Tag: Western Europe
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Coffee and Coffee Shops in Poland and Ukraine
Below I review of some of the coffee and coffee shops I tried and visited in Poland and Ukraine. Poland First is Sowa, a small chain of stores started in Bydgoszcz and spread around Poland. Depending on the store you go to, the ambiance and decor will be different, though the prices are similar in…
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Przemyśl and Warsaw, Poland: A Return to… Civilization(?!)
And so after four months in Ukraine, I wanted to make my way back home for a cousin’s wedding to happen in July. After enduring yet another 23-hour train ride from Kharkiv to Lviv to visit my Ukrainian family, I took the bus from Lviv to Sheheni, on the Ukrainian-Poland border. I had overstayed my…
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Przemyśl and Warsaw, Poland: A Return to… Civilization(?!)
And so after four months in Ukraine, I wanted to make my way back home for a cousin’s wedding to happen in July. After enduring yet another 23-hour train ride from Kharkiv to Lviv to visit my Ukrainian family, I took the bus from Lviv to Sheheni, on the Ukrainian-Poland border. I had overstayed my…
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Poltava, Ukraine Part 2: A Guided Tour of Poltava and its Famous People and Battles
My second day in Poltava was also eventful. I had in mind to see a few museums and possibly seit in a cafe to wile away the day. I’d already seen the monuments dedicated to the soldiers, Kozaks, and city memorial the day before, including the ubiquitous statue of Taras Shevchenko. In a museum mood,…
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Poltava, Ukraine Part 1: Language Learning and Water Nymphs
I had heard about Poltava from a few folks. It was the site of an important Ukrainian battle (the Battle of Poltava) and that it was one of the few remaining cities that still spoke and preserved the Ukrainian language and heritage. Not only that, the age-old pagan festival of Ivana Kupala would be held…