Ukraine Travel Notes

When you think of Ukraine, what do you think of first? Is it war? Is it a nuclear leak? Or a pretty young lady? As a frequent visitor on news broadcasts, "military conflict" has always been inseparable from "Ukraine", and most people would not choose to travel here. The reason why I chose this place is simple to say. It was decided by patting my forehead while chatting with my friends~

"Shall we meet somewhere?"

"Okay, where to go?"

"I heard Ukraine is good."

"Is it safe? Are we still fighting Russia?"

“I heard it’s very safe. And the European experience, the Southeast Asian price~”

"That's great~"

So after looking around at where they wanted to go, a few people packed their bags and set off.

I have to say that prices in Ukraine are really cheap. We stayed in the best hotel in Ukraine, which was basically a domestic four-star price. European-style retro rooms, wide balconies, and charming views of the lake.

Heading from the Fairmont Hotel to Andrei Slope, you have to pass the Volodymyrska Mountain, which is a good place to overlook Kiev. After walking along the long hiking trail, we came to Andrei slope, which is also the cultural old street of Kiev.

Why is it called Andre's Slope? Because the most famous building here is the Andrei Church. Andrei Church is a white and lake blue gold-domed building, completely candy-colored and fresh. Walking around the church, you can have a panoramic view of Kiev. I didn't get to see what the church was like inside, and it happened to be under renovation. I felt like I was at a loss.

Another famous church is Hagia Sophia. Different from Hagia Sophia in Turkey, this is a light green Orthodox building complex.

Coming out of the church is a small garden. In the garden, there was an old man wearing a white robe and a head full of white curly hair. He looked like an ancient man who had traveled through time. He played an instrument that I had never seen before. His music was melodious and his singing was melodious, making people forget the time. From him Passing by, a playful wink came over, pulling people back from the world of music to reality. (Don’t ask me what he plays or sings. I can’t communicate with people in Ukraine because I don’t speak Ukrainian and they don’t understand English.)

From Kiev to Lviv, we chose the night train and bought a first-class soft sleeper for two people. As mentioned before, we were unable to communicate, so it was really frustrating to find a train. The 22:37 train had no platform information until 22:00. . . No one knows English, so I have to rely on myself. When we got on the train ~ emmm ~ how should I put it, it felt like the 1990s ~ the train was shaking so hard that I couldn't stand, and the collision sound between the wheels and the rails was so loud that it seemed like something exploded ~ What was even more devastating was the bathroom, 10 There are two shared bathrooms in the first-class cabin, and there is no smooth running water, so water can only be supplied intermittently. I made do with washing myself, and I even washed my hair, which was great.

After a sleepless night, I arrived at the Lviv train station and found that I couldn't find a taxi. It was either a black taxi or I had ordered an online taxi in advance. I had no choice but to look for a bus. When we got on the bus, I asked in English if anyone spoke English, and everything was quiet. How to buy tickets? How much? Who to buy from? crazy. Then the driver called me and pointed to a bunch of Ukrainian numbers 8 posted on the car. I pointed to my companion and me, gave him 32 hryvnias, and drove smoothly~

To go to the Tunnel of Love, it’s closer to Lviv. Because Chinese driver’s licenses don’t allow us to rent a car, we found a local pick-up to take us to Warren State. The guy who picked us up this time was an international student in graduate school. He was talkative and gentle. First we went to a small restaurant by the lake. It was so relaxing with wild flowers, grass, lake water and barbecue. Although we were told in advance that we should bring anti-mosquito spray when going to the Love Tunnel. , but when I got there, I was really frightened. The mosquitoes in my eyes were like hungry wolves that had not eaten for many days, and my ears were full of buzzing "small planes" like an airport. Everyone walked along with one foot and one foot. While walking along the railway track, we looked at the scenery. When we walked out after finishing the shape, each of us got several bites. The next stop is the Rubat Castle behind the 200 hryvnia banknote~ The little guy on the ground is like a Chinese-Ukrainian bilingual history book, telling the origin and story behind the decorations in the castle~

Since several of our friends later parted ways due to schedule issues, another friend and I, who continued to stay in Lviv, found a place to pick up my brother and continue the service the next day. (I have to say, it’s so convenient to have someone who speaks Ukrainian next to you!) As a non-traditional tour guide, we took Route 11 to explore the old town of Lviv, bought traditional hand-embroidered ethnic skirts, and ate We had hot chocolate ice cream, drank mine coffee, and ate Internet celebrity roasted ribs. In order to digest our food, we were also taken to a place popular with locals to climb mountains and watch the sunset.

I thought I would have a good sleep after such a tiring day, but unfortunately I spent the night on the train again. Before bidding farewell to my little brother at the station, I asked him to introduce a friend who he thought was a nice person to pick us up locally in Kiev. I felt saved.

With the enthusiastic reception of another brother, we walked through Independence Square to the entrance of the government agency, visited the Cave Monastery, and then took the subway to see the Ukraine-Russia Friendship Circle. We also climbed on an armored vehicle to make a dent. There are some subway stations in Kiev that were converted from underground military facilities during the war. The long elevators seem to lead to the center of the earth ~ especially the feeling of World War II.

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In general, the trip to Ukraine was more like a journey back in time, back to the last century, to experience the daily life of people in the city in an era when technology was not so developed. If you have the chance to go again, you should take part in the sniper rifle experience. If you can't stand the recoil, at least try a small pistol.