Another stop on the Dnieper River near its confluence with the Samara was the city Dnipro. The river was considerably widened by the construction of a dam about 80 km downstream. Founded in 1783 as Katerynoslav on the river’s north bank, the settlement was moved to its present site on the...
We have parked in the center of the Kharkiv next to the river, just 40km from the Russian border. The city is home to Russian-speaking intelligentsia – scientists and engineers who turned it into the brain center of the Soviet defense industry in the 1960s. Their grandchildren are now...
A short two hours stop was long enough to visit Poltava, a city in east-central Ukraine. It lies along the Vorskla River. Archaeological evidence dates the city from the 8th to the 9th century, although the first documentary reference is from 1174 when it was variously known as Oltava or...
It is called the pottery capital of Ukraine. Opishnya is a unique center of ceramic production in Ukraine with its own creative face and a unique historically formed range of household and decorative products. It is the highest town of the Poltava region, situated on seven hills that were...
Another stop on our way to the east was Myrhorod – a little spa town on the Khorol River in the Poltava region. It was founded in the mid-16th century, and in 1575 was granted town status and selected as a Cossack regimental center by King Stephen Báthory of Poland. Myrhorod played an...
After a long time driving to the east, we have stopped for an overnight at Pryluky city located on the Udai River in north-central Ukraine. Near the city is a major strategic bomber base – Ukraine’s largest airfield. It is one of the oldest cities in Ukraine, being first...
It’s not so easy to find parking and water in Ukraine, but on our way to Chernihiv we were lucky, we met friendly Jura and his family at the little tire repair shop on the highway. We refilled our water tank there and later he guided us to the best parking location in the city – just in...
We have booked in advance our private tour to Chernobyl (3354 UAH / person), at the checkpoint “Dytyatki” we met our guide and started 9 hours exploration of the highly radioactive site of the worst nuclear accident in history (25.04.1986). The disaster took place near the...
Finally, our friend Peter has arrived and joined our tour in Kyiv – the capital city with an ancient and proud history. The city stands on the Dnieper River just below its confluence with the Desna. As the center of Kyivan Rus, the first eastern Slavic state, 1,000 years ago, it...
We made one hour stop at Carmelite (Roman Catholic) monastery with impressive brick walls. It was founded in 1482 as a Lithuanian fortress. The 16th-century walls survived, as does the Church of Our Lady, which lords over the complex, dates to the 17th century. The French novelist Honoré...