Jan 18, 2017
Minsk & Brest
Belarus is probably the only European country I need a visa to visit (in addition to Russia). I arranged my tourist visa through a travel agency (they don't do transit visa). The travel agency was helpful but the whole process took almost a month so early preparation is essential. I chose to get visa on arrival at Minsk Airport and paid the ultra-expensive fee of 180 euro at the airport visa office. The officer questioned about my travel insurance. After I showed him the policy was "worldwide", he was OK.
Minsk is famous for its Stalinist buildings built after World War II and two important museums: Museum of the Great Patriotic War and Belarusian State Art Museum. I visited the later and checked out the famous "Minsk on July 3, 1944" painting on the top floor. I also went to Traetsjae Pradmestse. Perhaps because of winter, there was not much to see.
A 4.5 hour train brought me to Brest, in southwestern Belarus, not too far from the borders with Hungry and Ukraine. It happened to be around sunset time when I arrived, so I rushed to the "big star" - entrance to Brest Fortress. There isn't really a fortress there but a park area with some ruins of the White Palace. Overall, the "star" is most impressive.
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| Entrance to Brest Fortress |
Belavezhskaya Pushchair National Park
I actually stayed at a hotel 1 km from Belavezhskaya Pushchair National Park overnight so I could get up early at sunrise to check out the "zoo" at the park. Belavezhskaya Pushchair National Park is famous for its European bison, the largest animal in Europe. Since it's still not easy to spot wild animals in the forests the park established a "zoo" near the entrance to show visitors European bison and other animals in the area. Still not bad.
Getting back to Brest and connecting to another bus to Kovel in Ukraine just in time. The bus took 3.5 hours including formalities at the border (on exiting Belarus, passengers are required to get off the bus for passport control, while on entering Ukraine, the officer just gets on the bus to collect passports). At Kovel, I bought another bus ticket for Lviv and had some nice pasta and salad at a trendy restaurant near the bus station. There is definitely more English spoken in Ukraine! The bus to Lviv took about 4.5 hours and on arrival the lovely tram took me to the city center (old city) for just 2 hryvnia.
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| An European Bison at Belavezhskaya Pushcha National Park |
Jan 20, 2017
Lviv & Kiev
I got up early and had a nice Ukrainian breakfast at Puzata Hata (including Borscht and Kasha - both soups), then walked around the old city until 9am when the tower of the town hall opened. Climbing the tower isn't too hard and the view from the top is truly rewarding.
Ukraine is a relatively larger country in Eastern Europe. Since air tickets are extremely cheap (especially if you purchase in advance), I decided to travel from Lviv to Kiev and from Kiev to Odessa by air to save time. Trolley bus No. 9 goes to the airport from University (on the edge of the old city) in just 20 minutes - another reason to love Lviv!
Kiev Airport is another story - it's about 35 km from the city. Luckily, there is a SkyBus going to the south side of the train station, though it's not particularly cheap (80 hryvnia). The journey takes about an hour.
I walked through the train station to get to the north side then walked along the main road directly opposite the train station for about 10 minutes. There is a bus stop and from there I took bus No. 24 to get to the main entrance to Pecherska Lavra (about 30 minutes). The general entrance fee to the complex is 20 hryvnia but each "site" inside has separate ticket. I checked out Mykola Syadristy Microminiatures Museum and climbed the Great Lavra Bell Tower (40 hryvnia each - both worth the price). Then there is a long walk to the lower Lavra to see the mummified monks in the caves. After the cave visit, I exited the lower Lavra to the road near Dnipro River and walked 15 minutes to Dnipro metro (station actually on top of the bridge over the river). A short metro ride took me to the city center and I had a chance to have a glimpse of St Sophia's Cathedral before sunset.
The flight to Odessa was 90 minutes late due to "technical reasons". Ukraine Airlines International provided free sandwiches and bottle water to passengers. As I already bought a sandwich at the airport for dinner, I saved the sandwich from the airline for breakfast next morning. The hotel I stayed at in Odessa was the 4-star Mozart Hotel with a fridge inside the room. Ground transportation at Odessa Airport wasn't as straightforward as in Lviv and Kiev. After some negotiations, I still paid 200 hryvnia for the 7 km taxi ride to the city center.
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| Kiev Pechersk Lavra |
Jan 21, 2017
Odessa & Transnistria
I got up early again in the morning to have some walk in Odessa city center. The Potemkin Steps are not as impressive as expected and the nearby funicular isn't open until 10am. The steps are not that long so the climb back isn't hard at all. Bul Prtnorsky is pleasant though there isn't much to see in winter. The most impressive building in Odessa is definitely the Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater, just opposite Mozart Hotel where I stayed. The hotel itself was quite OK. However, when I checked out, they asked me to pay a city tax (around 27 hryvnia) which is totally expected. But when I handed over a 50 hryvnia bill, they said they didn’t have change and refused my proposal to give me 1 USD (the same amount) instead. They took my 50 hryvnia note and didn't give me any receipt. A taxi to the bus station cost 100 hryvnia - considerably more expensive then Kiev and Lviv. Overall, the Russian-speaking Odessa is less regulated and more expensive.
