Jane In The Ukraine..(Home of Humeniuk)

Independence Square, Kiev
Palm Sunday..everyone waiting with their palms to be sprinkled in Holy Water

St Sofia's, Kiev

Palm Sunday...all the ladies selling Palms and Jason
St Sofia's

The Ukraine flag atop of a financial buiding

St Andrew's, Kiev

The back of Kiev's City Gate

A typical street in Kiev
Have to make the family jealous. Me eating Veraniki on the left and borshch soup...daily diet..Veraniki is as common as fries in the states and can have many falvours...I tired potato, potato and cheese, cherry and apple with cinnamon. All served with sour cream, yummo.

This meal of soup, veraniki, beef and vegetables and a pint of beer cost a total of around 2 pound..ie. $5!! Needless to say Jason and I enjoyed trying the local dishes and beer each lunch and dinner time!
Some night time festival in front of St Andrew's were they lit hundreds of candles and had fires to stand around
1 pound 60p..Chicken Kiev in Kiev and sweet cheese pancake type thing with sour cream
Kievs Monestary area. We were unable to take photos, but here we went through the underground caves were all the monks are preserved for people to visit.
What the locals refer to as Tin Tits looking over the city and some statues representing the Soviet wars I believe. The museum under tin tits was closed.
One of the funky old old trams scooting about Kiev
An anti-orange protest in Independance Square.

The old overnight train from Kiev to Lviv
Our sleeper cabin..oh and Jase and some old man who didn't speak English...not many English speakers in the Ukraine at all actually.

An old cemetary in Lviv
Tourist stands..Ukraine wasn't always independant, in short it used to be part of Russia, Poland, Austria etc..therefore these Russian Dolls are also a Ukrainian souvenier.
One for Pop..Me in front of the Ukrainian flag up the top of a mountain (at least it felt like one) in Lviv
Lviv
Around the Town Square Lviv

Boris came to pick Jason and I up from Lviv, 3.5hrs from his home town Borschiv where we stayed. The 2nd day, Boris Amanda Jason and I went to this small town called Kam'yanets to see the fortress.
The town is built in a valley along a river that bends right around


A sign in the fortress

We spent Easter with the Filip family also. On the saturday night we went down to the church with a basket of different foods we would eat the next day. They were then blessed by the priest and we were on our way.
Dana




In the Church grounds waiting for our food to be blessed
walking around Borschiv
Priest coming to bless the food
The Filip's family home
A selection of beers and Boris' favourite vodka. Traditionally in the Ukraine when visitors are welcomed into the locals homes by sitting them down to a feast of all the local foods. With these foods, almost on the half hour everyone of legal age...which is apparently 18.. is given a shot of vodka. At home this wouldn't be a probably...but here, our diner/lunch/tea and sitting around the table can last up to 6-7 hours! Needless to say we were quite tipsy. All the vodka is 50%, costs about 2 pound a bottle or the good stuff.

This happened 3 days straight..by the 2nd day though Amanda Jason and I decided to cheat and head down to the shop to get beer for after dinner instead of vodka. Boris and Jason it turned out, had other plans. Instead of having vodka and juice chaser, we ended up chasing vodka with Beer...Easter Sunday started off with half shots!

Anna Humeniuk (although said and spelt in English Gymenyuk) Natalie's Daughter. No relation to me though, because believe it or not, Humeniuk in the Ukraine is as common as Smith and Jones in Australia! That hasn't happened to me ever before!

Amanda who works for the American Peace Core in Skala Podilska (15mins away) teaching English. Luckily, Boris and Amanda have mutual friends and so Boris asked Amanda to spend the weekend with us and translate for us at the same time. Amanda..you were a life saver. Thanks so much, you really made our trip in the Ukraine, don't know what we would have done without you. I definately wouldn't have found out anything about the family without you translating either. You're a gem..keep in touch and make sure you pop down to Oz ok! I'd love to repay the favour in some way!
Boris, Anna, Amanda and I after many shots around the table. (Not Anna though, she's just 16)

A round of our many shots..the end of the bottle has chillies so you munch on them in the shot. To Jase's disgust, Amanda and I ended up swallowing ours down!
The boys having a shot
Dana and Boris Filip, Dana is 16months old













The family..Dana, Boris, Anna and Natalie..thanks so much for having us. Jason and I had such a great time, we are so very greatful for being able to experience the local cultures and learn about my family!

















In English- Skala Podoliska. This is the town that my Grandfather grew up in.
I large park in Skala, quite pretty.
My Pop's mother's grave in Skala. (Great Grandmother) Translates in English to Sabina Humeniuk 1881-1964.

My Pop's school
Skala-Podilska main street



Fortress at the end of the street. Built by the Turks when they came through.
The bridge down to the left used to be a crossing between Russia (the Soviets) in the back and Poland in the front (it's all now Ukraine). If you tried to cross this bridge however you would have been shot. Boris said that growing up, as the Soviets would have discos in a building across from the bridge and play loud music. They did this so to make the Polish/Ukraines jealous and think that they had a happy life in Russia. The reality was that life over there wasn't so great..although because of the Iron curtain etc. etc. (I'm not going to type the whole history for you) this wasn't found out till years later.
Boris' Sister, Boris and I
This is the site where Boris' family and my Pop's family grew up. (In 2 attached houses) However during the war it was bombed. After many years this house was built for Bori's family..due to various reasons, Pop's father also lived out his final years here with the family.
Some of our Easter day feast. Snitzel, Carrot salad, Cabbage salad, a type of fish salad, horse raddish, meat loaf...and yes, I ate it all!

Monday morning Boris took us down south to Chernivtsi to catch a bus across the border into Romania. Unfortunately they weren't sure whether the bus was going to make it. So, as Boris didn't have a passport to go any closer to the Romanian border, we jumped into a cab and took it to the crossing. After walking across on foot, no problems with visas or clearance at all, we started walking to the next town. Luckly soem guy drove past and offered to take us to a couple towns over for a small fee...so next stop...Romania!