Well, our stay in Ukraine is nearing it’s end. Tomorrow morning we’ll head for the boder, about 60 or so kilometers away, I think. How long it will take to get there is anyone’s guess….the road between here and there was not very good, as I recall. And then I’m not sure how long to cross. I would not think too long, but who knows. I recall saying on my earlier post about first arriving in Ukraine, and I said the road went from bad to worse. Well, after almost 10 days of Ukrainian roads, the road we first drove in on is just one or two small steps below the best….some of the roads here are really terrible. Well, if they improved, they’d get up to terrible. So it goes. Anyway…that’s where we are tonight, in the city of Zhovkva, but let me start with the beginning of today, as we saw quite a bit of “Poland” in Ukraine. Yes, it is a conundrum.
We started our hotel in Kremenets. It seemed to be a pretty new hotel and not many guests, mostly empty I think. And part of the driveway is still under construction. It does not have a restaurant either. But the room was comfortable enough for the 200 hrvinia it cost, about $25 USD!
After we left our hotel, our first stop was the ruins of a castle on a hill high above Kremenets. It was ruins that we could see from our hotel room. It is a huge hill high above. Wojtek and I climbed around the ruins…..no safety nets, nothing. I did fall once or twice, but was very careful….it was a long way down! The view was absolutely spectacular. I know I’ve said it before, but wait till you see the pictures. At one point, we spied something very big and shiny way off in the distance. We speculated on what it could be, but we did find out later. Wow, you can see quite a distance from way up high, no wonder they built castles and fortresses like that. I do not know the story (yet) of how this castle became ruins, but will look it up, for sure, when I have better Internet access.
After the visit to the castle ruins, we went in search of some breakfast. We found it as a rather nicely done place not too far away. So what did I have for breakfast? Well, I had pizza! But it certainly was a Ukrainian interpretation of pizza. The sauce seemed to be somewhat mayonnaise-based, but it was topped with ham, mushrooms, olives, tomatoes, and cheese. It could have been cooked a bit longer to crisp up the crust, but it was very good, a nice start to the day. And then we were off.
Our next stop of the day was at the city of Pochaiv, but before we could get there, we were delayed in a small town…by a funeral procession! Yes, and I have the pictures to prove it. Just ahead of us a procession led by a priest and other ministers, then followed by a truck with an open wooden casket on it, and followed by more mourners, was going down the street. We could do nothing but follow. But traffic for the other direction all stopped, the people got out of their vehicles, bowed their heads, and payed their respects until the procession went by..then they moved on. I did get lots of pictures, it was truly an amazing sight.
Eventually we made it to Pochaiv, where Wojtek and I discovered the answer about the buildings we saw in the distance from Kremenets–they were the churches, steeples, and spires from the monastery at Pochaiv. We went in. It was very interesting. First, I was wearing shorts, but they are not allowed, so I had to put on long pants. Second, Alicja had to stop and buy a covering for her head–women must have their heads covered. And, Alicja was wearing pants, and had to “rent” a wrap-a-round skirt–women must wear skirts/dresses. It’s a marvelous place, quite extraoridnary. I got to glimpse into a few of the churches there and they are truly amazing. We could not go into the one where they were doing an exorcism, but could hear the screams of the demons…quite interesting. I got a few photos outside, and a book with photos from inside. It is a place very full of history. I can’t wait to post some of the photos from it, it is truly magnificent.
Alas, we had to move on, and so after a bit found ourselves at Podhorce, another castle. We got in and saw a bit of it, it is really magnificient, with an old but run down Polish Catholic Church right by it. Quite impressive, actually. Again, I have to look up the history of the place, but it played an important part in Polish history.
Next it was on to Zolochiv. It was closed, but the guards let us in when we made a nice donation! Again, a magnificent structure, undergoing rehabilitation. A lot of history here. The NKVD (soviet secret police) used it as a prison at one time and the guard showed is a rock that they used to chaig people to in order to kill them. Nearby, there is a monument to 637 people killed by the NKVD, too.
Then we were on the road again. We elected not to stop at the castle at Olesko, fearing it would be closed like many others since today is Monday. But we saw it in the distance, and it is quite impressive, even from far away!
So we were finally on our way to our final destination of the day, Zhovkva, where we are spending the night. But we still had some adventures here. Alicja’s guide book found us a great and old place to eat. We had a good meal there with mushroom soup, bread, and some fried potatoes with a beef cutlet and some cwikla. It was very good, and washed down with a beer…well, with two. Then we went on to explore. This city has a nice square and some old buildings and palaces/fortifications around it. Also some old churches. We went into one that was again very beautiful, and had a service going on, a Greek Catholic church. Quite exquisite. I think today I have seen two of the most beautiful churches there are. I am in awe.
Eventually the evening and day had to come to an end. We are leaving early in the morning in hopes of having a rather painless border crossing. I’ll let you know….