Buses to Tiraspol in Transdniestr are not as frequent as expected. I arrived at the bus station at 10am only to get the next bus departing at 12:20pm. A good thing about Ukraine is there are many free public Wi-Fi hot spots. Odessa Bus Station is no exception so there was some time to kill.
The “bus” to Tiraspol is actually a mini-van and it only took a little bit over 2 hours to get there. Border crossing was extremely straightforward, without any trouble as described by some on the internet. Tiraspol is said to be “Soviet” but it doesn't look that different. Transdniestr has its own currency but they use Moldovian stamps. The most interesting building is the grand House of Soviets (City Hall), with an angry-looking Lenin statue in front.
Trolley bus No. 19 took me to Bender in 30 minutes. Bender is the only major town under the control of Transdniestr on the west bank of Dniestr River. There was a bloody war here in 1992 and many people died. There is a memorial near the entrance to the town to remember the victims. There is also a City Hall in Bender, though the building is not as “grand” as its counterpart in Tiraspol. From Bender I took a bus to Chisinau (90 minutes, with only Transdniestr exit checkpoint and no Moldova entry stamp, as Moldova doesn't recognize the self-claimed “independent” Transdniestr).
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| Tiraspol City Hall |
Jan 22, 2017
Moldova & London
The Romanian-speaking Chisinau is definitely more westernized, with good restaurants, trendy people and more English signs. However, side roads even in the city center are kind of bumpy. The major sites of the city are two parks diagonally opposed to each other - Parcul Catedralei and Gradina Publica Stefan cel Mare si Sfint. Things not to miss are the Arc de Triomphe on the main road next to Parcul Catedrale, the Orthodox Cathedral inside Parcul Catedrale and a statue of Stefan cel Mare at the entrance to Gradina Publica Stefan cel Mare si Sfint.
Moldova is famous for its wines and many tourists visit wine cellars. I'm not a big fan of alcohol so I decided to check out Orcheiul Vechi, a monastery complex on top of a dramatic cliff. There is a new church there but the most import one is actually the old Cave Monastery, entered from a small door of a bell tower. When I got there, there were many local people as it was a Sunday. Exiting from the back door of the Cave Monastery is a breathtaking view of the river and the cliff. I arranged a taxi from Chisinau to Orcheiul Vechi and back to Chisinau Airport. It cost the equivalent of 30 USD (yes the taxi driver used meters!) Exit passport control was also very smooth (even though I didn’t have Moldova entry stamp).
The 3 hour flight from Chisinau to London was by the professionally-run budget airline Wizz. They only allow a small carry-on bag for free and that's not a problem for light travelers like me. The flight arrived at London Luton Airport ahead of schedule. The combined bus+train ride to King’s Cross in central London (about 1 hour) was also smooth. However, I had some trouble locating the Travelodge hotel I booked in advance and walked about 30 minutes to finally find the right one (there are 3 Travelodge hotels in the King’s Cross area). It's a lesson! The Travelodge hotel I booked is actually the central one (closest to King’s Cross underground station). The room is very clean and staff helpful. The only problem I found later is the noise from the trains all the time!
London is such a cultural capital and there is no shortage of activities at night. I chose to check out the best comedy show in town - Angel Comedy, about 30 minutes walk from my hotel. Although I didn't fully understand all, the atmosphere was quite good and it's really a good place to relax, and laugh.
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| Orheiul Vechi |
Jan 23, 2017
London
My flight back to Vancouver is in the afternoon and I had a couple of hours in the morning to spend. I had been to London a few times and had seen some “famous” sites. This time I decided to see some relatively less touristy “sites”.
My first stop was Broadcasting House, the BBC headquarters. There are no guided tours anymore but visitors are allowed to get into the cafe to have a view of the open-plan newsroom through the window (no photos allowed). Interesting experience.
My second stop was Trafalgar Square which I learned about from high school when listening to BBC Radio. Apart from Nelson’s Column in the center of the square, there are some famous buildings around the square, including the National Gallery, Canada House, South Africa House, etc.
My last stop was Bank of England, in the City of London. There is a free museum open to the public, a good place to learn the history of the bank. A highlight of the museum is a 400 troy ounce (13 kg) gold bar that visitors can try to lift.
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| Bank of England |
Summary
The short visit to the 3 east most Eastern European countries was rewarding. Very few (non-Russian) tourists visit those countries, especially in the winter. Belarus is Stalinist, while Transdniestr is Soviet. Ukraine and Moldova are more westernized and more English is spoken. Orthodox churches are all over the countries, with Pecherska Lavra in Kiev and Orcheiul Vechi in Moldova the highlights. Transit in London was no waste of time and I checked out a couple of things of great interest to me.
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