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Action Ukraine Report

"THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT - AUR"
An International Newsletter
In-Depth Ukrainian News, Analysis, and Commentary

"The Art of Ukrainian History, Culture, Arts, Business, Religion,
Sports, Government, and Politics, in Ukraine and Around the World"

UKRAINE ---- IT WOULD BE A CRIMEA NOT TO GO!
A visit to Ukraine may be just what you're looking for
A memorable trip to this newly emerging "it spot" European destination
[article one]

"THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT - AUR" - Number 499
E. Morgan Williams, Publisher and Editor
morganw@patriot.net, ArtUkraine.com@starpower.net
Washington, D.C. and Kyiv, Ukraine, TUESDAY, June 7, 2005

------INDEX OF ARTICLES------
"Major International News Headlines and Articles"

1. UKRAINE -- IT WOULD BE A CRIMEA NOT TO GO!
A visit to Ukraine may be just what you're looking for.
Enjoy a memorable trip to this newly emerging "it spot" European destination
By Charis Atlas Heelan, Frommer's
The Best Trip Starts Here
Hoboken, New Jersey, Tues, May 31, 2005

2. UKRAINE: IN HONOR OF ST. MICHAEL, THE PATRON OF KYIV
By Stanislav Tsalyk, Kyiv Weekly, Issue #20 (160)
Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 27-June 3, 2005

3. KIEV UKRAINE CITY GUIDE
All About the City Made World Famous by the Orange Revolution.
From: "I. Nicholas Labenskyj" uaoffice@i.com.ua
To: info@artukraine.com
Sent: Friday, May 27, 2005 12:22 PM
Subject: Kiev Ukraine City Guide

4. UKRAINE: KAMYANETS-PODILSKIY CENTER OF TOURISM
Restoration of Kamyanets becoming...solid as a rock!
By Vasyl Khudytskiy, Kyiv Weekly, Issue #5 (148)
Business and Socio-Political Weekly
Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb 11-18, 2005

5. UKRAINE: HUTSUL FESTIVAL TOUR 2005
Ivano Frankivsk + Lviv + Rakhiv + Kyiv, Sept. 1-11
Hutsul Festival Tour 2005: Ivano Frankivsk, Lviv, Rakhiv, Kyiv
Scope Travel; www.scopetravel.com
Maplewood, New Jersey, Wed, June 1, 2005

6. UNDERGROUND MYSTERIES
Cossack catacombs are being explored in Vinnytsia oblast
By Myroslava Sokolova, The Day
The Day Weekly Digest in English., #18,
Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, 31 May 2005

7. ADVENTURE IN UKRAINIAN CARPATHIANS
The most exotic and welcoming European destination
From: "AdventureCarpathians" contact@adventurecarpathians.com
To: info@artukraine.com
Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2005 6:02 AM
Subject: Adventure in Ukrainian Carpathians

8. IN THE LAND OF POLTAVSHCHYNA IN CENTRAL UKRAINE
Rivers of milk and creeks of honey, with banks of sweet jelly
By Romko Malko, Welcome to Ukraine magazine
Kyiv, Ukraine, Spring, 2005, Issue One (35)

9. RETURN TO THE SOURCE:
10th Annual Folk Art and Culture Tour of Ukraine
August 8-23, 2005, With Folk Art Specialist Orysia Tracz
Folk Art and Culture Tour of Ukraine, Orysia Tracz
Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada, June, 2005

10. TWENTY-FIRST-CENTURY TRAVELLERS GO AROUND THE BLACK
SEA VISITING PLACES THEIR COSSACK ANCESTORS USED
TO GO IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
By Volodymyr Suprunenko, Welcome to Ukraine magazine
Kyiv, Ukraine, Spring, Issue One, 2005 (32)

11. UKRAINE: SKI SLAVSKE - NOT READY FOR FOREIGNERS
Potential skiing Mecca for European tourists
By Yuliya Kolomiyets, Kyiv Weekly, Issue #10, (150)
Business and Socio-Political Weekly
Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Mar 18-25, 2005

12. VISITING A CITY CALLED 'HELL'
CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR DISASTER TOWN PRIPYAT IS NOW A TOUR SITE
Chuck Wightman, Special to the Star
Toronto Star, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Sat, Jun. 4, 2005.

13. MAY DAYS IN CRIMEA!
Vacationers can look forward to previously unaffordable temptations
By Volodymyr Pimonenko, Kyiv Weekly, #15 (155)
Business and Socio-Political Weekly
Kyiv,Ukraine, Sunday, Friday, April 22-29, 2005
===============================================================
1. UKRAINE -- IT WOULD BE A CRIMEA NOT TO GO!
A visit to Ukraine may be just what you're looking for.
Enjoy a memorable trip to this newly emerging "it spot" European destination

By Charis Atlas Heelan, Frommer's
The Best Trip Starts Here
Hoboken, New Jersey, Tues, May 31, 2005

Bazhanyy, pryyemnyy, vitaty-laskavo prosymo -- these are just a few of the
ways that the people of Ukraine say Welcome!

Now that the elections and the ensuing controversies are over, a visit to
Ukraine may be just what you're looking for. You won't need too many
Hryvnias (the official currency of Ukraine) to enjoy a memorable trip to
this newly emerging "it spot" European destination.

Ukraine is actually Europe's second largest country, so don't expect to see
it all in one short trip. The relative newness of the Ukrainian tourism
industry to westerners means that many tours are provided by locally-based
operators, rather than some of the larger international tour companies.

Some US and Canadian-based companies will only run tours if a large enough
group is put together. Unfortunately, Ukraine also seems to be picking up
where Russian bride tours left off so beware of tour companies promising to
introduce you to Ukrainian beauties.

Although it is a politically young country, the architectural and historical
legacies of Ukraine's position in the former Soviet Union and Poland are
prolific. Highlights of this beautiful nation include its capital,
cosmopolitan Kiev (yes, that famous garlic-filled chicken cutlet does have a
home), the resort area of Yalta -- where czars once took their summer
vacations in ornate palaces and castles (and where Stalin, Churchill and
Roosevelt carved up Europe after World War II), the Crimean coastline
(Sevastopol, and Balaclava) -- the Ukrainian version of the French Riviera,
the Carpathian Mountains -- a mini Swiss Alps, Odessa -- the Black Sea's
major port city and Lvov -- a city of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque,
Italianate and Neoclassical architectural masterpieces.

SCOPE TRAVEL (tel. 800/242-7267; www.scopetravel.com) is the largest
US-based Ukraine travel specialist. They have a wide variety of escorted
tours departing throughout the year. Their "Best of Ukraine Tour" is a
15-day all-inclusive first class tour that includes round-trip airfare via
Aerosvit Ukrainian Airlines from New York, two nights in Odessa,
three-nights in Kiev, five-nights in Lvov and four-nights in Yalta, visits
to Bakhchysaray, Chersonesus and Sevastopol, most meals, transportation
and a bilingual guide. The price for the July 21, 2005 departure starts at
$2,950.

The September 23 to Oct 2, 2005 "Ukraine Budget Tour" is a 10-day package
that includes round-trip airfare on Czech Airlines from Newark, five-nights
in Lvov, three-nights Kiev, daily breakfasts, farewell dinner, sightseeing
per itinerary, a bilingual guide and all entrance fees for $1,490 plus
taxes. Scope also runs several multi-country tours featuring combinations of
Ukraine with Finland, Poland, Russia and Hungary.

EASTERN EUROPEAN EXCURSIONS [EEE] (tel. 215/343-6616;
www.eeevacation.com) runs three different tours in Ukraine during the summer
and winter seasons. Its signature "Best of Ukraine" ten-day land tour runs
regularly from June to September. Priced from $1,399 per person based on
dual occupancy it features visits to Kiev, Yalta and Bakhchisarai.

Highlights include tours of cathedrals, castles, monasteries, palaces,
museums and boat rides along the Crimean coastline. Tours include nine-
nights hotel accommodation, three meals per day, all transfers, tour guide
services, museums, and cultural entertainment.

Their 10-day "Best of Crimea" tour visits Yalta, Sevastopol and Bakhchisarai
from June to September starting from $1,259. From December to February,
EEE operates a "Sightseeing and Skiing Western Ukraine" tour. This
nine-night all-inclusive trip to Kiev, Lvov and Carpathian ski-resorts
starts from $999 per person. Airfare to the Ukraine is additional.

AFFORDABLE TOURS (tel. 800/935-2620;
www.affordabletours.com/search/it/?t=BUBS#p) offers 12% off any listed land
price if you purchase a land and air package or 10% off any land price on
its Brendan first class "Ukraine and the Black Sea Cruise". The cruise
aboard the MS Marshal Koshevoi is from Kiev to Odessa or reverse. The
cruise includes visits to Odessa, Sevastopol, Yalta, Kherson, Zaporozhye,
Kremencug, Kanev and Kiev.

The package features transatlantic flights, airport transfers in Odessa and
Kiev, 11-nights cruise accommodation in an outside cabin on the lower deck,
all meals while cruising, sightseeing per itinerary and all local taxes.
Airfare taxes plus port charges of $92 are not included. Land only price
starts at $1,398 from June 12 to September 8, 2005 departures. At press
time, air and land combinations range from $2,175 in September to $2,513
on June 12 or August 28. There are regular departures from June to
September inclusive.

NEW LOGIC TOURS - One locally based company that appealed to me was
New Logic Tours (tel. +380/44-20633 22; ww.newlogic.com.ua). They offer
themed tours that may be attractive to visitors after a more cultural
experience whilst in Ukraine. Their eight-day/seven-night "Art Tour"
features four-days each in both Kiev and Lvov. Not only does it include
visits to museums,galleries, cathedrals and craft shops, but it also offers
hands-on art classes with Ukrainian artisans and craftsmen (ceramics and
embroidery) so you come away with new skills.

Unfortunately, New Logic requires 10 participants in order to run these
tours so gather up your closest friends (and even your enemies if it will
make up the numbers) and take the plunge. The $770 per person price (for
a minimum of ten people) includes all accommodation, meals, train tickets
between Kiev and Lvov, transport services, an English-speaking guide,
excursions and entrance to museums. Equally tasty is their
seven-day/six-night "Cookery Tour". In between visiting historic and
culturally significant sites in Kiev and Lvov, learn how to prepare
authentic Ukrainian culinary delights like vareniki and borshch.

The $670 price (again with a minimum of ten persons) includes accommo-
dation, transportation, meals, excursions, an English-speaking guide and
entrance fees. With both these tours, the price per person comes down
significantly as the tour groups get larger, with a maximum of 30
participants. I have chosen not to include information here on their hunting
wild game tours, but if this interests you, see New Logic's website for
details.

SAM TRAVEL UKRAINE (tel. +380/44-2386959;
www.ukrcam.com/tour/tour_0.html), another locally based tour company can
provide a private eight-day/seven-night "Kiev-Lvov-Odessa Tour" for two
people from $995 per person or the price goes down to $515 per person if
15 people participate. It includes accommodation in three-star hotels with
daily breakfast, transportation, excursions, entrance fees, a professional
guide, medical aid insurance and visa support.

The six-day/five-night "Crimean Tour" includes visits to Kiev, Simferopol,
Yalta and Sevastopol and includes accommodation in three-star hotels, daily
breakfast, transportation, first-class train tickets Kiev-Lvov-Kiev,
excursions, entrance fees a professional guide, medical aid insurance and
visa support. Prices for four people start from $794 per person or $985 if
there are only two people.

