Lviv Part 1

Ukrainian night trains are certainly an experience. I ended up hanging out with a load of Hungarians who were on their way home after a stag do in Kyiv. The conversation and beer flowed, but I was rather tired when I was awoken by the carriage attendant telling me that Lviv was just half an hour away and I needed to get my stuff ready to disembark. The night train was as you can imagine, fairly uncomfortable and a long time. Ukrainian railways are in dire need of investment and improvements, but then again, it's all part of the experience! Just be aware though, in the summer night trains are often fully booked, and you may not find them the most restful of experiences. Saying that, it's a cheap way to get around, as your transport and accommodation costs are included together, plus you then get the whole day to explore the city then.

I arrived in Lviv at about 5am or round abouts. There was no trams at that time, so it was a half and hour walk to the hostel. I stayed in Dream hostel Lviv. They were so helpful, I had contacted them before to say I would be arriving at that time, and they let me check in and gave me my bed, so I could have a bit of sleep before starting the day fresh and ready to explore. The hostel was clean, comfortable and full of light and space, and it really was a joy to stay there.

Considering how much I enjoyed the open air museum in Kyiv, my first stop was to visit the Museum of folk architecture and rural life. It was a fair walk from the centre of town (there is a tram that can take you much closer, but I decided that I wanted to walk through the parks and forest. The museum was joyful, so many beautiful buildings, all nestled together. There wasn't much activity there, in the meaning that there were no little cafe's open, or people in costume, and most of the houses were locked, but it was a real joy to wander through the museum and see the many examples of folk architecture.

                                            A wild Ukrainian animal that needed petting!

 Inside one of the folk houses. Notice the one room living, you could almost consider it open plan!

The Lviv historical museum and the museum of ethnography and crafts are worth visiting if you want to know more, or want to see more artefacts from the time periods. If not, then you can probably skip them without to many worries. Both were cheap enough to visit, and the ethnography museum is in the main square, not far from the statue who was rather cheaply dressed when I went past on my way to the museum!

                                                            The stunning courtyard!

Perhaps the highlight of Lviv (both in a metaphorical and literal sense) is the high castle mountain. It's a huge viewpoint of the city, and you can pretty much see from horizon to horizon on a clear day. It's also situated in a fabulous park, and the steep walk to the top of the hill has an awesome sort of Angkor Wat feel to it, you'll see what I mean in the pictures.

And this is Lviv cathedral. Okay, so it's certainly not the grandest or most opulent, but it did have a lovely atmosphere inside it, and despite being busy, it was a peaceful place to spend a few minutes looking at the statues and art that decorated it's walls.

Theres much more to Lviv, the second part will be here soon!