Ukraine: Zaporhyzhia and Khortitsa

There are different ways of spelling the name of the city I describe in this post. The name of the town is different in Russian and Ukrainian; Russian is what is spoken by nearly everyone here. There are different transliterations, I've chosen what sounds best to me.

My train arrived 11 minutes late in Zaporhyzhia. That's not bad at all for an 11+ hour ride!

I exited the train station, and walked along the main street of the town in the direction of the accomodation I'd booked. It's a loooooong street. After the weekend was over I believed it that one of my guidebooks says it is one of the longest streets in the country.

I'm not sure of the name of the street, strange as that probably sounds. There has been a lot of renaming over the last few years in Ukraine. Town and street names that have been deemed too "Russian" have been changed to something more Ukrainian. Google maps is rather confusing on the whole thing, I'm never sure whether it is correct or not. It's annoying when a hotel or restaurant or any other place lists an address, but a travel app lists another name. Usually I end up in the right place, but not always. Learning the old and new names is also a way of learning a bit of history of a place.

The name of this street was once Svobody St, which means Freedom St. Then, for a long while, it was called Lenin St. Now I think it's back to Svobody St, though most of the street signs I saw still say Lenin St. (in Ukrainian, of course.) I'm pretty sure another street near my accomodation was changed as well, which makes me think a whole lot of street names in this town have been changed.

Zaporhyzhia is in the western half of the country, which in general means the local economy and mindset of locals is much more tied to Russia than to the West.

As this street was plenty long, I had opportunity to take plenty of photos along the way. One of my friends in Kyiv had warned me that she thought this city is ugly. After just the first walk I disagreed with her. But not in the way you'd think. I already thought this place wasn't ugly, but it was boring.

I passed a door that had a peeling name over it, saying Disney. Let's just say it didn't represent the Disney company that most people recognize.

I walked over a bridge crossing a small creek, which was gorgeous at that hour, with the morning sun.

I passed a memorial to something specific that had happened in 1942. Obviously something that had happened in WW2, but I'm not sure what. Every Ukrainian town has a WW2 memorial, but this was clearly more specific than the whole war.

I passed Holy Protection Cathedral. Another Orthodox church.

I found my accomodation and checked in. The room was tiny, but cheap. A single room, less than $10, including wifi and a kitchenette.

Just before crossing a bigger bridge (which was over land, not water,) I passed what had previously been a memorial.

Whateva it was had been removed recently enough that I could still see the shading of the dates: 1918-1968. The bottom of a platform was still there, whateva statue had been there had also been removed. I really wish I knew what had been memorialized and removed. I'm guessing something to do with Russia, (or the former USSR,) but I don't really know.

As I passed the post office I admired the exterior decoration, which was a giant mosaic. When I went inside, the inside had mosaic decoration as well. It wasn't as grand a central post office as I've seen in other places, but I really liked the mosaics. Sadly, I didn't see postcards in this post office. Argh.

In front of the post office was a big platz, partly filled with military vehicles. There were a few tables of people selling random Ukrainian kitch. I'm guessing this is where the local 'maidan' demonstrations were located a couple years ago.

On the other side of the platz was Hotel Intourist. It's a name that will sound familiar to anyone who has studied Eastern Europe. This one was big and boring, as most of them are.

As I continued walking, I peeked to my right, and saw the top of another church. Since churches always catch my eye, I started walking in that direction, and figured out how to get there. It ended up being a Roman Catholic church, which aren't nearly as common in eastern Ukraine. It was reddish, and behind a set of gates. Fortunately, the gates were open, as was the church. Nothing much was going on inside, but I sat down for a few minutes and communed with my Maker. I appreciate the chance to have these conversations, though they don't always have to be in a church.

Back on the main street I stepped into a hidden courtyard, and found an abandoned fountain that was slowly being taken over by nature, and rubbish. There was also a very decrepit basketball hoop, I'm guessing it hadn't been used in quite a while.

I saw the circus building, not on the main street. Circuses used to be a state supported activity, so many towns have a 'pretty' building for the local circus, or any visiting groups.

