ukraine: cherkasy

Another weekend, another trip in Ukraine. I was wandering around my neighborhood one day and found a small bus station, so I looked at potential destinations. Only one destination was a place name I recognized, a city called Cherkasy. This just happens to be the capital of an oblast, and less than four hours away.
The following Saturday I got started way too late, but still managed to get on a bus/marshrutka, and arrived in Cherkasy around 1400. I think. (I didn't pay specific attention to the time because it didn't matter.)

From staying on the marshrutka the whole way, and by looking at the map I could see that nearly everything was close to the main street of the town, called Shevchenko Boulevard.

I stayed on the marshrutka until the very end, even though most of the riders got off in the city center, because I needed to know where to find the marshrutka to get back to Kyiv. I speak a little Russian, but not much, and I don't usually have enough confidence in asking questions of people on the street. Fortunately, the final stop wasn't far from the city center.

When I say city center, it wasn't easily identifiable as such. It wasn't a platz, or other specific area. It was just a block or two along the main street of the city.

After exiting the marshrutka, I walked along the street, heading toward the edge of town. I figured I would head out a bit before turning around and coming back in. The main street is wide in places, and separated in others, so crossing the street isn't super easy. I did cross though, when I saw a series of construction barrier type concrete walls. I'm sure there is a name for these, but I don't know it. 

The reason this series of barriers caught my eye is because they had all been painted. Each one was different, and awesome. A few looked to be adverts, but most were stories of a sort, or just pretty. I saw one that was clearly dedicated to/about the events of the Maidan Revolution, and other about a sea club. 

Eventually I decided I'd walked far enough, so I turned around, and crossed the street again. On my way back to the center of town I passed a monument dedicated to Bogdan Khmelnytsky, a Ukrainian independence fighter centuries ago. 

At one intersection I turned, and using the map on a travel app found my way to what was once a palace/mansion of a local citizen. Needless to say, it isn't that anymore. I think it is now a civic administration building. The outside is still lovely, I wish I'd been able to walk through the inside. As I walked by, I saw a just married couple having photos taken, complete with rose petals strewn all over the steps. 

I also passed a puppet theatre, painted an appalling shade of green. 

I followed the street as it sorrow circled around, back to the main street. Nothing much to see, just a residential area.

Near the main street I found a sushi place that looked good to go to at dinner. Back on the main street I found a bakery with heaps of macaroons. I might've splurged a wee bit more than necessary. YUM. Looking back, I'd definitely go back for more macaroons, just because. I don't know how 'authentic' they were, but I loved them. And they were cheap!

Eventually I came to the cross street I thought would take me to my hotel, so I turned. I passed an abandoned building that looked good for exploring the next day, if I could find an open entryway.As I was walking (a lot further than originally expected,) the sun went down. Not so fun to walk in what was clearly the edge of town, after dark, in the cold. 

I used the map in two travel apps to try to find my hotel, they both listed it in the same place. Unfortunately, when I got to that point, nothing was there. I don't mean the building was wrong, I mean nothing was there. I could see a petrol station, and some kind of building behind a guarded gate. I then used an app to find another place to stay and walked back into the city center, and in the direction where I'd first walked upon arrival. I didn't cancel my original booking, which I should've done. Argh. 

I got to my 'new' hotel, checked in, warmed up, then headed out to dinner. The sushi place was fine. Nothing extravagant, but I doubt I would recognize awesome sushi even if it stared me in the face. The only way I would recognize terrible sushi is if it smelled rotten.

On the way back to the hotel I picked up water, and snacks for the next day. 

This hotel included breakfast in the room price, and it was a good breakfast. A buffet, with hot eggs and sausage, as well as bread, cold cuts, and the separate parts of a Greek salad. Tea and juice as well.

As I started eating I heard the conversation of three guys sitting a couple tables over. They spoke English, and we're speaking about some security issues, and from what I heard, they didn't think anyone else in the hotel spoke or understood English. After I introduced myself (asking the questions of why Americans were in Cherkasy, how long they'd be there, and where they were from originally,) their conversation changed to much more mundane topics. Lesson: never assume no one around you can understand what you're saying.

I left the hotel, and got back to the main street. I found a market of sorts, made up of older folks selling old stuff. Military buttons, old household goods, etc... I was particularly excited to find postcards in the market, though they were definitely old photos. 

My before lunch snack was a chocolate mousse of sorts from an 'italian' cafe. I doubt anything they made/sold was actually Italian at all. 

I followed another side street, which took me to a former hotel. Pretty, and somewhat photogenic. 

The next stop was glory hill, or something like that. Another large WW2 memorial, 'under' yet another big statue of a lady. This lady is on top of a hill, which goes all the way down to a riverside. I didn't go down the hill, but I did enjoy the view. It would've been better if the sky wasn't a solid gray. At least it wasn't raining.

I walked in another direction, followed a travel app again, and made my way to a church. A big church. This one was in the middle of a park, I saw a few people having picnics. (In the chilly weather and gray skies, it didn't look like fun.) 

The inside of the church (St Michaels,)felt much more welcoming than the outside, which seemed rather bland. I was surprised by the number of people inside, even though there was no service happening. 

I didn't stay long, as there was no place to sit, and I can only wander around a church for so long. 

Back in the city center I went back to the macaroon bakery to stock up for the ride back to Kyiv. Is 10 macaroons too many to eat in one sitting? Hee hee.

Then I went back to the sushi place for a real meal, as it was the first 'real' food since breakfast. 

I got lucky and found a seat on the next marshrutka back to Kyiv. I wonder how often they depart? I'm glad I didn't have to wait more than 10 minutes or so. I left just as darkness fell, and arrived home four hours later.