UNIPRESS TRAVEL UKRAINE (tel. +380/482-210516;
www.travel-2-ukraine.com/tours/default.htm) offers two Ukraine tours. Their
"Best of Ukraine Tour" is ten-days/nine-nights covering Kiev, Lvov, Odessa,
and the Crimea. This tour, staying in economy accommodation, is priced at
$286 per person. In standard accommodation the price goes up steeply to
$815 and $1,524 in superior accommodation.

See the best of Western Ukraine during the winter on the "Winter Fairytale
Tour". The seven-day tour includes visits to Lvov and Transcarpathia
(Uzhgorod). The tour includes six-nights accommodation, three days in Lvov
-- the architectural jewel of Ukraine, a train ride to Uzhgorod in
Transcarpathia, visits to medieval castles and museums. Standard accommo-
dation starts from $345 and in superior accommodation, the tour price is
$602.

You may wish to consider visiting one of the dozens of thermal spas (or as
the locals refer to them -- sanatoriums) whilst in Ukraine. The healing
powers of these spas have been famous for centuries and you will be enjoying
the warm waters in some of the most picturesque locations in the country.

Trouskavets is a well-known spa area located in the foothills of the
Carpathian Mountains, some 60 miles from the city of Lvov. The spa area is
known for its mineral waters that have a curing effect on gastric, metabolic
and urological diseases, gall bladders and diabetes. There are several
locations in this area -- the most popular treatments are at Naftusya,
Mariya, Yuzia, Sophia and Bronyslava.

The waters at Resort Morshyn, located in Prikarpattya, are believed to make
radical improvements to a person's general immune system, partly due to the
diuretic and laxative nature of the mineral water. The resort, which is over
125 years old is situated about 55 miles from Lvov and is accessible from
the Strui Lvov railway station.

In the Transcarpathia region, there are over 300 mineral water springs
located among the forests, vineyards and mountains of this historic area.
Spa towns like Yesentuki, Borzhomi and Arzni offer resort treatment centers,
but unfortunately there are no websites to assist you in planning (unless
you speak Ukrainian). Don't expect US-style luxury but do expect serious
health-restoring properties and an authentic Eastern European spa
experience.

AEROSVIT UKRAINIAN AIRLINES (tel. 212/661-1620; www.aerosvit.ca) is
the only airline that flies direct from New York to Kiev. Flights depart
four-times weekly, with one additional Thursday departure from now until
September 23. Depart midweek between June 16 and 26, 2005 and a ticket
valid for 30-days is $883 plus taxes to Kiev, Odessa or Lvov. The usual high
season price starts from $983.

A weekend surcharge of $25 will be applied for a Friday to Sunday
departures. During the low season -- from January 1 to March 31 and from
November 1 to December 12, the price for a round-trip flight from New York
goes down to $583, before taxes, for a ticket valid for three-months travel.

Add $2 from Boston, $22 from Detroit, $32 from Washington DC and $83
from San Francisco or Los Angeles. Book your Aerosvit flights online
directly through their Canadian-hosted English language website or through
Scope Travel (tel. 800/242-7267; www.scopetravel.com).

1800 FLY EUROPE (tel. 800/359-3876; www.1800flyeurope.com) has
discounted one-stop round-trip flights from New York to Zhulyany Airport in
Kiev from October 27 to December 15 and from December 24, 2005 to April
2, 2006 from a low $477, before taxes, with no advance purchase required.

TRAVELOCITY (www.travelocity.com) has summer flights via Warsaw on Lot
Polish Airlines starting at $690 round-trip from New York until September 1,
2005.

US citizens must apply for a Ukrainian visa at one of its consulates in
Chicago, New York or San Francisco. Information about visas is available at
www.ukremb.com/consular/visas.html#fees. Nine-day standard processing for
a double-entry visa is $10, or $20 for three-day express processing. A multi
entry visa is $65 and $130 respectively. You can also arrange your visa
through a tour company, but in general this increases the cost
significantly.

For more information about travel in Ukraine visit
www.pages.prodigy.net/l.hodges/ukraine.htm#Travel -- a site that lists
travel agencies and services specializing in Ukraine. Unfortunately the main
Ukraine government tourism website is in Ukrainian and Russian only. For
specific information on any of Ukraine's many historic castles, visit
www.castles.org/castles/Europe/Eastern_Europe/Ukraine. -30-
[The Action Ukraine Report (AUR) Travel Ukraine Edition]
===============================================================
2. UKRAINE: IN HONOR OF ST. MICHAEL, THE PATRON OF KYIV

St. Michael has been considered the patron of the Ukrainian capital from
ancient times. KW thought it appropriate to tell about places in Kyiv named
in honor of the city’s holy protector just prior to Kyiv Day, which is
traditionally celebrated on the last weekend of May

By Stanislav Tsalyk, Kyiv Weekly, Issue #20 (160)
Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 27-June 3, 2005

St. Michael's side altar in the St. Sophia Cathedral was the first place
named after the protector of Kyiv. This altar was opened in 1037 and has
preserved the majority of ancient mural paintings dedicated to angels. At
that time the name of Michael was given to the members of the princely
family of Kievan Rus - the grandsons of Yaroslav the Wise, Rostyslav
Volodymyrovych (born in 1038) and Svyatopolk Izyaslavych (born in
1050) - when they were baptized.

The first Kyiv monastery devoted to St. Michael was the Vydubytsko-
Mykhailivskiy cloister, which was founded by Prince Vsevolod
Yaroslavych in the 11th century. Chronologically, the first and main
building in the Vydubychi District of ancient Kiev was the Mykhailivskiy
(St. Michael's) Cathedral, which was completed in 1088.

A significant event in Ukrainian architecture and construction is bound to
the Mykhailivskiy Cathedral. Specifically, it deals with the construction of
a major hydraulic support system intended to protect the cathedral from
being washed out by the waters of the Dnipro River. A chronicle dates this
construction to 1199. The cathedral received its modern form after the
architect Mykhaylo Yurasov completed its western wing in the years
1766-1769.

Another temple devoted to the Kyiv patron was built in the 12th century.
This is the Mykhailivskiy Zolotoverkhiy Cathedral (St. Michael's Golden-
domed Cathedral) founded by the grandson of Yaroslav the Wise, Prince
Svyatopolk Izyaslavych. The Tale of Bygone Years dates the beginning of
the cathedral's construction to 1108 and its completion in 1113. The
Zolotoverkhiy Cathedral was one of three churches on the territory of the
Svyato-Dmytriyivskiy Monastery. Over the course of time, the cloister took
on the name of its main temple and became the Mykhailivskiy Zolotoverkhiy
Monastery.

The cloister's adoption of the name of St. Michael led to several changes in
the names of streets in Kyiv. To be more specific, the square in front of
the entrance to the monastery was named Mykhailivska Ploshcha (Square).
The square was built in the first half of the 19th century during a major
reconstruction of Kyiv.

The Soviet authorities renamed Mykhailivska Square to Government Square,
which according to ambitious city reconstruction plans after the October
Revolution in 1917, was to become the main square in Ukraine. This is
precisely why the Mykhailivskiy Cathedral was demolished, together with the
nearby Tryokhsvyatitelska Church.

Today a semi-circular building, which is home to the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Ukraine, stands in its place. Despite the name changes,
Mykhailivska Square did not become the main square in the city. In 1992,
the square was given back its historical name and in 2000 the Mykhailivskiy
Zolotoverkhiy Cathedral underwent reconstruction.

Soon after, Mykhailivska Street also appeared on the map of Kyiv. It
connected the Pechersk Gates, which were located on the present-day
Maidan Nezalezhnosti, with the Mykhailivskiy Monastery. In 1922, this street
was renamed Vul. Paryzhkoyi Komuny (Parisian Commune Street). When
Ukraine became independent, the street regained its historical name.

Mykhailivskiy Lane goes parallel to Mykhailivska Street. Earlier, the lane
stretched right to Prorizna Street, but in 1962 it was shortened and today
ends at Taras Shevchenko Lane.

Another object, connected with and named after the Kyiv patron St. Michael,
was unveiled in 1905. This is the funicular or cable railway, which was, at
the time, named the Mykhailivskiy mechanical lift. It transported people
from Podil to the top of Mykhailivska Hill. A city guide in those years
offered the following enthusiastic information: "The Mykhailivskiy lift is a
miracle of modern technology. The upper station seems to be hovering in
the air... From it a wide strip measuring 100 sazhen [213 meters] goes
down - it is a railway which descends to a lower station on an angle."

There is another holy place named after the archangel. It is the St. Michael
Temple, which was built in the beginning of the 20th century on the slope of
Shovkovychna Hill. It was located on the territory of the Oleksandrivska
Hospital, which was renamed the Zhovtneva Hospital in Soviet times and
today is called the Central Clinical Hospital.

In 1931, the Soviet authorities decided that the temple was useless and
razed it to the ground. Only the foundation and its underground rooms were
preserved.

In 2001, the temple was reconstructed on its original foundation. During the
construction, the passage to an underground burial vault was opened. It was
here that the headstone of the temple's founder, Mykhailo Dehteryov, a
famous Kyiv patron of the arts, was found and restored.

On April 18, 1995, the Kyiv City Council renewed the traditional symbol of
the capital - the image of St. Michael - in the city's coat of arms.

Shortly after, a small sculpture of the "rehabilitated" archangel appeared
on Maidan Nezalezhnosti, in front of the entrance to the Central Post
Office. During the last reconstruction of the main square of the capital the
statue of the city's patron was replaced with a new one. Now, St. Michael
has found his place atop the Pechersk Gates, located at the bottom of
Mykhailivska Street. -30- [The Action Ukraine Report Travel Ukraine]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LINK: http://www.kyivweekly.com/english/article/?685
===============================================================
3. KIEV UKRAINE CITY GUIDE
All About the City Made World Famous by the Orange Revolution.

----- Original Message -----
From: "I. Nicholas Labenskyj" <uaoffice@i.com.ua>
To: <info@artukraine.com>
Sent: Friday, May 27, 2005 12:22 PM
Subject: Kiev Ukraine City Guide

Description: Kiev Ukraine City Guide - All About the City Made World
Famous by the Orange Revolution. Click On URL: http://kievukraine.info/
===============================================================
4. UKRAINE: KAMYANETS-PODILSKIY CENTER OF TOURISM
Restoration of Kamyanets becoming...solid as a rock!

By Vasyl Khudytskiy, Kyiv Weekly, Issue #5 (148)
Business and Socio-Political Weekly
Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb 11-18, 2005

The local authorities of Kamyanets-Podilskiy are undertaking the ambitious
plan of transforming the town into a center of tourism. This plan would play
the lead role in the city's reconstruction

After first experiencing problems with the collection of local budget
revenues in the late 1990s, the Kamyanets-Podilskiy city authorities showed
grave concern about the financial future of the city. They could not count
on previous revenues from enterprises of the military-industrial complex due
to their constant state of crisis. But a solution to this problem was found
very quickly.

The city's rich history and a large number of architectural monuments
predestined further ways for the city's development and the formation of its
budget. The city administration decided to place a stake on tourism. The
idea found its reflection in a program of development for the city's
historical section, which stretches 120 hectares and in which the majority
of architectural monuments are located. This initiative was supported in the
Ukrainian capital.

Specifically, the president of Ukraine issued a decree granting the town the
status of a national reserve park, while the government adopted a program
for its development and allocated Hr 2.5 mn for the renovation of
architectural monuments. But this money was only sufficient for the
restoration of 28 monuments, among them the Old Fortress, several defensive
fortifications and others. Meanwhile, the restoration of other historical
monuments is financed from provincial and city budgets.

