Ukraine Tour 2005 (English)
Tues August 16th
After 4 pick-up points in Derby and a charka of Italian Brandy for luck, we departed Chellaston for Luton Airport at 11am. Arrived at Luton Airport at around 1.30pm and unloaded the coach with all our personal belongings, musical instruments & costumes etc. At around 2.30pm Pietz & Zenko made a deal with EasyJet staff to pay no baggage allowance fee because we were well over if you take into account all the group’s belongings. They explained that we were a Ukrainian Dance Troupe from Derby participating in 3 International Festivals touring Ukraine. We were asked to dance on concrete at the departure lounge. We firstly dressed EasyJet staff Leo & Mary up in partly Hutzulski costume and danced Hopak. We then got Leo & Mary up to dance solos with us. They then booked us all in wearing the costume. This was all filmed and were informed that it will be shown on the Airport programme next year to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Easyjet’s Operations. We departed at 16.50 from Luton and landed in Warsaw Etiuda Airport at 19.30. We all lined up to go through Passport Control and suddenly Nadia started to panic. No Roman (he was to fly direct to Kiev on Friday due to work commitments) she realised being the only Ukrainian national, she needed a transit visa. Using her negotiation skills and smiling to the soldier security guard he let her through Passport Control. After collecting all the luggage from Baggage Reclaim we all stood outside waiting for this special ‘border coach’ in anticipation and trepidation. After about 10 minutes wait a red and white coach from the 1960’s suddenly appeared and the look of horror on everybody’s faces was a picture in itself. We barely managed to pack the coach with cases never mind the costumes, instruments etc we had to use the back 2/3 seats to load the excess baggage. We all managed to find seats despite the dust flying off from them and sat down for the 10 minute journey to Novotel. The smell of diesel was overwhelming and there were mutterings of dissatisfaction is this safe and will it get us in one piece to Ukraine? The adventure had begun! We booked into Novotel and the rooms were excellent. We all showered and changed for a late vecherya. Some had borshch, others pirogy with cheese & meat, others chips & salad. We were all very grateful to have eaten a hot meal after a long day’s travel.
Wed August 17th
Full English Breakfast was scheduled at 8.30am and it gave everyone a chance to relax and wander around the hotel complex, go to the local stores or visit family. After breakfast Joe was introduced to Sue & her son Jonathon from Liverpool who were staying with Myroslav & Svitlana in Ternopil who had arranged to travel with us on the border coach. At 10.45am we departed on the Border coach and travelled 5.5 hours with lunch and toilet break stops through the City Centre Ring Road of Warsaw, followed the road for Lublin, Turniw and Border town of Chelm. We reached the Polish/Ukrainian border at approx 4.10pm. We had no problem going through the Polish border – it took only half an hour. We then crossed the bridge into no man’s land across the river Buh into Ukraine. With the excitement of crossing the border Pietz, Bohdan & Ivan decided to video film the Ukrayina sign and blue/yellow flag on top of it but were caught by the border guard who thought they were initially filming him. All three were cautioned and each had to show the video and then delete their bit of film. Bohdan was first to go off the coach, Pietz followed after being spotted on Bohdan’s video. When the guard watched Pietz’s video a third person was seen filming. This did not please the guard wearing a very large overpowering ‘communist’ green soldier’s hat as he came onto the coach for the third time raising his voice stipulating, “I will only say this once. Who else was filming ?” After a translation by Nadia into English, Ivan who pretended he did not understand Ukrainian, got up and confessed innocently. The guard then took him to one side and thought he had deleted his section but Ivan cleverly fooled the guard. He then asked the guard in Ukrainian why were we not allowed to film. The guard responded just incase you might show this film to some foreign army who might then bomb us ! Unfortunately Ivan later in Ternopil had filmed over the non deleted section! In total we were 2.5 hours on the Ukrainian border where passports were checked and taken away, customs control and the driver’s paperwork also needed to be verified. Each one of us had to fill out border documents. Poor ole’ Chrystyna was dying to go to the toilet but was refused by another guard because there was no running water ! At 19.40 Ukrainian time we left the border with a sigh of relief and was met by Myroslav and driver Oleksa on a posh air conditioned Ukrainian Coach. Myroslav had bought 4 large roast chickens & drinks of Coke for the children. We all then relaxed in 2 bar type cafes to chill out. We departed at around 9pm for Ternopil. We travelled through the border town of Kovel and then Lutsk. We went through the centre and saw the lit up University where Hoverla performed in 1999. We then went through the famous town of Dubno, then Kremenets and arrived in Ternopil at around 2 am. We were welcomed by a terrific storm and the skies were alight. The heavens opened and Oleksa the driver said it was the first rain they had seen in over a month. Everyone thought we must have brought the rain from Britain ! We unloaded the coach and booked into our rooms.
