ukraine: lutsk in winter

This was my second trip to Lutsk, and it didn't start out very well. I took a night train from Kyiv to Lutsk, arriving at 5 in the morning. The bad beginning to this trip was when I woke up in the middle of the night on the train and had to run the length of the train to get to the bathroom and puke. It was not at all fun, and I have no idea why I got sick.

My train arrived mostly on time, about 10 minutes late. That's not bad at all for an overnight train. When the arrival time is just after 5 in the morning, 10 minutes definitely doesn't matter. Because of throwing up in the middle of the night, I still didn't feel very good when I arrived.

I ended up sitting in the train station for more than three hours, hoping I would feel better, and trying to figure out what time the electric train to Klevan would depart.

I ended up not figuring that out, and assuming I missed it. I used google maps to figure out how to walk to my hotel for the weekend. They let me check in early, and I stayed in my room for a few more hours. Basically I'd been in Lutsk for something like six hours before I even started walking around the city to explore. I still didn't feel good/normal when I walked out of my hotel, but I was feeling cabin fever and didn't want to waste the entire day. What did help was the hotel lady bringing me tea, as well as a few biscuits, YUM.

I checked the temperature just before venturing outside, it was -9C. Not as cold as I've experienced in Ukraine, but pretty much the coldest so far this year. I bundled up and started walking. Everything was snow covered, and hadn't yet turned into ice, so it was cold but not difficult walking.

My first stop was in a small park. There was a large WW2 memorial, in fact it was basically the entire park. I stood in one place to take a photo before suddenly slipping and nearly falling. Apparently I was standing on part of the monument itself, whoops! I managed to get my feet under control and take my photo without falling, thank goodness.

I kept walking, and made my way to a large platz at one end of the old town area of the city. On one side of the platz is a theater in front. The statue in front is of a poet, Lesi. On another side of the platz is a giant sign saying I love Lutsk. I was thrilled that the whole thing was written in Ukrainian, as most of these signs I've seen have been written in English. The letters were white, which made it a bit hard to see, with all the snow everywhere. Of course I took a selfie with the sign. With the cold it was actually rather hard to smile!

Next to the square is a church, the Holy Trinity Church. It's fairly big, but when you go inside it doesn't feel that big.

As I entered I realized it wasn't nearly as crowded as the last time I visited, and one side of the church is being worked on, so there is construction stuff everywhere. It wasn't warm, but it was warmer than the outside. I sat (on a side bench, as Orthodox churches don't have pews and chairs everywhere,) and enjoyed the quiet for a few minutes.

I kept walking, and came to another intersection where I turned left. Not too long after I walked past a government building with a religious mural on the side. This is Ukraine, and such a thing is totally normal.

My next stop was Lubarts Castle. It looks more like a fortress to me, but who am I to quibble with the name. It's quite pretty with all the snow. The entry fee is a little over $1, I'm amazed that such a small amount can make a difference in taking care of the place. Inside the casle/fortress is a courtyard, off which you can enter a bell tower, the walls, and several museums.

This time I chose to go in the museum of books, since I hadn't seen it before.

The book museum was really small, but I liked it. Many of the books on display looked really old, and if I'd been able to read the signs I probably would've learned more about the books. I like seeing old stuff, even if I don't know what it is.

In the middle of the courtyard, below what is now ground level is a church. The entry has not been open the two times I've visited, so I really don't know if it ever is open, or if it's mostly buried. I find it fascinating that the ground level of the place changed so drastically.

After leaving the castle/fortress I walked to St Brigits Monastery.

It was originally a place of faith, and is again now, but the history is long and varied. It was built as a Catholic monastery, but over time (in the 19^th century,) was changed into an Orthodox complex. Unfortunately, somewhere around WW2, it also aquired an addition that was a prison. In this prison area, in the courtyard, the NKVD massacred over 3000 people. It looks really run down now, but I think it still functions at least a little.

My next sight was close by as well, the Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul. You can't help but see it, as it is big, and set right on the edge of the street.

It is a Polish Catholic church, so there are benches in the sanctuary. I wasn't a big fan of the interior, though I don't know why.

I kept walking, and made my way to the Lutheran church, which was closed. It was also closed the first time I visited, so I'm guessing it is only open during services. It's not an eye catching building, but I tend to like churches no matter how they look.

More walking took me to the sculptor's house. It's not an official sight, in that you don't get to go inside and walk around. It is simply a private residence owned by a sculptor, and you can see heaps of sculptures all over the grounds.

The house itself is also unique, to say the least.

I soon found another open church, the church of Holy Protection. It was an Orthodox church, not very big. As I walked in, a lady was cleaning the floor, and she felt the need to talk to me. She asked me about my faith, and when I answered, she told me I was wrong. That's the first time I've been told my faith is wrong, it was not a pleasant experience. I've always believed everyone has the right to their own beliefs, but does not have the right to force those beliefs or act on anyone else. Her telling me I was wrong was pretty much the only part of the conversation that I understood.

