My Traveling Joys

Friday, June 12, 2015

11 Reasons to Visit Lovely Lviv in 2015

6/12/2015 02:47:00 AM by Joy12 comments

Earlier this year, we visited and really enjoyed western Ukraine though many of our friends thought we were crazy for going there.

But the lovely city of Lviv lies 1,200 km away from the Donbass region in Eastern Ukraine where fighting continues today.

Lviv – how could you not love a city that is full of beautiful architecture, delicious food, friendly locals and thousands of lions on cobblestone streets?

Here’s a brief summary of the city’s history: Lviv was captured by Kingdom of Poland in 1356 and belonged to this region until 1772. Then, Lviv became part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. After World War I ended, Lviv again was part of the Second Polish Republic; and until WWII broke, Poles and Jews made up a majority of the city’s population. From 1945-1991, Ukraine was part of Soviet Union.

Because Lviv is so close to Poland and we could get cheap flights, we booked a long weekend in Lviv. You'll find that it is easy to fall in love with this historic city!

Here are my 11 Reasons to Visit Lovely Lviv:

Inexpensive

It’s very cheap to eat, drink and sleep in Lviv especially when compared to other major European cities. When we visited in February, one U.S. dollar equaled 26 Ukrainian Hryvnia; today, the exchange rate is about $1=22 UAH. A glass of good wine costs 20-24 UAH and local beer Obolon costs even less. Our breakfast of local pancakes with fruit compote and a coffee drink cost 30 UAH or $1.15. Our small hotel, On the Square Guesthouse, located in a historic building from the 1600s, cost only $36 per night.

Find a historic café like this one and enjoy a simple, inexpensive breakfast in Lviv.

Locals are friendly

Despite all the troubles happening on the eastern front in Ukraine, the locals in Lviv were very welcoming and were surprised to have Americans visit. If you speak Polish, you’ll notice many similarities in the language and you’ll be able to get by just fine. Even if you don’t speak Polish, the Ukrainians often seemed to speak English well enough especially in the Old Town area.

These two friendly chaps were happy to pose for a photo with me.

Coffee

Lvivians absolutely love coffee! A Ukrainian war hero, Yuri Kulczycki, brewed the first cup of coffee in Vienna sometime after the Battle of Vienna in 1683 against the Turks. Kulczycki helped win the battle since he could speak Turkish, snuck into the enemy camp and later requested the burlap sacks of green coffee beans for his reward. You can experience an original coffee experience at his namesake café called Under the Blue Bottle (Pid Synioyu Plyashkoyu) or try Svit Kavy or Lvivska Kopalnya Kavy. The local coffee is very similar to the thick, strong Turkish brew, but lattés are just as popular.

Cake and coffee at Veronika.

Good Eats

Ukrainian food seems to be heavily influenced by its Austro-Hungarian, Polish and Russian roots. We enjoyed the hearty, paprika-flavored goulash, fried potato pancakes, stuffed cabbage leaves and borscht soup. For a traditional experience, sit at the long, wooden tables and dine at Trapenza, located in the cellar of a former monastery, or at the popular Kumpel Gastropub where you should definitely order the creamy garlic soup and a local beer.

Sweet Pastries

Lviv also is known for its delicious cakes and pastries since they were influenced by the city’s former ruling powers – Austrian-Hungarian and Poland as well as its Armenian and Jewish traditions. You’ll find apple strudel, chocolate candies and European-looking layered cakes at the 500+ cafés in the city. Stop by and enjoy a slice of cake at the historic Viennese-looking Veronika or the Wein Hotel.

City of Lions

The lion has served as a traditional symbol of the city since the 1300s. The Latin name for Lviv is Leopolis, meaning “Lion City.” Today, you’ll find thousands of lion images on buildings and park benches as well as sculptures, door knockers and business signs.

Culture and Churches

Since Lviv is full of so many cultures, you’ll also find churches of every religion – Armenian, Jewish, Greek and Russian Orthodox, Jesuit and Roman Catholic. Many of the churches are quite historic and date back to the 1400s to 1800s. To help understand Lviv’s complex history, I recommend our tour guide, Julia Kardash, jul.kardash@gmail.com or +380954780441. Her rate is 150 UAH per hour. We hired her for a private tour around Old Town and enjoyed learning more about the local history.

Inside the historic Armenian Church in Lviv.

The Dominican Church, built in 1749, now serves as the Greek Catholic church of the Holy Eucharist in Lviv.

Architecture

I loved wandering around Lviv’s Market Square area! The architecture reminded me of our previous trips to Vienna, Budapest and other Polish cities. It’s no wonder since Lviv was previously part of Poland for more than 400 years and then the Austro-Hungarian empire for nearly 150 years. You’ll find Baroque and Art Nouveau buildings, ornate fountains, red-roofed houses and green-domed churches.

Buildings dating from 1700s-1800s located around the Market Square.

Pretty Potocki Palace, built in 1880s, served as a fancy house for a nobleman and is now a museum in Lviv.

