The trip of our lifetime: July 2013

Here we are in the heart of the Ukraine. I sometimes like to call it "Annaland" as this is where Anna was born and spent her childhood before her family immigrated to Canada. Ukraine is an interesting country for many reasons. The first is that it is a widely misunderstood by most people in North America. In general, it has been described by Lonely Planet as one of the "last undiscovered frontiers of Europe". When speaking to many people before embarking on our trip many of the stereotypes of the old USSR and Russia come up due to growing up with bad (and some not so bad) 80's action movies starring none other than all the old crew from The Expendables movie franchise. Thanks to them, we have to unlearn much of what Hollywood has taught us. Our first stop is Kiev, the capital city.

Our tour begins at the Kiev airport. We flew Wizz Air. A piece of advice, NEVER fly Wizz Air! No seat assignments means a total free for all when it comes to boarding the plane. Imagine Black Friday, but on a plane and you get the idea. Crowded on there with a slew of international travelers we flew to Kiev and landed a couple of hours later when all of a sudden the rear of the plane erupts in applause. This is the first of many Russian/Ukrainian traditions that we encounter. We land and are greeted by Anna's father Sergei. He is waiting for us and has our day planned. We notice when leaving the airport a gold Bentley in the parking lot. Not gold colored, but GOLD!. The Bentley was my first introduction to the extreme wealth gap in the population. Welcome to Ukraine!

Our first stop is The Lavra. It is a large complex of churches constructed in the 11th century, making it the oldest church we've seen by over 100 years in all of our journeys. We arrive and notice the women with headscarves heading in and out. The religion of the church is the Russian Orthodox Church. Some of their unique traditions include celebrating Xmas on January 7th, Russian saints, and a slightly different cross. When entering we are greeted by large white churches with gold roofs and frescoes painted on all sides. We explored the beautiful grounds and viewed the relics and displays on site such as old church bells and statues. The biggest thing the Lavra is famous for are their caves. They have a large network of underground caves where the saints are buried. There are about 75 of them. Sergei is nothing if not a smooth talker. We arrived late as the caves were closing. Sergei decided to be the photographer for the day and one of the monks noticed the camera and struck up a conversation. As a result of their "chat" we became distant Muslim travelers on a quest to observe traditions of other religions. Anna nearly converted for almost 30 seconds. As esteemed delegates, we were given robes to wear and granted exclusive access after hours to see the caves. The caves are low, damp and utterly unique in that it feels like a crypt that stretches for miles. If it was taller it could be used in an Indiana Jones chase scene. We saw the bodies of the saints wrapped carefully in fine & colorful fabrics to help preserve their bodies and memories of their deeds. The fabrics have the Russian cross on them, a portrait of their face in many cases, and a careful sleeve so a hand can be shown. The hand is left open because many worshippers pay their respects and pray to the saints while holding their hands. Their bodies are hundreds of years old and the hands look very well preserved. It is the belief that saints bodies are protected by God so they don't decay like regular humans would after death. In 2010 they encased all the bodies in glass so now no one touches them anymore.

Walking around Kiev we noticed how very green it is. Parks and monuments everywhere. This region of the world has a lot of history so there are many monuments to remember those who served to make Ukraine what it is today. We finally arrived in Kiev square. This is the heart of the city where the people gather. In 2004/2005 it was the heart of the Orange Revolution where they rallied to protect the integrity of their democracy. They were successful and the rightful winner of the elections that year was finally put in power. It is a large square with fountains, monuments and large open spaces for performers, exhibits and the like. Every Sunday the streets are closed off so only pedestrians can walk. It is not only the heart of Kiev, but in many ways the heart of Ukraine as well. We walked along the street for a while and noticed the architecture here is similar to the rest of Europe, yet different at the same time. It's a mix of western Europe, Russian, and a hint of Turkish influence if you look carefully enough.

One thing that became abundantly clear on our walk through Kiev was how well dressed everyone was, especially the women. Doesn't matter what you're doing that day, if you're leaving the house, you get dressed. Simply throwing on a hoody and jeans will not do, you need to look proper like you're going out for dinner, even if you're simply going to the park. Many of the people we saw at the park were all walking in heels, flowing dresses, collared shirts, pressed pants, and nice shoes! No running shoes unless they're stylish, and absolutely NO baseball caps! I'm the only person who dared wear one. I haven't done it since. It's all about dignity and self respect and people here have both in spades. The rest of Europe was like this as well, but it's more noticeable here.

