Saturday, October 17, 1998

Edward actually has to wake me up around 5: 00 am, and says, “Get up! Put your shoes on. Get to the bathroom now! We only have a half hour until we arrive at the Lviv station.” I oblige as best I can considering my exhausted, sick state of affairs. The toilet smell gags me – I can’t help it. And it has no seat.

Arrival in Lviv

We pull slowly into the station, get off, and walk through a refurbished lobby. Edwards says that the station was built over 180 years ago by the Austrians when this region was part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. The lobby is full of people, sitting, staring, pulling huge bags of potatoes, or carrying bundles of shopping goods. We decide to buy some hot coffee, and sit and wait for an hour before we go outside.

Edward tells me his plan for the day. We will take a tram to the historic center of the city, and then hike to the top of High Castle Hill to get sunrise photos of the city; that is, if the cloud cover cooperates. We have come prepared for any weather, per Edward’s instructions, because Lviv is located in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, and weather can change suddenly.

We finally go outside to wait for the tram as time gets close. It is still very frosty and windy, and we stand for about a half hour waiting for the tardy tram. I keep my ski cap on, hood up, and stand away from the wind as much as I can. Edward shakes his head and smiles at how silly I must look to him.

The tram finally arrives, and for fifteen cents each we ride to the historic center of town. But, as it turns out, construction is happening, and the tram lets us off on a street Edward is unfamiliar with. We ask directions a few times, and eventually work our way to the part of town Edward knows well. The streets are largely deserted (it’s still pre-dawn). An occasional tram rumbles by, electricity snapping between the overhead lines and the antenna-like gizmo on top of the tram. Some babushka women are sweeping piles of leaves and litter.

Historic Center

We finally reach the heart of the historic district, and pass monuments and huge cathedral size churches. We walk down the center of a beautiful boulevard mall (formerly Lenin Boulevard, now Independence Boulevard). Tallish 3-4 story stores, hotels, museums, commercial, and government buildings line the mall on both sides. The buildings have varying shades of pastel colors, which lends a kind of Impressionistic feel to the view. Most have scaffolding in front. Equally impressive are the beautiful trees lining both sides of the central park. Unlike Novograd-Volynsky, they are at the peak of their autumn splendor.

Edward says that the entire district is being restored to attract tourists (like me, I suppose.) He states that most of the buildings were built in the 1600s-1700s. He tells me that later on he is going to take me to the Italian Gardens, an old estate site, for coffee and chocolate. He explains that Lviv is famous all over Europe for its chocolate, and that I have been eating it ever since I landed in Ukraine. It serves what I call mud coffee, very strong, always with a piece of chocolate on the side.

We stroll past the far end of the mall, and pass a vacant flower bed garden spot. Edward says this is the former location of a large statue of Lenin. The empty spot speaks volumes about Ukraine’s recent history and what identity it wants to create for the future. Directly behind, stands the grand Opera House, totally under wraps for restoration. A Puccini opera is there tonight, and “Jesus Christ Superstar” is playing soon. We consider going, but decide Levis is not appropriate attire.

We continue a short distance and Edward checks us into a hotel room at Hotel Lviv, Room #617. This will become a rest room for us during our busy day, just in case we need it before we re-board the midnight train. We are not spending the night.

High Castle Hill

By now, it is nearly 9: 00 am and Edward decides it’s time to climb High Castle Hill because it looks like the sun will break through the dense clouds, after all. So we walk back across much of what we had already covered from the tram stop. I am starting to fade. Do I have the stamina to maintain the pace and the itinerary still ahead of me?

We pass some of the impressive churches I had seen earlier from a distance. We come to the oldest section of the city, and pass part of the old medieval wall complete with its main gate, bridge, and archer slots dating back to the 1500s.

I see the High Castle Hill better now. We begin to climb stairs and dirt trails through dense fall foliage and carpets of dropped leaves. It is stunningly beautiful and idyllic. My head, ear, and throat are pounding with pain, but the scenery helps to take my thoughts away. Finally we reach the top of the Hill, which has a few remnants of the original fortress. A TV tower and a weather vane with a lion (Lviv’s city emblem) on it, dominate the site. Later on, I notice lions all over the building cornices, in front of city hall, on buses, and in the shops, where I had not noticed any upon my arrival. Once more, I am reminded how perception of a cultural landscape is an ever changing, never ending adventure, stimulated by sudden awareness of the sometimes obvious.

It is quite windy at the top of the Hill, but we continue to wait about fifteen minutes until the sun rises over a large cloud bank to the east. It bathes the city in mostly lion’s mane yellow hues. I take a semi-panorama of photos of the city – southwest toward the church-dominated old town center, and west/northwest toward Soviet style apartment towers. What a stark and ugly contrast! Edward comments that Lviv’s historic center is one of the few places in Europe that escaped destruction in both World Wars.

We descend, head back to the historic district section, and decide to duck inside the Polish Catholic Church. It is still in use today. It is rather dingy inside, not restored yet, but it is still very impressive in its medieval Gothic glory. We sit and reflect in silence for about ten minutes. I savor the rest and time to escape the chilly breeze outside.

It’s time to get moving again. We are to meet up with Constantin, Edward’s colleague and fellow ACCELS host of an American teacher from Los Angeles, James, who has had his experience near Lviv. We make our way back to the mall and wait in front of a new monument to Shevchenko, Ukraine’s most famous poet. Nearby city hall is adorned with Ukraine’s blue and yellow flag. Blue represents Ukraine’s famous blue skies, and the yellow stands for Ukraine’s famous grasslands and grain fields. During Soviet times, this flag was banned.

