Breath of Fresh Air

The south of England is so peaceful.
We're no longer there but I got a new camera charger and was able to get the last of the pictures off the camera from our winter wonderland adventures.

One of my favorite walks was at Hambledon Hill.

We saw the sunset from the tippy top, shining on what seemed like miles of green pastures.
We started off by getting Holly out of the car and she ran off to do her thing.

We slowly made our way up the hill, stopping from time to time to take in the views.

The "walk" down was a little easier.
And by walk I mean I chased Holly all the way down the hill and waited for everyone else to catch up.

I loved being all the way at the top.
The wind blowing across your face.
Overlooking the countryside with Chris and day dreaming what our house would look like if we had all that land to build on.

I love the city, but there's something about spending time in the country that just makes everything feel... perfect.

L'viv Christmas Fair

One of my absolute favorite things about Ukraine are the markets (ярмарки).
This post is 2 months too late, however I found photos and had to post about it!
I love the Christmas fair.

This year I was lucky enough to be there for it.
And was surprised to learn that my godmother had her own little booth set up!

The shop is called 'Soap History'.
She makes and sells soaps, candles, body lotions and creams that are all made from natural ingredients.

The soaps are my favorite.
They're made into flowers or animals or things like snowflakes and smell heavenly (a rose would smell like a rose, a snowflake like winter, and a rocking horse like a warm childhood bath).

This year she also came out with a cream that's solid until it touches the skin.
Then it melts into silk makes your face/hands/body feel like you just came out of the spa.
I don't think she delivers outside of Ukraine yet, but you can check out her website if you're interested.

If you look back at the picture she also sells handmade, hand painted dolls!
She got me one for Christmas made to look like me.
What do you think?

The other little wooden huts sell everything from candied apples, to fur coats, to mulled wine, to handmade toys, to clay mugs, to leather bags, and trinkets of all kinds.

Afterwards we wandered around.
Got some mulled wine.
Stood with the protesters for a short while.
And then went off, back to grandpa's warm home and a bowl of homemade perogies waiting for us.

Lviv, you're a rockstar!
Missing you terribly.

My Hometown: Navariya

I was born in L'viv and grew up in a little village, Navariya, just outside the city.

The village look terribly different to the city, but to me both are equally beautiful.

This is the school I went to for 1st grade.

This is my uncles Caucasion Ovcharka.

He's a child-eating, massive dog, and I love him.

This is the local post office.

And this is my grandpa.

I feel so lucky to have grown up in such a wonderful place.
Navariya is small enough that everyone knows each other and feels safe.
Everyone has gardens and orchards that bloom in the spring, summer and fall and turn the village into a personal playground.
Yet it's only 10 minutes away from one of the most magical cities in the world.

It's home, and about as sweet as they come.

AK-74

This was more of a tick for Chris, but I joined in on the fun because why not?

He wanted to shoot an AK-47, but we only had the choice of the AK-74.
Not being gun experts we thought they were just dyslexic.
[We then learned that the 74 is actually a newer, better version of the 47.]

I've shot a gun before.

But this thing is loud. And I mean it's LOUD!

My uncle knew about this place and drove us here.

But I can't find a link to it online!

Castle High Above the Clouds

The High Castle in L'viv (Високий Замок: Vusokyi Zamok) isn't actually a castle, but the highest lookout point.

The 360 degree views of the city are breathtaking.

Unless of course you see this as you're walking up.

If the fog looks like that, then you should probably save yourself the trip if it's your first time heading up.

Nothing beats the view on clear day.

I guess it didn't really help that it was the middle of winter, and rain/sleet was falling.

As i was bundled up in 3 pairs of pants, holding on to the rail literally pulling myself along some people were being sneaky and making the walk 10 times harder then it should have been.

After much struggling, slipping, and tiptoeing we finally got to the top.

We weren't expecting much better than this, but the experience was fun anyways.

Going back down was even more interesting as I pretty much slid all the way down.

Can't wait to be back here in warm weather one day again!

Stargorod

And if the secret bars weren't enough here's a little more on Ukrainian nightlife fun.

There's a place called Stargorod (Старгород).
It's a Czech themed, go crazy, restaurant/pub/dance club.
[I apologize for the picture quality. The lighting at this place is made to make you look attractive, not have photos turn out great]

A live bands, competitions, dancing on table, dress-up fun kind of place. 
There are plasma TV's in every urinal in the men's room.
The massive TV hanging over the stage actually does a live Skype with the sister restaurant so people at both places can party together.
Liter glasses of beer for cheap.
Sing-a-longs.
What more can you really want on a night out?

A few tips.

1. Make a reservation (+38 (032) 229 5505, +38 (050) 401 6201)

2. They love foreigners

3. There is no formal dress code, but dressing down in public on a night out is frowned upon