The Ukrainian Weekly 1994

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THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JUNE 26,1994 No. 26 A return trip to Ukraine: a country of man by Уега Кар Special to The Ukrainian Weekly PART И As 1 have already stated, no matter how dismal a situation may appear, there is always another, brighter side to the coin. Ukraine's politics and economy could be veritable nightmares, but no one can deny that Ukraine is a beautiful country with beautiful landscapes, magnificent historical landmarks and unforgettable folk art. Traveling by car —3,500 kilometers when all was said and done — 1 only wish that my photographs could have captured the beauty and the nuances of the landscape that my eyes beheld. І took along the book "Ukraine A Tourist Guide," and it proved to be an invaluable source of information while we traveled west to east and southwest. We saw many historic landmarks that 1 wouldn't have oth– erwise seen. Available information at the sites at this point is quite minimal. We found postcards only in large cities. Our first stop was 350 kilometers south of Kyyiv, in the city of Khmelnytsky. it's a very clean and gorgeous city, its parks are wonderlands of lakes and rivers (for swim– ming and boating) and offer unique cre– ations for children's playgrounds. An evening stroll through the Park of Culture and Recreation, walking by the river's edge or following the well-groomed paths with the birds chirping and the trees swaying gently in the breeze, can reduce stress. Many couples strolling hand-in-hand made for a romantic Kodak moment. in a nearby town we participated in the traditional celebration of St. Thomas Sunday (Providna Nedilia). On that day everyone turns out at the local cemetery The Pochayiv Lavra (16th-17th centuries) in the Ternopil region. with bread and fruit. Embroidered ritual cloths (rushnyky) are placed on the graves of loved ones. Religious services, which in this case were led by the church choir mem– bers, featured a procession that went around the cemetery three times, with the faithful carrying icons and singing. Afterwards, everyone laid out tablecloths over the graves and shared their food with the person that has passed on. This tradition might have its merits, but this particular vil– lage priest forbade eating and drinking on the graves, "it's disrespectful to the dead to become drunk and boisterous," he said. So we ate at my aunt's house. Our next stop was Kamianets Podilsky, a small town on the Smotrych River. The remains of a feudal fortress (llth-16th cen– turies) is a great tourist attraction, inside the fortress is an excellent ethnographic muse– um housing costumes from Bukovyna, embroidery, art and religious artifacts. Th town in the Khmelnytsky region was und Turkish, Armenian and Polish rule, ar these influences are still visible, especial in the town's architecture. Entering the Bukovyna region, v stopped at a small town named Khotyn ( the Dnister River. There is another fortre here, this one built in the 12th-16th ce turies, sitting high on the banks of tl Dnister River overlooking the town. Tr fortress is being renovated "slowly," ai eventually will house a restaurant. Entering the city of Chernivtsi at ru hour did not leave a great impressio Crowds of people, too many cars on ti narrow, worn and dusty streets. When ru hour was over and the dust settled, we ve tured out again, and my impression of t city changed drastically, it's really a ma nificent city, dating back several centuri( it has areas of great poverty, areas of nic contemporary homes and beautiful parks. The University of Chernivtsi is an impn sive and stately institution of higher learni built in the 16th century. The architecti and the original buildings are a marvel look at. The university is very popular a difficult to gain admission to. Nowaday intelligence and the will to learn are hare criteria for entrance into any university. W you know and Si,000 speaks louder th words. Those who can't scrape up Sl,O don't get in anywhere. Several people me tioned to me their concern over their ch dren's education; they were a few hundi short and time was running out. Exams pi a role, to be sure, but the cash wins out, І afraid. There is talk that the policy of "fre education will change and the universit: will be charging tuition up front. in Chernivtsi we stayed at t Cheremosh Hotel, which appears to be fairly contemporary structure. The room were able to get as Ukrainian citizens ci us S8 per night. On an American passp the same room would have cost us S80 would say that S80 was a lot for what ч did not get. The room had two small sin) beds. The bathroom was clean and the were five squares of the local brand of toi paper. Hardly enough of a ration for c person. There appears to be a shortage said toilet paper, because no matter who visited, they had small pieces of newspaj cut up. it's so appalling that there is a sh A landscape in the Carpathian Mountains. The Olha K