Thurs August 18th
Breakfast was served at 9.30am and the rest of the day was spent relaxing, chilling out, sightseeing this beautiful town and visiting the famous Ternopil Bazaar. We all met at 5pm in the Hotel foyer with our stroyi and walked 5-10 minutes to the Philharmonic Theatre for our first concert. We were performing in a 2 hour gala show with other local groups from the Ternopil area including Veseli Halychany and 2 Polish groups. We had just enough time to do a sound check and proba on stage before the audience sat in their seats. The concert commenced at 6.30pm and we were no. 5 item on the programme. We performed 3 dances – Boys from Kiev, Hrechanyky and finished off with Hopak. It was Roxy’s debut concert with Hoverla and after our final item the audience gave us a tremendous reception in Ukrainian tradition of slow hand clapping. After the concert which Veseli Halychany concluded we all went back to the Hotel and had vecherya in a local bar/restaurant in the Centre. Went to bed not too late because of the early start to Kiev the following morning.
Fri August 19th
We woke up early at 5am to pack the coach at 5.30am to depart with Myroslav at 6am for Kiev. Sue and Jonathon decided to come with us and Myroslav and it turned out to be the best decision they made during their holiday. We travelled through Kremenets, Dubno, Rivne, Ghytomyr and arrived on the outskirst of Kiev at approx 1pm. We drove across Kiev to meet our guide who was to take us to our University lodgings. Well when we arrived, after travelling through the Centre of Kiev for about an hour seeing all the main sites including Kreshchatyk, Respublikanska Stadion (National Football Stadium) & Sofijska Ploshcha (St. Sofia Square) we unloaded the coach and booked into the renamed “Hotel Gulag”. Nobody was happy with the state of the rooms, the beds and filth. The dwellings were situated in the middle of nowhere and the surrounding areas were building sites . Roman Surma arrived in Taxi to be welcomed by his beloved Nadia & sons Vlodko & Julian. We had to rush to drive across the City for a late lunch at the Congress Hall near Lvivska Ploshcha. As we were travelling we lost our guide in the busy boulevards of Kiev and Oleksa the driver as not a very happy bunny! After lunch at 5pm we drove to the Arca (Arch of Kiev) Square at the top end of Kreshchatyk on the banks of the Dnipro to watch a concert. The views of the Dnipro were outstanding – the beaches on the island near HydroPark, the statue of Volodymyr Velkykyj and the bridges that spanned the river – an amazing sight. After the concert Zenko & Ivan, with the assistance of Mykola Peresunko from Kyiv visited a number of hotels to sort out accommodation because no one was prepared to stay in the hole we renamed “Hotel Gulag”. After visiting several hotels an arrangement was reached with the management of the Hotel Ukrayina (once called Hotrel Moskva) overlooking Maydan Nezalezhnosty (Independence Square). Once agreed the Group drove across Kiev to pick up our cases and reloaded the coach in a record 25 minutes ! We then drove back to Hotel Ukrayina, parked the coach up and booked in for 3 nights. Thanks need to be given to Mykola from Kyiv without whose help we finding a good and affordable hotel in Kyiv would have been nigh on impossible. We all met up an hour later in the foyer and ate either locally in a restaurant off the Main Square or just further up in McDonalds where majority of children ate.
