Przymsil ---------- Lviv (львів)

Yes, we are finally crossing another border after approx 1000km across Poland. Heard some stories about the long waiting times (6-8 hours) at the Polish-Ukranian border but Pete has told us the secret. Don't queue with the cars at Medica but just hop off bike and non-chalantly saunter through the pedestrian controls. Easy eh? Yes, but with an Irish passport the passport control officer decides that 20 minutes examining every page with a microscope is required. Shesh. Eventually get stamped and get onto Ukranian soil.
We are impressed by the difference in building style on this side of the border and en route to Lviv. It's much more typically communist style shops and houses, with people harvesting potatoes by hand from their small farms.
The road to Lviv is better than expected and quite suitable for biking, with the cars, trucks and soviet-style relics being courteous and a wee bit curious of us oddities on the road.
Totally lost in Lviv and our host (Marta) comes to collect us and bring us to her house. Just like the Polish hospitality, Marta has prepared food for our arrival, despite having spent the last 12 hours managing her two stressful pharmacies.

Calibrating compass-watch

She tells us all the essentials of Ukranian lifestyle: corruption, bent cops, corruption, Russian plans to overthrow Ukraine, corruption, salaries, corruption, bribing officials, corruption, visa woes and CORRUPTION.

A night at the ballet

Next morning we cycle into town on the tail of Marta's car. The cobblestones and terrible roads and sidewalks in the city centre show us why nearly everyone here who has a bike has a front suspension mountain bike. We visit one of Marta's pharmacies and meet her dad. Marta shows us about the churches and sights in the city before having to go back to work. Then we go up to the high castle to have an overview of the city. We visit the food market then buy some clothes by the kilo so that we can be respectably dressed when we meet Marta and Olga for the ballet in the evening.
The ballet, "unavailing carefulnesses", has a full piece orchestra and my first experience of live ballet. The ballet lacked any tension and drama but maybe all ballet is like this?
Lviv centre has come alive in the meanwhile and people salsa dance, play chess and protest against the Russian language. We take a drink and meet up with Liotr, another couchsurfer who wanted to meet us and then enjoy some Ukranian singing on the streets.
We have decided join Marta and her dad on a cycle to a monastery the next day so we head home early to cook dinner.

Food for Ukrainian kings

Next morning, not feeling well and decide that I cannot go to the monastery as planned. I stay in bed and talk to Olga for the afternoon until the others return from trip. They have decided to return even though they had planned to stay in the monastery overnight. All for one and one for all.

Varenica production line

Fit as a whistle on their return and Andrie, Andrew and I hop on our bikes and go to the Lviv observatory and lake. Learn about the Beverly Hills part of Lviv and more Ukrainian culture. "Slava Ukra-ane".
Varenicas (traditional dumplings) for dinner but first we gotta make 'em. Marta, Olga and Andrie show us the ropes and soon a production line is formed, churning out two varieties: potato, onion and cheese, and raspberry for dessert. Learn even more of the "supermen" of Ukrainian history: Robin Shouhavabitch and Stepan Bandara.
Next morning we are meant to part company in the evening-morning time but saying farewell is proving very difficult. We meet the others in town and buy a traditional Ukranian shirt; suitable for winter weddings and war we are informed. After a final dance together, we regretfully really got to go cycling. When next we shall meet? New year's in Berlin, Carpathian mountains in winter, Lviv next year for a monastery weekend? Don't know exactly, but it will happen.