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UKRAINE
Now, I'm 50% Ukrainian...having Great-Grandparents who fled a war-filled Ukraine during the early 1900's, so Ukraine holds a certain curiosity and fondness for me. I was surprised, after my visit to Ukraine, to learn how differently the country was from my expectations. Yalta is likely my favorite city visited in Ukraine and is absolutely breathtaking. Beaches, mountains, clean air....a real stunner.
Ukraine became independent from Soviet rule in 1991. Despite its independence, there is still a strong Soviet influence throughout the country. I think it may be a bit difficult to get around as a Westerner, on your own. I'd definitely recommend a tour guide. Seems safe enough, but navigation and communication would present challenges.
Having grown up with Ukrainian grandparents who attended Ukrainian church and cooked Ukrainian food, there are certain things I cherish to this day, as a result of my upbringing. These include borscht, pierogies, holubtsy and painted eggs. Living in Europe, I've seen painted eggs pop up in just about every country I visit and I began wondering if Ukraine really had much to do with the painted eggs my grandmother used to create or if this tradition was somethiAfter doing some research, I learned that :
"The tradition of the Easter egg, known as pysanka has long roots in Ukraine: these eggs were drawn on with wax to create pattern; dye was then added to give the eggs their delightful colors — the dye not affecting the wax-coated parts of the egg. Once the whole egg was dyed, the wax was removed leaving only the colorful pattern. The tradition is thousands of years old, and predates the arrival of Christianity in the country." - Taken from Wikipedia
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