Good Views

Whenever we travel, we always try to find hills or buildings that we can climb up for spectacular views. In Lviv, try climbing up the 200+ stairs either at the Town Hall Tower or the Lviv High Castle. With either location, you literally have the whole city in front of you, its numerous churches, dazzling architecture and surrounding hills.

Ukrainian Wine

I had no idea that Ukraine has a growing wine industry! I enjoyed several glasses of pinot gris as well as other local varieties I’ve never heard of before and couldn’t pronounce. You can even sample wines from the hotly-contested Crimea region. Chleb i Wino was our favorite place, so much so, that we stopped there twice during our 3-day trip. We also had some good wine and appetizers at Atlas Café, located on a corner in the Market Square. Lastly, another wine bar we enjoyed was located in the former Jewish neighborhood, Trout, Bread & Wine (Пструг, хліб та вино), under a giant clock.

Opera

We had really hoped to see a performance at the Lviv Opera, built in 1897. However, the website wasn’t easy to navigate and by the time, we arrived in Lviv, tickets were already sold out for the weekend. If you have time though, the ornate Opera house looked beautiful inside and has a hidden bar/restaurant underneath the building. It’s possible to visit (the entrance is 10 UAH) and immediately be transformed to the fancy world with golden rooms and extravagant statues.

Hopefully my 11 reasons will give you more than enough inspiration to visit Lviv! Would you visit western Ukraine?

DIY Rhubarb-Thyme Vodka Tonic Cocktail

6/05/2015 02:00:00 AM by Joy2 comments

With temperatures finally heating up, I like to retreat to our balcony with a cool beverage in hand in the evenings.

And since we live in Poland, we often end up using Polish vodka in our drinks. And this blog post is about the homespun joys of fruit infused vodka. Take fresh farmer’s market fruit, top with vodka, wait at least 2 weeks, strain and then enjoy in a cocktail. It’s that simple!

I’m certainly no stranger to soaking fruit in alcohol. For example, you can try my DIY Boozy Cherries or DIY Red Currant Polish Vodka. I even make my own vanilla extract by soaking three split-vanilla beans for every 250ml of Polish vodka, wait 2-3 months and then your vanilla is ready to use in your baking recipes.

For the past month or so, at Hala Mirowska (the farmer’s market I frequent in Warsaw), the stalls have been selling long, slender stalks of pink and red hued rhubarb. I love rhubarb!

During our first spring here, I often was playing around in the kitchen and creating a lot of vodka infusions, which I’ve continued to do. One of my favorite concoctions was to infuse vodka with rhubarb, thyme and vanilla. The rhubarb turns the vodka into a lovely pink hue, the thyme adds a hint of herbal-ness and the vanilla adds a bit more flavor. I’ve also tried raspberries with lemon verbena and/or basil, strawberries with vanilla and peaches with tarragon (the latter didn’t turn out as well).

The point is that this is a fantastically versatile recipe and can be altered to suit most tastes. Play around with the fruit and herb combinations and see what you like best.

Long after rhubarb disappears from your farmer’s market, you’ll have this refreshing vodka mix ready to remind you of spring or summer!

Na zdrowie!

DIY Rhubarb-Thyme Vodka Tonic Cocktail

350 g. fruit, cut into small pieces (rhubarb in this case)

500 ml. vodka

1 ea. vanilla bean split

A few sprigs of fresh thyme

To taste simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water cooked together until sugar is dissolved)

In a 1-liter glass jar, add the rhubarb, vodka, vanilla bean and a few sprigs of fresh thyme or herbs of your choice. Close the jar, tighten the lid and then shake for a minute. Place this jar in dark space like your pantry and let it just chill out for 2-3 weeks. This is usually plenty of time for the vodka to become infused with the fruit and other flavors.

I also like to make vanilla-flavored simple syrup to use in cocktails and desserts.

After 2-3 weeks, strain the mixture, pressing down on the fruit to extract as much liquid as possible; or strain the mixture through cheesecloth. Discard the fruit. Then, I like to sweeten the vodka a little by adding some simple syrup. Again, this is to taste. The rhubarb syrup can be used now or stored in a clean jar in the refrigerator for later use. I prefer to have a chilled syrup.

For one glass of Rhubarb-Thyme Vodka Tonic Cocktail:

I use a 1:2 ratio.

¼ c. (60 ml.) chilled rhubarb-thyme vodka

½ c. (120 ml.) tonic, sparkling water or soda water.

1 ea. lime wedge

Fill a highball glass with ice. Add the vodka. Top with tonic, sparking water or soda water.

Garnish with a lime wedge. Serve and enjoy outside on your balcony or in your backyard.

Playing in Praga – Warsaw’s Wild Side

5/29/2015 01:30:00 AM by Joy7 comments

If you want to see what Warsaw looked like pre-World War II, you must cross one of the city’s bridges over the muddy Vistula River to the other side.

The neighborhood north of Park Skaryszewski, the largest park on Warsaw’s right bank, is called Praga. Local press has described this area as gritty, bo-ho and up-and-coming. One time my husband’s Polish colleague said I shouldn’t be in Praga alone because it was dangerous. I laughed because I was already in Praga, with my camera in tow, strolling around and taking photos in the spring sunshine. I’ve lived in enough big cities so that I wasn’t worried.

