Lviv Trip#03

Olesh came around and we had a chat. Roman has invited me for Svyat Vechir. However, getting there seems a challenge. I’d basically leave on the 5th and return on the 8th. Seems a long time to be a guest, in a house that is full. 

After Olesh left, I went up to my room. Only 5pm, but I am ready for bed. 
Long shower. Really long shower. All that heat and steam helps a lot with this flu.
Awoke thinking I should checkout the trains. Google shows it to be worse that I thought. Best option seems to be that I travel in the “wee hours”.

Checked out car rental options. A 4hr drive in a car with 100% collision-damage waiver seems preferable. Driving over there means two rather than four days away. And I can spend the other two days resting.

Went back to bed.

Awoke before the alarm. Thursday seemed much like yesterday.
Started TaiChi, but halfway through gave up. Too tiring. Though my balance is better. 

Down for breakfast.

Olesh over and out we went. 

First stop, villa Lahodynskyj in Lviv…..

where the Austrian branch started 🙂
Lawyer in the basement. Every home should have a lawyer in the basement 😉
The Ivan Trush museum is just two doors over. And in between is the Austrian cousins father’s house, that has now become a small apartment block.
A nice area, on the outskirts of the city.

We then took a tram downtown to enquire about tickets. Google was right about the times. Bought my “Lux” ticket for train. 
Decided on the early start, and late return.
And whilst driving would give me more flexibility, a train is easier.

We had lunch at a cafeteria-style restaurant with real food.

Hit the post-office. Olesh is a major philatelist.

Checked out the Opera house, and bought a ticket.

Found a shirt…….

Then back to the hotel. 

Ran a few chores. 
Long shower.
To bed.

Friday January 5th was a hard morning.
Up before the alarm.
TaiChi completed, but hard work!
Breakfast. 

Then a nap. 
My cold is getting better.  My nose has stopped leaking. Joints no longer ache. But oh how tired am I. One more day, and I should be OK.

Down before noon to await Olesh. Had an espresso. Minimal effect.

Olesh arrived and we caught the tram to the museum. 
We went to see the clocks (as many as in Jerez), and some awesome furniture. 
Plus this item, below, that is used for sewing……

If you know how it is used, please let me know via the comments.

We then stopped off at an Irish pub. hahaha. Here is the “drunken bowl”……

Why drunken? The red hot chilli pepper is in a glass of whiskey. haha.

Then I bought some Ukrainian brandy. Whereupon Olesh went home. 

I lurked in downtown Lviv. Opera in a couple of hours.

Found some dried mushrooms for Barry. He is keen on mushroom sauce. 

A stroll around the Christmas market in Lviv’s main square.

Then returned to Pani Stefa’s for some mushroom soup……

and mushroom pancakes. 
Nice to see some things don’t change. 

A stroll took me through the Christmas market again, but in the dark. Looks even nicer than in daylight. Lviv is a rival for Trier as Christmas City!

Arrived at the opera house.
Long queue at one door, so I went through the other 🙂 No-one else there 🙂
And so to Natalka Poltavka
Shortest first act ever!
Nice story-telling and singing, but think they skipped ahead a bit.    
Second act, same-same.
Third act normal length, and wrapped up the story. Nicely.

Walked back to the hotel. 
A bit of shopping. 
Checked out the train station.
It is 25mins from my room.

Packed.
Showered/washed.
To bed, just after midnight.

Up with the alarm on a dark Friday 5:25am morning.
Dressed.
Packed.
Walked over and got onto the train.

Sharing a carriage compartment with a nice young lad. At school finishing up 4th year of law. Done quite a few trips and some part-time military service.

Train pulled into Yaremche. Here we go! A real Ukrainian Christmas, in Ukraine 🙂