Day 43 Kosmach UA 10Aug’26

Breakfast was Banush, a traditional Hutsul dish especially popular within the Carpathian Mountain region. Made from cornmeal, cooked with sour cream or cream & topped with crispy bacon cracklings & bryndza cheese. Creamy, rich, very filling & excellent.

Afterwards, Oksana went to spend time with her parents & to help a neighbour whose well was now dry (every house has at least one well). With my help not needed, I chilled & WhatsApp videoed Christine & Chloe, then Mike, to share with them my beautiful 2nd home.

14:00 & Oksana & I set off for the Oleksa Dovbush Museum. Like many places in Kosmach, finding it required local knowledge – hidden away down a wooded, dirt road, it wasn’t easy to find – even for Oksana.

Dovbush was the Hutsuls’ 1800’s real life Robin Hood, stealing from the rich to provide for the poor & through the many myths & movies, he remains a very popular guy even today. For years, Dovbush evaded the Austrian authorities but following his mistress’s betrayal, in 1746, was captured & hurriedly executed. That’s only one version of his ending!

The museum is the work of Mykhailo Didyshyn, the guy who had showed Oksana around when she was a teenager, 20 yrs earlier – his efforts are also credited in Lonely Planet’s Ukraine Guide.

The museum was opened just for us & Mykhailo was there waiting. Now very old, his school teacher daughter, Maria, stood by ready to give us the tour. Inside, I gazed at the huge collection of artefacts crammed into such a small, single roomed building.

Maria’s tour was in Ukrainian, Oksana translated the best she could & videoed some. I listened hard & took some photos & hope to learn more later.

Back in the village, we grabbed an ice cream & continued to the Orthodox Church to pay our respects to the fallen – which included friends of Oksana & Ivan. Very emotional but important we called by.

Then on to the catholic side of the village to view Ivan’s family home. A slow walk back for dinner, then an early night.