After our walk through Kiev Square we made our way to the train station. The subway system is very old, and all the cars in it are very old as well. We had to descend a couple of escalators to get down to it. I have to say I've never been on an escalator that's so long I could not see the bottom. We arrived at the train station and prepared to board the over night train to Anna's hometown, Dnepropetrovsk. I can only say the name once every 60 seconds so please wait before asking me to repeat myself. The overnight trains themselves are very similar to the trains in the recent Sherlock Holmes movie. Kind of something out of an Agatha Christie novel, and we had a private cabin to ourselves that sleeps 4 people in 2 bunks with plenty of room for luggage, and no overnight sales people (we're talking to you Thailand!). Before boarding we needed some food, so we found a McDonald's at the station. As we approached we noticed the menu had only Denny's rejected greasewiches on it and the uniforms looked like McDonald's from the 80's, than we saw it was called "McFoxy's". They cunningly placed their entrance right next to McDonald's so people would walk in there unknowingly thinking that they will be "loving it". It almost worked too! Bloody Chinese knockoffs!! Luckily we pulled out at the last minute and got real food. I use word real her in a totally contextual sense.

Our first day in Ukraine was a great adventure where we explored ancient churches, crypts, plazas and trains. History and heart all in the span of about 8 hours with tons of walking. This was a good first day. Now we head into the arms of family and friends where Annichka (that's what the family calls her) grew up. Dnepropetrovsk. Time to meet the family!

Budapest is the crown jewel of Hungary. It is also known as the "city of baths". We took that little intellectual side note and filed it, for we had no time or inclination at this point to try out their many incredible Turkish style baths. Reason being is that we were here for literally 36 hours. There were various reasons for our short stay here, but suffice it to say, we did explore a few sights of the "Queen Of The Danube".

We arrived via bus from Prague. The buses here are decent in that they have Wi-Fi (which never works) and power to plug in your devices (for the one person who gets the seat next to the outlet). The bus ride took 7 hours due to the many stops along the way. We arrived at the bus station around 10:30pm. We read in Trip Advisor that it's not advisable to be out at night due to a rising crime rate, well that's off the table. Naturally, we were a little anxious. We got off the bus and our first step was to secure some HUF. It' not the name of the latest street drug that all the cool kids are "huffing". It's the local currency, "Hungarian Furits", or "HUF". It's name was something we had fun with for a bit.

The next day we were off! Our first stop was the river. The Danube is at it's grandest here, and we were not disappointed. It is very majestic seeing it so wide with the large gothic buildings to admire all along the river . These buildings were Parliament, old palaces, museums, churches, and so forth. There is a bridge called "The Chain Bridge" which is guarded by two lions on either side (let's get real, the lions are statues and if you were to attack they won't hit back, just stare disapprovingly). This is the bridge we crossed to see Castle Hill. We rode up on this rail car looking thingie called a Funicular. It's old, rickety, and a waste of money since we could've walked up the hill in about 10 minutes instead of the half hour in line spent to buy tickets to ride an almost windowless wooden box up the hill to our destination, Castle Hill. Castle Hill is a network of paths on the hillside linking various museums, large plazas, and lookout points of the city. We decided to take a break, have lunch, and look around. The city is very nice from up here and one can see the various influences of the Romans, Turks, and various European Gothic elements. It's like seeing the history of Budapest in one panoramic vista. Naturally we took lots of pictures as well as various shots of us in jumping poses to signify the occasion.

After our lengthy decent down the windy cobblestone road we crossed the chain bridge back to the other side of the river (with the lion's permission of course) and took in some shops and exploring of the tourist shopping district along the river. Prices for goods were very reasonable as they have a good selection of crystal, crafts, and various Hungarian treats. Ali was actually able to find shoes his size, which was proving very difficult for most of our journey.

Budapest is a city that deserves far more time and attention than what we were able to afford it on this trip. There is a strong history here that needs to be explored more thoroughly. From the numerous Turkish baths to the museums, historical landmarks, churches, parliament buildings (largest in Europe), to a river cruise down the Danube at night. It's all here waiting to be discovered. Now we embark on the last leg of our journey as we visit one of Europe's last, Ukraine!

