Carpathian Mountains

This morning we had breakfast in a little cafe – so cheap – 25 hryvny for all three of us (although Natalia only had tea). Then we were on our way. Got stopped by Ukrainian customs officers because Romania is just across the border. Then we stopped at the “Geographical centre of Europe.” Stopped briefly. Bought a wood carving there for Dad.

We drove slowly through the Carpathian Mountains. Slowly, because the roads are twisty, but also because some of the roads have been washed away. It was like we had been zapped into the 1700s. Houses looked like they would have back then, except they had tin roofs, satellite dishes and young girls sitting on haystacks, talking on cell phones.

Houses, churches and small chapels were decorated with elaborately tooled tin.

The farming methods were the old ones, by and large. Saw few pieces of modern farm equipment. Natalia wanted to have a ride in a horse-drawn wagon, so Eugene pulled over when he saw three 9 or 10 year old boys driving a wagon. They were delighted to give us a ride. The wagon felt downright fluid while we were on it. The boy driving showed off a bit, making the horses go fast and taking us off the road and into a field. The kids were laughing uproariously and we got some pretty funny expressions from passers by.

During our drive through the Carpathians, my father-in-law’s niece contacted me via Eugene’s cell phone. We had thought of passing through Drohobich because of the wooden church. Halina was going to come in to Lviv on Sunday to visit me but since we were going past, we changed plans and suggested we meet in Drohobich instead. We hadn’t factored in the flooding damage to the roads. If we’d had any idea how bad the roads were, we never would have tried to get through. It took an hour to get through a single 14 kilometer stretch. We didn’t get there until 9:30 or so, and we still had to get to Lviv after that. And we’d had no supper. We met with my father-in-law’s nieces and they were so nice. They gave us gifts and some things for my father-in-law, and I gave them some more books and some icewine. We walked around for about half an hour, chatting. Or should I say Natalia chatted and interpreted. Then we were back on the road. We were all pretty tried and Natalia was feeling sick.

I tried to keep up a conversation with Eugene bcause I was afraid he’d nod off while driving. We got into Lviv around midnight. The apartment is stunningly fabulous. It’s an investment property specifically for rental and is done in complete western style, even with a jacuzzi. But we had not eaten and there was no food in the apartment. Natalia stayed there and Eugene and I trekked out to a 24 hour grocery store. It’s quite an experience shopping for food when you’re so hungry and tired. We inhaled food like bread and honey and cooked eggs as soon as we got back and then went to bed – around 2am.

Author: Marsha

I write historical fiction, mostly from the perspective of young people who are thrust in the midst of war. View all posts by Marsha