For my stay in Lviv I had found no couchsurfing host, but online the Ukrainian Home Hostel. Taxi drivers met the train but I only had a Euro's worth of the currency so I dragged my luggage to where the banks were, but they were locked. Sunday! Luckily I found a moneychanger sharing space with a pet supply shop who directed me to the bus for the hostel and exchanged my dollars. I passed a church and paused to enjoy the choral music streaming out. After numerous "Pajalusta, gde Lepkovo?" I found the hostel, rang the bell, entered the lobby full of luggage of departing guests, with a young girl in charge. There was a resident cat, as I knew from the website. Because I had not booked online, lacking my Visa card, the charge was double my expectations so I resolved to stay just a single night and headed out for the sights. The place was busy in season and on weekends, but a couple from Moscow were the only other guests. I raided the Free Food box of cookies left behind, made coffee and tea, and refrigerated my butter, yogurt and cheese.
Natalia gave me a map and marked the cheap restaurants on it, and I headed out to discover Lviv. Svobody (Freedom) Prospect was full of people. I walked its length to the opera house and then visited the National Museum - icons and secular, even modern paintings. I walked to Palatz Pototskykh to a disappointing exhibit recommended by the usually reliable Lviv "In Your Pocket" free guidebook series. I made sure to see Georges de la Tour's Payment of Dues, which was highlighted. There was also a mandatory exhibit of Trypillian gold from ancient Moldovan, Roumanian, Ukrainian cultures.
I headed for the Ploscha Rynok, Market Square and city hall, but museums were closing. So I set off for Puzata Hata, the Ukrainian cafeteria, and shared a table with a Belarussian working for an NGO that monitors elections. He walked me to a supermarket, pointing out the statue and bar/cafe of Masoch, from whom our word Masochism comes. A chocolate shop, a strudel shop...walking past Ivan Franko park in the dark I saw dozens of lighted paper lanterns ascending into the night sky - it was a flashmob! At the hostel I saw "free laundry" and took advantage. No dryers seem to exist in Europe, everything dries on a rack.
Chatting with Natalia I mentioned the morning train. She looked online and saw that just one seat remained unsold. I dressed again and dashed for the bus. You toss your 2 hrinyas paper note (a quarter) on the carpet next to the driver to pay. My heart was in my mouth, but I got to the station and bought that last remaining seat. Though it was a day train there was bedding and everyone napped. A sweet farmwoman living on a tiny pension of $100 a month insisted on sharing her kielbasa, bread and cheese with me. A pretty stylish girl with a good command of English was applying in Kiev to be a tour-guide to 50-something Americans flying between Budapest, Kiev and Ukraine. I read Scaramouche.
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