I nodded and smiled during the rest, but I didn't have any idea what she was saying. I don't know if she didn't see that I didn't understand, or didn't care. Oh well. When I left the church she taught me how to make the cross properly. According to her beliefs anywho.

As I walked back toward the big platz I mentioned earlier, I passed a sister city tree. At least, that's what I'm assuming it was, as it listed a few cities, and the distances to those cities. I don't know why else that particular set of cities would've been chosen to be on the 'tree.'

I had sushi for dinner that night, as I often have sushi when I'm traveling over a weekend in Ukraine.

The next morning I woke up early as usual, then didn't do much of anything for several hours, also as usual. Eventually I cleaned up, packed up, and checked out. I took my bag to the train station for storage during the day. While I was there I asked about the electric train to Klevan. It turns out it leaves every day at 0840, returning at 1700 or so every day. I should've gone the day before, but between feeling awful and not knowing the schedule, that just didn't happen.

My first official sight for the day was the Icon Museum. I'd never heard of it, and the people working the front desk seemed rather surprised to find a foreigner wanting to visit. The museum was two floors, with 3 rooms on each floor.

The icons on display went as far back as the 12^th or 13^th centuries! Most seemed to be from the 16^th and 17^th centuries. Some were in better shape than others, of course. Different types of wood fall apart in different ways with different types of paint used to tell a story. I really enjoyed them as art, rather than religious items. I was the only person visiting while I was there, but there were three people working. The lights for each room were only turned on when I was in the room, they were all off otherwise.

Not too far from the icon museum was the military museum. The full name of the museum is longer, but I don't remember it. This was another place that seemed surprised to have a foreign visitor. I paid my entry fee, and started my tour by checking out the backyard. The yard displayed a helicopter, a plane, several tanks, and other vehicles and large items. I might've stayed out there longer if it had been a little warmer. Tromping through the snow wasn't so much fun. Many of the vehicles were open, so I was able to go in the (falling apart) helicopter cockpit. There were descriptive signs in front of everything, but since I don't know anything about this industry, knowing the name of a tank didn't mean much to me.

I went inside next, which felt amazing. I don't know how warm it really was inside, but I do know it was plenty warmer than outside. All through the three rooms were pictures and items of various times in military history. There were even some items from the civil war currently taking place in the east of Ukraine. One of those items was a sticker with the name of Donbas Independent Republic, or something along those lines. Argh.

After leaving the military museum I wanted a snack. I settled for something from a bakery not too far away. I stayed in the bakery longer than I should've, but the cold was taking everything out of me. At least I didn't feel like throwing up anymore.

I walked in the direction of the castle/fortress, hoping to catch a tour of the dungeon and tunnels under the nearby cathedral. When I got there I figured out I'd just missed the tour by about ten minutes, argh. I made a note of when to return, and where to buy tickets.

I continued walking, making my way to a monastery. I think it was the Benedictine monastery, though I'm not entirely sure. The sun was starting to lower in the sky, which gave me a couple great photos around that area. I entered the church of the monastery, which was quite small. I was the only one in there at the time, which I loved.

Near the monastery was a bridge over a river, but I don't think it was going anywhere I wanted to go. I crossed over, then turned around and came back; not very exciting, I know. While on the street again I noticed a water pump, which reminded me of what I saw at the one room schoolhouse near where I grew up in the states. Who uses this pump? How often is it used?

I walked to the old synagogue, another example of what was once a vibrant Jewish community that has gone away. This synagogue was also a fortress, to protect the city and offer worship. Sadly, it's now a sports club.

I saw a laundry line that didn't look very useful in the cold weather. It was covered in ice, and icicles. Very pretty, but pointless.

I went back to the cathedral to catch the dungeoun tour. The tour was in ukrainian, so I had no idea what was being said most of the time, but I've gotten used to that. It's not always hard to figure out what I'm seeing when I don't understand a tour guide.

I saw several tunnels, a couple piles of bones, and excavation work still taking place. For some of the years the Soviets ruled with Communism, the church itself was used as a market rather than a church! At one end of a tunnel I got to see the original metal gates from the 1700s, which are quite rusted. Even with the rust, I was impressed that they'd lasted for centuries. So much of what is built now won't last anywhere near that long.

As we exited, I saw the sun had set so it was dark. And cold, very very cold. I put up the hoodie on my sweatshirt, as well as the hood on my jacket.

I moseyed my way back to the same sushi restaurant as the night before, staying there for more than two hours. After eating I walked to the train station and waited for the train. Just before boarding, I noticed icicles hanging off my train, eeeek!!

The train ride back to Kyiv was easy and smooth, something I've come to expect from the Ukrainian train system.

I want to come back to Lutsk, mostly so I can go to Klevan and see the tunnel of love in winter.