No. 26 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JUNE 26,1994 contrasts upply of such a basic item. Dinner for two t the hotel was 175,216 karbovantsi, or 3.88 (U.S.). Meanwhile, the average ionthly income for a kolhosp worker is 00,000 kbv. The awakening of spring in the early ionth of May is a sight to behold in the Carpathian Mountains. One sees sloping alleys, crystal clear mountain rivers and 'ountiful green fields. The landscape is uch a lush green, it was a great pleasure to it back and watch the scenery as we slowly rove by this panoramic view. There are many developed sites of new iomes being built on the hillsides. These iomes appear huge, even by our standards, u this region, as well as others, the com– non thread is the plowed fields, and people ioeing and planting. The terrain was always lotted with people toiling in the fields or ;ardening around their homes. Strange that ye never saw any farm machinery, just a iorse and plow, every now and then. in the Chernivtsi region especially we iassed many villages that appeared to be quite wealthy. Our driver told us that in such tistances, the villagers all work together in elling, buying and trading, and this is finan– ially rewarding for all. This region was a ;ood example of what is happening in Jkraine. There are the rich, and then there are tie poor. No one seems to fall in the middle. The towns and villages differ not only rom region to region, but village to village, iach has its own style and its own charac– er. Some villages we drove through were 'ery clean, others dirty and poor. But no natter where we traveled, we were never ar from dirt and dust. if all the truth be told, the Carpathian fountains (in addition to Kharkiv) stole my ieart. The verdant colors of spring in the nountains, the highly ornamented Hutsul iomes, the beautiful, silver-domed Hutsul hurches were sites not to be missed, if І iad a choice, Fd stay summers at one of the nany resorts we passed and wile away the iours contemplating the greatness of life (or )n a bad day, the iiot-so-greatness of life) vhiie staring nt the magnificent landscape hat only God could have cieated. Driving into Kosiv on market day Saturdays only) is really taking a trip back n time, imagine the buzz of the crowded narketplace, the baa-ing of sheep as they ire herded to a green pasture, cows making Medieval fortress in Kamianets Podilskyi, one of the oldest cities in the Yolyn-Podillia region. their way down the street to graze for breakfast. People sit atop ancient wagons, loaded with foodstuffs for the family, on their way home. Everything is sold at this bazaar: tools, parts for tools and machinery, toilet paper, food, chocolates and vegetables are found in one section, in the other section one can hear people dickering over the price of raw wool, or wool blankets, others looking at embroi– dery or clothes. What interested me most was the Hutsul woodcarving and the vibrant embroideries, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience watching people doing their weekly shopping! Just a note: this is a great place for pickpockets. Be discreet and care– ful. Our driver paid for everything, and 1 car– ried no money on my person. І had learned my lesson well in Kharkiv two years ago. We drove through verkhovyna along the White Cheremosh River. Such beautiful scenery! As we passed through Yaremche, a wedding party was winding its way down the main street with a three-piece band playing in the rear. They were on their way to lay a wreath at the town monument. We passed through Kolomyia, vyzhnytsia and Yarovytsia as well. 1. mentioned that gas was never a prob– lem, that is, if one carries 40 liters of extra gas. it was sometimes ridiculous, this sale of gas. For example, we stopped at a gas station with a short line of cars. After a few minutes, our driver went to inquire. That day, that particular station was selling gas to war veterans only. At another station, the lady at the counter said she was counting her cash and had closed the books for the (Continued on page 20) nska Regional Theater of Music and Drama in Chernivtsi. A Hutsul church featuring detailed tin work.
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The Ukrainian Weekly 1994

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