Sat August 20th
Roman, Evhen, Zenko and I went to Mohyla Shevchenka dressed in our vyshoty shirts. We left Evhen & Roman at the laying of flowers ceremony by the monument where other representatives joined in the small service. Zenko & I were taken to the Press Conference by coach at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Met delegates from other groups including France, Portugal, Latvia, Armenia, Poland and as far as Mexico. It was an opportunity to meet the Deputy Minister of Culture Olya Vasylovych and the organiser of the Druzhba Kiev Festival Pani Valentyna. Each group had the opportunity to say few greeting words and exchange gifts from their homeland with the Deputy Minister. We from Hoverla also presented Valentyna with a gift too. After the press conference and photo call Zenko had 2 interviews with Channel 3 & Vechirnij Kiev newspaper and I had an intrerview outside the Ministry Building with Channel 5 and inside with a local Kreshchatyk newspaper. Apparently a number of people from the UK with Ukie satellite TV saw my interview on Channel 5 ! We were then dropped off at the Beautiful Andrijska Cathedral Square. In the meantime the rest of the group had a tour with our guide around Saint Sophia Cathedral and area and we met up with them in Sofijska Ploshcha by the great statue of Bohdan Khmelnytskyj. We all then walked to the Congress Hall for lunch. After lunch we all walked back to he hotel to be ready for 4pm for the Parada. The Parade was to begin at one end of Kreshchatyk near the Basarabskij Riynok (Basasrbsky Market) at 5pm. We would then march along Kreshchatyk, the most famous boulevard in Kiev, for about 1.5 hours dancing, singing and playing to the audiences along the way. Roman held the Ukrainian flag, Jarko the Union Jack, Nadia the Ukrainian Bread and Viv the napys (sign stating we are from Great Britain). To our surprise we met up with 3 Ukie guys from Manchester. Slavko Mykosovski was intrigued to see the Union Jack and was astounded to meet up with the crowd from Derby on the main street in Kiev ! The general public clapped with enthusiasm and at every point we stopped there were opportunities for photo shots. The Parade continued along to Maydan Nezalezhnosty where all the groups gathered together to perform a concert. At approx 6.30pm the concert started with the official opening of the Druzhba Festival. We performed at around 7.15pm with 2 dances. The Welcome Dance and Mixed Kolomejka in our beautiful new Hutzulski costumes. This was to be Viv’s and Nadia’s debut performance for Hoverla on Maydan Nezalezhnosty in Kiev – a debut never to be forgotten for the rest of their lives !! In between the two items Zenko had a pryvitalne slovo (welcome speech) which the crowd reacted to in a positive manner. After our Kolomejka performance the audience went mad and we all left the Square proud to represent the Ukrainian Diaspora from GB as the audience and organisers welcomed us. We then took lots of photographs in front of Hotel Ukrayina by the Angel statue and were joined in by another Ukrainian Group from Dniproperovsk and members of the Mexican Group. This was the highlight of our Kiev visit and everyone was on a high getting ready to go out in the evening to the Knyazivske Selo (prince’s village) opposite the Pecharska Lavra on the banks of the Dnipro. We all had a great meal, drinking, singing and dancing. We were also entertained by local singers and musicians and later Evhen and I played to a group of Ukrainians, Georgian Jews and Greeks. We even got paid but did not accept it. A great time had by all!
Sun August 21st
In the morning we were given free time to do some sightseeing around Kiev. Some went to FC Dynamo Kiev Stadium, Parliament Building & Marinsky Palace, HydroPark on the River Dnipro, using the Metro which only cost 5p one direction ! Others went shopping and visited the beautiful churches of St Mychaylsky & Andryivsky and others just relaxed. I had to attend a meeting with the Festival organisers to discuss the Introduction and Finale at 2pm. where all the groups performing in the concert would also participate jointly. At 3pm we all gathered back at Hotel Ukrayina and got changed into our Narodni Costume. We left the hotel at 4.15pm and arrived at The Congress Hall for 4.30pm to take part in the dress rehearsals for the Vidkrytya & Finale. All groups were introduced at the beginning of the concert and suddenly a shout from the distant – it was Bohdan – where’s Joe ? He is wanted in the stage ! I rushed out the changing rooms headed for the hall entrance and ran down the stairs throwing my money belt at Bodg going in the opposite direction. I jumped onto the stage just as Mrs. Valentyna, the Director of the Festival, introduced me by my name. It was a good job she read a little history about Hoverla. We received a hramota (certificate), a chasha (cup) and a small souvenir of Kiev Pacharska Lavra (Underground Tunnels where the priests and monks live). We performed one dance the Hopak and received a standing ovation and slow hand claps. At the end all the groups participated in the Finale singing, clapping and waving together at the audience on a fantastic stage back drop with flashing lights. It was a very emotional end to our 3 day visit to Kiev. After the concert we all went for something to eat locally and the kids got dressed for the Proshchalnyj (last evening) Disco meeting up with all the other children from all over the World who participated in the Gala Concert.
