So where were we? Oh yes! Katya's graduation trip to Ukraine!
Snapped this picture as we were leaving NY for Amsterdam.
***As I am writing these blog posts a YEAR later, my heart is bleeding with pain and sadness about what's happening in Ukraine. It's almost surreal to look back at these pictures and tell stories of such great times...
We arrived to Lviv by train and quickly settled in our Hotel George in the center of Lviv. We figured it would be a lot more comfortable for everyone if we stayed in the hotel as my mom's apartment is pretty small. In the morning, we went over to my mom's apartment and met up with Lyena and Aryan!
Lyena was visiting Ukraine from India and had been in Ukraine for a week or so, when we arrived. It was great to see them! They were renting an apartment just next door to my mom's so they could be separate but nearby as well.
Katya liked Lviv very much. We got to walk a ton, take the trolleybus, walk a ton more and enjoy all the different moods of the city. We were so fortunate with the weather--it was nice and hot! We walked over to our very first apartment building on Sorochynska St., formerly called Pushkaria St., where we had a one bedroom/kitchen/entryway apartment on the 7th floor.
That's Katya next to the daycare that I went to when we moved to Lviv and I was three years old.
We had dinner with my mom's family friends, Svieta and family (always wonderful food!).
We also met up with Lyena to venture out to Vysokyi Zamok, the High Castle.
We walked through some of the central parts of Lviv.
That's the monument to Ivan Fedorov, with the first printed book in cyrillic.
From their we "climbed" up to the High Castle, which is really not a castle at all, but just a place where a castle used to stand.
That's the three of us, on the way to the promised view.
Oh yes, here we are.
Katya just doesn't need any cool view to look amazing!
That TV tower behind us is actually a big landmark of the city because it's on a hill in the middle of the city. When I was little, our balcony had a good view of this TV tower and one morning, I swear, I saw a UFO just hanging there for hours... yeah...no joke...:)
We did enjoy our walk up and down from the castle hill. This building behind Katya is a fire fighters' academy, thus the red roof.
And I wanted to show off as well.
We walked over to the Market Square, Ploscha Rynok, but most of the locals just stood there by the entrance to the door, looking kind of suspicious at us.
So we decided to go to this really quarky restaurant, practically underground, where the guy wearing a military uniform asks you for a password and you have to know it and then maybe he will let you in. They have a bunch of military equipment on display as well.
Market Square and the Watson girls. It's a truly a special place, with so many beautiful memories and stories that we can share.
I can't quite remember all of our outings in order, but I know that one evening Katya and I explored some more of the area around our hotel.
It felt just like any other old small European city. I love love Lviv!
I mean, where else can you try to pick up a gigantic rock in the middle of a cobbled street?
Or see the third most beautiful Opera House in Europe (first one LaScalla in Italy, and the second one is in Odessa).
One afternoon, we walked over to the apartment building where my piano teacher, Tetiana Ivanivna Migunova, used to teach me piano. I spent many-many hours here over wonderful practice times and conversations. Tragically, my piano teacher was murdered by her best friend's son looking for drugs. I was in the US when it happened and it was simply devastating. She played an essential role in my youth years, from 11 to 15 years old. I owe her a lot of what I know about piano as she is the one who had an enormous amount of belief and confidence in me and my determination to play well.
We took a couple of pictures next to her house as she looks in a very beautiful area.
Katya and a very old Soviet car.
This is along the street I always had to walk when I was little, hurrying to my piano lesson.
That is also the street where we saw two young men walking fast, wearing white shirts and dress pants, so we thought that they were missionaries. But it was strange to think that as they did not have backpacks or anything, just a plastic bag. So then we followed them secretly and they kept walking and walking, and faster and faster, finally just Katya started following them and as they walked over to their apartment building, they kind of turned around and indeed they turned out to be elders!!! I wasn't there, as I was lagging behind, but Katya said something like she is from the states as well or something. It was quite funny!
This is the hotel where we stayed. Hotel "George" which was renovated when I was about 12 years old and it was a huge deal in the city. The rooms were not bad but we had no A/C, it's a historic building with a majestic staircase and fantastic balcony. Oh, and our breakfast...wow...a feast each time...I mean seriously, only Europe has breakfasts like that! Crepes and fruit and all sorts of yummies for all tastes!
One evening for dinner we took my mom and Lyena and Aaryan for dinner. I am his strict aunt:)
Afterwards we took a walk around the University area. I can't believe how lively it was! So many people walking enjoying those warm summer nights or watching a soccer match.
And we also stopped by a fancy dessert place (well, Lviv is full of them!) and had amazingly huge pieces of layered cake. They don't ask you how big of a piece you want, as the price depends on its weight...so they just bring out this huge piece and...good luck.
Katya again. Again in front of our hotel this time with fewer cars around.
In the morning we went to see babushka and had vareniki!
The many faces of Katya!
They were not that bad, Katya!
Then we went for a walk, to the center of the city. This is the Opera House behind me.
It's so beautiful to just stroll down this main street of Lviv. People playing chess, chatting on the benches, kids playing, people performing--it's perfect!
So many! So many memories of my youth are from this place!
Then we walked over to the Market Square. The streets in that area have so much character!
Katya with a symbol of Lviv--the lion. Because remember king Danylo named a city after his son, Leo, and thus Lviv was named Lviv.
My beautiful city.
One other evening, we all went out to eat at the oldest restaurant in Lviv called Atlas.
Oh look, my mom, Lyena and I.
And a historic picture of all of us.
And Katya with Babushka.
My mom and I.
On our last day in Lviv we managed to walk all the way to Shevchenkiv Hai! It was quite a walk through beautiful residential streets and then a fantastic walk through this outdoor museum! We have some twenty year old pictures in front of this place from the time when Robert and I came to visit Lviv in 2002 after we got married.
Right before we were leaving for the train, Bohdan, our old friend stopped by the hotel to say hello and bye.
We took the 6 pm train from Lviv to Kyiv.
It's a tradition to take pictures in front of the train when people are leaving:) Something about it is very nostalgic and very Ukrainian.
I love my Ukraine, with its beauty and its flaws, its uniqueness and inconveniences.
I will be back!
Lyana.
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