Saturday, May 25th.
Up at our usual time then breakfast. Today was our last full day here! It had been relaxing, but there was still more to do on our itinerary.
We had thought the weather would be bad today, but unexpectedly the weather forecast had improved, at least for the morning. So we took a chance and caught a bus to Stryiskyi Park.
Nice fountains. The subject of this fountain is from a children's book, according to Chris.
Apparently there was a big Expo in the late 1800s in this park. There are a few buildings left from that time. This is called the Cathedral to Physical Fitness. Nice gym!
Another fountain nearby. With mermaids, but all is dry at this time.
This was another "date spot" when Chris's grandparents had been growing up here. Looks like a nice place to wander, so we did.
We spent an hour or so, wandering the paths and enjoying all the greenery.
Some of the structures had deteriorated. But the place was still peaceful and the scenery very pretty.
We had taken the bus to the top of the park and gradually made our way downward. That part was easy...
And there were some nice water features down in the lower part of the park.
Including a pretty little lake, complete with swans. And a girl, washing her hair.
The high end of the lake was a nice spot for pictures. I'm surprised we didn't see wedding parties posing. Maybe too early in the day?
Nearby, there was a small conservatory with tropical plants. Then it was time to walk back to the bus stop. Which meant an incline. So much for a lazy morning in the park!
The bus home was an adventure, as it was jammed full, standing room only. But we got home in one piece.
Funny thing about the bus tickets. We bought them from the driver, but when we got on the bus there was no machine to validate the tickets. So we looked closely and on the top there is small print that says "rub with coin." So we did - and that exposes some pressure-sensitive print that says “ticket,” and that’s all there is to it. We think. Nobody checked so we don't know.
Back in the room for a bit then we set out for the famous coffee shop, "Under the Blue Bottle." On the way we saw the Masoch-café, and got a picture of the masochist himself. And an unexpected surprise – two bucketfuls of water came crashing down from above, and one of them soaked us! Ugh.
Looks like there was some construction work going on as the building front was covered in scaffolding and a drape. So we couldn't see how or why we'd been soaked.
We soldiered on to the blue bottle but the water smelled funny, like used laundry water, and we got a little grossed out thinking about exactly might be in it. So, we ran back to the hotel for a shower and change of clothes. Then we had coffee at Fixage.
Fixage was a really cool place, one block from our hotel. I have the exterior signage in an earlier post, but the view from inside is quite "photogenic" as well. They have a motif going on, using old cameras mounted on the walls.
Table service.
Strong Turkish coffee!
Relaxing!
Really cute decorative coffee cup holders. And Turkish delight to go with it! Very nice.
Following our usual pattern this trip, it was now time for a long lunch to recover from the morning's adventures. We chose another fancy restaurant we'd looked at for dinner, Amadeus. We sat outside and had delicious garlic bread to start.
Great setup! Nice view of the square adjacent to the Latin Cathedral. We saw tour groups going in and out.
We had more Odesky Chorny, of course. It goes with just about anything.
Then a wedding party exited the church! We had a front-row seat for that.
We started with ham and cream stuffed mushrooms. So good!
For main course we shared a “Ukrainian Snack” which was huge – a plate of baked pork, suckling pig, and blood sausage with kapusta and bread dumplings. It was very filling but the slow pace helped.
Then dessert of cherry varenyky with Georgian semi-dry white wine.
All told, this was an expensive meal. A bit more than $50 for all of that.
We then decided to knock the last few churches off our list. This is the Dominican Cathedral. Weird weather! Some ominous clouds, mixed with blue sky.
A wedding was just finishing up here too! Makes sense for a Saturday. The receiving line was set up outside the Cathedral. So we took a quick look inside, hopefully without disturbing any of the stragglers.
Nearby, a nice setting for a cafe. And even a hint of blue sky on this side of the street! But we were too stuffed to think about it.
North of Staryi Rynok Square, we finally got to St. Nicholas' church. This is supposedly from King Danylo's time.
It does look old. It was also quite empty inside. So we could take pictures without disturbing anyone.
The Church of St. John the Baptist was nearby. This is another old one, also from the 13th Century.
And the Bernadine Church. We'd been too busy looking for Trapezna Idey last time we were here.
On the way back to the hotel, we liked this storefront. It was animated, with the old pharmacist grinding his mortar and pestle.
After all that walking, plus the big meal, we were pretty tired. So we rolled back to the hotel and took a nap until 7:30, then headed back out to look at souvenirs. We visited the chocolate shop and got a few things, for ourselves and some friends, but nothing else spoke to us. We are terrible shoppers. We almost never buy souvenirs, even if we try.
We went to a café for wine but ended up with a cheese plate too. The wine was OK – we had Pinot Gris rose, then Carpathian blends. We were still too stuffed to think about eating anything else.