Mon August 22nd
After breakfast and last minute shopping in Kiev, at approximately 10.30am, we departed to Kaniv a small town two hours drive south of Kiev on the shores of the River Dnipro. Kaniv is famous for one thing – Tars Shevchenko the most reknowned Ukrainian Poet – is buried on a hilltop facing the River Dnipro. This was Taras’ wish which was fulfilled by the people of Kaniv. We arrived in Kaniv just before 1pm and was greeted by the Deputy Mayor and 3 young girls dressed in National Costume with bread and salt. We were then invited to a small reception in the Mayor’s Office where we were introduced to members of the local town council. We were given a short history of Kaniv and opportunity to ask questions. We then exchanged gifts from the City of Derby Mayoral Office and vice-versa. In fact they showered us with presents – a book, portrait of Shevchenko, a statue bottle of a Kozak full of Vodka and 2 Kobzars. We went for lunch at the Elite Café and sang Mnohaya Lita for the staff. After lunch we departed for a guided tour of Kaniv – to the Sebir Park, The Church, the Museum, the house where Shevchenko lived and then taken up to Tarasova Hora where the great Poet is buried. We said Prayers, Ivanka & Myrosyk laid flowers on his graveside, sang a couple of verses of Zapovit and Evhen recited the poem “Do Osnovyanenka”. Through out the guided tour we were escorted by a Ukrainian lady who teaches English to the local school kids and she spoke in both languages so that all could understand how important Kaniv is to the Ukrainian people. Group photos were taken by the Mohyla (Grave) of Taras Shevchenko and also from the wall facing the River Dnipro. We then walked back down the 196? steps where the coach was waiting to take us back to the town centre. Despite the heat (35+ degrees C) to have stood by Shevchenko’s graveside was a very emotional, memorable and moving moment for all that I believe will stay with us for a long time ! Ivan, Stefan S & Symon felt ill due to the heat. We then prepared ourselves for the concert which was held outside the local Theatre on the concrete ploshcha. We performed the Hutzulska Chastyna (programme) and in between each of our items the local school children from Kaniv performed their modern dances, songs and play. At the beginning of the concert Zenko said a few words and we danced all 5 hutzulski dances (Welcome, Whirlwind, Arkan, Hutsulka & Kolomejka) and played Verchovyna in front of 100+ locals. At the end of the concert I gave a thank you speech and asked our younger kids to hand out ‘Derby City Council Pens’ to the local Kaniv children. They were overwhelmed ! After the concert we went back to the same restaurant to have vecherya – chips & chicken, varenyky etc and then said our thankyous & goodbyes. We commenced our return journey to Ternopil from Kaniv at 10pm. We stopped 3 times for toilet before midnight and Oleksa the driver was losing it when Evhen asked him to stop because he was feeling sick after eating lobster seafood!
Tues August 23rd
We drove all night through the back roads avoiding Kiev and stopped off at a Kozak Café at 4am for drinks and toilet break. We then continued our journey and commenced the graveyard shift. Here everyone was falling asleep including Oleksa the driver. I decided to stay awake and keep him company talking about everything and nothing. As dawn approached it became easier and Oleksa had a second wind. At around 6.15am on the outskirts of Rivne the fan belt suddenly came off. Luckily we weren’t far from a garage and replaced the fan belt. We drove through Rivne and dropped Evhen off who has a brother and sister living there. We arrived at our hotel Ternopil at around 9.30am, booked into our rooms, had showers and ate brunch in town. At 1pm we drove to the Theatre named after Taras Shevchenko to do a rehearsal & sound check and had a chat with the theatre’s Director Petro Shutkiv. We were only give one 5 minute spot due to a large number of acts who also only had 5 minutes. He wanted us to perform Hopak but we convinced him that the dance we chose was appropriate and fitting for Ternopil’s Independence Day Celebration Concert. At 3.30 pm we got changed in the hotel and walked across the Main Square in Ternopil to the Theatre to prepare for our performance. We were item no. 6 in the 20+ groups taking part in the Ternopil’s 14th Richnytsia Den Nezalezhnosty (14th Anniversary Independence Day) Concert. Zenko made a “Presidential” welcome speech to the audience who reacted emotionally to his words. The boys then danced Zaporozska Sich from the Opera Taras Bulba. It was an excellent performance despite the accordionist going wrong half way through when Julian jumped onto the barrel ! The whole group were dressed on stage including Yarko & Roman our propornoshchi (flag holders) & Nadia our korovay (Ukrainian Bread) holder. The ovation and reaction from the public at the end was overwhelming with Bravo Bravo Bravo & slow hand clapping echoing all around the Theatre’s auditorium. Hryc the Director of Phiharmonia was very intrigued by the boys dance and congratulated me because he had never seen it before! During the concert our driver decided to wash the filthy coach in the rain ! After the concert we all gathered onto the coach but were blocked in by a couple of cars. We managed to find one of the drivers but the other was not to be seen . In the end we decided to bump the car and Symon climbed through the window to steer it in order for the coach to reverse out of the Theatre’s driveway. A very funny moment witnessed by all ! We arrived at the hotel, got changed and Pietz arranged to book meals at the Khutir Restaurant on the other side of the Lake. This caused a little confusion because you could only order borshch, varenyky and vodka. For those that stayed a great night had by all.