I walked through a park that had lots of artists selling their work, mostly paintings. I also saw a few tables of Ukrainian kitch. Through all of my travels around this country I'm always amazed that these vendors make enough money to make it worthwhile to have one of these tables every day, or every weekend. I'm curious how they decide what to sell, what to make to sell.

I walked to the so called "Alley of Heroes,' which is the city WW2 memorial, As usual, it was big. There were a couple specific memorials in this area, and to the whole war in general as well. At this point in the day the sun was already behind the area, so I didn't take photos.

Behind the Alley of Heroes was an abandoned building. For whateva reason there was no barricade around this building. None at all. I'm surprised, as the building could not possibly be considered safe. There was glass all over the place, as well as whateva building materials had fallen out of the walls and ceilings and stairs, etc...

 I loved it. I wasn't the only one wanderng around the building, I saw two other small groups. I found stairs and even though the railing was more than sketchy, I went up. The second floor was just as photogenic as the first, though I know that sort of thing is really subjective.

After a while I walked out of the building, (making sure none of the broken glass ended up stuck in the bottom of my shoes,) and made my way back to the main street. In a tiny little park I saw a few benches painted like animals, very cute.

At the next intersection I saw one of those city signs, saying something like I ❤ ZP. Of course I asked a random stranger to take my photo. Why not?!?

Further along the main street I found a Holodomor memorial. A tragedy that never should've happened, and has never been (and never will be) officially admitted to by any national government, of Ukraine, or what is now Russia. Read my other blog posts to learn the history of this event. What happened, where it happened, and who was affected.

Behind this memorial was a wall with a lot of graffiti, and those towers carrying a lot of power lines. For some reason, I found all of this worth setting up timed photos.

Back on the main street I passed a stella dedicated to steel workers, and a national theater building.

Finally I made it to the end of the street. It really did feel as though it had been going, and going, and going, and going.

At the end of the street was a small park platz, with an empty pedestal for a statue in the middle.

You could still see where the letters of the name had been. Lenin. It turns out they'd taken down the statue of Lenin (one of the last in the country to be removed,) just a few months earlier. This area was backlit at the time, so I didn't take photos, and decided to come back the next day.

I kept walking. To do this I turned onto one of the streets at that intersection, heading slightly downhill. This eventually took me to a dam.

This damn is big, and important in the area. At one end, as I was walking along the side of the river I saw armed soldiers guarding some sort of building, I wish I knew what it was. I stayed on the side of the road, and walked across the damn. At this point in the day the sun was starting to set, and it was a very sunny day, so it felt as if one side of my face was being roasted.

When I got to the other side of the dam, I decided that was far enough. It was on the other side of the dam that I saw the name of the dam, as well as a photo of Lenin. Apparently not everything of the man has been removed.

It was a loooong walk back to my accommodation. LONG. I stopped on the way for dinner, a sushi place. Not bad, not wonderful. Good enough for me.

It was after dark when I got back home. I saw another national university building near my place, all lit up. Pretty, and very quiet at that hour. I wonder what is studied in that particular building?

I don't normally post this, but my Fitbit told me my daily step count for this day was 42,000 steps. I wasn't kidding about a long main street!!

The next morning I slept all the way till 0730. For me on traveling weekends, that's a pretty good lay in. Not that I ever get moving that early, but I usually wake up around 0600, for no good reason. I guess all the walking the day before had worn me out more than usual.

I walked down the hallway to grab a shower, and after letting it run for a few minutes to warm up, discovered it was still cold. I had to go to the front desk to ask them to turn on the water heater, then wait another few minutes while they figured out how to do that. Eventually I got my hot water shower.

After packing up, checking out, and leaving my backpack, I got back to the main street. I got to the Alley of Heroes again, this time the lighting was a whole lot better for taking photos. Yay! At this point I discovered there was another section of the Alley across the street. More war memorials. I like this stuff, though most people get over seeing these sorts of things again and again and again. I hope this history never repeats itself.

I stopped at a small bakery for breakfast/lunch, and picked up a couple items to go.

