Think of the rivers and the canyon-bottom riverside camp spots (101Cong.Rec.)

On our next half-Friday, we decided to try a camping trip in Podilski Tovtry National Park. Due to some road construction and accidents, it was past dark by the time we started descending down the sketchy backroads to get to Bakota Bay. Fortunately, at the end of the road was a camp where we could set up our tent right next to the river (left). Unfortunately, our fellow campers used this as an opportunity to start fishing very early in the morning, which did not amuse Sage (right).

After a peaceful riverside breakfast and swim, we decided to break camp because while on the rough roads to the region, we broke our muffler. On the way into town in search of a mechanic, we stopped at the top of the canyon, so we could a full view of the Dniester River (top left). Many communities erect Orthodox crosses -- whose top bar represents the "King of Jews" sign and whose bottom bar represents the foot rest of the crucifix (top right) -- so it was little surprise that there would be one near the site of a Cave Monastery, which was abandoned after it flooded multiple times (bottom).

In Kamianets-Podilskyi, we found a garage that fixed our muffler for $16, and the Monte-Kristo Hotel gave us a room last-minute for $16. After a three-hour distraction, we set out to explore the Old Town, which meant crossing a bridge above a different river canyon (left). The downtown cluster sits on a promontory that can be crossed by foot in less than a half-hour, even at a leisurely pace. On the opposite side of the spit, there is another bridge across the canyon, where you can look out toward St. George's Cathedral across the river (right).

Although it clearly was once big enough to carve a huge canyon (top), the Smotrych River now has a calm flow that invites residents of the canyon communities to cool off during the summer (bottom left). TJ and I cooled off in the shade at a bar built into the side of an electricity plant powered by the waterway (bottom right).

As the sun began to set, we headed back to the top of the city so we could explore the Old Town sites, which represent a merging of the cultures that have influenced the town. The former Polish Magistrate and current Town Hall sits on the edge of the Polish square (left). St. Stepanos' Belltower is just a few blocks from the Armenian square (right), where we enjoyed a snack of mlyntsi at Kava vid Politsmeystera.

But by far, the most eye-catching building in the city is the Old Fortress, currently nominated to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site (left). The view upon approach over the Turkish Bridge (yet another culture that contributed to the city) definitely puts it in the running to receive full status, in my opinion (right).

 

The next morning, we returned to the fortress, so we could see its amazing preservation from the inside. The castle is enchanting for kids and adults alike because you are allowed to crawl through all the walls (top left). Its towers provide some great views of the surrounding landscape, including the nearby Memorial to Seven Peoples (top right), as well as of the interior of the castle itself (middle). Throughout the fortress, there are attempts to recreate its 11th-century technology, such as an entirely wooden "cannon" in the battery (bottom left). Even the snack bar was getting into the spirit, serving up food cooked via medieval methods (bottom right).

 

Odessa ... where seamen and tourists come and go in large numbers (111Cong.Rec.)

A few Fridays this summer, TJ and I worked half-days. Obviously, we wanted to take advantage of the "long" weekend, so on our first half-Friday, we took a road trip to Odesa. It's a six-hour drive, so even though we left mid-day, it was getting dark as we arrived at our accommodations near the train station. Actually, we could've traveled by train, even with Sage, but it's an overnight trip, so we would've lost one night in the Black Sea port.

Our apartment was in a building across the street from Kulykove Pole Square, once a military demonstration field. In front of the abandoned regional Soviet Communist Party headquarters is a makeshift monument to Euromaidan victims (top left). From the center of the square, you can see the domes of St. Panteleimon's Monastery, dedicated to a famous martyr and healer (top right). The next morning, on our way to check out Privoz Market, TJ bought a cup of kvass as a donation to the church (bottom). 

 

The market was a bit too mad with people, especially in 90-degree heat, so we escaped to the Old Town, which looks like it is straight out of Europe (top). Indeed, Odesa considers itself a cultured seaside resort. Some say the productions at the National Opera and Ballet Theater (bottom left) are better than those in Kyiv. There are multiple statues of Alexander Pushkin, including one in front of the museum dedicated to him on the street dedicated to him (bottom right).

At the end of the same road is a monument to Pushkin, which seems like a bit of overkill considering the writer wrote only part of "Eugene Onegin" during his one-year stay in the city. If you continue past the monument, the promenade leads you to the top of Potemkin Stairs, the site of the famous scene in Battleship Potemkin (top left). Many people walk down the steps then cram into a small funicular to get back up to the top (top right). Even when I saw the magnitude of the feat from the Sea Port (bottom left), I still decided I preferred walking to being packed in like a sardine. There were relatively fewer people at the port terminal, where you could see infrastructure for both luxury yachts and cargo ships (bottom right). 

From the sea, we wandered back into the city, so we could stroll down pedestrian Deribasovskaya Street (left). It was still early in the day, so most of its restaurants and cafes were empty. Even the tables in the cool and refreshing City Garden were vacant (right). It was tempting to stop as we perused the book market in the park, but because of our limited time, we pressed on. 

Our pick for lunch was City Food Market, a newly opened indoor collection of street-food vendors (left). We chose Chernomorka for its inexpensive oysters and Black Sea shrimp (right). We were hoping to wash them down with some pints from Odd Brew, but its bar didn't open until 5, so I had a smoothie and TJ tried some Ukrainian wine.

We weren't too upset because our ultimate destination for the day, and for our trip, was the Odesa Beer Festival. Shortly after entering the event, we were corralled into a speech by the president of the Ukrainian Beer League (left), but we decided rather quickly that the scene was more happening out by the beer taps. As we snacked on grilled octopus and fried fish, we decided that some of our favorite tastes of the day came from local brewer Beer Mood (right).

We stayed so long that by the time we headed across the street and down to Dolphin Beach, the sun was setting and the moon was rising (top left). I certainly preferred its comparative calm (top right) to the commercial atmosphere at Arcadia Beach, which we visited the next morning (middle). The sand and water were both swarmed with people (bottom left), so we opted to just soak in the atmosphere with some suds (bottom right).

 

Before we headed out for our return ride, we made a final pit stop at Kompot, where TJ ordered a kompot to drink alongside his okroshka (left). It was hard not to nap during the ride home after downing a plate of potatoes and cutlets, but luckily, at a gas station, there was not one, but two, packs of puppies to perk me up (right).