Wed August 24th - Ukrainian Independence Day
Chaos at breakfast delayed our departure to Rivne. The hotel staff did not communicate with the kitchen staff and vice-versa. Also our three musketeers (Andrij, Stefan & Symon) decided not to have breakfast but their bedroom door was locked and banging & shouting outside did not wake them up. In the end Ivan took out a small wooden back panel and opened the door. The 3 then decided to get up. Another delay. Also the staff at Hotel Ternopil hunted high and low for 2 podushky that were borrowed and taken to Kiev ! We eventually departed at 10am for Rivne going through the towns of Kremenets and Dubno. At Dubno we went past Joe’s famous railway crossing and we eventually saw some stalks sitting on their nests. A crowd from the coach decided to take photographs of these stalks before the air brakes of the coach scared them off. At the town sign of Dubno the young lads with swords sat against it and more photographs were taken. Ivan, Barbara & I reminisced 6 years ago when they left me behind at this exact spot. Suddenly an old village man on his horse & cart went past. Pietz decided to take a photograph of him but had to chase him as the horse increased it pace from walking to running – another funny moment when Pietz came back out of breath ! We arrived in Rivne and was met by a representative from the Festival who going to be our Guide for the day. Eugene also joined us and we all quickly got changed on the grass by the coach in front of the Parade which was to commence at 1pm. They waited for us and at 1.10pm we joined the parade. We marched through the main streets of Rivne, dancing & singing & playing to the locals who greeted us with enthusiastic clapping. All the groups (and a lot of the International groups we met in Kiev) were ushered onto the Main Independence Square where the monument of Taras Shevchenko stands. In 2001 we actually danced by the monument but this year they erected a special stage on one side of the Square. All the groups were stood around the square facing the stage as the officials greeted everyone on the 14th Anniversary of Ukrainian Independence. Organisers handed out blue & yellow balloons to be released all together when the signal was given once all the promovy (speeches) were finished. Each collective (group) was given 10 minutes spot. Hoverla performed Vitalny and Kolomeyka mixed dances and received a tremendous applause from the audience. The people commented how beautiful all the Hutzulski Costumes looked. I also gave another interview on regional Rivenski TVnews. After our first vystup the guide took us behind the theatre and asked us to dance near the fountains & cascades in the park area. Whilst we were waiting to perform we had a photo-shot opportunity by the beautiful fountains. We were then ushered to a concrete area which was in front of a small stage where the musicians stood and played. We performed 2 dances – Vitalny & girls Hutzulka dance. We also played Verchovyna. We were then taken to lunch at the Ministry of Tourism building. After lunch we were supposed to perform again but because everything was running late we rested for an hour to prepare for the Evening Gala Independence Concert. A few of the locals had a chat with us near where the coach parked and were very impressed with our setup. At 6.30pm we all got changed this time into our Narodny costumes for our third and final performance of the day. Each collective (group) needed to send 2/3 representatives onto the stage for the official opening of the evening concert to receive their hramota (certificate) & souvenirs from Rivne including a book, T-shirt, plaque and picture from the organisers of the Rivne Festival. Vlodko, Katherine & I went up on the stage and I presented the Leader of the Council a crystal tankard from the Mayor of Derby City Council. I then said a few words of thanks and received an astounding reception from the audience which was in its 1000s. Each group only had 5 minutes performance time. Originally we were no. 14 on the programme but I negotiated with Victor Kravchuk, the Festival Organiser, who then put us fourth. Before our performance Zenko made another great Independence Day Speech greeting the people of Rivne from our Diaspora in GB. We decided to dance Hopak at a fast tempo and the crowd went hysterical ! A great performance by all and tears and claps could be seen and heard throughout the vystup. After our performance we went by coach to have vecherya consisting of chips & meat – very delicious. Before we departed we said goodbye to Eugene and his family. They were so overwhelmed emotionally with our performance they could not believe we were still upholding our old Ukrainian traditions but in Ukrayina these traditions were quickly disappearing. We departed around 10pm and arrived in Ternopil at 1pm after 2 toilet stops.