On the way home, I grabbed a local "Lvivska" beer from the convenience store, for a nightcap in the room. It cost a whole ₴22.50, less than a dollar!
Up at our usual time then breakfast. Today was our last full day here! It had been relaxing, but there was still more to do on our itinerary.
We had thought the weather would be bad today, but unexpectedly the weather forecast had improved, at least for the morning. So we took a chance and caught a bus to Stryiskyi Park.
Nice fountains. The subject of this fountain is from a children's book, according to Chris.
Apparently there was a big Expo in the late 1800s in this park. There are a few buildings left from that time. This is called the Cathedral to Physical Fitness. Nice gym!
Another fountain nearby. With mermaids, but all is dry at this time.
This was another "date spot" when Chris's grandparents had been growing up here. Looks like a nice place to wander, so we did.
We spent an hour or so, wandering the paths and enjoying all the greenery.
Some of the structures had deteriorated. But the place was still peaceful and the scenery very pretty.
We had taken the bus to the top of the park and gradually made our way downward. That part was easy...
And there were some nice water features down in the lower part of the park.
Including a pretty little lake, complete with swans. And a girl, washing her hair.
The high end of the lake was a nice spot for pictures. I'm surprised we didn't see wedding parties posing. Maybe too early in the day?
Nearby, there was a small conservatory with tropical plants. Then it was time to walk back to the bus stop. Which meant an incline. So much for a lazy morning in the park!
The bus home was an adventure, as it was jammed full, standing room only. But we got home in one piece.
Funny thing about the bus tickets. We bought them from the driver, but when we got on the bus there was no machine to validate the tickets. So we looked closely and on the top there is small print that says "rub with coin." So we did - and that exposes some pressure-sensitive print that says “ticket,” and that’s all there is to it. We think. Nobody checked so we don't know.
Back in the room for a bit then we set out for the famous coffee shop, "Under the Blue Bottle." On the way we saw the Masoch-café, and got a picture of the masochist himself. And an unexpected surprise – two bucketfuls of water came crashing down from above, and one of them soaked us! Ugh.
Looks like there was some construction work going on as the building front was covered in scaffolding and a drape. So we couldn't see how or why we'd been soaked.
 |
| Under the Blue Bottle |
Fixage was a really cool place, one block from our hotel. I have the exterior signage in an earlier post, but the view from inside is quite "photogenic" as well. They have a motif going on, using old cameras mounted on the walls.
Table service.
Strong Turkish coffee!
Relaxing!
Really cute decorative coffee cup holders. And Turkish delight to go with it! Very nice.
Following our usual pattern this trip, it was now time for a long lunch to recover from the morning's adventures. We chose another fancy restaurant we'd looked at for dinner, Amadeus. We sat outside and had delicious garlic bread to start.
Great setup! Nice view of the square adjacent to the Latin Cathedral. We saw tour groups going in and out.
We had more Odesky Chorny, of course. It goes with just about anything.
Then a wedding party exited the church! We had a front-row seat for that.
We started with ham and cream stuffed mushrooms. So good!
For main course we shared a “Ukrainian Snack” which was huge – a plate of baked pork, suckling pig, and blood sausage with kapusta and bread dumplings. It was very filling but the slow pace helped.
Then dessert of cherry varenyky with Georgian semi-dry white wine.
All told, this was an expensive meal. A bit more than $50 for all of that.We then decided to knock the last few churches off our list. This is the Dominican Cathedral. Weird weather! Some ominous clouds, mixed with blue sky.
A wedding was just finishing up here too! Makes sense for a Saturday. The receiving line was set up outside the Cathedral. So we took a quick look inside, hopefully without disturbing any of the stragglers.
Nearby, a nice setting for a cafe. And even a hint of blue sky on this side of the street! But we were too stuffed to think about it.
North of Staryi Rynok Square, we finally got to St. Nicholas' church. This is supposedly from King Danylo's time.
It does look old. It was also quite empty inside. So we could take pictures without disturbing anyone.
The Church of St. John the Baptist was nearby. This is another old one, also from the 13th Century.
And the Bernadine Church. We'd been too busy looking for Trapezna Idey last time we were here.
On the way back to the hotel, we liked this storefront. It was animated, with the old pharmacist grinding his mortar and pestle.
After all that walking, plus the big meal, we were pretty tired. So we rolled back to the hotel and took a nap until 7:30, then headed back out to look at souvenirs. We visited the chocolate shop and got a few things, for ourselves and some friends, but nothing else spoke to us. We are terrible shoppers. We almost never buy souvenirs, even if we try.
We went to a café for wine but ended up with a cheese plate too. The wine was OK – we had Pinot Gris rose, then Carpathian blends. We were still too stuffed to think about eating anything else.
On the way home, I grabbed a local "Lvivska" beer from the convenience store, for a nightcap in the room. It cost a whole ₴22.50, less than a dollar!
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