24/07/08
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Drying out - a day off in L'viv
Last night, we shared beers, a bottle of vodka and a carton of lemon juice around the hostel's dining table, and I just about managed to decline the invitation to go clubbing. Instead, I have a great night's sleep in a comfortable bunk. Looking out into the courtyard, it's still pouring, so I decide to enjoy the comfortable and friendly Kosmonaut for another day and night rather than face the wet cobbles again. . My riding gear is still soaked, anyway. Bread, jam and coffee are laid out for breakfast, and Facebook activity is already in full swing on the computer in the corner. When the rain eases off, I set off around the town. My first mission is to buy some more toothpaste. 'Normal' shops are hard to find here - the standard model is a big counter all around the shop, with access to goods behind it controlled by a couple of large elderly women. Having examined all the shops within a 1/4 mile radius of the hostel to verify that this is indeed the case, I venture into the one where the elderly women look the least disapproving. Being unable to get sufficiently close to the toothpaste to accurately point out the Colgate, I need to learn the word for it. By the time I finallly get my hands on the tube, I've been gone from the hostel for an hour.
On the way back, I bump into a couple I recognise from the hostel - Steve (Canadian) and his fiance Keira (Irish). Like me, they are wondering how to spend a wet day in L'viv. We walk up the hill to a church, end up in a rough part of town predominantly graffiti'd with swastikas, get soaked by a long downpour and go to the 'wild boar' cellar restaurant to dry off over beers and pirogis (dumplings stuffed with meat).
On Steve's recommendation, I go to see Madame Butterfly at the opera houe, accompanied by Florence (another Kosmonaut). We get a private box for £10. After 30 minutes without any singing, I realise it's actually a ballet, not an opera. The lights come up for the interval. Steve yells across the auditorium 'Sorry Abe - I didn't realise it was going to be this sh*t!!'. What with that, and Florence hanging out of the box taking copious flash photos, I feel the need for a stiff drink ASAP after the performance. So we go for a few beers, more pirogis down at the wild boar, a visit to the casino and a few more beers. Another day off tomorrow is very tempting. But Anneke's coming out to Kiev for the weekend, so I need to hit the road whatever the weather.
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