Thurs August 25th
This day was designated a FREE Day. Opportunity to visit families, go out touring on your own or a day trip to Lviv. At 10am twenty four of us departed for Lviv with Oleksa on the coach. We all had the opportunity to visit the famous Bazaar, Opera House & Square, St. Georges Cathedral and Vysoki Zamok (High Castle) to name but a few tourist spots. At the famous Market lots of souvenirs and embroided shirts/blouses were for sale. This year the black shirts were in fashion and in big demand. I with Symon were invited to Kat’s cousin Vlad who lives on the outskirts of Lviv. Had a great day playing, singing, eating and drinking ! We also visited the local Praoslavna Tserkva (Orthodox Church) and was very impressed with the beautiful icons and a unique coloured window which is one of only two in the whole of Ukraine that opens 90 degrees ! It was decided that we would depart Lviv at 8pm. After all the drinking & eating and playing we left Vlad’s house at 7.55pm and arrived at the coach at 8.03pm. What a great ride in the car – much better than any fair ride - hey Symon ! We arrived at our hotel just before 11 pm and it was the only time I slept on the coach non-stop for over 2 hours – I wonder why ?
Fri August 26th
At breakfast we all sang Mnohaya Lita for Nadia who was celebrating her Birthday in Ukraine. After breakfast we departed at 10.30am (once Evhen arrived from Rivne) and commenced our journey through the beautiful unspoilt Karpaty (Carpathian Mountains) to Kosiv. Within 20 minutes of the journey we celebrated Myroslav’s birthday (which was yesterday) by singing Mnohaya Lita on the coach and presented him with a crystal pint tankard. We travelled through villages and small towns of Ternopilska Oblast enjoying the real countryside lifestyle of Ukrayina. Cows on roads, ducks & geese on side paths, chickens & goats roaming round, lamb & sheep on the fields, horse & cart as main mode of transport – real village life could be witnessed through the windows of our coach. We went via Terebovlya, saw where Cardinal Josyf Slypij’s museum near Zazdrijnyj, took the road for Ivano-Frankivsk via Buchach (this is where Jarko’s Dad was born and an emotional picture of Jarko and the town sign was taken), Monastirsk, and on the outskirts of I-F we took the road for Nadvirne in the Karpaty. We stopped first at Myroslav’s parents and took photos of the well, large haystack in the field and lovely unspoilt countryside. His mama made true barabolya (boiled potatoes), fasolya (green beans), soslodke pecevo (sweet cake) and drinking water from the well. The kids also experienced what a true toilet on a farm looks like ! As the heavens opened we stopped next at Myroslav’s brother’s restaurant in Delyatyn where we all ate a 5-course meal. We then travelled through the next town of Yaremcha (here Hoverla in 1999 performed their first concert in Ukraine) and stopped at the cascading river on the bridge and local market to buy souvenirs. We continued our journey through the Karpaty mountains winding roads through the village of Kryvorivna where Ivan Franko was born. We then took the road for Mount Hoverla but turned back because it was too windy plus we were running out of time. The maximum you can drive on these roads is 30 mph. Instead we took the road for Verchovyna, had a toilet stop by the River Cheremosh and then continued another 26km up and down the hills to Kosiv. We arrived at 8pm, booked into Hotel Huzul and all the kids wanted to do was put their swimming gear on and have a swim in the warm pool and sit in the hot sauna. After the swim we all gathered in the bar and restaurant upstairs to have a well deserved drink and vecherya. During our journey through the Karpaty we had encountered some interesting incidents – roadworks on bridges, lorries and the way they drive, herds of cows blocking the main road to name but a few. Probably the funniest (or weirdest) sight must have been that of a young lad taking the family cow home from the field whilst on a mobile phone, modern life has even reached these parts of Ukrayina. A wonderful day in the picturesque Karpaty will stay in our memories for a long long time.
