{"id":173,"date":"2023-05-12T11:17:01","date_gmt":"2023-05-12T08:17:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/?p=173"},"modified":"2023-05-12T11:17:03","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T08:17:03","slug":"things-that-surprised-me-about-ukraine-part-1-the-beauty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/?p=173","title":{"rendered":"Things That Surprised Me About Ukraine Part 1: The Beauty"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you aren\u2019t from Ukraine, what\u2019s the first thing you associate with the country? Or Eastern Europe in general?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, the answer may be related to the war, but, before the war, what was it? How did you imagine Ukraine? Rows of endless grey tower blocks, snow all year round, corruption, crime, misery, prostitutes, gangsters, etc? These, unfortunately, are relatively common associations among Westerners especially who have never been east of Germany. I recall before the first time I went to Eastern Europe, someone didn\u2019t believe Estonia was a place. Others told me to be careful as if it was so dangerous. Yet, I can easily say I felt safer backpacking Eastern Europe, and living in Kyiv, Lviv, and now Uzhhorod even during the war, than in some of the places I lived in the UK. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m digressing from the main point, but it highlights that our perceptions are deeply flawed. This is no more evident in that Ukraine, like much of Eastern Europe, is beautiful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve most likely seen promotional images of Ukraine to demonstrate its beauty. Every time I see comments like \u201cI didn\u2019t realise Ukraine had castles\/beaches\/mountains etc.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well. I\u2019ll talk you through my first experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First Visit To Ukraine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I came to Ukraine for the first time in 2019. January. The peak of winter. I never like to do things easily, and it was to see Ukraine with my fianc\u00e9 at the time (now wife), before we got married, meet her friends, family, etc. It was Lviv, and I actually did know that Lviv was a beautiful, historic city before I arrived. I wasn\u2019t quite prepared for how <\/em>beautiful it was. It was snowy, and the weather was cold, but closer to -6 than the -20 I know Ukraine can get to. I found a city of quaint historical restaurants, bars, public spaces, and historical buildings forming the entire city centre. The snow enhanced the city\u2019s beauty to me and embodied an imagined idea of central Eastern Europe.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
This was a photo I took as I left the airport. This wasn’t an accurate representation of what was to come\u2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
However, cute courtyards from the flat we stayed in were better. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
This is from a later trip in Lviv. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
So is this, you can tell by the masks. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

However, the plan was to go to Rivne, then Kyiv. Rivne is a bit more fitting the stereotypical Soviet city, with many flats and built-up areas. In winter, like many places, it is a little bleak (though when the trees blossom it does feel much more inviting). However, there are still some quaint buildings in the centre, there are plenty of parks, and actually, even since my first visit, more and more restaurants and bars have cropped up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Some quality abandoned soviet architecture<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Park with the textbook soviet ferris wheel <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
This isn’t too far from Rivne either, but the mosquitos do eat you alive in the summer. It’s called ‘Tunnel of Love’<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you are to travel between Lviv and Kyiv and fancy seeing a slightly more authentic side of Ukraine, could do worse than to stop here for a day. Though Lutsk, the city a little bit further west, does have a bit more charm for me, personally.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to the first trip, I had been told less positive things about Kyiv by some Lviv people. \u201cIt\u2019s really big, it\u2019s dirty, it\u2019s busy, it\u2019s not as beautiful\u201d etc. Same stuff we hear about London in the UK to an extent. I went in with low expectations, picturing a bigger Rivne. I had heard some positive things about Kyiv, yet generally, my mind’s eye picture was of the events at Maidan, and  I had still this stereotypical image subconsciously of grey tenements for miles and an overwhelming sprawl. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How wrong I was!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kyiv\u2019s architectural style, compared to Lviv, is different. The older buildings have more in common with other parts of the Russian Empire than Lviv, which, for historical reasons, has more in common with the rest of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Combine Kyiv\u2019s \u2018tsarina\u2019 era buildings, with the \u2018stalinkas\u2019 (grand Stalin-era Soviet architecture which was meant to be very decadent, compared to the utilitarian Kruschev-Brezhnev era buildings) and you have a very old-style centre. Podil district, a historical neighbourhood, Arsenalna (where you can find the world\u2019s deepest metro station), around Maidan and on Kreschatyk street), Universitet, I can go on, are areas where you can see amazing buildings. Sofia Cathedral, St Michael\u2019s Cathedral, The Presidential Palace, House of Artists, are all well-known buildings of true beauty. When I returned again in the Spring, I realised how green <\/em>Kyiv is. Trees align many streets, you can find parks all over, and as you stand on Kontraktova Square (in Podil) you can see lush greenery on the hillside right in the city centre before Maidan area.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Kontraktova Ploscha, 2020<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Me at the Bulgakov museum, before I started feeling a bit conflicted about him. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
My first Puzata Hata (a canteen chain which is affordable, fast, and very decent) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This sense of pleasant shock carried on for me. From the Carpathian Mountains (which I talked about before) to the sand dunes of Kherson, to the castles of western Ukraine, to the historical cities like Chernivtsi and Kamienets Podilsky, Uzhhorod, Mukachevo, Lutsk, Mykolaiv, Odesa of course. These are beautiful <\/em>cities. The nature is stunning, there is so much to see.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Climbing Hoverla, highest mountain in Ukraine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Odesa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Ternopil<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Chernivtsi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Chernivtsi University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Historical area of Lutsk<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Mykolaiv<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Dunes of Kherson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Lazurne, Khersonska Oblast<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Mukachevo, Zakarpattia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps in time I will write more to recommend specific places, whether you want to visit now as a show of solidarity or would visit after victory, it could help guide you. For now though, just understand, Ukraine is a beautiful country. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First entry in what surprised me most about Ukraine. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":194,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,3,10,4],"tags":[26,27,16],"class_list":["post-173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifeinukraine","category-diary","category-travel","category-ukraine","tag-life-in-ukraine","tag-travel","tag-ukraine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=173"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":195,"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173\/revisions\/195"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}