Ukraine Trip Post #14--Ukraine Trip Wrapup & Trip Tips

(To see everything from my Ukraine trip, see here.)

This wrapup post will address things people have asked as well as tips for taking such a trip.  If you have other tips, please add them to the comments so that future readers can benefit!

Safety

Many people asked me if I felt safe in Ukraine.  I felt entirely safe during the entire trip.  The only time I even saw a mention of the conflict with Russia was in shops and at markets in Lviv.

Ukrainians aren't fans of Putins.  They also sell lots of Putin doormats.

Ukraine Trip Post #13--Day 9 (September 9, 2016), Part 2

(To see everything from my Ukraine trip, see here.)

As mentioned in my previous post, my 10th great grandfather (Dovid HaLevi Segal "The Ta'Z) lived in Lviv.  He was buried in the old cemetery--which was entirely razed and covered over by the Nazis and then the Soviets.  It is currently the site of a huge market.

Lviv's Old Jewish Cemetery :(

Ukraine Trip Post #12--Day 9 (September 9, 2016), Part 1

(To see everything from my Ukraine trip, see here.)

On Friday, we toured around Lviv, which is a beautiful city with a ton of history.

In Lviv

There were fragments of Lviv's Jewish past all over.

Ukraine Trip Post #11--Day 8 (September 8, 2016), Part 2

(To see everything from my Ukraine trip, see here.)

Before leaving the mountains, we made one more stop in Kolodne.  When we had been there two days earlier, we were told of a woman named Nanika, whose husband had been a Jewish man named Avrum who had survived the war.  He eventually converted, changed his name to Ivan, and married Nanika.  Avrum/Ivan had died years earlier, but perhaps Nanika knew something about the Jewish community.

In Kolodne

Ukraine Trip Post #10--Day 8 (September 8, 2016), Part 1

(To see everything from my Ukraine trip, see here.)

Mikhael picked us up again the next morning.  Once we heard we were heading to Dulovo (formerly Dulfalva), he said he had a friend in that town, just had he had in Kryva the previous day.  We drove up into the mountains and picked up Mikhael's friend who directed us to the Jewish cemetery.  There was a man in the cemetery with a chainsaw and axe clearing it; he told us that a man named Israelovitch from Kiev had approached the town mayor about cleaning it up, and this man was hired.

Dulovo's Jewish Cemetery

Ukraine Trip Post #9--Day 7 (September 7, 2016), Part 2

(To see everything from my Ukraine trip, see here.)

Next, we headed towards Bilovartsi, home of my Vizel family.  We asked for directions to the Jewish cemetery and after driving down a gravel "road," we thought we were there but didn't see any cemetery.  There was an old lady nearby, and we asked her, and she pointed up.  And that's how I ended up going mountain climbing in Ukraine.

View from the Bilovartsi Cemetery

Ukraine Trip Post #8--Day 7 (September 7, 2016), Part 1

(To see everything from my Ukraine trip, see here.)

We started out early Wednesday morning with Mikhael picking us up in the center of Khust.  He asked where we wanted to go, and I said Kryva (accenting the first syllable).  He was confused.  I repeated it several times and finally brought it up on Google Maps.  His response: "Ah, KryVEH!"  Apparently the accent is on the last syllable, and it makes a difference. My Vizel family lived in Kryva and Bilovartsi right across the river.

On the way to Kryva

Ukraine Trip Post #7--Day 6 (September 6, 2016), Part 2

(To see everything from my Ukraine trip, see here.)

At this point, it was mid-afternoon, so there were still a few hours of light left--so I wanted to head towards Kolodne.  We tried to hire the one cab waiting nearby, but the young driver (after checking for Kolodne's location) wasn't comfortable driving into the mountains--so he called an "old man" who knew the mountains better.  When Mikhael "Misha" showed up, he was a man probably in his 40s!  I guess everything is relative.  Mikhael was game for driving to Kolodne, so we set out.

Welcome to Kolodne!

Ukraine Trip Post #6--Day 6 (September 6, 2016), Part 1

(To see everything from my Ukraine trip, see here.)

On the overnight train from Vinnitsa to Mukachevo (formerly Munkacs), I actually slept.  The solution: sleep with noise-cancelling headphones playing a white noise app.  I highly recommend that strategy!

View from the train

Ukraine Trip Post #5--Day 5 (September 5, 2016), Vinnitsa

(To see everything from my Ukraine trip, see here.)

While I spent most of September 5 in the Vinnitsa Archive, we also had time during lunch and after the archive closed to see Vinnitsa.

Downtown Vinnitsa

Ukraine Trip Post #4--Day 5 (September 5, 2016), Vinnitsa Archives

(To see everything from my Ukraine trip, see here.)

On Monday, I decided to see what I could find in Vinnitsa Archives.

Vinnitsa Archives by night

Ukraine Trip Post #3--Days 3-4 (September 3-4, 2016)

(To see everything from my Ukraine trip, see here.)

Once Shabbos was over, we headed to the Lviv train station for an overnight train from Lviv to Vinnitsa.

My train ticket

Ukraine Trip Post #2--Day 2 (September 2, 2016)

(To see everything from my Ukraine trip, see here.)

We had spent the night in Shklyn, so we started driving through the town.  We saw two ladies on the side of the road, and one of them brought us to an older lady's home. She didn't recognize the name Fine, but when I said my great-great grandfather was Moshe Dovid Fine or Moshko, she got excited.  She said she remembered "Moshko the Jew" and said he was a very nice man.  She would be taking care of her cow, and he would stop and say hi to her.  She remembers when his family would come to visit him in Shklyn.

View from across the road from my great-great grandfather's house

Ukraine Trip Post #1--Day 1 (September 1, 2016)

(To see everything from my Ukraine trip, see here--I'll be posting regularly.)

I'm just back from a spectacular trip to Ukraine, which was more successful than I could have imagined.  I'll be posting details of what I saw here, so stay tuned!

It took a long flight to get to Vienna from Washington, a layover in Vienna where I had time to walk around the city center, and then another flight to Lviv. Did I mention I can't sleep on planes?

Here I go!!