A [BIG] DREAM COMES TRUE: UKRAINE (Part-8)

                                                                  ~LVIV~

(Part-2)

And it is time to talk about the second part of my Lviv trippin'. Where we stopped to talk will surprise you actually because as I mentioned before also, this restaurant in Lviv was so special; Kryjivka Restaurant

When my local friend took us to this restaurant, for sure we didn't have any idea what was going to happen because we were just expecting that we were going to a classical restaurant in Lviv nothing more :) when we arrived there, we knocked the door and one pretty old uniformed guard :) opened the watcher part and asked the password. I and my friend surprised because 2 of us had never come across with this kind of view before :) The password to get in is "Heroyam slava!"  means "Glory to Heroes". Probably you will ask why do they use this as a password. Because this was the greeting used by soldier of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) as used guerrilla war  against the Nazis, Poles and Soviet Union between 1943-49.

Once inside, they give you a "welcoming gift"-"medovukha" an alcoholic drink steeped in natural honey and herbs. I am used to receive alcohol from the staff of restaurants as last drinks at previous travels of mine in Ukraine but this place has a different tradition. I simply loved it :)

One Liter Traditional Beer :)

The atmosphere of this restaurant is cozy and pretty dark but this was also interesting for me. The menu is in English&Ukrainian and by this 2 languages menu, we didn't become a big mess for my local friend :)

Military Antiques

I tasted some of traditional Ukrainian dishes and saw the spirit especially when we visited there 2 days later again, while the traditional singers were trying to sing folk songs of Ukraine with me :) I and my friend suddenly became so popular in this restaurant when the singer lady wanted to sing folk songs especially with me because I am foreigner :)

In front of Lviv City Hall

After this pretty interesting restaurant I and my friend started to explore the city and as I don't use map so much during my walkings, we didn't use it again and we just wanted to walk as local people. If you ask me that it worked, yes it worked. :) As you  see me and my friend (my commander from military times) in front of Lviv City Hall on the right side even if the weather was cold and rainy, the corner and the city hall were looking so attractive.

The Dominican Cathedral  at night

The Dominican Cathedral at daylight

                  

Black Stone House Museum

   And UKRAINE memories have finished!!!

A [BIG] DREAM COMES TRUE: UKRAINE (Part-8)

                                                                    ~LVIV~

(Part-1)

After a long time, I again had a chance to come to Ukraine (in the middle of October 2012) and this time I started my journey from one of the most interesting cities of Ukraine: LVIV

The Journey Where Starts

Actually this was going to my 3rd times in Ukraine and the story of this journey is really interesting because that time I had a travel partner: my commander who was second lieutenant from the military time...

In the army process, I and my commander from this time were talking about abroad and how to travel abroad etc. numerously and we were thinking to go to a country for some days and this became true just after one year from all these conversations...We were going to Lviv-Ukraine :)

I still think that it is really interesting to travel with your commander from military times and it is not common for sure...

We arranged everything and the day came out for going to Lviv from Istanbul. From Istanbul to Lviv it took only 1 and half hour and when we arrived there, something funny thing appeared about my passport control. When the lady who was the officer at passport control holded my passport, she wanted to check it as usual and every each page, she was coming across with one visa from Ukraine...one page-one visa; one page-one visa and when she couldn't see the third visa, she asked me where I have 3rd visa. I suddenly surprised what she had asked me because I wasn't expecting such a question like that as many people know that visas had already been cancelled between Ukraine-Turkey...and after a minute she realized and started laughing...it was really interesting moment because all people included polices were looking at us!!! :)

After we passed from passport control, we had to wait money exchanging for at least 1 hour and finally the lady who was working like a bee!:) exchanged our money and then we left from the airport. 

This airport is newly renovated in April 2012 for EURO 2012 Events as you can imagine. 

Lviv Danylo Halytskyi International Airport

When we took the trolleybus, we came to the almost the centre of the city and started to walk to the center. 

Routes, Routes, Routes...

The center of the city (according to me because as I calculated I had a chance to reach almost everywhere to the main parts of the city from there in same time:)) is mostly known as the square of Taras Shevchenko Monument. We met with one of my friends's daughter in here and she suggested us a very great hostel where is even like your home comfort: Coffee Home Hostel If you travel to Lviv and if you would like to drink Lviv's special coffees also a place where you will stay: I strongly suggest this hostel to you: the travellers...

The Taras Shevchenko Monument & I

This evening even if we were so tired we wanted to explore the city for sure and one of my friends who is from Lviv also joined us...and she took us to a very special restaurant which is so hard to come across not only in Ukraine but also in many other countries at least I had never come across with such an interesting restaurant like that. I mean the concept for sure :)

Better to talk about this restaurant which has really different concept in the following part...


                                          ~TO BE CONTINUED~