transition - AsiaLIFE Magazine

amenities, and I spend hourssitting at the window lookingacross the cobblestone streetto the snow gathering on thebronze dome of the early 18thCentury Church of Transfiguration.Lviv is a great city for walking,although there are publictransport options. Almost everycorner you turn down presentsa vista that seems straight out ofa Tim Burton fairytale. A goodplace to start and get a lay of theland is to take a walk up to theHigh Castle, the 413-metre-highhill overlooking the city. Thename comes from the fortificationsthat were some of theearliest constructions in Lviv.The fortress was destroyedand rebuilt many times overthe centuries, and now only aportion of the stone southernwall remains. From atop the hillyou can take in the old city withits tightly packed streets andjumble of architectural stylesthat betray the many influenceson Lviv’s development.If you are a lover of architecture,and enjoy the atmosphereand sense of place a city’sbuildings can create, you willnever be bored in Lviv. Wespend hours just walking inno particular direction, takingin the streetscapes. Fires in the1500s reduced most of the city’sgothic-style buildings to rubble,but there are many fines examplesof other styles includingrenaissance, baroque, classical,Art Nouveau and Art Deco.One of the principal touristattractions is the Lychakiv cemetery,created in 1787. This maysound a bit morbid howeverthe grounds, home to more than400,000 graves, set around ahill to the southeast of the oldtown, are solemnly beautiful.Paths wind through the gravesof poets and composers, sectionsdevoted to the fallen fromvarious military campaigns,family crypts and simple gravesof ordinary people. The trees arebare and the only sound is therustle and crunch of the deadwinter leaves underfoot. We areaccompanied on our walk by agroup of crows, hopping fromheadstone to headstone, silentand watchful.In the evening we head tothe Opera and Ballet Theatrewhich is located in the centreof Pl. Slovbody, Lviv’s mainboulevard. Built in the Vienneseneo-Renaissance style and completedin 1900, the theatre hostsa rotating roster of opera andballet performances most nightsof the week. The interior is stunninglyornate and we feel liketwo VIPs as we take our seatsin a box to the right of the stage.These seats, some of the best inthe house, cost the equivalent of$16 USD each for this performanceof Rigoletto.There is no shortage of placesto eat and drink in Lviv and,during a chilly December, noshortage of motivation. Twoplaces that quickly becomefavourites are only a few yardsfrom each other, tucked awayoff Rynok Square in a lanebetween the Latin Cathedraland the 17th Century Chapel ofthe Boim Family (itself a marvelof ornately carved black stone).The restaurant Amadeus recallsthe city’s golden era as part ofthe Habsburg Empire, with astyle and menu that could belifted straight from Vienna.The roast duck is life changing.Nearby is Café One, which iswarm, relaxed, and with heartyfood and good wine is theepitome of cosiness.Walking back out on tothe cobbles it is a short strolethrough the chilly night backto our apartment. Full of goodfood and good wine, we don’tmind the cold. It is enough tofeel content and imagine weare in another century. Lookingaround at the Lviv night, it is avery easy thing to do.Photos courtesy of www.flickr.com/photos/bazylek.40 asialife HCMC asialife HCMC 41