For a while we were sure we would get into some kind of trouble by overstaying our visa in Ukraine because of the Covid travel restrictions, but once we were convinced (at maybe the fourth visa office we visited) that there would be no problem we decided to make the most of it and go around to the farther corners of this country. We started with Chernihiv. a city around 50 miles south of the border with Belarus (or 30 miles east of it, because of a finger of that country poking southward). More concerning to the residents of Chernihiv was their being less than 50 east of Chernobyl. Many from this city lived, worked, and died in that city.
Conversation and ice cream at the Chernihiv Train and Bus Station.
Chernihiv, like almost all of the sizeable cities of Ukraine, have a Soviet-era tank on display.I love these buses. They remind me of the “Killer Tomatoes” in Guatemala City. But these are much safer, of course. We were fortunate that our apartment was right on this avenue, Five stories up. We were able to do a lot of people-watching while enjoying our pizza. By the way, in all of our time in Ukraine we hardly ever stayed in hotels. It was usually apartments that were available. Available though often hard to find!Chernobyl Memorial of the Disaster of 1986. Not only did many of the citizens of this city die during the meltdown and cleanup, but also prevailing winds over Chernihiv brought additional problems.One of the best features of Chernihiv is this very spacious forest park extending southward from the city to the Desna River. Aside from the wildlife we met some interesting people. This friendly lady met us with her farmyard entourage, a cow, two goats, and a mule, all looking rather well-fed. With my halting Russian we were able to have a conversation of sorts for several minutes. I wonder how she is doing now.
This is one of the biggest draws of travel for us – meeting local people and trying to make a connection, trying to understand a country by its people, not merely gawking at, and “selfie-ing” in front of touristic “must-see” sites.
A Tale of Two Cities … and Two Airplanes: Chernihiv and Nizhyn
I could not ask for a better segue from the last city to this next one.
Two Tupolev Tu-22 airplanes from the Nizhyn Air Base collided quite near that city. The two pilots ejected from their planes. So far so good. But one of the planes flew on! Unmanned. For 52 minutes. Heading right for the next city I am writing about! After 52 minutes the plane finally crashed a few hundred meters from the train station on the south side of town. Of course, the terse Wiki article I read this from raises twice as many questions as answers: Why did the one pilot so quickly leave an apparently functioning airplane? What happened to the other plane? Were there casualties on the ground? Were these pilots, presumably still in training, ever held responsible?
Here is a woman memorialized who was a much better pilot, a World War Two hero for the Soviet cause, Gubina Lyubov Mikhailovna who, says the inscription, “died a brave death“.A closer look at that delapidated church behind Gubina in the previous photo. The Trinity Church was built in 1733. I am sure this place of worship had auspicious beginnings but, for decades now, the glory has long since departed. The church is fenced off. No one can get inside. People were breaking in to take what was not nailed down. Others, more respectable, spaded up the yard to grow potatoes, hops, and who knows what else. Money for restoration was available but it had been siphoned off to other priorities or pockets.
Nizhyn was a very interesting city. I wish we could have stayed longer. Not only are there a number of ancient churches and other buildings but also some of the homes were quite quaint and arresting in their variety. Also, we had occasion to go on some enjoyable nature walks. “When Goldenrods last in the dooryard bloomed…” (Apologies, Walt). The four photos on the ends show the variety of private homes in Nizhyn. (This image can be selected for a much better view.) The center photo is of our nature walk along the Oster River. The path, after a hundred meters, trends right through the woods and comes out at an oxbow, what used to be river, now a luxuriant marshy area. And, judging by the many fishermen we saw there, rich in fishes. It would be great to come back here.
Well, I thought that – until I came across a recent news report of mines being detected on the outskirts of the city, one person already seriously injured. Maksym Kyrychuk, the Ukrainian army battalion commander was unclear as to who had laid the mines.
“It could have been Ukrainian territorial defense units.“, he admitted.
A sad update on those houses pictured above: I received a report yesterday (May 17) that Russian missile strikes have damaged or destroyed eighty percent of the homes in Nizhyn.
Local transportation. They also had much more modern buses. I was just intrigued by the four Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) canisters mounted atop the bus. Good idea. I wish America would embrace this method more.Lots happening around the Neptune Sporting Goods store. I love the brickwork design on the store. I hope it is still undamaged from the recent fighting in this city. More importantly, I hope the people are finally able to get back to normalcy and peace.As we are waiting for our train to Myrhorod this Jackdaw is waiting for a handout.
MYRHOROD: City of Peace
And up until recent months the city, for the most part, lived up to its name. It was founded as a fortress on the turbulent frontier of Kievan Rus. The 12th and 13th centuries saw this area at times threatened on several sides by powerful entities: Poles, Lithuanians, Turks, and others. It is said that that peace treaties were hammered out here, thus the name “City of peace” – Myrhorod (Миргород).
Fishing the still waters of the Khorol River. I think maybe the river at this place is dammed up or possibly even cut off from the rest of the river. Behind him are a couple of the Kurorts (health resorts). There seems to be from six to eight resorts in this town. “Since 1912, Myrhorod is known for its underground mineral waters.” (Wikipedia).
How many are operating now (May 2022)? Reading several of the reviews of these resorts in Google I have not found any that are more recent than March.Left: Entrance to a Health Resort. Center:Hops. Like several towns in Ukraine, Myrhorod has hops growing all over like weeds. Very useful for nighttime teas. Right: Candid shot of a sidewalk market along the main street, selling local produce. Onetime local resident Nikolai Gogol would heartily approve. He wrote that “a man who works on the land is purer, nobler, higher, and more moral.“. Speaking of Gogol, we meet him again at the train station. This Russian author has written quite a lot about Ukraine, especially this town and the region around it. The most famous of these works is Taras Bulba, part of his Myrgorod Tales.
This is the train that takes us to our next destination, Poltava. Trains in Ukraine are of two varieties: Modern, quick and expensive, like this one, and old, creaky, and cheap, like the one we rode into Izyum.
But this, also, probably has changed I read that this rail line has now been severed by the Russians.
More to come later. These blog entries always get more involved than I originally plan. The more I research the more interesting bits of information I find. I hope you find this interesting too.
From NOwhere 2 nowHERE 