I walked all the way to the end of the street again, (was it just me or did it feel even longer than it had the day before?) all the way to Lenin's former standing place, and took the photos I wanted. Well, sorta. I had been hoping no one else would be there, but oh well.

Zaporhyzhia is known for the island of Khortitsya in the middle of the river, downstream from the dam. This island was a place of refuge for cossacks, way back in the day. I decided I wanted to see what I could.

The walk to the island took me down a long, quiet road. I was a bit concerned at some points that I was on the right road, as there wasn't a lot of traffic, and the area didn't look very well taken care of. I went over another bridge, (it is an island after all, you have to get there somehow,) and found the main intersection on the island. There was a lot of wind, and the sides of the bridge weren't that easy to walk on. Argh.There were signs pointing me in different directions, but I knew I wanted to see the 'fortress' and hopefully the museum.

The walk from the intersection to the fortress was on a wide, relatively quiet road. Trees on both sides. I could see plenty of walking and biking trails, and wished I had time for more exploration. (Is there ever a time I don't have that wish?)

I did get to see the fortress. Or at least the replication of it. The walls are actually wooden planks. There are a number of buildings inside the walls, each has been turned into a sort of living museum. A church, (which is still functioning,) which was absolutely lovely with wood. A home. A blacksmith, etc....

I looked around each of them, but got bored rather quickly. I looked at my watch and knew I didn't have time for the museum. Argh.

I walked quickly allllll the way back to the main street. I'd seen another sushi place the day before, so I stopped there to pick up dinner to eat on the train. Since all the walking and waiting had taken me a little longer than expected, I was practically running to get back to my accomodation to pick up my backpack.

After picking up the backpack I kept going fast, all the way back to the train station.

Thankfully I had enough time to stop in a supermarket and pick up some water. Also along the way I took a few more photos, just cause I like taking them.

While on the train back to Kyiv I got lucky with a beautiful sunset. Absolutely lovely.

ukraine: kyiv half marathon again

Nothing exciting for this post. Just finishing another half marathon, yay! No matter my time, I'm a happy camper each time I finish one of these races. I count myself lucky that I'm able to complete this distance, though I really ought to start training properly and taking better care of myself in general.

 A before photo and an after photo. I'm smiling in both photos, but my legs were jello in the second photo. I suppose that's what happens when you run 21.1km after no training.  I plan to continue running these races everytime they're available in kyiv.

Ukraine: Kharkov four years later

The first time I visited Kharkov was four years ago. That visit was with a friend, this time I was solo. 

Kharkov is the Russian name of the city, and that's what I'm using because it's a Russian speaking city. Kharkiv is the Ukrainian name, though locals don't use it much. It's one of the biggest cities in Ukraine, (3rd largest I think,) though I don't think it's high on anyone's list of places to go in the country.

The city is full of students, as there are a number of universities in Kharkov; I saw a lot of focus on architecture and engineering. By focus I mean the study of the schools, not the architecture of the city itself. 

My night train arrived just after sunrise, around 0630 on a beautiful Saturday morning. It was already warm, and the forecast told me it would get warmer throughout the day. 

My first photo was a panoramic shot, of the back side of the train station. Beautiful. Sometimes you get the lighting and sky just right. Also at the train station was a statue of one of the characters from the 12 chairs story. 

I walked to my hotel, about 3km I think. Since it was so early I had plenty of time to dawdle. Along the way I stopped to take photos of whateva caught my eye. Various memorials, churches, street art, etc... I also relaxed at different times, enjoying the silence of the morning hours.

All these things interest me, in different ways. I've lived here for a few years, and I've always thought Ukraine remembers. I've always thought there are three rules for being a proper Ukrainian city/town: one, you must have a statue of a guy on a horse; two, you must have a (big) WW2 memorial, and three, a statue of Taras Shevchenko. I also regularly see other individual memorials, statues, and event memorials and statues. 

Kharkov is no different. On my way to my hotel I saw a heroes memorial, and a Chernobyl memorial. (I knew I'd see other random memorials - and take photos of most of them -  during the rest of the weekend.)