Outdoor Historical Museum

Constantin and James arrive. Constantin’s town and school is about 1 ½ hour train ride away. We hug each other hello, and set off to find some good coffee. We find a privately run coffee shop for 25 cents a cup. We relax and catch up about our experiences so far. Then Edward and Constantin surprise me with plans for the next part of our day. We are going to a historical outdoor museum – a museum to folk architecture and folkways.

We catch a tram that takes us to the east side of the city to a wooded, hilly region. This is the location for the museum which contains houses, barns, churches, and other historical structures moved and gathered together from mostly western Ukraine in order to preserve and showcase them. Some date back to the 1700s, but most were built in the 1800s.

The day has turned absolutely delightful now, the best weather since my arrival. The clouds have left revealing a deep blue sky. The sun is warm, the trees are at their peak, and fall leaves cascade down on us in the stiff breeze. We couldn’t have asked for a better day for our visit than this one.

We visit many sites hidden along forest paths where buildings have been grouped into miniature villages. The most exciting for me is to see the Volhynia-Upper Galacia style house, which Constantin states is closest to what my Grandfather Michael might have lived in near the Belarus/Poland border with Ukraine. It is a very emotional moment for me as I sit on the wooden porch of one home, thinking about what Constantin has just told me. Edward takes pictures of me inspecting various Volhynia church and farmhouse styles. I decide to buy a black ceramic pitcher from this part of Ukraine for Kathy.

We have a great time exploring all the villages and listening to the history lessons provided by Constantin. Edward says he never really knew how to get to this outdoor museum before, and intends to bring his students on his yearly trips to Lviv from now on.

Time to Shop a Little

We leave the museum and walk back to the tram stop. We take it back to the historic district, and I ask if we can do some quick shopping, my first since I have been in Ukraine. So far, I have spent less than $10 US. Edward won’t let me buy anything. He says he got $150 US from ACCELS to spend, and $150 goes a long way right now in the depressed Ukraine economy. I buy a picture book of Lviv and a grade school atlas of Ukraine. We go to a few stores, but I don’t see much I like, until I see a Ukraine flag and trident pin. The trident is the symbol of Ukraine and the chestnut is the symbol of Kyiv. I have already found and pocketed a chestnut and acorn walking in the woods to bring back home.

We next head to a state-owned café and I have hot tea, meat dumplings, soup broth, and tomatoes. I do not drink any beer as the others do. I am feeling worse in my throat, and now my chest is really hurting too. I think I am getting bronchitis. My voice is almost gone now, and this is not great. I have a week to go, and much talking still left to do at school meetings.

After lunch we walk back to the mall, and visit an outdoor market that is now open near the Opera House. I am hoping to find amber for Kathy, a lacquer box, or some small items for my family. But it is not that kind of market. Edward is in a hurry to keep moving, and so I buy nothing here. But I do see an idea, and make a decision to buy Ukrainian embroidery of some kind before I leave. It is truly beautiful, and something that Kathy will love.

Actually, I think Edward wants to keep moving because he sees I am fading fast with my illness and lack of sleep. So we say quick goodbyes to Constantin and James, and head to our hotel room. Our rather abrupt leave-taking kind of takes them by surprise. We rest for about 1 ½ hours in the room, and I actually am able to sleep for most of it. I rouse and Edward says that if I am feeling up to it, maybe we can go back to the mall and visit some of the nicer shops. I agree, and lift my sick body from the bed.

I see nothing I want to buy, except for ten chocolate bars and about three pounds of assorted wrapped chocolate candy in a remarkable chocolate shop. This will be a big hit back home!

We go to another shop, and Edward treats me to a Lviv brand beer. It actually feels good on my inflamed throat, after all. We next find a chocolate bar which serves melted hot chocolate like coffee with all sorts of flavors. Kathy would love this place! I try a cup – what a different experience.

People Watching at Dusk

We leave the store and meander through the park mall grass and tree area. We sit on a bench for two hours, and with quiet conversation between us, watch the city come to life as evening lights twinkle on. We visit about things in general, but for the most part, we just sit and relax. I sure need the down time. All the people are out enjoying the lovely evening air – young, teen lovers, and elderly couples. Many elderly people are playing chess, cards, and dominoes. It is prime people-watching time for sure.

About 9: 00 pm we head back to the hotel. I journal for about an hour, we pack, and check out for our return on the midnight train to Novograd-Volynksy. The hotel clerk is surprised we are not spending the night. As we leave, we have one last laugh about the lift. Edward insists that I enter the doors first, being the good host that he is. But the floor of this elevator gives way and pops loudly, and feels like it’s going to cave in all the way to the basement! So I tease Edward, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

We walk to the train station as the night deepens. I estimate I have easily walked ten miles since early morning, and I am really tired. The night is balmy, but my bag is heavy with all the chocolate I purchased, so I am a step slow and can’t keep up Edward’s pace very well. As it is, we hurry needlessly, because we wait 1 ½ hours for the train’s arrival. Like before, the station is packed with people and parcels, and carts and produce. We board the train at midnight, and just as Edward said, we have nicer, wider, and lower bunks this time. I actually can stretch out a little. I am able to ignore the unique smells better this time, take my pills, and fall asleep even before the train has gained any speed.