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Eastern Europe has a meaning.

Flag Poland Flag Ukraine Orthodox chapel, cementry, woods, Ukraine.

Thursday, August 07 2009

5 years, 16 days

L'viv, Ukraine

About Travel Photography,
Colors of the World.

Manfred is creator of ThisFabTrek.com, travel photography, a travel blog and a photography blog (a journey from 2004 to 2013). 'I set out to see the colors of the world, always I try to capture the colors'.

Seeing, is understanding, so I report and photograph, but formost enjoy and live those different conceptions of life (all that TV [and the web] cannot give). I reject jealousy, animosity, bigotry. Be free!

Manfred in the desert of the Western Sahara

The mind, when pondering at night and always asked those questions. What am I doing in corporate wonderland of bank, university, office or church? Who is the other animal asleep deep inside, the thinker, punk, creative, or Indian, vagabond and healer, maybe artist, writer, photographer, traveler, globetrotter? Oh God, dare you to think. When I saw the lies, gambles and manipulations I follow the old dream and set out for the journey of life lived, the journey to see the colors of the world.

During years on the road I have taken the turns as they came along, and realized one thing: Only such a small part of the planet can be explored and such a vast land and sea mass will always remain unknown, to me; many swamps, jungles, deserts and oceans will never be traveled. But then I am father of twin boys, Daniel and David, my most important, and I show them some of the wonders and colors out there.

ThisFabTrek, Photography and Journey, the Stories from the Road and Life around the World, stopped in August 2013 after more than 9 years, Love and Peace.

Last vehicle.

G20, Chevy Gladiator.

Chevrolet Gladiator G20, The boys in Cordillera Blanca, Peru.
The boys and Chevy van, Peru.

The G20, the vehicle that came to me for the Americas adventures.

6 wheeled Land Rover.

Land Rover Defender 6x6
Link to Foley

The vehicle of the Africa adventures, a Foley 6-Wheeled Land Rover Defender.

Before, the MB307.

Manfred and MB307
Journey, Middle East.

The vehicle of the Middle-East and North-Cape Journeys. See all vehicles.

Daniel and David with nanny Aisha, the best we ever had, black African Woman carrying white twin babies, in Bamako, Mali.

current MB307 1,714km

Trekking 442km

Ferry 1,650km

Train 3,738km

Land Rover 73,588km

Other cars 71,484km

Travel Blog

contains Festival/Fiesta/Art photography.

"There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come." - Victor Hugo.

"What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it, to tell the tale." Living to Tell the Tale - Gabriel García Márquez.

"They never taught wandering in any school I attended. ... they never taught the art of writing a book, either. It's all so mysterious."
"Wandering is an art in itself. Wandering and writing don't mix"
"Writing demands commitment and if one thing your wanderer is allergic to is that very quality of commitment, for once one is committed he runs that very risk of failure ..." Wanderer - Sterling Hayden.

"Photography enables you to grasp a place first time round. ... Photography is a means of exploration, it's a vital part of travel, almost as essential as a car or a plane. " - Wim Wenders.

"The worst prejudice we acquire during our youth is the idea that life is serious. Children have the right instincts: they know that life is not serious, and treat it as a game..." , Egon Friedell.

"How far you gonna go. Before you lose your way back home" - Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World, Achtung Baby, U2.

"If you want to be a hero well just follow me." - Working Class Hero, John Lennon.

"When I think of all the things I have done, I know that it's only just begun." - I love you, Lou Reed.

"One does not escape the Sahara - the Sahara let's you go or not" - Touareg.

"Planet earth is blue and there`s nothing I can do" - This is Ground Control to Major Tom, David Bowie.

"Glory for the crazy people/in this stupid world" - Ahmed Fouad Negm.

www.thisfabtrek.com > journey > europe > ukraine > 20090807-l-viv

Poland first.

Map, Journey touching Poland and Ukraine.

Download GPS (KML) track/waypoints.

Out of Slovakia, out of the Euro zone (wiki) again. It's Polish Zloty, yeah, yeah, Europe and EU does not mean Euro, may mean Euro, also does not necessarily mean Schengen (wiki). There is no border post from Austria into Hungary, into Slovakia, none from Slovakia into Poland (because these are all Schengen countries), there is a border post crossing from Poland into Ukraine, because the latter isn't part of the EU (members on wiki). There are border posts between Romania and Serbia because Serbia isn't part of EU, Bulgaria and Greece, both EU but Greece is Schengen, Bulgaria isn't. Arrgh. Complicated for non Europeans and Europeans.

Przemysl, San river.
Przemysl, San river.

5th of Aug and I dig up the few Polish words I know, Dziękujemy and Dzień dobry, my sparse knowledge of Polish food. There is so much more that I don't know about Poland.

