Hello All,
I’m back from the farthest corners of Europe!
First to Portugal in the farthest West corner, then to Norway in the farthest North, and finally to Ukraine in the farthest East. I also participated in my good friend’s wedding in Poland. It was a great two months!
Portugal was delightful. The old world cobblestone streets are a joy to wander. I spent most of my time in the capital of Lisbon, and the seaside towns nearby on the coast.
The white sand beaches give California a run for its money…
Relaxing at a street side café is a favorite pastime…
And the trams can get you almost anywhere.
I got used to eating a Mediterranean diet with sparkling green wine.
A highlight was visiting the tomb of Vasco de Gama, the Portuguese explorer who discovered a route from Europe to India during the Age of Discovery.
The view from the Cristo Rei statue (inspired by Brazil’s Christ the Reedemer in Brazil) overlooking Lisbon is amazing…
Close-up…
The statue overlooks Lisbon, and Portugal’s “Golden Gate” bridge.
From Portugal to Norway, I experienced quite a difference in weather and geography. The first stop was the beautiful capital, Oslo.
Highlights were the Vigeland Sculpture Park…
…and the new Oslo Opera House.
From Oslo I took one of the world’s most beautiful train rides to experience Norway’s longest and deepest fjord, the Sognefjord.
The scenery from the train was great…
Some of the villages seemed lost in time.
Out on the fjord…
The Outdoor Museum was really interesting, including an original stave church and a traditional Norwegian village.
Don’t forget to mow the roof!
The Viking Ship Museum held the remains of several Viking ships that had been excavated from burial mounds around Norway.
The Kon-Tiki Museum showcased the original raft used to cross the Pacific by Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl in 1947.
I flew from Oslo to Poland, where we celebrated the wedding of my American friend, Tony, to his Polish wife, Dorothy.
The happy couple…
The three day event that is a Polish wedding left me happy, full, and, uh… tipsy.
Did I really eat that?
Down south to Krakow, I paid respects to the late Polish president entombed in Wawel Castle, and re-visited one of my favorite cities in all of Europe. (I spent almost a year here in 2004…)
The market square in Krakow.
Finally, I made my way over to Ukraine, the largest country in Europe, and one of the least visited. Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union until its independence in 1991, and today is thriving in many ways.
My first stop was the Lviv, known as the center of Ukrainian art and culture. With its remarkably preserved Gothic and Renaissance architecture, gently bending streets and hidden ancient niches, Lviv is a Ukrainian city with a European soul.
I was able to rent this two bedroom flat in the city center for $45 a night, high-speed internet and utilities included.
After seeing the sights in Lviv, I flew into Ukraine’s capital and largest city, Kiev. I loved Kiev. Kiev is one of the oldest cities of Eastern Europe and has played a pivotal role in the development of the medieval East Slavic civilization as well as in the modern Ukrainian nation. Kiev was an important Soviet city and was the third largest city of the Soviet Union. Kiev is a modern city, but with many beautiful and interesting reminders of its long history.
One of my favorite churches.
I was able to continue my study of the Russian language and reading Cyrillic. Ukraine is bilingual, and everyone speaks both Ukrainian and Russian. Ukrainian is spoken more primarily in the West, and Russian is spoken primarily in the East. Below is a statue of the Saints Cyril and Methodius that brought this alphabet to the Slavic people.
A Cyrillic sign that reads and sounds exactly as you think it does, Baskin Robbins.
The World Cup was going on during my stay in Ukraine. I was able to watch all the USA games live, being in the same time zone as South Africa!
My last stop was the seaside city of Odessa, “The Pearl of the Black Sea”. Throughout its history Odessa has lured travellers, artists, poets, entrepreneurs and radical dissidents. The city was founded in 1794 by Catherine the Great, who realized that a port on the Black Sea was essential for the expansion of the Russian Empire. The city boomed, and by the beginning of the 20th century, Odessa had become the third most important city in the Russian Empire behind St. Petersburg and Moscow. Although Odessa has been a sun, surf and relaxation destination for as long as anyone can remember, the city has really caught the buzz as of late. New restaurants, bars, clubs, hotels and resorts keep popping up to meet the demand of enthused tourists and adventurers drawn by this fascinating cultural center nestled right up next to the beach.
The Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater is one of the most beautiful in Europe.
I got to catch one of the last operas of the season!
The beaches in Odessa are quite crowded in the summer, but the water is refreshing, and you can find some out-of-the-way beaches up the coast.
Away from the crowds…
The show put on by the former Soviet Union’s largest Dolphinarium was excellent!
Ukrainian food is pretty yummy. Shared with a beautiful local makes for a perfect meal!
Healthy portions of borsch (soup made out of beets, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, and dill)…
…Deruny (potato pancakes, usually served with rich servings of sour cream…
…and Varenyky (small pastries made with fillings of potatoes, fried onions, ground meat, fruit, or almost anything).
But Ukraine has caught the sushi craze as well, and you can get a meal like this for almost the same price as McDonald’s in the USA.
Since Odessa is a resort town, there’s a lot to see and do in the evening. A last night out in Odessa…
Finally, I want to give a special thanks to Couchsurfing.org for helping make this trip what it was. Along the way I was able to meet many wonderful people I connected with through this site. If you haven’t checked it out, please do so, create a profile, and add me as a friend! It’s a social network where people of all ages actually meet up in real life, share and learn about different area of the world, and sometimes provide a place to stay. Here’s my profile.
What’s next? Because of changes with my work situation, this may be my last trip for a while… If not, then I am planning to visit Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, or maybe Cuba, this winter.
Peace and Love,
Christian!