Recently, the restoration works on the picture gallery, which once housed a
theological seminary, and an architectural monument of the 18th century -
the Armenian Trade House - where the city's archeological museum is
presently located, has been completed. Meanwhile, on the second floor of the
newly opened renovated City Hall the museum of money peacefully coexists
with the museum of antique furniture with its Hall of Festive Ceremonies for
newlyweds wishing to register their marriage in this historic place.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE -----
Although the city is famous for its numerous historic and architectural
monuments, there is no visible influx of tourists due to the miserable
condition of these sights. In Soviet times, around 1 million tourists
visited Kamyanets-Podilskiy, the former capital of the Podillya region,
while last year this figure hardly reached 160,000. Most often guests to
the city visit the Old Fortress, the St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral, the
Mykolayivska Church, City Hall, the art gallery and two or three other
objects.

As the city's mayor Oleksandr Mazurchak stressed in conversation with our
KW reporter, "In order to get tourists to spend more money in the city, an
entire industry that will offer a whole set of services must be created."
Although the only services rendered today are taking visitors on tours of
just a few sites, the city's authorities see the future with great optimism
given that the situation is gradually changing.

Indeed, the local city government renders all possible assistance to private
entrepreneurs eager to work in the tourism industry. During the past five
years, more than 100 private restaurants and cafes have opened up in the
city. In the Old City, there are 7 such establishments currently operating.

The same number of cafes and restaurants will open their doors for guests in
the nearest future. Meanwhile, active work is being done on the construction
of private hotels, since the lodging capacities of the old hotels Ukraina
and Smotrich are not sufficient to accommodate the plans for transforming
Kamyanets-Podilskiy into Ukraine's national tourism Mecca. In fact, several
months ago two new private hotels with 14 and 7 rooms were opened.
Several other private hotels are presently under construction.

RENOVATION OF HISTORIC SITES -----
Perhaps the most interesting decision of the local authorities regarding
implementation of the program of development in the historic part of the
city is the attraction of private investors to restoring the original looks
of the ancient streets and the renovation of residential homes that were
architectural monuments destroyed during World War II. Only the foundations
of certain buildings remain and some were not preserved at all.

The idea of building up such empty land plots is not new, though it has been
considered rather "utopian" for some time, particularly since the
restoration of historic buildings is way more expensive than building from
scratch. But thanks to the efforts of a local researcher of the city's
history, Olha Plamennytska, who was defending the concept of restoration
of the historic appearance of the Old City in all possible cases and at
different levels, this idea was finally put into practical implementation.

According to the rules developed by the experts of the city's state
administration, an investor must finance the cost of research works, the
cleaning of basements and remains of foundations of old buildings and the
full restoration of the building to its original appearance. Once all such
conditions are met, the restored building becomes the property of the
investor.

More than 30 historic buildings are presently under renovation in the Old
City with the help of private capital. This year the management of the city
administration intends to hand over to private hands around 20 other
foundations. The short term plans of the city's management foresee the
restoration of more than 10% of historically valuable buildings from among
the so-called "lost structures".

In the meantime, it is critically important not to impair the uniqueness of
the ancient city that appeared in previous centuries. Meanwhile, some
deputies of the city council are blaming investors for the fact that the
restored buildings have deviations from their historic appearance. In order
to avoid this, the city's top officials decided that all works must be done
under the strict control of qualified historians, who are experts of
the national reserve. -30- [Action Ukraine Report Travel Edition]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LINK: http://www.kyivweekly/english/article/?273
===============================================================
5. UKRAINE: HUTSUL FESTIVAL TOUR 2005
Ivano Frankivsk + Lviv + Rakhiv + Kyiv, Sept. 1-11

Hutsul Festival Tour 2005: Ivano Frankivsk, Lviv, Rakhiv, Kyiv
Scope Travel; www.scopetravel.com
Maplewood, New Jersey, Wed, June 1, 2005

MAPLEWOOD - Join us at the greatest folk festival in Rakhiv, the heart
of the Hutsul world in Ukraine!

Enjoy over 30 ensembles performing at the biggest song and dance
competition of the Carpathian Mountains.

Travel to: Ivano Frankivsk + Lviv + Rakhiv + Kyiv, Sept. 1-11, 2005 via
Aerosvit from New York/JFK. Limited hotel accommodations!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scope Travel: scope@mycomcast.com, www.scopetravel.com
Maplewood, NJ, 800-242-7267, 973-378-8998
===============================================================
6. UNDERGROUND MYSTERIES
Cossack catacombs are being explored in Vinnytsia oblast

By Myroslava Sokolova, The Day
The Day Weekly Digest in English., #18,
Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, 31 May 2005

Experts say that horse bones, pieces of harness, swords, pistols, smoking
pipes, and other articles that were used by the Ukrainian Cossacks, indicate
that the five recently discovered human skulls belong to them, not the Poles
or Tatars whom the Cossacks fought in what is now Orativ and Illintsi raions
of Vinnytsia oblast.

Mysterious underground caves that are being discovered in local villages
contain not only human remains but also documents dating from that period,
religious articles, and probably the personal effects of celebrated Cossack
leaders, maybe even Ivan Mazepa. Volodymyr Lebedovych, Otaman of the
Vinnytsia-Kalnyk Regiment, says that one of the artifacts is Mazepa’s cup
bearing his seal. It is being stored by the Vinnytsia Cossacks, together
with letters addressed to the hetman.

The underground caves are man-made. When these territories were seized by
invaders, the Cossacks would hide in the caves from which they would launch
surprise attacks on the enemy and then again disappear underground.
Volodymyr Lebedovych, who is 192 cm tall, says he can walk in these caves
without bending his head.

The catacombs range between 200 and 400 meters in length. An expedition was
able to cover only 160 m and had to turn back for lack of oxygen. The deaths
of the Cossacks in that cave can be explained by bad air, the enemy blocking
the exit, or a cave-in. This spring the site will be examined more
professionally, by specialists from the Institute of Ukrainian Cossacks in
Kyiv.

The catacomb, according to Volodymyr Lebedovych, can be entered through a
courtyard in the village of Zhyvotivka in the Orativ area. During WWII
artillery shells exploded there and opened a large crater that local
residents promptly bricked up. The current Cossack otaman learned about it
only last year. After examining the site, the Cossacks walled up the
entrance again. The family living there wanted only stones and cement to do
the job.

A few years ago, Cossacks in Dashiv, Illintsi raion, gave some money for
potatoes to a man who had a similar underground cave in his kitchen garden.
After part of the cave was explored, it was buried and an orchard planted
over it. Volodymyr Lebedovych says there have been cases of tractors and
village homes falling into such caves.

Borys Lobai, deputy head of the department for the protection of monuments
of the Vinnytsia oblast administration, is skeptical about the whole thing.
He thinks most of this is hearsay and that the Cossack catacombs are nothing
but tales; most likely these are old Jewish cellars, he says. As for the
items that were allegedly found in them, concealing them is punishable under
the law, like unauthorized excavations. In his opinion, this is precisely
what the local Cossacks are doing. None of them has ever applied to the
department for a digging permit.

Volodymyr Lebedovych explains their autonomous actions by the international
status of the Institute of Ukrainian Cossacks, as well as by fears that the
local authorities may appropriate such historical treasures. The Cossacks
are collecting them for their own museum, which they plan to open in the
village of Honoratka, Orativ raion. Their studies point to this place as the
roots of Pylyp Orlyk’s family tree.

The museum will be located in a church for the construction of which funds
are being raised. Volodymyr Lebedovych expects donations even from the
Klychko brothers. According to tradition, the Cossacks will express their
gratitude to the philanthropists by bestowing awards, so they are asking
people of means to open their wallets.

The construction project costs over UAH 100,000. The design plans call for a
stone church in the shape of a life-sized Cossack boat complete with oars
and sail. Borys Lobai, meanwhile, points out that this construction hasn’t
been coordinated with his department. -30-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LINK: http://www.day.kiev.ua/137968
===============================================================
7. ADVENTURE IN UKRAINIAN CARPATHIANS
The most exotic and welcoming European destination

From: "AdventureCarpathians" contact@adventurecarpathians.com
To: info@artukraine.com
Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2005 6:02 AM
Subject: Adventure in Ukrainian Carpathians

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8. IN THE LAND OF POLTAVSHCHYNA IN CENTRAL UKRAINE
Rivers of milk and creeks of honey, with banks of sweet jelly

By Romko Malko, Welcome to Ukraine magazine
Kyiv, Ukraine, Spring, 2005, Issue One (35)

In the Land of Poltavshchyna in Central Ukraine you still find rivers of
milk and creeks of honey, with banks of sweet jelly; witches can still be
spotted flying around at night on their brooms, picking stars from the
firmament, and little devils regularly steal the moon and hide it, agreeing
to release it only if threatened with violence by the mighty blacksmith.

Also, in Poltavshchyna, they make little, very cheerful horses and rams of
clay and then put the spirit into them, and these horses and rams come to
life and start frolicking around, galloping in the meadows overgrown with
tall, fragrant grasses, singing songs which you have never heard before. It
feels so good and nice and peaceful to be there, in the Land of
Poltavshchyna, but it will open up for you and reveal its fairy-tail magic
only if you come with a pure heart.

Romko Malko takes the readers on a guided tour of the Land of Poltavshchyna

POLTAVA DAINTIES -----

The distance between Kyiv and Poltava is a little over three hundred
kilometres, or about two hundred miles. If you go by car, you can make it to
Poltava in several hours — if you travel non-stop, that is. If you stop here
and there on the way to have a good look around or have a good meal at a
cosy little restaurant or tavern, then your journey will last much longer.
In fact, you run a risk of never making it to Poltava, because once you’ve
tried some of those delicacies they offer, you will want to have more, and
then still more, and…

Anyway, I spent hours on end, stuffing my face with all those halushky,
varenyky with sour cherries, cottage cheese, cabbage, raisins, poppy seeds
and God knows what else, pancakes, borsch, yushka, uzvar, kysel, stuffed
pike, baked catfish, carp in sour cream sauce, and mead, and beer, and
horilka, and nalyvka, to name just a few dishes and drinks (halushky,
horilka, nalyvka — see articles about them in this issue; yushka — a sort of
soup; uzvar — a drink made of dried fruit; kysel — sweet liquid jelly —
tr.).

A moment comes when you think you absolutely cannot have one little morsel
or sip more, but then they bring you something else and you realize you
cannot reject it. There’s no end to it, really. There’s one little
restaurant that I discovered several kilometres away from the town of
Pyryatyn; I think it’s called U sester (At the Sisters’). Later, I was told
that it’s known among the gourmet community as being the best of its kind.
Dishes of Ukrainian cuisine served there are much superior to any that you
may get at the most expensive restaurant in the Ukrainian capital, or, for
that matter, in any other city of the world.

Well, some people may say I exaggerate a little, but I don’t think I do. If
you happen to be in those parts, make sure you drop in and have a dish or
two to try. No, I’m not promoting that restaurant, I’m just giving you a
very good piece of advice. Another tip for you — if you find yourself
anywhere near the place called Velyka Krucha, go to a small, privately owned
brewery and beer hall there — they make beer of the quality that even
beer-drinking gods find superior.

I find I had a good reason to start my story about Poltavshchyna with
telling you a little about food you can enjoy there — when one travels on an
empty stomach, one is much less susceptible to the beauty of nature than the
traveller with a pleasantly full stomach. Besides, it’s nigh impossible to
avoid eating and enjoying local food when you travel across Poltavshchyna.
If, instead, you still insist, while being in Poltavshchyna, on having bland
fast food and sandwiches, you will survive, of course, but you will miss a
very important Poltavshchyna feature and thus will hardly be able to
appreciate, or even fully understand what’s so special about Poltavshchyna.

