocim (Ukrainian Khotyn), to visit a massive fortress (what’s left of it) where King Jan Sobieski III defeated the Turks long time ago. There is a lot of history there and a lot of the fortress remains.
We spent a good hour at the fortress…. Very impressive, even today. Not all of it remains, but it was built hundreds of years ago and was quite the feat. Again, you will have to wait for the pictures, but in the meantime, I suggest you Google it to find out more. You might also Google for “St. [or Holy] Trinity Trenches. It really as fascinating, and I will soon read more about it.
Then, we took of for Kazimierc Podholski. Again, a very quaint town. Tomorrow we will visit the massive fortress that is somewhere here. But we were quite tired when we arrived and finally decided on a hotel. The accomodations are excellent, I have my own room with a separate łazienka (bathroom), and a very nice room.
Once we settled in a bit, we journeyed around the city square and went to a park. Today is the 20th anniversary of Ukrainian Independence (from the former Soviet Union), and there was a bit celebration. We stayed for a bit but then headed back to hour hotel. Alicja was tired, and so was Filip, so then went back to the room while Wojtek and I had two beers in the restaurant. I’d also got some vodka and orange juice, so we finished the evening in my room with a bit of that, fitting end to a long day.
With a lot of Ponglish, my very poor Polish, Wojtek’s pretty fair English, and Alicja’s not to bad English, we are managing very well. Once in a while we end at an impasse, something we cannot translate, but that is rare. I am indeed having the experience of a lifetime. I can only imagine what tomorrow may bring…. But for now…. Dobranoc…. Good night!
