Chernivtsi

Chernivtsi is a very wonderful place. Its a vibrant and busy city, with some awesome things to see and do. But it can be a bit of a challenge to get to. Especially when coming from Uzhhorod. To be honest, it would probably have been easier to go back to Lviv, and then to catch a train or bus to Chernivtsi from there, but at the time, it seemed like a bit pointless going back and spending one more night there and then moving forward. The bus from Uzhhorod to Chernivtsi took twelve and a half hours. Yes you read that right, TWELVE (12) HOURS! I was in need of counselling by the time I arrived in Chernivtsi. Whats worse, was that the bus didn't even stop at the main bus station, it just dumped us all on a random roundabout outside the city by the river, and we were expected to make our own way from there, which I was not pleased with. That completely threw me, as I had worked out which trolleybus from the main bus station to catch to get me to the hostel. As it was, it was a good half an hour to walk in dusk and then night to get to where I needed to be, although I should'nt complain as it was nice to walk for a bit. I stayed in Pelican Hostel in Chernivtsi. It was clean, tidy, well looked after and a very pleasant place to stay, and the lady who runs it was friendly and helpful and spoke very good English. Its not far from the centre either, which was an added bonus.

 This was a picture of the river from the bridge and roundabout where the bus dumped us. My first view of Chernivtsi!

                                  There's always a Eurovision reference somewhere!

 These photo's were all taken in the botanical garden, situated in the large sprawling central park. It was lovely to walk through, everything was clearly labelled, and there were a lot of cats laying about sunning themselves, and they definitely didn't mind a bit of stroking!

                                 I'm hoping this was just a temporary emergency exit sign!

 Now Chernivtsi, being the capital of Ukrainian celebrity life, even has its own walk of fame. While I only recognised one name (Sofiya Rotaru, a very famous Ukrainian singer) it was nice to wander about to see who was who. (also a side note here, apparently actress Mila Kunis is from Chernivtsi, see if you can spot her star when you visit, as well as singers Ani Lorak and Mariya Yaremchuk. I really was rubbing shoulders with celebrities!)

The following pictures were all taken at the Folk museum. Alas, I was sorely disappointed by it. There was very little there, most things were not open, and perhaps more alarmingly, there was quite a few stray and aggressive dogs roaming about the museum. So to be honest, if you've been to another open air museum in Ukraine, then don't bother with this one.

Chernivsti is a very wonderful place. Its a vibrant and busy city, with some awesome things to see and do. It's a great start to the region of Bukovina, which also extends into Romania also. If you like to learn a little more about life here, the Jewish museum of Bukovina is a good place to visit. While it's not very big, it has audioguides, which give you a real in-depth description of Jewish life in the 19th and 20th centuries. And it's right by the walk of fame, so pay it a quick visit before lunchtime!

Next up, Ternopil!