Spring break in the Carpathians Mar-Apr 2015

In Kyiv central train station as our holiday began.

At the end of March and beginning of April we had a week's school holiday and travelled by train to the Carpathian Mountains to a small town called Yaremche. It is down in a valley but is at about 550 metres above sea level. It was a great time. We expected that we would see snow on the heights but not fairly heavy snow in the town itself, which we did. We spent many hours most days there walking and scrambling through the hills around the town.

This was one place where we could actually see the trail.  The snow had not begun in earest but the cloud was very low.

There was was a track we found that could be used to reach the highest point in that area of the Carpathians and we decided to try to reach it.  It will stand out as one of our most memorable days in Ukraine. The description of the track was that it was rocky at first and then you reached the meadow area and after crossing that you reached the summit. Rocky track was a very generous description.  It was basically a steep hillside covered with large boulders that you clambered over as best you could. Eventually you reach the top of the ridge and follow that ridge line to the highest point. The views were spectacular but we couldn't always see them because the cloud came down and snow began falling unexpectedly and fairly heavily.  Eventually in the distance at the top of a steep, steep snow-covered hill we saw the cross marking the summit.  With many stops and much puffing and panting on my part we made it to the top at 984.5 m! 

We emerged above the clouds.  I felt like Edmund Hillary on Everest.

It was cold and windy. The return down this mountain required a long hike back, so we only stayed there about fifteen minutes taking in the views – it was like being on the top of a beautiful, unknown world.

The previous picture was my sir Edmund Hillary imitation.  I always see this picture as Bill's 'Scott of the Antarctic' picture. The scenery is stunning.

Not another person around with the Carpathians stretching on and on into the north. 

The trail we followed to reach the summit. Yaremche is in the valley below.

We had many other adventures there and it was a lovely break and a real refreshment.  We always seem to have adventures when we travel by train here. I will just recount one.  On our trip back to Kyiv we had to catch a train into L’viv at 3:00 am.  On waking up we found it was snowing heavily. The walk to the train station takes about fifteen minutes.  It was dark and the snow was falling steadily and quietly. Walking in the dark with the snow falling silently and the snow mounting up in front of the big suitcase that was being wheeled was like a captivating, fairy story. When the train came in everyone except us knew there was very little time to board the train.  People even in the snow were running to the train.  There was about a dozen passengers boarding there.  We couldn't see numbers on the carriages.  We needed number six.  Finally I saw a number eight but neither carriage on either side of it had a number we could see.  We went left.  A lady railway official began calling very sternly and loudly for us to get on any carriage.  The entrance to the train is very difficult and with a large heavy suitcase it was not easy at all.  As we attempted to board 'any' carriage as instructed, another railway official on board the train told us that this was not carriage six and we needed to go to our right. He didn't want to let us on but the lady on the platform was still telling us to get on the train. Bill just flung the bag into the train. We were able to make our way through the train to our carriage and find our seats almost in the dark, hopefully without waking too many people who had boarded the train at an earlier station.

What a great holiday. 

From Ukraine - with our love!