So if you do decide to make a trip there, tune your gastric system to
enjoying the traditional local food. And the culinary traditions in
Poltavshchyna go centuries back, into the mist of time. At the very end of
the eighteenth and in early nineteenth century, Ivan Kotlyarevsky, a
Ukrainian author from Poltava, eulogized the celebrated Poltava cuisine in
his poem Eneyida; another famous Ukrainian author, Nikolai Gogol, made
praising references to the excellence of Poltavshchyna food in his
novelettes. Little has changed in this respect since then — neither wars nor
revolutions have robbed the Poltavshchyna cooks and housewives of their
cooking skills.

MHAR -----
When you’re passing through Lubny, you are likely to see the domes of the
Mharsky Monastery from afar. They say this monastery used to be among the
most important ones in Ukraine. It was built in 1619 in what is known as the
Ukrainian Baroque style. The Cossacks provided donations and labour force;
Isaya Kopynsky, the would-be Kyiv metropolitan, and Princess Rayina
Vyshnevetska, the sister of the famous Kyivan Metropolitan Petro Mohyla,
were the founders.

In 1663, Yury, Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky’s son, spent some time in this
monastery as a monk. Earlier, this Yury had been elected hetman but was
forced to resign; after resignation, he took monastic vows. In spite of the
fact that the monastery lost much of its importance as a religious and
cultural centre, it remains to be a symbol of the wild and yet magnanimous
Ukrainian soul.

The Spaso-Preobrazhensky (Saviour’s Transfiguration) Cathedral, built in the
seventeenth century with the money donated by Hetmans Ivan Samoylovych
and Ivan Mazepa, is another architectural landmark. It is considered to be
one of the best buildings erected in the style of Ukrainian Baroque, in
which the architectural elements of the eleventh-twelfth centuries were
combined with the elements of the West European architectural styles of
the seventeenth century.

In 1654, Patriarch of Constantinople was buried in the Mharsky Monastery;
it is known that he was put into the grave in a sitting position — nobody
knows why. Taras Shevchenko makes a reference to this patriarch in his novel
Blyznyata (Twins) and confirms the sitting position of the dead patriarch in
his grave.

The monastery boasts the “imperishable relics” of Serafim Anin, another
Constantinople Patriarch, and of the Kyivan Metropolitan Yosyf
Nelyubovych-Tukalsky. In 1918, the Bolshevik authorities wrought havoc in
the monastery turning it into piles of stones which nevertheless proved to
be possible to be reconstructed back into buildings. The reconstruction is
nearing completion.

ZMIYEVI VALY -- SNAKE EARTHWORKS
After a visit to the monastery, I advise you take a walk or a ride along the
River Mhar. What a lovely, scenic landscape you’ll be moving through —
small, picturesque villages, nice, hospitable and generous people living in
them. As a matter of fact, I’m convinced that all the people in
Poltavshchyna are hospitable in spite of centuries of having to fight off
invaders. At the dawn of time, hordes of nomads from the Wild Steppe began
to bring death and destruction to this land but people of Poltavshchyna
survived all the hardships and remained what they always were, warm and
welcoming.

At the same time, they knew how to defend themselves, and as part of their
defences, they built, or so historians say, long snaking lines of earthworks
which stretched for many miles as protection against the raids from the
Steppe. It is not known when they were built; maybe, they are as old as the
Great Wall of China, maybe older, and from what remained of them in
different parts of Ukraine we may conclude that the Snake Earthworks were
longer than the Great Wall. There are many legends and fairy tales in which
the Snake Earthworks are mentioned.

They must have been so grandiose that people attributed their creations to
divine forces. One of the legends, still current in Poltavshchyna, says that
these Snake Walls arose when the mighty blacksmith named Kuzma-Demyan,
harnessed the dragon to the plough and drove the dragon across the country,
tilling the earth.

Now, if that got you interested I’ll retell this particular legend in more
detail. Once upon a time, there a lived a blacksmith of enormous strength,
Kuzma-Demyan, who also possessed some magic powers. One day, there
appeared a dragon in the land where he lived, and people fleeing from the
dragon ran to Kuzma-Demyan’s smithy and found refuge there. Kuzma-
Demyan was not in at the moment. When he returned he ordered his helpers
to close all the twelve iron doors that you had to pass through to get
inside his smithy.

The moment the last door was shut, here comes the Dragon and bellows so
loudly that the earth shakes, “Hey, Kuzma-Demyan, open those doors of yours,
and chase all those people out into the open, or else I’ll set your smithy
on fire and eat you!” “That’s a nice boast, little dragon! If you lick
through all the twelve doors with your tongue, I myself will put these
people on your tongue!” The dragon began applying its rough and scabrous
tongue to the iron of the doors. While the Dragon was thus engaged,
Kuzma-Demyan began to forge a huge plough with his twelve helpers holding
it with tongs.

The Dragon did lick its way through all the iron doors and put its ugly head
into the smithy, its darting tongue sticking out. Kuzma-Demyan grabs this
tongue with the hot tongs and starts pounding the Dragon’s head with a
sledge hammer. The Dragon gets knocked out and slumps down, and while he
lies there senseless, he is harnessed to the great plough. The moment the
Dragon comes to, Kuzma-Demyan begins pulling him forward, holding on to the
Dragon’s long tongue, and Kuzma-Demyan’s helpers are taking care of the
plough. They wanted to go around the whole world in this manner. When they
came to big rivers, the Dragon drank them up as though they were little
puddles of water.

The plough was making a deep furrow in the ground with earth rising on one
side as tall as a high wall. They kept going like this until they arrived at
the sea. The Dragon began drinking the sea — he drank and drank, and then
suddenly his huge belly burst and out came all kinds of nasty creatures, and
pestilences. Kuzma-Demyan and his helpers would surely have furrowed the
earth from end to end, had not the Dragon burst open. But the wall of earth
they left behind is still there.

ORIL RIVER -----
Among all the Snake Earthworks to be found in Ukraine, in the best state of
preservation are probably those that are situated along the River Oril which
flows between the Lands of Poltavshchyna and of Dnipropetrovshchyna. Oril is
a very clean and one of the most beautiful rivers of Ukraine. No wonder many
tourists come to its banks to enjoy the scenery or go down this river in
boats. But there are no rapids, the current is slow and the river does not
offer any places for those who seek adventures to get the adrenalin going.

But those who are after more reposeful pastime, will find fish, and crayfish
in particular, in abundance. All you have to do is put your hand into the
water at a quiet place right near the bank and get as many crawfish for your
dinner as you want. Fish also seem to be asking to be caught. Or you can
just sit on a clean, sandy bank and give yourself fully to enjoying a superb
panorama of the plains, hills, slowly following water, and exceptionally
picturesque villages.

Many of the peasant houses have roofs made of reeds, an age-old way of
roofing. But even the magnificent panorama will not keep you captivated for
long — the temptation to take a swim will be too great to resist.
Incidentally, if you choose to go down Oril in a slow boat, you’ll hardly
travel more than five or ten kilometres at most a day — you’ll be stopping
every hour and taking plunges.

These ablutions cannot fail to be most enjoyable, I assure you. And don’t
carry too much food with you — you can buy food of superb quality and great
variety from villagers for peanuts (but you will not be able to buy actual
peanuts; all the food will be traditional and Ukrainian only).

When my friends and I boated down the river, we stopped once in a while in
the vicinity of a village and asked for vegetables, fruit and other food
(dried salty fish is best when you have it with beer), and we were given so
much that our boats were in danger of sinking under the great weight of all
we were given. When we asked how much we owed for all this cornucopia, the
generous people of Poltavshchyna said that it cost so little we felt obliged
to pay more.

But the extra money was indignantly rejected. Instead, they treated us to
wonderful songs and stories. And how sweetly their language sounded — it is
probably there, in Poltavshchyna, that the Ukrainian language sounds most
melodically. In fact, the Poltava dialect of the Ukrainian language formed
the basis of the Ukrainian literary language. So, if you plan to learn
Ukrainian, it’s best to go to Poltavshchyna to do it.

GOGOL BORN IN VILLAGE OF YANOVSHCHYNA (NOW HOHOLIV) -----
It is Gogol who, through his writings, has made Poltavshchyna known to many.
He was born a hundred years after the battle of Poltava, at which all the
hopes for a sovereign Ukraine seemed to have been dashed. Nikolai Gogol
(who, more correctly, should be referred to as Mykola Hohol, but in such
spelling his name becomes totally unrecognizable for English-speaking
readers — tr.) was born in the village of Yanovshchyna (now Hoholiv).

There were many people in that village who had Cossacks among their
ancestors. It is known that Gogol’s father, Vasyl, was a direct descendant
of Yevstafy (Ostap) Hohol, a Cossack colonel who died in 1679. Nikolai Gogol
who grew up and was educated in Ukraine, became one of the great writers of
Russia.

We shall not discuss his literary merits here — suffice to say that his
sarcastic and satirical pen lashed at the Russian tsarist establishment with
a force never experienced before and rarely surpassed after (within this
article there is no place indeed for discussing Gogol’s place in Russian and
world literature but there is one unsurpassable circumstance that makes it
impossible to appreciate Gogol’s true standing in any language but Russian —
he is one of those authors whose works are absolutely untranslatable; the
best that even the best translation can do is to render the plot faithfully
but it is Gogol’s language, particularly in his later works, that is of a
paramount importance; Vladimir Nabokov, one of the greatest stylists of
Russian literature, recognized Gogol as the supreme stylist, superior to all
Russian writers, Nabokov himself included — tr.).

There is really not much to see in Hoholiv, except for the house of Gogol’s
parents and the park that have the official status of a museum. It is better
to move on to the places that were described by Gogol in his immortal
stories.

VELYKI SOROCHYNTSI -----
Velyki Sorochyntsi can do excellently as the first stop on a tour of Gogol
places. It is also a Cossack village that sits comfortably, like a lady on a
sofa, at the bank of the quiet Psyol River. In the eighteenth century, there
was the residence of Hetman Danylo Apostol in this village. They say that
the village was called Sorochyntsi because of sorok, or forty, monks who,
some time in the past, found the place to be just right for their community
and settled down. There is no monastery in Sorochyntsi though but there is a
church, Preobrazhenska (Transfiguration), in which Gogol was baptized.

Hetman Danylo Apostol was buried in this church too. It was built in the
seventeenth century in the style of Ukrainian Baroque. One of the remarkable
features of the church is its iconostasis, 20 meters (over 60 feet) wide and
17 meters (over 50 feet) tall with wonderful seventeenth-century icons.
Among the personages represented on the icons we find the donors, Hetman
Apostol and his wife Ulyana.

Every year, during the last weekend of August, the famous Sorochynska Fair
is held in the village of Velyky Sorochyntsi, which attracts traders,
vendors and customers from all over Ukraine. Some of the Ukrainian
industrial potentates and top bureaucrats also come to the Fair, to, as the
saying goes, have a look around and to have people to look at them. But they
probably feel they don’t belong there with their conceit and scorn.

There used to be up to five fairs held in Sorochyntsi annually but after the
Bolshevik revolution there was almost nothing to sell and no money to buy
whatever little could be offered for sale. It was only recently that fairs
in Sorochyntsi were revived, and their popularity continues to grow.

Another place which is a must on a tour of Gogol places is, of course,
Dykanka, to which Gogol devoted several of his wonderfully poetic stories.
But on your way to Dykanka stop at the village of Opishnya which has been
known for ages for the excellence of its fictile products.