Sat August 27th
Early morning rise for Kosiv market – another experience to take home with us. Full of boloto (mud) & sludge everywhere), muddy & wet pot holes, local people pushing you around with no manners, but still an opportunity to buy some last minute goods. Breakfast was at 10am and soon all the kids got changed again into their swimming gear to have another dip in the pool. It was hot and sunny and the pool cover windows were half open – an excellent invention to make the pool open air in hot weather. The kids had a great splash (all the boys tried to push me in but one at a time I pushed them in). I felt a little tired after having fun with the kids in the pool ! After the session in the pool we all got changed into our blue Hoverla T-shirts to take a group photo outside Hotel Huzul. They were our main sponsors for the Ukrayina trip and it was deemed a good idea to sign a framed photograph and present it to Slav Kuchta who owns Hotel Huzul. At 2.30pm after lunch we departed for Ternopil via the direct route through Kolomeya. Half an hour into the journey Andrij Kupranec had a strange feeling that he had left his costume in his hotel bedroom. Pietz checked the coach first before phoning the hotel and it was confirmed that he had left it there. A taxi was booked and would rendezvous us in Kolomeya. Whilst the others went shopping for those last minute bargains Pietz waited for the taxi to arrive by the coach. Quite a few of us made some good purchases including black embroided shirts and were very grateful to Andrij (it was fate – meant to happen). We then continued our journey to Ternopil via Buchach and Ternopilska Oblast. Katrina was just about to open a bottle of champers when suddenly out of the blue the cork exploded, hit me on the head and shower sprayed Katrina all over her clothes. Everybody was in stiches (pardon the pun) for the next 5-10 minutes ! Throughout the 12 days in Ukraine Myroslav spent most of his time with us and whenever his mobile phone rang he would answer it saying Myroslav Babchuk hovoryt (Myrolsav speaking). It was decided by those of us who had mobile phones to randomly call him and whenever he answered we would collectively shout ‘Myroslav Babchuk hovoryt’. Just before we arrived in Ternopil for the final time we had got this chanting to a tee ! It was hilarious to see Myroslav fall for it over & over again. At least he had a smile every time we fooled him with our ‘choral response’ in answering his mobile phone. We arrived in Ternopil at 7.10pm and walked towards the pamyatnyk (statue) of Taras Shevchenko by the Theatre for another group photo in our blue Hoverla T-shirts. We then walked to the Hotel, showered and got changed for Proshchalnyj Vechir (Last Night in Ukraine). At 8.30pm we all walked to the Private Club Muza on the Main Square where the fountains were on for the first time in my history visits to Ternopil and were welcomed by Veseli Halychany with a song. A great night was had by all eating (another 5 course meal was provided by Myroslav), drinking and dancing to zabava music to the early hours of the morning. To celebrate their birthdays we firstly sang Mnohaya Lita for Nadia & Myroslav and they both got up and danced with their spouses to a waltz. Members of Veseli Halychany then presented Myroslav with a birthday gift thanking him for all he has done for them. It was a great start to the evening and a fantastic last night atmosphere everyone will remember and talk about for a long time to come. The kids danced throughout the evening with members of Veseli Halychany, Kolomejka, Arkan and later I played Hopak on the keyboard for the kids to perform solos and ending of the dance. I nearly lost my balance trying to gain Myroslav’s attention but luckily Mykola, the keyboard player, grabbed the keyboard to prevent a horrible accident ! The evening came to a close at around 1.30am and everyone went back to the hotel in a very happy mood. One more incident was to happen, luckily I did not witness it, but Pietz has the documentary evidence on his video camera ! As the 3 musketeers were running back to the hotel (it just started to rain), Symon was running at full pelt, his trousers dropped and he fell banging his head on the pavement. It was hilarious to spectate but Symon did not feel a thing. In the morning though his forehead was grazed and a shiner had developed !
