Into Ukraine

23.4

I´ve come this way several times, but there still this special feeling when leaving a relative zone of comfort and beginning something less predictable. I´m not the least scared, but there is a difference when entering a Ukranian train that soon willl cross the border and drop me in L´viv.

L´viv

This slogan was placed in each railway car

In L´viv our tourleader Iryna (Ira) met on the platform as she has done so many times.

After leaving our luggage at the hotel we went out for a walking exploration of the historic citycenter.

Tore Söderberg said:

Känns så märkligt att komma ut på perrongen. Här finns inget av det jag sett på TV. Folk är ute, skyndar till jobbet, bussar och spårvagnar är fulla och solen lyser.

Yury was our guide and he took us around the historical centre. In the huge Greek Ortodox Church. Here the war was very present with pictures of all the fallen heroes. A priest was reciting, people were down on their knees praying, others came to light a candle.

Our hotel was opposite the operahouse and the main centre of Svoboda Prospect. Here was the statue of the national poet Taras Chevchenko, like in all towns all over the country.

Lots of people were out on the street, but I heard no foreign languagre.

Sweet cherry wine was served hot in Rynok Square. Greg from United States took two glasses and cheerd up a lot. Myself bought the biggest bottle. Seeing the memorial of the Jewish holocaust at the place where the synagoge once stood, calmed us down. There were 300 000 Jews in the city after the first worldwar. After the second only 300 were left.

The visit of the Swedish King was known to everybody and much appreciated. on TV I saw him lay down a wrieh together with President Zelinski at the military cementary. We were there a week later. Every time I come here there are new graves are added. Several of the men in the group had tears in their eyes.