OPISHNYA POTTERY -----
Over forty kinds of clay in the vicinity of the village provide excellent
material for making earthenware, and Opishnya has been producing pottery for
about three centuries. At one time, practically all the villagers were
potters and craftsmen. We know, for example, that in the year 1786, about
200 craftsmen of the village were involved in making table services for
special occasions, decorative plates and vases, figurines of lions, horses,
roosters and other decorative pieces of various shapes decorated with floral
ornaments.

There were situations when there were so many earthenware articles to be
taken for sale at the Sorochynska Fair that there were not enough carts to
deliver them to Sorochyntsi. At present, there are only about ten potters
left in Opishnya who make colourful pots, thin-walled clay pitchers, fancy
little clay lions and Cossacks, and other curious things. Though there are
so few of them, they have begun to revive the trade of their ancestors and
pass it on to their children.

A museum of Ukrainian pottery was opened in the village of Opishnya with
craftsmen and sculptors coming to see it not only from all over Ukraine, but
from other countries as well. It’s quite a unique place, this museum, and
even if you are not too interested in Ukrainian earthenware-making
traditions, you may find this museum worth visiting. Among its exhibits you’ll
find pieces of modern sculpture too, and archaic pieces, and traditional
artefacts, and things that I call “cosmic installations.” Incidentally, as
far as I know, earthenware from Opishnya can be found in many museums
of the world.

Opishnya is not the only earthenware centre in Poltavshchyna — pottery and
earthenware is also made in Hlynsk, Zinkiv, Myrhorod, and Romny. There’s
nothing much surprising in it since it is widely believed — and this belief
is supported by archaeological findings — that the potter’s wheel was
invented in the land that we now call Poltavshchyna thousands of years ago.
It was, of course, a revolutionary discovery. Not only pots began much
easier and faster to make — the quality was much better, and the aesthetical
look of the wares was much improved.

Poltavshchyna is a land of a special charm and fairy-tale mood, where you
feel that history is a part of the present-day. Many historians and
linguists are of the opinion that it is here, in the heart of Ukraine, that
the Proto-Indo-European language and culture came into being and then
spread to other parts of the world.

It is here that the horse and the cow were domesticated; it was here that
the potter’s wheel was invented, as well as the wheel for the cart, and such
inventions meant more for the mankind than the most advanced discoveries of
nuclear physics. It was here, in the heart of Ukraine, that grain began to
be grown, land tilled, and bread baked. Ukrainian palyanytsya (round wheat
bread) was the first man-made sun.

Probably, you may find that all of this is a bit too far-fetched, and there’s
not enough proof discovered yet to substantiate such claims. I don’t know
whether there’s enough proof or not, but I do know there’s a considerable
body of evidence that definitely points to what I’ve just said being true.

DYKANKA -----
But let’s move on, to the village of Dykanka which features so prominently
in Gogol’s short stories, in “Christmas Eve” in particular. If you read the
story, you will discover that some of what is described in the story is
still there: the Troyitska Church in which the protagonist, blacksmith
Vakula, painted a devil, the very same devil who stole the moon from the
sky, and then took Vakula to St Petersburg for a meeting with the empress.
You can’t see the picture of that devil though — it’s been long removed, but
the locals will tell you a lot of stories about Vakula and other characters
from Gogol’s stories.

The first known written mention of Dykanka dates back to 1658. The Cossack
commander Kochubay, the one who betrayed Hetman Mazepa and the Ukrainian
cause in the early eighteenth century and whose treason helped the Russian
Emperor to subdue Ukraine, had an estate in Dykanka. There are several oaks
that stand in what once was Kochubay’s park which surrounded the central
mansion, or palace — these huge trees have survived the centuries and if you
put your ear to the rough bark of their trunks you may hear some of the
stories they can tell — if they are in a proper mood.

It takes several people holding hands to measure their girth. Kochubay’s
palace was destroyed shortly after the Bolshevik revolution. They say it had
a hundred rooms, a picture gallery and a great library. No trace of all this
splendour is left though. In 1709, right before the Battle of Poltava, the
palace was used by Hetman Mazepa as his headquarters. It was in the same
palace that Samiylo Velychko, a Cossack historian, wrote his chronicles of
Cossack history.

The Mykolayivska (St Nickolas’) Church is probably the only surviving
architectural landmark from the times of Kochubay. It is a rotunda with two
domes, one inside the other; the inside one has never been completed. The
iconostasis is a marvellous piece of woodwork with superb carving. There are
several graves in the crypt of the church and though it is usually closed,
you can ask the attendant to let you have a look, if looking at crypts and
graves in them is your hobby.

There is one curious landmark in Dykanka that is also worth seeing — a
triumphal arch erected in 1820 in commemoration of the victory over
Napoleon. The arch stands at the edge of the village — the only village in
Ukraine, and probably in the whole world graced with a triumphal arch.

POLTAVA -----
They say that those who have visited Poltava always want to come back. I
find it’s pretty much true.

Poltava has always been known as a particularly hospitable place, with
beautiful churches, beautiful girls and beautiful gardens. When in the
springtime, cherry trees are in full blossom and young girls, discarding
their heavy winter clothes fill the streets, it is surely a lovely sight.
There are some landmarks too that you may find interesting to see, but the
main attraction of Poltava is its mood — tranquil, serene, and scenic. If
you possess a bit of romantic feeling in your heart, then you will find
Poltava a nice place to come to.

The first written mention of Poltava dates to the year 1174; at that time it
was referred to as Ltava. It was the town that Prince Ihor, the protagonist
of the Ukrainian medieval epic, The Tale of Ihor’s Host, came to in pursuit
of the invading Polovtsy nomads.

On June 27 1709, a major battle was fought in the vicinity of Poltava. The
Swedish troops of King Charles XII and the Ukrainian troops of Hetman Mazepa
who hoped that his alliance with the Swedish king would make it possible to
reestablish Ukrainian sovereignty, clashed with the forces led by Peter I.
The battle was lost and with it Ukrainian independence. Ukraine found itself
completely absorbed by the Russian Empire.

Even now, fourteen years after independence was regained, Ukraine has not
freed herself completely from the Russian clutches. But it would be wrong to
assume that Poltava remains only as a symbol of the Ukrainian defeat — it is
also a symbol of Ukrainian national revival. It was in Poltava that the
leader of Ukrainian nationalism Mykola Mikhnovsky made his programme of
achieving Ukrainian independence public, and declared that the struggle for
Ukrainian sovereignty began. It was in Poltava that Symon Petlyura, army
commander and leader of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (1918–1921) was
educated. Incidentally, the building of the religious school of which
Petlyura was a student, survives.

Like in most other ancient cities of the world, the most interesting part of
Poltava is its old section — the neighbourhood of Panyansky uzviz and other
streets where you find little gardens, little houses with wooden shutters
and tall linden trees. It is there, on Ivanova Hora, that you find the
restored house where Ivan Kotlyarevsky (whom we mentioned earlier) once
lived. His long and comic poem Eneyida was the first literary work written
in the new Ukrainian literary language.

Another great Ukrainian, the poet Taras Shevchenko, drew a picture of
Kotlyarevsky’s house in 1845, and it is this drawing that was used during
the restoration to achieve the desirable authenticity. The Uspensky
Cathedral, which was built in the second half of the eighteenth century, was
at that time the largest stone house in Poltava but the atheistic Bolsheviks
decided it distracted people’s minds from concentrating on building
communism and destroyed the cathedral in the 1930s.

In recent years it was rebuilt; the 44-meter tall bell tower was for some
reason spared by the Bolsheviks and there was no need to rebuild it. I was
told that the reason it was spared was that the Bolsheviks planned to use
the bell tower as the pedestal for a statue of Stalin. Imagine — a statue to
the bloodiest dictator in the history of mankind standing on the top of a
Christian bell tower? The Bolsheviks do seem to have had a queer sense of
humour.

Originally, the bell tower had a bell which was made of the metal from the
captured Turkish cannons at the end of the eighteenth century. The bell has
been placed for safe keeping in a museum. In the same neighbourhood you’ll
find a wooden church, Spaska, which was built in 1705–1706. It is the only
surviving eighteenth-century wooden church in the Land of Poltavshchyna.

From the top of Ivanova Hora which happens to be a hill, there opens an
impressive and vast panorama of the Khrestovozdvyzhensky (Of the Erection of
the Holy Cross) Monastery and of the place near the Vorskla River where the
legendary Marusya Churay is said to have lived. The founder of the monastery
was Martyn Pushkar, a Cossack, who donated his money towards the
construction of a monastery to commemorate a victory over the Poles. The
church of the monastery is the only Ukrainian Baroque church in Ukraine that
has seven domes.

Marusya Churay was a poetess and a singer who lived in Poltava in the early
seventeenth century. Several very popular Ukrainian songs are attributed to
her. In the 1970s, another famous Ukrainian poet, Lina Kostenko, wrote a
long poem about Churay which was regarded by the Ukrainian intelligentsia of
that time as a message of Ukrainian national revival — and was frowned upon
by the soviet authorities. Public recitals of the poem were banned and those
who defied the ban faced persecution.

There are many other wonderful things to be found in Poltavshchyna — take
those embroidered rushnyky (decorative towels), for example. You won’t find
better ones anywhere else.

I suspect that if God decided to come down to Earth and live for some time
among people just to enjoy His time as a human being, He would choose a
peasant house in the Land of Poltavshchyna, on the bank either of Oril or
Vorskla, to stay. I can’t tell you why such an idea has come to my mind but
travelling across Poltavshchyna I was pretty sure that the Garden of Eden
was once located there, and nowhere else.

And that the first man was created by God with the Poltavshchyna clay which
seems to be ideally suited for making people. Also, I realized I do not want
to go to exotic countries for holidays because nothing compares to what the
Land of Poltavshchyna gives you spiritually and physically. -30-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: There are several photographs with the article. Click on
LINK: http://www.wumag.kiev.ua/index2.php?param=pgs20051/46
===============================================================
9. RETURN TO THE SOURCE:
10th Annual Folk Art and Culture Tour of Ukraine
August 8-23, 2005, With Folk Art Specialist Orysia Tracz

Folk Art and Culture Tour of Ukraine, Orysia Tracz
Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada, June, 2005

WINNIPEG - 10th annual tour. Museums, walking tours, lectures, artists,
folk art, shopping, traditional cuisine, Ukrainian hospitality. You don't
have to be Ukrainian to enjoy the trip. Interpreting into English at all
times.

Places: Kyiv, Kaniv, Ternopil, Kam'ianets'-Podils'kyi, Kolomyia, Lviv,
Carpathian Mountains (Kosiv, Yaremche, other villages). Visits to
ancestral villages arranged. Opportunity to stay a week longer on your
own (accommodations) for the same cost. $3,650 Canadian. (includes
air, hotels, meals, museum admissions).

Connections from other North American and international cities arranged.
Limited number of participants. We have had travelers from across North
America, and Australia, and many repeat participants.

For reservations and details: Irena Zadravec, Thomas Cook - Regent
Travel, (204) 988-5100, sblair@thomascook.ca. For more information
regarding tour contact Orysia Tracz: dorohy@hotmail.com -30-
===============================================================
10. TWENTY-FIRST-CENTURY TRAVELLERS GO AROUND THE BLACK
SEA VISITING PLACES THEIR COSSACK ANCESTORS USED
TO GO IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY

What follows is a story told by descendants of the Ukrainian Cossacks who
traveled around and across the Black Sea visiting the places which had seen
the Cossacks hundreds of years ago — in the Crimea, in Turkey, in Bulgaria,
in Rumania, on the northern, southern, eastern and western shores of the
sea.