The church that caught my eye during this walk is called the Annunciation Cathedral, I think it's one of the main churches in the city. The exterior makes me think of a candy cane, with all the stripes. As there was a service going on, I put a scarf on my head and stood in the back for a few moments. The interior isn't nearly as eye catching as the exterior, but it's still nice. I was surprised at the amount of movement in the back of the church during the service. People lighting candles at various places, people chatting with each other, buying items from the little stalls selling religious items. I expect this at other times, but not during services, but if I remember correctly, this church isn't open outside of service times. 

Across the street from the candy cane church is a monument to I don't know what. I could say it looks like a modern flower, sort of.

I crossed a bridge over a river that didn't have much water, going into another park. This park didn't have anything to see, but there were heaps of benches on which to sit and relax. Plus, this park was up the hill from the candy cane church, so there was a nice view.

On one boundary of the park was the outside of the wall going around a monastery complex. I knew I wanted to explore in there, later. 

I walked through Independence or maybe it is Constitution, Square, which was in much better shape than I remembered. On one end of the square there is a giant thermometer on the side of a building. I was thrilled to see the thermometer, as it wasn't there four years ago. (I wonder if this thermometer looks/is the same as the one listed in the guidebook, that wasn't there four years ago.)

Four years ago I think the city was preparing to play host to some of the games from the Euro 2012 competition, so some people in city administration wanted some changes. I remembered a big football in the middle of the square, which wasn't here this time. Thank goodness. I also remember this square being sort of under construction, that is, piles of bricks or something. It felt unfinished. Much better this time. 

As I got to the far corner of the area I realized I'd showed up on a great weekend. The Kharkov marathon had started just a few minutes previously, I got to watch a lot of people running down the street. I should run one of the races next year :)

Fortunately, the number of people running the race wasn't too high, so I didn't have to deal with blocked streets. (Though I saw some frustrated drivers who apparently didn't know what was happening.) My favorite section of fans was a group of ladies dressed in some sort of traditional clothing. Awesome.

I was able to check in early, yay! I relaxed and charged my phone :)

I started walking again, heading up the street of my hotel. The street dead ended when it came to the side of the national academic theater of opera and ballet.

 In one area I saw a lot of graffiti, as well as a lot of pallets in stacks. I don't know if there was a specific reason for this area, but I liked it. 

Across the street from the theater is the mirror stream fountain. There was no water, so there was no mirror, and no fountain. On one end of the fountain is a big arch/cupola, which is, of course, great for posed pictures. Which means there are heaps of people taking photos, and not usually paying attention to anyone else taking photos, except to ask them to move. (I saw quite a few people get in the frame of other folks' photos right after demanding their own space.)

This fountain/arch is at one end of a park square. At the other end is a church. Called the Temple of the Myrrh Bearers.its nothing special, and felt rather new. (After looking at my photos from four years ago, I figured out this church is indeed very new, as it wasn't there four years ago.) The iconostasis is pretty, but there wasn't much else in terms of decoration. I didn't stay inside for very long.

A couple blocks later I stopped for lunch, a waffle with some sort of savory topping. Yummy, but not exceptional. (I don't expect anything exceptional in terms of food in this country, people don't travel in Ukraine for great cuisine.)

Across the street from where I ate lunch is a small park known for its statue of lovers kissing. Architects Square I think it's called. Around the edge of the park are miniatures of many of the buildings found around Kharkov. Each miniature is in a plastic/glass box, so photos don't work out as well as you want.

I walked down Pushkin street in the sunshine, to the synagogue. The front gate was open, but as I walked in, two security guards questioned where I was going. I said I just wanted to see the synagogue, they were surprised. I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to see it just to see it? Unfortunately, there is a constant undercurrent of anti-semitism in this country, though I've never understood why. 

The lobby area of the synagogue had a few museum type displays of Jewish items used in daily life as well as religious rites. The interior security guard turned on the lights for me at each display.

Then I walked into the 'sanctuary.' I don't know what this area is called in a synagogue, so I'm using the word I do know, which is what Presbyterians use. It was lovely. A great high ceiling, with drawings in the front. Women were studying on one side, men on another. There was a sense of peace that words don't describe adequately. 

