Travel: Ukraine

  • A Visit To The Odessa Ferris Wheel And A View Of The Black Sea

    A Visit To The Odessa Ferris Wheel And A View Of The Black Sea

    If you find yourself in Odessa, with kids in tow, or maybe those who prefer amusement parks to museums, why not pop on over to the little amusement park and take a rid on the ferris wheel? I of course did check it out before allowing my loved ones to consider climbing aboard, and it…

  • Stunning 19th Century Architecture In Odessa, And Tourist Information!

    Stunning 19th Century Architecture In Odessa, And Tourist Information!

    If you love architecture, and especially historic architecture, a visit to Odessa, Ukraine should certainly be on your bucket list if you are ever in that part of the world! On our Passover trip to the Ukraine we took a day trip to Odessa, and I can’t wait to go back, next time with a…

  • Bare Trees In The Ukraine: Inspiring Photos Taken From The Car Window

    Bare Trees In The Ukraine: Inspiring Photos Taken From The Car Window

    On our recent trip to the Ukraine we spent many hours traveling by car, and I was mesmerized by the patterns I saw in the bare trees. Field after field after field, lines and lines and lines of bare trees that beckoned to be sketched into a pattern, to march along the fabric I was…

  • Swans On An Early Spring Day In The Ukraine

    Swans On An Early Spring Day In The Ukraine

    On our trip to the Ukraine this past Passover we visited the The Mezhyhirya Residence, an estate near Kyiv, in the Ukraine, where Viktor Yanukovych lived (and spent tons of money on himself) when he was Prime Minister and then President of Ukraine. The Estate is now a park open to the public, and while…

  • Vernacular Ukrainian Architecture In The Western Ukraine Countryside

    Vernacular Ukrainian Architecture In The Western Ukraine Countryside

    I love vernacular architecture and so I especially enjoyed viewing all the charming cottages in the Western Ukrainian countryside on our recent trip to the Ukraine. Most of the houses I saw were viewed either from the car or on days when I did not have a camera with me, though on our visit to…

  • The Gravesite Of The Baal Shem Tov, Medzhybizh, Ukraine

    The Gravesite Of The Baal Shem Tov, Medzhybizh, Ukraine

    The father of the Jewish Hassidic movement was a very special and holy man by the name of Rebbi Yisrael Ben Eliezer, The Baal Shem Tov. For those who view Kabbalah as Jewish mysticism that is trendy, well I have news for you! Hassidic Judiasm is actually a way of Jewish Torah observance that includes…

  • The Historic Baal Shem Tov Shul In Medzhybizh, Ukraine

    The Historic Baal Shem Tov Shul In Medzhybizh, Ukraine

    On our recent trip to the Ukraine for the Passover holiday, we made sure to save a day to travel to Medzhybizh to visit the grave site of the very holy Baal Shem Tov, who lived in Medzhybizh from 1742 until his passing in 1760, and was buried there in the old Jewish cemetary. Because the…

  • Reb Nosson’s Gravesite In Breslov, Ukraine

    Reb Nosson’s Gravesite In Breslov, Ukraine

      During our Passover trip to the Ukraine, we had the opportunity to the gravesite of the very great Reb Nosson, the student of Rebbi Nachman of Breslev. This was my second trip to this special location, and while this time winter still had its grasp on the area, the beauty and peaceful countryside location…

  • Mass Holocaust Gravesites In Bratslav, Ukraine

    Mass Holocaust Gravesites In Bratslav, Ukraine

      Today is Holocaust Memorial Day, Yom HaShoah, so I thought I’d mention some of the tragedies of the Holocaust that occurred in one of my very favorite spots, Bratslav, Ukraine. Our family was very fortunate to have the opportunity to spend the Passover holidays in Uman, Ukraine this year (my first time ever not at…