By Volodymyr Suprunenko, Welcome to Ukraine magazine
Kyiv, Ukraine, Spring, Issue One, 2005 (32)

Boats with traders and warriors from the country that went down in history
as Kyivan Rus began making regular appearances in the sea which we now
call “Black” (and the Greeks called “Euxine”) in the ninth century and in
the tenth, the Byzantines often referred to the Euxine Sea as the Sea of the
Rus. Several centuries later, in the late sixteenth and in the seventeenth
centuries, Cossacks from Zaporizhian Sich and from the Don River began
plying the waters of the Black Sea. [To see map of the Black Sea and
places related to history of the Cossacks click on the link at the bottom
of this article.]

They quickly learned the art and skills of sea navigation, borrowing a lot
of their initial experience from the Greeks and the Turks, and soon they
became expert sailors, “frothing the seas” in all directions. The Prefect of
Kafa (now Feodosiya, a town on the south-eastern coast of the Crimea) wrote
thus about the state of things in 1614: “The Black Sea was always menacing
and angry, but in recent times it has become, no doubt, even more minatory
because of the chayky (literally: seagulls; here — swift Cossacks vessels —
tr.) which are practicing piracy in the sea all summer long and make raids
along the shores.”

THE COSSACK SEA
The Black Sea in the coastal areas all around it was gradually becoming to
be known as “the Cossack Sea.” Cossack chayky, swift and maneuverable,
left their bases in the Dnipro River, the Don River, on the Crimean coast
and in the Sea of Azov, and travelled as far as Sinop, Trabzon
(historically: Trapezus, later — Trebizond) and Istanbul, and then through
Bosporus into the Sea of Marmara and then into the Mediterranean and further
to the shores of Egypt. On their way, they laid siege to and often captured
towns, “raising them down to the foundation.”

Many a place on the Black Sea coasts experienced the fury of Cossack
attacks. They let the people of large and small coastal towns “smell the
burning powder from their muskets,” “check how sharp their sabers were” or
flee from their unstoppable fury. Even Istanbul, the Turkish capital, was
not immune from Cossack raids, and though it was never seized by the
Cossacks, the defenders on the walls were “every so often subjected to the
Cossacks’ rapid gun fire.”

ANATOLIA, TURKEY -----
We wanted to visit as many of those places as possible. The northern shores
of Anatolia in Turkey are particularly rich in places in whose history the
Cossacks played a role, and it was to Anatolia that we went first. As we
bicycled through Anatolia along the coast we often remembered the Turkish
saying, “Hardly a bird, hardly a caravan will cross the deserts of
Anatolia.” It was never as bad as this saying suggests though. The winding
roads on the mountains slopes rarely took us too far away from the sea and
we could either see it most of the time or hear it in the distance.

Clouds in Anatolia have a curious peculiarity of turning into dense fog that
drastically reduces visibility. Also, the winds are very whimsical there —
they unpredictably change directions every so often and chase the clouds
hither and thither, or build them into shapes that look like mountains or
enormous castles. The raiding Cossacks knew of this frolicsome behavior of
the Anatolia winds and always took with them experienced pilots and
fishermen who “felt in their guts the coming slightest changes in weather”
and gave their warnings for the Cossacks to act accordingly.

Haze and fog could be very welcome when you planned to approach an enemy
vessel or the shore as stealthily as possible in order to launch a surprise
attack, or when you had to escape in the face of the enemy’s overwhelming
numerical superiority. “May the fog descend on the sea — the enemy will go
blind but the Cossacks will still see,” the Cossack warriors used to say. Of
course, there were occasions when the fog turned from friend into foe,
particularly when new shores were being explored.

The Cossacks raiders knew a thousand ways of orienting themselves and
finding their way to their destination. In unknown waters, they could figure
out the distance to the shore by the colour of the water or the height of
the waves. They knew the currents and they knew the winds. They knew when
to massively attack a large navy ship with a good chance of winning by many
chayky at the same time — in the dead calm, for example, or when the ship
was caught in crosscurrents, and when to leave such ships alone.

When we stopped for the night to pitch camp and have dinner, we often
thought that probably it was at that very spot that Cossacks spent the night
at the waterfront some three hundred years ago. They must have gathered
wood to make the fire, they must have cooked their simple meals very much
like we did it.

I imagined myself to be one of them as I gathered driftwood, built the fire,
cooked kasha (porridge-like dish), picked mussels in the shallow water,
fried them, bit onto a sour apple after dinner — the smells must have been
the same, the food must have tasted the same, the pebbles on the beach
looked the same, the stars in the dark firmament of the sky were the same.

My friends and I decided to see the places the Cossacks of old had visited
or raided and we often wondered what drove them to sail across the sea in
small boats, hundreds upon hundreds of miles away from home? Plunder?
Booty to take home? Hunger? Or sheer adventurism? Desire to explore the
world? To earn fame? Or were they driven by restlessness? Most likely, all
of these motivations were present. “I’ll go all the way down there, to live
a life free and fair,” the Cossacks of old used to say.

CROSSING THE KERCH STRAIT -----
We had started our trip by crossing the Kerch Strait on a ferry. Kerch
peninsula is a part of the Crimea; Taman Peninsula where we found ourselves
after crossing the Strait is a part of the Russian Federation. In the times
of old, Taman was a part of the Tmutarakan kingdom. One of the first
landmarks we saw in Taman was a monument — a bronze Zaporizhian Cossack
stands on a granite pedestal, holding a banner; the bas-relief shows waves,
steep shore, two navy sail ships and chayky boats with Cossacks in them.

The inscription says: “To the first Zaporizhians who landed at this spot
under the command of Colonel Savva Bely; erected in 1911 by their grateful
descendants, Cossacks of the Kuban Cossack Army, on the initiative of the
Taman Cossack community to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the
historic landing.” In Taman, Zaporizhian Cossacks came to be called Kuban
Cossacks who became loyal subjects of the Russian tsar.

As we bicycled along the Anatolian coast, we often stopped at the edge of
the precipitous bluff to look down at the sea, and when we saw a secluded
cove or a stretch of beach suitable for landing, we invariably discussed the
possibility of Cossacks once actually stopping there. Though I’ve listed
possible motivations for Cossacks to come such a long way across the sea,
I am inclined to think that the major driving force was their desire to
experience the dangers of free and adventurous life rather than material
considerations.

Once in a while we stopped for the night at the mouths of small rivers
emptying into the sea, and every time we did so we talked about Cossack
chayky that could have possibly entered these rivers to penetrate further
inland for several miles. Since they were almost flat-bottomed they could
navigate easily in shallow waters.

As they approached the mouth of a river, the Cossacks must have been
checking the depth under the keel every few yards they travelled; I could
visualize them moving cautiously up the stream, guns and sabers at the
ready, their ears picking suspicious noises, their oars going in and out of
water without a splash

VARNA, BULGARIA -----
It was by penetrating such rivers that Cossacks stormed and captured
fortresses, towns and settlements situated rather far from the sea. When
Cossacks attacked and seized Varna, a Bulgarian city in the Turkish hands
(Bulgaria remained part of the Ottoman Empire from the end of the fourteenth
to the end of the nineteenth century), it happened thanks to their river
tactics which made their appearance at the walls of Varna a complete
surprise for the Turks.

In the words of an old folk song: “Varna was a tough nut to crack — Hey, the
Turks, try to get it back!” “It was a glorious victory — great fame and a
good story!” The song goes on to describe how the fortress of Varna was
stormed; the Cossack leaders hold a counsel: “How do we attack it? From
which direction? First, let’s give it a good inspection.”; “Shall we move
straight from the sea? Or from that field? Wait, there’s a small river, can’t
you see? And never mind running across the field — that forest will serve us
as a shield!”

The Cossacks went upstream along the River Kamchiya avoiding detection
until they got very close to Varna. Then they dragged their chayky from the
river, carried them overland, launched them into the Varna Lake, and stormed
into the city from the side at which they were least expected.

When we were in Varna, the Ukrainian consul there, Oleh Baranovsky, told us
that the story of the Cossack storming passed from generation to generation;
the story has it that local fishermen helped the Cossacks to get close to
the fortress without being spotted, serving as guides. The consul himself
acted as our guide taking us around the lake and showing a big rock in the
park where a monument to the Cossacks was going to be erected.

Once, we found shelter for the night in the ruins of an old fortress. On our
way around the Black Sea we saw a lot of fortresses in different states of
ruin. The most ancient ones, built several thousand years ago, are no more
than little mounds or depressions in the ground, overgrown with grass and
bush. Only archeologists, songs and legends tell their stories. Some of
fortresses built in the times of the Greek colonization in the middle of the
first millennium B.C. have survived in the form of picturesque ruins with
parts of the walls and even towers still standing.

Many fortresses on the Black Sea coasts were built “after the Greeks” too by
other nations and peoples. Some of them are in such a state of preservation
that you can actually walk around them, look into the loopholes in the
walls, get inside and climb the stairs of the defensive towers. It is not
difficult at all to visualize what they looked like in their heyday. Walls
and buildings of some of the fortresses have become part of the buildings
built in much later times.

BILHOROD-DNISTROVKSY -----
We saw one of the most impressive old fortresses in Bilhorod-Dnistrovksy (it
used to be called Akkerman). All kinds of words can be used to describe it
but “it’s so beautiful, powerful and majestic, it is not to be told!” In
fact, we did not see anywhere else anything like it. It was built on the
ruins of an ancient Greek town. There is no consensus among historians as
to who actually built it. Some say it was the Turks, others insist that the
Moldavians did it, and some are of the opinion that at least part of it was
erected by the Genoese.

Looking at its powerful fortifications we could not figure out how the
Cossacks managed to storm it. They must have known a lot of military
stratagems and ways of breaking resistance of the enemy fortresses. Here
is how the Cossacks stormed the Turkish fortress of Kafa. After they had
arrived in the vicinity of Kafa in their chayky, the Cossacks captured a
Turkish boat with Turkish merchants in it. Several of the Cossacks put on
the Turkish dress and in this disguise they went into the fortress. They
took a good look everywhere where it mattered.

While they were looking around inside the fortress, they met a poturnak (a
Ukrainian who had been captured by the Turks and had settled down to live
among the Turks), and got him to help them. This poturnak was to offer the
guards at the gate a lot of horilka (vodka) as “a gesture of good will,” and
once they were drunk, he was to open the gate for the Cossacks. The
poturnak, faithful to his word and to his Ukrainianness did as he had
promised.

To add to the confusion, the Cossacks set many stacks of hey that sat near
the walls on fire and the smoke concealed their approach. The attackers
burst into Kafa, slaughtered the Turkish garrison and set free the Ukrainian
captives of whom there were many in the fortress.

SINOP, Provincial Turkish Town -----
Sinop is a place that has been written about more than probably any other
site on the Black Sea coasts in connection with Cossack raids. Now it is a
provincial Turkish town but it has a long history. The peninsula it is
located at has a shape that looks like a giant antediluvian fish that has
risen to the surface from the murky depths. It is there at the tale of the
stone monster, or in geographical terms, at the isthmus of Boztepe
Peninsula, overlooking a cozy bay where Sinop now sits.

Historical chronicles describe the rise of Sinop, its days of glory, its
being the capital of a powerful state and its decline. One of such
chronicles calls it “a wonderful place with a wonderfully healthy climate.”
Sinop was often called a dream city, “a city born out of the salubrious air
and gentle sea, caressed by the life-giving sun.” It was also called “the
city of lovers,” but it was “a city of trade” too. It had trading links with
the Balkans, the Crimea, northern and eastern shores of the Black Sea.