After leaving the synagogue I walked back toward what I think of as the city centre platz. On the way I passed the fiddler on the roof sculpture. It's nifty, sorta. Difficult to get good photos unless you have a lens that zooms quite a way without distortion.

I walked past a church that only seems to be open for special concerts. I think there is an organ in there, maybe I will get lucky enough to go in during a visit. (Whether or not something is open is only from my experience, not from fact.) This church and tower are in many photos of the city, you can't miss them if you are anywhere near the city center.

I found postcards in a tiny stall in a park across the street. I also found a frog for my sister.

Then I actually went in the monastery complex I mentioned earlier. Just as pretty as I remembered from four years ago.

This is one of those places where women have to wear a skirt and headscarf to go in the church, so they have both available to be borrowed. I covered myself and walked in. I liked the ceiling better than the rest of the church, but that's normal for me. 

This monastery is next to constitution square, which feels pretty big to me. I sat on a bench and watched people for a while, just because I could. With great weather it's so nice to do that. Then I went back to my hotel and dropped off the postcards and frog. Go figure, as I left the hotel again I forgot my camera and had to take all photos for the rest of the day with my phone. 

I walked up the main street to Shevchenko park, and walked through the back to the end of the park. There is supposed to be a fountain there, but the water hadn't been turned on yet, so it looks terrible. Old concrete, a few weeds growing, lots of dirt. Argh.

The Shevchenko statue at the front of the park is big. It's surrounded by 16 characters, I think they are supposed to represent the people of the country.

Further up the main street is Svobody Square. Freedom Square. I figured out it was the starting and finishing point for the races I'd seen earlier in the day, as plenty of race stuff was still set up. 

At one end of the platz is what remains of a statue of Lenin. From what I could see, a Ukrainian flag was posted on a pole coming out of his shoes. The reasons he is no longer there are patriotic, but I'm still glad I got to see him four years ago. 

I continued walking and took a closer look at the Derzhprom building than I have before. It's BIG.

The architect designed it so walkways connect three sections, over two streets. Big and boring. Some of the building is still in use, but I'm pretty sure most of it is in dire need of updating. 

The University building on another side of the area is also big and boring and very Soviet looking. 

I left the platz and went back to the main street, eventually finding what tripadvisor calls a sculpture garden. I wouldn't go that far, as I only saw a handful of sculptures. The whole thing is in a courtyard of a building, right next to a cafe. 

During my last visit to Kharkov I remember taking a cable car ride (of sorts) across a park, and my next goal was to do it again. Further up the main street I found the park where I could do so. Yahoo!! The price for a one way ride (more than 10 minutes long!!) was less than a dollar. Yay!! I waited in a queue, but the queue moved quickly, the wait was less than 10 minutes. I was there at a beautiful time of day, as the sun was going down, and the sky was beginning to change colour. Lovely. 

After finishing I was on the other side of the park, which is quite big, so I walked down a hill to a metro station. Two stops later I was back in the big platz. Just like in Kyiv, the metro stations in Kharkov are each very different. 

By that point it was dark, so I went to dinner, then walked a bit more. The arch I mentioned earlier was lit up very nicely, as was the church behind it. Not surprisingly, there was a queue (disorganized of course) of people wanting to take photos. 

The next morning I had the best intentions of getting moving early, and it almost happened. Except that I woke up too early. 0500 isn't a great time to wake up, as the sun wasn't up, and my breakfast wasnt scheduled until 0800. I went back to sleep, and only woke up when the front desk lady knocked on my door with breakfast. Breakfast wasn't anything special, mostly processed, but it only cost 30 griven and was delivered to me :)

Since this hotel room had a bathtub, I took advantage and relaxed for a while. There wasn't enough hot water left when I rinsed off under the shower afterward, not so fun to take an unexpected cold shower. 

When I checked out I was able to leave my backpack at the hotel so I didn't have to carry it around all day. Not that it was heavy, but I always prefer to carry as little as possible. 