Ah Prague. What sounds like Russians speaking Italian is the sound of the local Czech language. We are now in the Czech Republic's capital city. Prague (or Praha as it's pronounced locally) has a very diverse and eventful history like many of the cities we have visited on our tour. It's recorded history dates back about 1100 years and was once the seat of the Holy Roman Empire. The main attraction of Prague is in fact the historical center, which is also called "Old Town". This part of the city is over 1100 years old and It is here where the cities livelihood is on constant display day and night. We loved it so much we never left. There's lots to do here and you could easily spend a month taking it all in. We'll get started and show you Prague through our eyes.

Old Town is where everything comes together. Many of the streets converge on this massive space. Tour groups, shops, live music of all kinds from 1920's jazz with egg beaters and washboards to a medieval metal band in full medieval costume. Did I mention all this happens at the same time? One of the landmark sites of the square is the Old Town Hall & Astronomy Clock. It was built in 1354. Imagine a clock tower with 3 faces instead of one. The main face is the normal clock (which ironically, we always found ourselves checking our phones to see the time every time we walked past) while the other two faces have constellation names and the signs of the zodiac all around. The clock strikes every hour to a display of old villagers walking about with dancing skeletons hanging on the outside. Large groups will gather every hour to watch. There is also a lot of food here too. You could go to a fancy restaurant with a patio and sit in the square, or you could enjoy the many medieval food stands present. We chose the food stands. It's a more unique experience and they have a variety of traditional food to choose from. From the wood fired rotisseries of ham to crepes to two foot long sausages, you can fill up quite enjoyably here. The smell of fire wood will draw you in and the food will keep you there. Some of these vendors will quote not unit prices for food, but prices by weight, so be careful. On our last night the Prague Symphony Orchestra was giving a massive free show in the middle of the square. It was so packed it took several minutes just to navigate the crowds to the street we were looking for. If you're looking to relax and aren't looking for tours than you can easily spend your time in the square and not get bored.

Prague and Czech Republic in general have a lot of artisans of all types. Many of whom are painters, wood carvers, designers, etc.. As a result there are a LOT of art shops and stands here. We were fighting the urge to buy up all the paintings, crystal, leather goods, and three person chess sets they had. All were exquisitely made with such attention to detail. Many of the stands the artists themselves (and their spouses, who sometimes were also artists) were showing their work. We found the street vendors gave the better prices on the more ubiquitous items, but the shops had the higher quality & larger pieces. There is a lot of the city's culture and traditions in these crafts and these are unique items not found anywhere else so I'd recommend giving it a good look. If you're a fan of local music than know that almost all the buskers are professionals. They all have CD's to sell and are quite good at what they do.

The Charles bridge is a historically significant bridge as it was built by Charles IV (1346-1378) who was at that time both the King of Bohemia and the Holy Roman Emperor. It was built during a prosperous time or Prague and was before the many years of war that took place after. Today it is packed with tourists, artists, and musicians. This bridge over the Vltava River leads to The Lesser Quarter where The Castle District is. We took the journey to see the main attraction, which is Prague Castle (Prazsky Hrad). It is the largest castle in Europe with over 700 rooms. The foundation were laid in 1344 and didn't finish until 1929. I would have to say I simply don't have that kind of patience for any project. I would love to see the workers scrap book. Due to the long build (12-18 months is a long build, this is ridiculous) the castle shows many architectural styles from many eras. Climbing to the top was quite an effort, especially in the 35 degree heat. Just an FYI, thin sole shoes and flip flops are a BAD idea on cobblestone. You feel everything! The climb was well worth it. The view is amazing as Prague is one of the most beautiful cities to look at. From the castle you see the whole city. We couldn't stop taking pictures. We did get very tired and spent some time up there on the grounds just enjoying the view.

There is lots to see (museums, art shows, live theater, historical tours) and we would definitely mark this as a place to return to in heartbeat. We really spent our time soaking in the scenery and experiencing all the city had to offer. So much happened all around us we felt excited just to be a part of it. Prague definitely made Mr. Moo's top 5 list as we will definitely want to return.

That's our trip this time. We will be back with a brief trip to Budapest. To all our friends and family back home in Calgary, we are closely watching the flood situation and are deeply concerned for all of you. Our hearts are with you all.

Ali, Anna, and Mr. Moo.

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