At one time, yes, Praga was home to more unscrupulous characters and minor criminal activity. However, with the recent opening of the second metro line, Praga seems to be taking on new life and modernization as I discovered during another stroll. Cobble-stoned Ząbkowska street features a couple new cafés, modern apartments as well as empty storefronts that are just ripe for Warsovian hipsters to take over.

What I love about Praga is its crumbling, bullet-ridden, pre-WWII tenement buildings! Some of these appear to be hanging on by a thread while others are currently undergoing renovations. Unlike the rest of Warsaw, Praga remained more intact post WWII…probably thanks to the Russian Army simply hanging out and waiting while the Nazis destroyed the city on the other side.

Over the past two years, I’ve strolled through Praga several times and finally compiled my 400+ photos into this single post. If you’re looking for a neighborhood off the normal tourist path, I’d recommend hanging out in Praga.

Old Tenement Buildings
The main tram stop for Praga from Stare Miasto stops right in front of St. Florian Church. A few blocks behind this 19^th-century church is Ząbkowska street, also known as Praga’s Old Town, which contains many old tenement buildings. The oldest surviving house here is located at no. 14, which dates from 1866. This street is where you’ll find some nice cafés and bars and is certainly ripe for development with all the current empty storefronts.

Communist-era newspapers decorate one of the passages along Ząbkowska street.

A cool cafe/bar at Łysy Pingwin, ul. Ząbkowska 11.

Bar Mleczny Ząbkowski, ul. Ząbkowska 2, is a classic Polish milk bar where you can enjoy very basic and cheap meals such as cabbage soup, pierogies and pork cutlets.

Don’t forget to look for all the fading architectural elements on these old tenement buildings! You can just imagine how beautiful Praga once was!

Bazar Różyckiego

Once regarded as Warsaw’s premier bazaar, the historic Bazar Różyckiego has seen its popularity wane since 1989. During Communism, a black market trade once thrived at the bazaar, which dates to 1901. Now, you’ll find cheap wedding dress, wigs and shoes. Great for photos, but I did feel slightly self-conscious using my expensive Canon camera here.

Ulica Brzeska and Street Art

Behind the bazaar is ulica Brzeska, home to some of Praga’s oldest buildings, dating back to 1874 and the early 1900s. The houses have eclectic, fading facades and you’ll find some quality street art along here as well. This street used to be known as the most dangerous street in Praga, but I’ve only found friendly locals that help pointed out things for me to photograph like the courtyard shrines!

Sea for Brzeska Mural (Mural Morze dla Brzeskiej) is located on one of the brick walls along ulica Brzeska.

Virgin Mary Shrines

Tucked into Praga’s numerous courtyards, you’ll find about 100 shrines dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The Catholic shrines usually feature a large statue of Virgin Mary as well as flowers and candles. The Poles built the shrines post WWII when organized religion was frowned upon. Some of the shrines look a little weathered, but they are still worth hunting for behind the buildings. Look for them along Ząbkowska, Targowa and Kępna streets, in particular.

Old Factories

Praga is home to several old factories. Most notable is the Gothic-looking Koneser, ul. Ząbkowska 27/31, a vodka factory dating from 1897. Instead of producing Polish vodka, Koneser now serves as modern cultural center with several art galleries, Praga tourist information office and hosts many local events.

What do you think of Praga? Would you venture over to Warsaw’s ‘wild side’?

Loved these different windows in Praga!

Sadly, many old buildings also are boarded up in Praga.

Housed in a Polish renaissance style building, Teatr Baj, Jagiellonska 28, is a children’s puppet theater now but formerly was the Jewish Educational Center when Praga was predominantly a Jewish neighborhood before WWII.

Warsaw Royal Castle’s Upper Gardens Now Open

5/25/2015 01:00:00 AM by Joy4 comments

Lucky me, Warsaw still continues to surprise me!

This weekend, I was in for treat when a friend shared photos about the newly opened upper gardens of the Warsaw Royal Castle (Zamek Królewski w Warszawie). The rear of the castle has been under construction for what seems like the whole two years we’ve lived here. And finally, the gardens opened this weekend to all visitors for free!

Not surprisingly, the castle has always had gardens which extended from the rear of the castle to the Vistula River. From 1818-1827, Polish architect Jakub Kubicki redesigned the gardens in a neoclassical style (hence the name Kubick Arkades). Now, nearly 200 years later, the gardens have been restored to their former glory; and it looks like more renovations may be in the works down the road according to the castle’s website and its garden plans.

Yesterday’s weather was slightly overcast, but plenty of Poles were out taking advantage of the brief sunshine and strolling through the new gardens. I joined them with my camera in hand and spent about an hour trying to get some good photos of the new gardens. I probably should return on a weekday morning so fewer people would be in the photos.

Stop by the new gardens for yourself someday soon! You can even enjoy a beer or other refreshment at the café located here as well while you soak up the sunshine!