Sun August 28th
Got up for breakfast at 9.30am being the last one the staff got it exactly right. It took nearly 2 weeks to get the communication messages correct ! The rest of the morning was free to do last minute souvenir shopping at Ternopil Bazaar or visit family and relatives. Our cousins & second cousins came across from the villages to visit us in Ternopil. We had lunch at Café Evropa where some of Kat’s relatives joined us as well. We took lots of family photographs in front of the Ozero (lake). After our photo session our relatives had to go back to the village to celebrate their Praznyk (Feast Day) we all packed our personal belongings onto the coach. We all then prepared for our final concert to celebrate City Day Festival in Ternopil. They had erected two special stages behind Hotel Ternopil but in front of the beautiful mad made lake. They started constructing it early Sunday morning. It was a hot day again (every time we perform on this Day Festival in Ternopil it has always been a scorcher) and other local groups were to perform with us including Chervona Kalyna Dance Group who we met up with last time in 2001. They were 2 items before us dancing on the smaller of the 2 stages when one of the panels broke and made it very dangerous for anyone else to dance. We decided to perform on the main solid stage with microphones & amplifiers despite being further away from the audience who were standing on the grass verges in front of the man made Ozero. At 4pm we were asked to perform our Hutsulka Chastyna for the last time in Ukrayina consisting of Welcome, Whirlwind, Arkan, Hutzulka, Verchovyna Musical item finishing with Kolomejka Mixed dance. After our opening Vutalnij (Welcome) dance Zenko sent greetings to the Ternopiltsi from SUB in GB and he received a very warm ovation. I decided to follow Zenko and handed over our Gift from Derby City Mayor to Deputy Mayor of Ternopil and thanked Myroslav Babchuk for organising our tour of 2005. After our final item we received a round of applause with shouts of Bravo Bravo from the audience and the presenter of the concert wished us a Shchaslyvoyi Dorohy Dodomy (safe journey home) and are awaiting ‘Do novoyi Zustrchi na Ukrayini !’ (to our next meeting in Ukraine !). After our final performance we had one last photo shoot with Ivan in front of some beautiful green trees. We then got changed into our clothes ready for our return journey to Warsaw with Oleksa. We all said our goodbyes to Myroslav and members of Veseli Halytchany who came to poproshchaty z namy (say goodbye to us all). We departed at 6pm via Philharmonia to drop off the amp, drum, accordion & barrel, to take a familiar route for the final time via Kremenets, Dubno, Rivne and Lutsk. Oleksa decided to stop outside his apartment to fetch his passport because he wanted to drive us all the way. Whilst he was doing this Zenko organised a collection for him and nearly three-quarters of his monthly salary (around 300 hruvvni) was collected. He was very embarrassed but very grateful for our generosity. We all gave him a cheerful round of applause. We then continued our journey for another 10 minutes to rendezvous with the ‘border coach’ – this time a Volvo big jocker ! ( We should have had this Volvo coach from Warsaw but it was stuck on a different job in Germany). We unloaded all our belongings, costumes and instruments onto the border coach to find that there were 2 drives already so Oleksa wasn’t needed. We said our goodbyes to him and wished him farewell. We departed Lutsk at 11.15pm for the border.
Mon August 29th
We arrived at the Ukrainian border at 12.30am and had a toilet break at the café. We were only 50 minutes on the Ukrainian side but were nearly an hour and a half on the Polish side. One of the problems was Nadia’s transit visa – she did not have one but luckily Roman was with her this time and they negotiated an understanding without having to pay a bribe. Another potential problem Roxy encountered was with the Polish guard checking all the passports. He did not believe that the photo on her passport was a true image and asked Roxy to step out of the coach into the bright lights. We all think the border guard had a little fancy for her and wanted a 1:1 with her outside ! We departed the Polish border at approx 1.30am and drove through the night arriving at Warsaw Etiuda Airport at 5.10am. After a 10 minute debate of where to park the coach we unloaded it by the departure lounge entrance. We were all relieved we had arrived early because the border wait was always going to be an unpredictable time. Some decided to go to the shops, others to Warsaw City centre to purchase drinks & cigarettes, the rest just slept on the chairs. At 8.20am the Easy Jet desk opened and Pietz & Zenko hoped that an e-mail was sent to this side stipulating that no excess baggage charges would be implemented but no e-mail arrived. We were all put into our groups of 6 or 8 as per ticket registration when booking in at the flight desks hoping that each group collectively would pay minimum charges. Some groups got away without paying anything but some only paid minimal baggage charges. In total the group would only pay £ 140 (at one stage in our cost budget estimates we calculated £ 1200 !). At 10am we were called to board the flight for Luton London and we departed at 10.30am. We landed 30 minutes earlier at 11.30 am in Luton. We were all ushered through Passport Control before we could collect our luggage at Baggage Reclaim. We seemed to have waited for ages before the first case came through. We then pushed our belonging through Customs and one or two of us had a fright rattling vodka bottles and carrying loads of cigarettes but nobody was searched thank goodness. Our coach from Baileys with the same driver was waiting for us and we set off at 1pm. We arrived home in Derby area for the first of the 4 drop-offs at around 3.30 pm.
STATISTICS:
Total Mileage ~ 2,700 kilometres travelled in Ukraine!
Joseph Kupranec (Leader & Choreographer)