08:00 we were at the roadside ready for Vitaliil to take us to the bus – a neighbour pulled over, opened his car doors & encouraged Oksana, Miroslava & me to pile in. Earlier, Peter had biked up & was there waiting. The village centre, normally very quiet so early, was buzzing – had everyone heard I was leaving & turned out to see me off?! No, it was Kosmach market day. Traders lined the streets filling every available space, selling all sorts – fruits, clothes, hardware, machinery & more – the village was transformed to a sizeable town.
There were last emotional goodbyes with Miroslava & Peter. Vitaliil too had made the journey up to see me off. Again, I told them all, I’d like to be back next year speaking a little Ukrainian.
Reaching Kolomyya Oksana & I headed for Dolcey Factory for breakfast, good coffee & the pleasant first floor view of the city square. Then a little shopping before returning to the bus station for the 12:15 to Chernivtsi 2hrs away.
Bus facts – for the comfort of passengers, bigger buses are needed – they are mostly very old & always carrying too many people. At a station, passengers arriving too late to secure a seat are happy to pinch your’s; bus drivers collect fares but don’t issue tickets. Today, our Chernivtsi driver spent the 1st hour with his phone glued to his ear, making multiple calls – sometimes taking both hands off the wheel.
Our bus terminated 4mls short of the city leaving a trolley bus to bounce us along the cobbled roads the rest of the way. We explored Olha Kobylianska Street, selected Gorno cafe & had a very nice pot of tea & a tasty snack. Then, another trolley bus to Oksana’s cousin Oleg’s house to meet his family & rebuild my bike.
Lillia & Dmitro drove Oksana, Mariia & me to the university where they first met, the Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, once the Residence of the Bukovinian & Dalmatian Metropolitans.
A UNESCO site since 2011, it’s a huge 1860’s complex with grand church & extensive buildings – all built with ornate brick. Students studying in winter here may be a little chilly but today, being set in the surrounding landscaped woodland park, it looks the perfect place.
Returning to Oleg’s house, the family had prepared a lovely meal. We sat down, ate & chatted until very late – having four English speakers at the table definitely helped. Topics included travel, education, learning a language, work and, of course, the war. Daughter, Nastia, was planning to move to Poland in 2027, she likes hot climates, thought England too cold to visit but liked the thought of Norway. Oleg’s dream was to visit Australia & sail the Norwegian fjords. For now their holiday will be Herzegovina, a days car ride away – starting 03:00 tomorrow morning! Their son, Dan, phoned in from Poland. As with Nastia, he speaks good English so we were able to chat.
The war has had a major impact on this family’s life, especially Svitlana. Her brother was badly injured & she was required to leave her Odessa job where she was responsible for the city’s gas supplies. When war broke out, many family & friends fled to this small house, accommodating up to as many as 15 until they found more permanent accommodation.
Today we learnt the minibus taking me back to the UK has been delayed, & so I need to wait on a new pickup time. With everything fluid, I’ll go to sleep knowing another day full of surprises awaits me – I’ll certainly miss such unpredictability when I eventually get home to England.
John's Epic Cycle Adventures 