Rzeszow is eating Bigos and Pierogi, drinking Zywiec and Wyborowa, polska wódka. Przemysl on the San river already means leaving the country. I know one day I have to go on an extended polska journey to do appeasement to my old "Polish connection".

Przemysl, Poland.
Przemysl, Poland.
Church, Poland.
Church and yard.
House in Przemysl.
House.
Przemysl, Cathedral
Cathedral

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L'viv or Lemberg as it was once known.

L'viv, Ukraine. Cobblestone street, Ladas, old architecture.
Ladas on cobblestone.

That evening we descend on L’viv amid torrential rains, dark clouds towering over an even darker unlit city. On a broad downward sloping boulevard we enter the threatening black town centre, the narrow-gauged tram slides downhill as slow as it can, avoid slipping, derailing in this weather, busses and cars try go round the big potholes and puddles, prudently make it over the rails, there are huge steps between the troughs and the tramway, cobblestones have not been put back in place for decades. People on way from work in the rain, soaked wet, shelter is not for everyone, busses and trams come late, nothing works it seems. It all reminds me a bit of East Berlin after the fall of the wall. A good omen as we will find out.

L'viv is like Vienna, the Ottomans tried here in vein to capture the city (1672, Vienna was 1529 and 1683). Today L’viv (wiki) is regarded as one of the main cultural centers of today's Ukraine (wiki): Diversity in ethnic and religious heritage, imperial architecture, Austrian/Hungarian then Polish, most has survived the Soviets and WW2, theaters, palaces, grand squares and boulevards, cobblestones, now clean and peaceful, on UNESCO world heritage list, the best Ukrainian city to live in.

Ukraine means another currency the Hryvnia, another language, another alphabet. Here not even my sparse knowledge of Polish can help. But it is not the renaissance or baroque or classical Italian or Viennese architecture that strikes it is the simple friendliness of Ukrainians when I helplessly stare at a menu, try to buy a burger, or figure out the exchange rate and the price of a beer in real moneys. Although some, especially men still look like they're out of a KGB shooting and drinking club, short neck and red face. There is a drinking and smoking problem.

In L'viv it is worth bearing in mind the ferocious history of occupation, reconquering, Ukraine's role, the pin ball for the greater powers' games, Hitler/Stalin pact, partition, move of Poland’s borders westwards, famines, mass killings and deportations of Jews/Poles/Gypsies/then Germans/Artists/Intellectuals. How do you change the entire population, more then once? During the great wars L’viv’s population was 66% Polish, 24% Jewish. Now is 88% Ukrainian, 9% Russian, 1% Polish, Jews even less.

Ukrainian currency, Hryvnia exchange rates, posted on signboard.
New currency and writing.
Tramway in L'viv.
Tramway.
Tram in Ukraine.
Church and tram..
Woman on Flowermarket, L'viv.
Flowers.
Book market, L'viv, church of assumption.
Books.
Central L'viv, Lemberg. Bicycle
Biker.
The Armenian orthodox church area. L'viv.
Back street.
In the backyard of the Armenian orthodox church, L'viv.
behind Armenian church.
Entry to church of assumption, L'viv.
Church entry.
History museum, L'viv.
History museum, pink lady.
Ukraine, Lemberg, L'viv, market square, old city center
Once called Lemberg.
Theater, Opera Ballet, L'viv.
Opera Ballet Theater
Orthodox Piety. Woman kissing crucifix. L'viv, Ukraine.
Piety.

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Ternopil and then south, orthodox churches in Ukraine.

I wish I could stay longer in L'viv, I am impressed with L'viv how it is not caught up in the fast paced consumerism of other places, kept in some idealised state. Hmm, is just me romanticising. - This trip is not about the Ukraine. It seems though I will have to come back one day, it is a vast country.

One night and morning in L'viv, parked central, around noon we continue, next city Ternopil, which is not Chernobyl. Then we head back to the Carpathian Mountains.

Ternopil Cathedral, Ukraine
Has a Cathedral.
Green Cupola on orthodox church in Ternopil, Green old van in front. Ukraine.
Some other orthodox Church.

There are so many more, beautiful, golden or silver layered Eastern orthodox churches in Ukraine, you may find another one at every corner, behind the next bend or hill. There will be more churches in Romania. Turn the page.

Chapel orthodox, Ukraine, blinking roof.
Blinking roof.
Capel Ukraine
Chapel.
Ukraine orthodox chapel, cementry.
Countryside cementry.
Church Ukraine.
Golden roofs.

www.thisfabtrek.com > journey > europe > ukraine > 20090807-l-viv

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