Ukraine

It's the second biggest country of Europe. Still a lot of Europeans don't really know it.
This summer we discovered it by bicycle! Here is what we found in Ukraine.

www.Footage: Canon HF100
www.Editing: Final Cut Express 4
www.Music: Olovo from Ukraine by Nameless | Glad by myself by Zapaska | Loboda by Burdon |
Good bye by , Lost in space & Ginger girl | Nameless

When I was a little girl, I often watched Russian children's films.

The Stars in these films always seemed to go on exciting adventures

during their summer vacations.

These memories from my youth are the reason that I feel

enormously attracted to countries from the former Soviet Union.

This summer we'll visit Ukraine

a country about which we actually know very little.

In elementary school, I learned that Ukraine

has been the breadbasket or Europe for many decades

Then there was the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl.

The European football UEFA 2012

recently attracted a lot of media attention.

Journalists spoke about corruption and political abuse.

We'll leave these problems to the journalists.

Instead, we're going on a quest to find the beautiful sides of Ukraine.

We'll go on an adventure like the stars of the children's films.

For one balmy summer, we'll cycle past castles,

colourful little houses

and yes... even a candy factory!

Ukrainian cyclists help me to prepare the trip.

Dasha, Igor and SIavik e-mail me great tips,

not to be found in any guidebooks.

We'll visit them when we're in Ukraine.

Where we going?

Bila Serkva.

I don't speak Ukrainian

No Ukrainian? Are you speak English?

No I don't speak Russian.

The official language is Ukrainian

but a lot of Ukrainian also speak Russian

and some regions use it daily.

Other foreign languages are rarely spoken

Writing and reading is in the Cyrillic alphabet.

Everyday things like ordering food is therefore sometimes quite complicated

but food is very important for cyclists

so we quickly learned the names of delicious things.

Besides learning a new language, we also learned many new dishes.

ukr. печеня (pechenya)*
rus.* жаркое (zharkoe)*
surzhyk* жарке (zharke)
- hotpot, roast meat

борщ зі сметаною
borshch - red beet soup with meat and sour cream

Банош
Banosh - Polenta, cornmeal porridge

Гречана каша
Hrechana kasha - buckwheat porridge

Салат
Salat

Вареники
Varenyky - Dumpling

Сало
Salo - Pig fat bar food

Таранка
Taranka - Dried fish bar food

The Ukrainians rarely refuse vodka or beer.

Fortunately there is also a popular soda.

Kvas is a sweet-sour fermented drink

made from rye bread and dried fruits

We simply love it - we drink at least one liter every day.

We also eat ice cream - every day!

The Ukrainians are crazy for ice cream

and even in the smallest villages you can find at least five types.

One of the nicest things about travelling by bike

is the chance to meet people along the roadside

Ukrainians are very nice, if a bit reserved to begin with.

That changes quickly.

In reality they love to chat.

The first question is mostly whether you are from Poland

It doesn't matter that we hardly speak Ukrainian or Russian,

a deluge of words and stories always follows.

Bakota Monastry

The bicycle is an important means of transport.

Despite this, we see few bike tourists.

We only meet a few Polish and Ukrainian bikers in the Carpathians

the mountain region f Ukraine.

The roads are mostly quiet

The quality of the road surface is often mediocre

but this road beats all the others

through a river.... upstream!

This morning we thought the road was very beautiful

but not anymore; not on a bicycle.

We have to carry our luggage separately, back and forth.

But hey, this is bike touring. Isn't it?

Is this bike touring?

I think it's more like dragging the bike behind you,

If you're travelling by bike, you never know where you'll sleep at night.

Tonight we arrived 24:00 at Kolomya

We didn't feel like searching for a hotel in the pitch dark.

But luckily Ukraine has train stations with rooms.

Campsites don't exist, except occasionally in the Carpathians.

This means that we often camp wild,

in the most beautiful spots.

Fortunately even the smallest villages have shops

and even plenty of water for a take-away shower.

In 2007 there is a national survey

to choose the Seven Wonders of Ukraine

They choose places like the Sofiyivsky park in Uman

the castle of Kamayanets-Podilsky

and the Kotyn fortress.

Ukrainians love to be photographed in these spots,

on their wedding day, for example.

These Ukrainian wonders are very nice but for us

the everyday things along the road are the real highlights of Ukraine.

This summer we discovered Ukraine,

a country which we knew very little about.

Like a child that discovers the world,

we are surprised about the things we discover.

What we discover is beautiful.

Small colourful houses, naive Soviet art

and ice cream - every day!

Endless corn and sunflower-fields.

Dense forests.

Nice people and good food.

Ukraine is a good cycling country!

But didn't you also go to a candy factory?

Yeah what about the candy factory?

Oh yes, I nearly forgot.

Vinnytsia is the town with the biggest candy factory

in all of the former Soviet Union.

Roshen treats visitors not only to sweets

but also to one of the largest water ballets In the world.