Another mixed-up Ukrainian day.
I got the overnight train from Chernivsti to Lviv last night. The one guy in my carriage at the start was a lawyer, and spoke some English, and more German. He was nice, so we chatted a bit. We were woken by the arrival of a Russian Ukrainian couple in the middle of the night, who seemed to have saved their conversation (and meals) all day so they could have them in our carriage in the middle of the night.
When we were leaving the train this morning, the lawyer said he was going the same way as one of the sights I wanted to see, and did I want to go with him, as he had time before his court appointment? He doesn’t like public transport, so we ended up walking about 5km (more with detours) to the Lychakivsky Cemetary. It was actually a lovely introduction to the city, and I coped a lot better after we stopped for coffee, and he was able to translate things I never would have guessed.
We had a very late breakfast (of pizza, again) then he went to court and I went to do more touristy things.
On the way, I passed the Lviv Tourist Board office, so I thought I’d pop in and get some free maps and ask a few questions. When I got to their office, there were two signs on the door: “Lviv Tourist Board – Always with you and for you” and “Closed until September 7”. So much for that.
I will have to post a link when I remember how I found them, because I’m staying in the best apartment in the world. It’s right on Rynok, and it was really affordable, and it’s just lovely. I can see the town hall from my bed. And it has a kitchen, so I’m not stuck with waitresses trying to sneak meat into my meals (happened again last night but I spotted it before eating anything).
I really like what I’ve seen of Lviv so far. It’s rainy so tomorrow I’ll check out some museums and the coffee bars that Min recommended. Life could be worse.