My first stop for the day was back at the monastery from yesterday. I wanted a photo in better lighting, and was able to get it. Yesterday's photo was backlit, which I never like. 

A couple blocks over and down a hill I walked into the central market of the city. I'm sure it isn't the only market in the city, but I am sure it is the largest and most permanent. I found spices, dairy products, meat of all kinds, pickled everything, and dry goods. There were other sections as well, I could've bought some household goods, clothing, etc... I ended up buying kimchi, powdered ginger, honey, and some sweets. 

I took my purchases back to the hotel and added them to my backpack.

I walked up the main street again, moving faster than before. I remembered another spot from my previous visit that I wanted to see again. During the last visit we took a bus, but I wanted to walk this time. I looked at google maps, which told me the walk would be 90 minutes, but I got there in less than an hour, and figured out trip advisor has it marked in the wrong place on a map. 

On the way I passed a statue (it looked like concrete painted white,) of a cyclist. I didn't see a sign anywhere, so I have no idea who or what it honors. 

The glory memorial is a huge WW2 memorial. There is a long walkway made of some kind of pink stone, at the end of which is a large statue of a lady who looks a lot like the lady in Kyiv. As you're walking down the path, there are other, smaller memorials off to the side. 

Off to one side of the statue lady is a long  memorial with names of those who died. At the foot of the lady is an eternal flame, and flowers placed there recently. 

Four years ago there were heaps of flowers, but not nearly so many this time. Last time it was a holiday weekend, but not during this visit. It was nice to know that flowers are always there, even if sometimes in smaller quantities. Those who have given their lives fighting for their countries should always be honored. Always. 

On the way back into the city I took a bus part of the way, then got off at a random stop. I walked along another street, passing another group of statues, these were also part of the 12 chairs story. I really do need to learn the story, though I don't know if I can find it in English.

Further along the street I came to the Holocaust Museum. It isn't well known, and it isn't big, and it isn't well marked. I walked past it before figuring out I'd missed it. The building itself is huge, and the museum is just a small part, on the 2nd floor.

I rang the bell, the door was answered by an older lady. Behind her I could see a table with food and a group of ladies. I didn't know why they were gathered, but it seemed that the museum was closed. I hadn't seen any hours posted anywhere, so I don't know if my arrival was at a time when the museum is normally closed. The lady asked me why I was there (I think,) and I answered that I wanted to see the museum. 

The lady asked me if I could come back the next day, but I answered that I couldn't because I had a night train back to Kyiv. (All my speaking was in very basic Russian and English, hers was in Russian.) This caused a discussion among the ladies, so I tried to say I was going to leave. But that didn't happen either. They got the English speaking lady of the group to invite me in, then she gave me a tour. The museum is just two rooms, but she gave me explanations for nearly all the exhibits. There were items left behind, money used during the war, documents from the government of the time, etc... It was really moving, especially when she described the personal connections to some of the ladies in the gathered group. 

Amazing, (not in a good way, if that makes sense,) and sad. Never again. Never forget. 
There were photos of some of  the Jews of the city who were deported and killed during WW2, as well as photos of people who were given the honor of being called Yad Vashem, righteous among the nations, for helping some of the Jews of the city. Every time I see a museum or memorial to this time/'event' in history I walk away feeling stunned that such an awful thing happened. It usually takes some time to clear my head, and feel positive about the world. This kind of a museum is negative, but necessary.

After the museum, I walked back to the city center, and found a restaurant for dinner. A place advertising all you can eat meat for a set price. Yum! I know eating meat isn't helping the planet, but I have a hard time turning down a place that offers all you can eat meat. For a little over $7, there is a set menu with a variety of meat being served. Chicken wings, pork, veal, etc... There is also a tray of side dishes, and a couple bread rolls. A drink is not included, but even with that added cost, my meal still cost less than $10. I was stuffed when I left.

By that point it was after dark so I went back to the hotel to sit in the lounge for an hour before walking back to the train station. On the way I passed the candy cane church, which was lit up. It still looks like a lot of candy canes to me, and still eye catching. 

I caught my train back to Kyiv, another easy ride :)