Sailors used to say — and continue to affirm it — that the harbour of Sinop
is the best-protected place on the Anatolian coast — best protected from the
winds and storms that is. The sea water in the bay of Sinop is particularly
clean and transparent and attracts a lot of divers.

At a local tourist agency I struck up a conversation with a man called
Aisher who turned out to be a professional diver. When he learned I was from
Ukraine, he enthusiastically shared with me his plans of a diving expedition
in which, he hoped, he could involve Turkish, Ukrainian and Russian divers.
There is a lot to discover indeed on the bottom of the sea in the vicinity
of Sinop — merchant and navy ships of many nations, Cossack chayky
included, have been sunk at the Anatolian shores by storms and in war.

In 1853, it was near Sinop that a major naval battle was fought between the
Turkish and Russian fleets, the last historic naval battle in which sail
ships were involved — the new age of steel battleships was on the threshold.
Underwater search expeditions have a good chance of making sensational
discoveries. One of them could well be Cossack “submarines” which, according
to some sources, Cossacks used as long ago as in the end of the sixteenth
century.

A French itinerant philosopher, Fournier, who visited Istanbul in the
sixteenth century, wrote in his memoirs, “I heard remarkable stories about
northern Slavs attacking Turkish coastal towns and fortress — the attackers
were said to appear all of a sudden, out of the sea, rising to the surface
and striking terror into the local people and warriors.”

Sinop is full of historical reminders of the past times. At one of the
drinking water sources I saw an inscription above the tap that said that the
money for the construction of the source was taken from the pockets of the
soldiers who were killed during a Turkish-Russian war. Diving and searching
the bottom you almost can’t help discovering ancient pottery shards, pieces
of chains and anchors. Walking around Sinop, you find what looks like a set
of crumbling steps and they take to a summit where you discover ruins of a
watchtower.

From such a summit you can see very far. You can even look deep into
history. Say, what was the situation here, in Sinop, four centuries ago? In
1614, the Zaporizhian Sich Cossacks launched “two raids upon the Turk.”
During the first raid, a storm scattered their small vessels, sunk some of
them or washed them ashore. At the end of summer, the Cossacks launched
another expedition. They sailed straight from the mouth of the Dnipro River
to Sinop where their arrival was completely unexpected.

They, in a surprise attack, boldly stormed the fortress of Sinop and
destroyed the garrison. Their own losses were insignificant. The Cossacks
blew up the arsenal, destroyed the mosques, and burned down the ships that
were anchored in the harbour. A Polish historian, Stanislaw Zolkiewski,
wrote that the Cossacks were at the greatest menace to the Turks since they
had come to Asia Minor. The sultan when he learned of the ignominious defeat
and a capture of Sinop by the Cossacks, had his vizier executed.

On the distant shores the evidence of the historic events, of which our
ancestors were direct participants, is growing more scarce with the passage
of time — ruins sink into the ground, traces of battles and camping sites
disappear in the sands and are blown away by the winds from the cliffs. But
the memory, like sturdy nails in the age old wood of the ships, remains
lodged fast.

When, at night, I looked up into the starry sky, at the Milky Way which in
Ukrainian is called Chumatsky Shlyakh (Chumak-Trade Route), I often ran the
words of a poem I once read through my mind, “Where does this way lead us?
It does not matter — but lo and behold! — there, in the distance I can
already see the reeds and still further — Zaporizhzhya with the Cossack
banners and locks of hair on the Cossacks’ heads fluttering in the wind!”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The author of this article is Volodymyr Suprunenko, a writer, ethnographer,
traveller and photographer; he has authored many travelogues, popular
science and social-political books, and books of fiction. His articles have
been published in Ukraine and in Russia. He has travelled extensively in
Siberia, in the areas beyond the Arctic circle, in Far East, the Altai, the
Pamirs, the Caucuses, and Central Asia.

He has organized and participated in a number of ethnographic and tourist
expeditions: Kozatska khvylya (Cossack Wave; boating down the Dnipro to the
Black Sea and to the estuary of the Danube); Ukrayinsky kordon (Ukrainian
Border; bicycling along the borders of Ukraine); Velyky looh i Dniprovsky
som (Great Meadow and Dnipro Catfish; exploring the shallows and diving);
Chumatsky shlyakh (Chumak-Trade Route; bicycling in southern Ukraine);
Nabute (Achievements; ethnographic expeditions to the Lands of
Poltavshchyna, Naddnipryanshchyna and Sumshchyna to study folklore and folk
art); Karpatska duha (Carpathian Crescent; travelling on foot through the
mountainous regions of Poland, Slovakia, Rumania and Ukraine); Shlyakh iz
varyahiv v hreky (Roads from the Varangians-Vikings to the Greeks; an
expedition in a replica of an ancient Scandinavian boat “drakkara” from Kyiv
down the Dnipro River across the Black Sea to Istanbul); Azovske kolo (The
Sea of Azov Ring; bicycling around the Sea of Azov); Chornomorske kiltse
druzhby (Black Sea Ring of Friendship; bicycling around the Black Sea).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: To see a map of the Black Sea and photographs by the author click
on: http://www.wumag.kiev.ua/index2.php?param=pgs20051/98
================================================================
"WELCOME TO UKRAINE" & "NARODNE MYSTETSTVO" MAGAZINES
UKRAINIAN MAGAZINES: For information on how to subscribe to the
"Welcome to Ukraine" magazine in English, published four times a year
and/or to the Ukrainian Folk Art magazine "Narodne Mystetstvo" in
Ukrainian, published two times a year, please send an e-mail to:
ArtUkraine.com@starpower.net.
===============================================================
11. UKRAINE: SKI SLAVSKE - NOT READY FOR FOREIGNERS
Potential skiing Mecca for European tourists

By Yuliya Kolomiyets, Kyiv Weekly, Issue #10, (150)
Business and Socio-Political Weekly
Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Mar 18-25, 2005

Just recently the Second Ukrainian-Austrian Cultural and Sport Festival took
place here. The organizers of this festival have ambitious plans of turning
the town into a skiing Mecca for European tourists. Experience shows,
however, that the resort still has a long “exodus” to such a level

In the festival’s plans around fifteen large companies had announced their
readiness to finance the festival. In addition, the Ambassador of Austria to
Ukraine, Michael Miess, and high ranking figures of state, including Viktor
Yushchenko, Yuliya Tymoshenko and several ministers, were invited to attend.
It was also anticipated that many Ukrainian and Austrian businessmen ready
to invest major funds in the local ski infrastructure in Slavske would
attend, while Ukrainian pop stars were to entertain the guests.

In reality everything turned out to be as predictable as it could with the
Ukrainian political elite being busy, major financiers indifferent and only
two people arrived from Austria, who happened to be tourists. Meanwhile,
the official opening of the festival took place on the central square in
Slavske under the beat of drums and strong March winds.

Normal for Ukraine, shocking for Austria -----

But what about the skiing infrastructure in Slavske, which according to the
statements of the local authorities has “improved” in recent years? This
statement turned out to be true only for hotels. Indeed, besides the Perlyna
Karpat (Carpathian Pearl) hotel complex, in which the level of service is up
to the level of Western European guests with an above average income, lots
of small cottages and mini-hotels have cropped up over time.

For example, Zatyshok (Cozy Corner), Smerekova Khata (Fir House) and
even the Dynamo Hotel built back in Soviet times are currently supplied with
all the amenities, including round-the-clock running hot water, satellite
television and new furniture.

But this is where the advantages in Slavske end. All other amenities remain
at the same level that they have been for years. For example, in the local
press material was published promising the construction of a cableway from
the town’s center to the ski lifts. The reality is though that skiers still
have catch a ride for 20 minutes in old Soviet trucks on a bumpy road to get
to the ski trails on the main mountain.

Meanwhile, the lifts on Mt. Trostyan are not getting any younger. Among the
improvements is that the resort has more caterpillar snow cats and the
slopes are less bumpy and rocky. On the downside, such a basic thing as a
normal mobile connection is accessible only at the top of Mt. Trostyan,
while in Slavske the subscriber is constantly “beyond the zone of reach”.

So, it is no wonder that the Austrians and other European tourists are so
far not hurrying to the self-proclaimed “Ukrainian skiing Mecca”. According
to the experienced alpine skier Michael Miess, Slavske reminded him of
Austria in the 1950s...

The negative aspects aside, the natural beauty surrounding this resort town
captivates one’s breath just as easily as in the alpine scenery of any of
the most famous ski resorts in the world. In addition, the comfort in the
local hotels is comparable to that in Western Europe, the running water is
just as hot and the TVs offer the same channels.

And if to put greater efforts in enhancing the local service and building
several modern and reliable ski lifts, than the potential of a greater
number of tourists wanting to enjoy some decent downhill skiing in the
Carpathians is bound to grow.

Foreign tourists do not know all that much about this quaint little
Carpathian resort town that is still packed with downhill skiers from
republics of the former Soviet Union who need no introduction.
All that aside, it is likely that the fireworks display for the closing of
the festival was yet another sign that Slavske has the potential for a
bright future for successful development. -30-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LINK: http://www.kyivweekly.com/english/article/?424
===============================================================
12. VISITING A CITY CALLED 'HELL'
CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR DISASTER TOWN PRIPYAT IS NOW A TOUR SITE

Chuck Wightman, Special to the Star
Toronto Star, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Sat, Jun. 4, 2005.

April 26, 1986: Chernobyl's No. 4 reactor erupts in the early morning sky -
shuddering through the homes of its workers in the town of Pripyat, three
kilometres away ... Official silence is maintained by the former Soviet
Union until Swedish radiation detectors sound the alarm days later. May 7,
2005: Chernobyl, its reactor and Pripyat have become tourist attractions.

CHERNOBYL, UKRAINE-Yuriy picks me up at my hotel at 8 a.m. He's the
English-speaking guide who has been assigned to me for my tour of "hell." We
exchange pleasantries and Yuriy hands me a permit that allows me entry into
the exclusion zone of the world's worst nuclear accident - one that killed
thousands and left thousands more suffering with the painful after-effects
of radiation poisoning.

I have no real conception of what to expect at Chernobyl. Yuriy tells me
there are 3,000 people working at the site, decommissioning the complex and
constructing a permanent nuclear waste handling facility. What many
Westerners do not know is that the remaining three reactors at Chernobyl
remained in service long after the accident at reactor No. 4.

The Exclusion Zone enclosing Chernobyl in a 30-kilometre restricted radius
is about a two-hour drive from Kyiv breezing through small villages and
thick forest on a sparsely travelled two-lane highway. A military checkpoint
marks the entry to the zone. Guards emerge from a small office to ensure
that our papers are in order. I notice little difference from one side of
the gate to the other. Both sides are lush and green. "Farther away from the
main road," Yuriy says, "many have returned to their former villages."

Unofficial numbers estimate as many as a thousand have voluntarily returned.
Most are older peasants, left with few alternatives, owing to disruptions in
compensation payments.

Shortly we are within the 10-kilometre exclusion zone. This is the original
evacuation line set a few days after the disaster at reactor No .4.
The 30-kilometre zone was set nearly a month later. Residents of Chernobyl
and Pripyat were originally told they would be back in a matter of weeks.
Current workers at the complex are housed in the town of Slavutich, 30
kilometres away, brought in on a special train. All told, 300,000 people
were resettled.

The streets of Chernobyl are ribboned with huge stainless steel pipes
bringing heat (from a gas plant outside the city) and water supplies to the
offices of the remaining workers. Near the centre of town is a monument to
the firefighters and "liquidators" who came to fight the blaze and clean up
the site shortly after the disaster.

Initially, 200,000 men and women were summoned to the cause, with the
eventual total rising closer to 600,000. Only 30 deaths are officially
acknowledged as a result of the catastrophe, but estimates of cancer-related
deaths start at around 2,500 and rise sharply.

We pause at the tour office to pick up a Geiger counter and Yuriy displays
various pictures of the site in different stages of the remediation project,
and a large map delineating the zones of contamination.

The area surrounding the power plant looks similar to any industrial zone.
There is little obvious evidence of the disaster. A massive field of
electrical towers sits dormant. Construction cranes slowly corrode with
other equipment beside the hulking concrete cooling tower intended to serve
reactors 5 and 6.

International agencies have agreed that the current levels of radiation are
safe for the brief exposure that our day trip involves, but I wonder about
the workers. Yuriy explains that they are paid five times the normal
Ukrainian wage, roughly the equivalent of $1,500 U.S. per month and work
only two weeks in a month, but I can't help wondering if the money is worth
the risk.

Our tour of Pripyat begins in a junior school's entrance. It boasts
greetings and posters similar to those you would find on the walls of any
school - intact, as though time has stopped mere moments ago.

The best view of Pripyat and the reactors is from the hotel located near the
centre of town. Marble slabs still line the foyer, however everything else
has been stripped away. We ascend the stairs to the upper floor, our feet
crunching the shards of glass that once formed the hotel's windows. Several
small trees have begun to sprout from the floor as seeds have blown in
through the missing windows.

Returning to Earth, Yuriy points the Geiger counter to some moss sprouting
from the pavement. It reads slightly above one miliroentgen per hour
exposure, even more radioactive than the gates to the crippled reactor.

Once home to some 48,000 people, the town is now eerie in its solitude.
Nearby, a theatre contains a treasure trove of larger than life paintings of
Soviet leaders.

Our next stop is an outer village, where we are invited to a modest meal by
an elderly returnee couple, and their Belarussian friend. Only every third
or fourth house is inhabited, the rest succumb to a now-familiar decay.

The final stop on my tour is the vehicle graveyard, some distance outside of
Chernobyl. My itinerary describes "thousands of trucks, helicopters, and
armoured personnel vehicles so soaked in radiation it is dangerous to
approach."

"Only 30 dead," I remember. I have seen no human graveyard, and the memorial
in Chernobyl makes no list of names of those to be honoured. It is only here
at the vehicle graveyard that one can begin to imagine the human toll.

My trip to Chernobyl was arranged through SAM Travel over the Internet. My
$193 U.S. fee included a driver, English-speaking guide, permit for entry to
the exclusion zone and lunch in the tour office's cafeteria at Chernobyl.

It is worthwhile to purchase the hardcover pictorial for sale at the tour
office in Chernobyl. If you ask, the personnel can provide you with an
English booklet which explains the pictures. -30-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chuck Wightman is a Burlington-based freelance writer.
===============================================================
13. MAY DAYS IN CRIMEA!

The Black Sea has not yet warmed after the winter frost and only true
daredevils would enjoy swimming in its waters. Be that as it may, there are
plenty of other attractions that Crimea has to offer in the month of May.
Furthermore, vacationers to Ukraine’s peninsular resort can look forward
to previously unaffordable temptations

By Volodymyr Pimonenko, Kyiv Weekly, #15 (155)
Business and Socio-Political Weeky
Kyiv,Ukraine, Sunday, Friday, April 22-29, 2005

The Russian imperial family and aristocracy discovered the beauty of the
Crimean coast back in the beginning of the 19th century and traveled every
year to the peninsula to relax at their villas.

Despite the famous resorts of Nice and St. Tropez on the Cote d'Azur (the
southern coast of France), Tsar Nicholas II preferred his residence at
Livadia Palace on the coast of Crimea.

Crimea was also a popular resort for leaders of the former Soviet Union.
Among them were Nikita Khrushchov, Leonid Brezhnev and Mikhail
Gorbachev. Over the course of two centuries Crimea was built up with
palaces, bread-and-breakfasts, sanatoriums, hotels and holiday centers
such that it became the main health resort in the country.

This was all created on the background of picturesque nature, a nearly
sub-tropical climate and a countless number of different sights from
antiquity, the Middle Ages and more recent times. In short, Crimea is a
wonderful place for a comfortable vacation and good relaxation during the
May holidays.

Creme de la Crimea This year, a popular trend in recent years, specifically
elite tourism for improving one's health, will receive an even greater
impetus for development. And this should come as no surprise since the
curative alpine and maritime air of Crimea, together with treatment, gives a
double effect and is literally rejuvenating.

Today, the Sanus per Aqua (SPA) system, which from Latin means "health
through water" and implies the combination of elements of healing practice
and applied aesthetics, prevails at Crimean resorts.

The city of Yalta boasts the richest variety of places, where a tourist can
try out the SPA system based on the healing properties of water and "dry"
procedures (different forms of massage). There are a full set of services
available. This includes thalassotherapy, which combines aromatherapy and
chromotherapy with balneal and other healing procedures.

The list of SPA services also includes "whirlpool" and "pearl" baths, a
Jacuzzi, rooms for aromatherapy, inhalations, cosmetology and massages.
But Yalta is not the SPA monopolist in Crimea. Indeed, one can find similar
treatment in the resort towns of Alushta and Partenit.

Closer to the earth... Many people consider rural "green" to be a new form
of tourism, giving people a way to relax in rustic areas of the country with
their families in private cottages, in nature, in the woods, or by a sea or
lake.

If one wants to get the feeling of living in the countryside in a "tourist
village", you are offered the chance to go horseback riding, learn how to
milk a cow or churn butter. Tourists will also be treated to outdoor
concerts and picnics to acquaint them with national culture and local
cuisine.

The most interesting places for "green tourists" are concentrated in the
district of Bakhchisarai, where Tatars live, and also in the small town of
Stariy Krym (Old Crimea). This place preserved wonderful Armenian medieval
architecture and national traditions of the Caucasus. Meanwhile, in the
village of Chernopolye you can run into Greeks, descendents of colonists
from the ancient Peleponesia.

The grapes of path... The contours of the Crimean peninsula resemble a green
grape leaf floating on the surface of the sea. Tasty sorts of grapes are
cultivated practically in every region of Crimea.

Many have gained worldwide recognition. Among the best known sorts are
Massandra, Noviy Svit, Koktebel, Solnechnaya Dolina and Inkerman. You can
choose a specific wine tailored to your preferred taste.

You can start your "taste-testing tour" in Sevastopol, where you will be
able to try the wines of Inkerman, then visit the vineyards in Alupka and
Massandra with their outstanding wine-tasting halls, then go on to Noviy
Svit, where the famous bubbly invented by Count Golitsyn will dance on your
tongue, and then end up in Koktebel to "catch the cognac". Uncharted
waters... Tours for yachtsmen are offered mainly along the southern coast of
Crimea. Admirers of a cool sea breeze and romance sail from Balaklava to
Lastochkino Hnizdo (Swallow's Nest), Yalta and Sudak to Feodosiya and then
back.

Every year those who chart out sea routes try to find some new interesting
destinations. For example, an isolated beach and the beautiful cliffs of the
Blue Lagoon near Ai-Ya Cape will definitely leave some wonderful and
indelible impressions on cruisers. Meanwhile, at Cape Ai-Todor one can
discover the remains of a fortress of Roman legionnaires.

Diving for underwater treasures Crimea is famous not only for its unique
nature, mild climate and exciting sights. Indeed, the underwater world of
the Black Sea is truly amazing. The scuba diving season opens at the
beginning of May.

As a rule, scuba divers go for new impressions to Cape Tarkhankut, which is
the most western cape on the peninsula. Here a diversity of marine creatures
lives in the crystal clear waters of mysterious grottos and caves with
stalagmites. Scuba divers also pay particular attention to Balaklava, near
which an English ship called the Black Prince sank during the Crimean War.

Fairly recently underwater archeologists discovered the remains of an
antique vessel in the vicinity of Noviy Svit, which hence became a diving
pilgrimage.

If you are a novice, you must pass a preliminary training course with a
qualified instructor in order to earn a special certificate for scuba
diving. There are special diving centers that are licensed to offer such
certificates located in Yalta, Sevastopol, Sudak and Alushta.

Crimean safari Crimea also offers great opportunities for lovers of extreme
racing sports. The main attraction is a jeep safari on the picturesque
plateau of Ai-Petri. Here you can drive a jeep through mountain and forest
reserves, ruins of ancient villages and past impressive waterfalls.
Among the novelties of the season are programs entitled In the Arms of Roman
Kosh, Rally on Dimerdzhi Mountain, Through the Cave Towns of Crimea and
Through Holy Places.

All of them are very rich with destinations and impressions. For example,
the route through the Crimean state reserve includes a visit to Greater
Yalta with a tour of a trout farm, Alushta, Izobilne, the Kosmo-Domianovskiy
Monastery, Nikitskiy Pass and Krasniy Kamen (Red Rock). Besides that, travel
companies offer individual tours according to the tourist's request and
financial wherewithal.

Tourism painted in khaki The peninsula of Crimea always was and remains a
strategic base. Ports of the Black Sea Navy and military airfields are host
to international military training. Recently, Crimean travel agencies began
to offer special military tours for people interested in military hardware.
Despite the fact that this is the most expensive form of tourism, many
people are interested.

Tourists are given the thrill of shooting from such types of weapons as a
sniper's rifle, an SKS machine gun, an ??-47 machine gun, an NSV machine
gun, a ?? pistol and a Nagan revolver.

In addition to that, tourists are taught how to drive a tank and other
combat vehicles. You can play your own war game mainly at Angarskiy Military
Training Ground (not far from Simferopol), where instructors acquaint
tourists with safety measures and then with the art of war. As in real
training, those making special achievements are presented with diplomas and
prizes.

Meanwhile, those fond of the friendly skies and everything related to
aviation can enjoy flying on fighter planes, such as the SU-27UB, MiG-29UB,
L-39 and MI-8 helicopters from the airfields of the Ministry of Defense of
Ukraine.

Expert's commentary Minister of Holiday Resorts and Tourism of Crimea,
Oleksandr Taryanik: "I recommend for the May holidays to come and see the
beauty of the mountains in Crimea. Although it is early to swim in the sea,
you can still take in the fresh air and enjoy the wonderful view of nature
awakening. In May, Crimea is particularly beautiful. The sun is still mild,
rather than scorching and the plants are still green and fresh. The color of
emeralds predominates everywhere. In my opinion, horseback rides and hiking
on foot are also of great interest.

Besides that, around 80 Crimean health resorts will be functioning in the
month of May. They offer wonderful parks, swimming pools and all the
necessary accommodation services. I would like to note that the painstaking
problem of water supply has practically been resolved. Today, almost every
health resort is equipped with diesel power stations and huge water
reservoirs, so in case of emergency they will be able to operate
independently for several days on end.

As minister, I don't consider it proper to point to one particular holiday
resort, sanatorium or hotel, but as an ordinary holidaymaker I naturally
have my favorite places.

For example, Prival tourist center. It is extraordinarily quiet there and
there is a marvelous juniper grove registered in the Book of Extinction. If
I need to restore my health, then I prefer the Primorye sanatorium (Seaside)
in Yevpatoriya. When I go to the mountains, I stay at the Orlyne Hnizdo
Tourism Center in Bakhchisarai. -30-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LINK: http://www.kyivweekly.com/english/article/?574
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