Gary & Karl's Big Adventure: June 30, 2013

Many of you may have heard that about three weeks ago Elder Russell M Nelson was in Eastern Europe to establish the first stake in Armenia. (click here)

Last week was an historical week at the Kyiv Temple when over fifty of the Armenian saints came over 1000 miles to the temple, thirty-six to receive their own endowments. That may not sound like many first time endowments in one day in the United States where the temples are much larger but the Kyiv Temple is a small temple and this was a record number of saints who in one day came for this purpose. It was a wonderful day in the temple. The rest of the week the saints from Armenia did the temple work for their family names that they had researched and there was proxy work being done for generations of Armenians. It was a privilege to be a part of such an historic occasion and meet the wonderful people of Armenia. I had the privilege of meeting the first Stake President in Armenia and his counselors. And just what is it like to spend sixty hours on a bus with no air- conditioning when the temperature is in the high 80’s traveling over bumpy roads. I can’t even imagine but these people came with smiles on their faces and love in their hearts. This will be a much quieter week when the saints from Odessa come the 273 miles to be a part of this great work.

This was also an exciting week for another reason. On Wednesday afternoon Gary and I got on the Hyundai Express Train and went to L’viv for the holiday weekend. (Yes, another holiday, Constitution Day.) We had never been to L’viv and were excited to go there as that will be the headquarters for the new L’viv Mission as of July 1.

The train ride was amazing. We rode through the most beautiful farm land I have ever seen. You see so much more riding on a train than in a car. I loved the wild poppies, phlox, lupine and my favorite chicory that were growing along the side of the tracks. I was amazed at the villages of thatch roofed houses which I thought no longer existed. Another thing that was beautiful to me were the varieties of crops growing side by side in the patchwork fields, and knowing the long hours spent taking care of those amazing plots of land. A really interesting thing is that the family gardens took up the whole back yard, right up to within five or ten feet of the back of the house. They are totally dependent on their gardens to get them through the winter and the bigger plots are used for revenue for their other needs. Even the beautiful flowers are cut and taken to the markets to sell.

Our train to L'viv

Beautiful gardens:

Chicory

Sunset

It was pretty late when we arrived in L’viv so we didn’t see much of the city but the next morning we were out early exploring. There isn’t enough space in a camera or time to take pictures of all the beautiful architecture, streets, doors, cornices, flowers, churches, parks and all that is there to see. It is definitely the most beautiful city in Eastern Europe and maybe all of Europe. L’viv was protected by the Germans during World War II so the city wasn’t destroyed like Kyiv was. Kyiv was bombed more than any other city, almost 90% of the city was destroyed. It was actually the city that Hitler bombed to commence the war against the USSR. Thank goodness that some beauty remains from the destruction of that horrible war.

Our city tour the first morning took us all around the city center. The narrow winding

cobblestone streets with beautiful buildings and churches on either side were enchanting.

Mickiewicz Square

Cathedral of St. Dominique (1653)

Organ in St. Dominique Cathedral

George Hotel (oldest in L'viv)

St. Georges Church

Market square in the middle of the city center is such a fun and exciting place. There was even a protest of the city street workers in front of the town hall. Thursday morning, I climbed the 410 steps to the top of the city tower to take some pictures and felt like I was on top of the world.

Town Hall

Stairs to the Tower

Protest

Original wall of the city

View from above

Arriving in the city for the first time most sane travelers do not head for the local cemetery but the cemetery in L'viv is not your average cemetery. It is one of the most distinctive, unusual cemeteries in the world. As it was only a few blocks from our hotel, it made it an ideal location to explore the diverse history, fascinating culture and stunning art. I could have spent many more hours there as I was only able to see a small amount of the over 400,000 tombs and monuments that are located there.

I spy a serpent with an apple

On Friday we took the castle tour of three 15^th century castles, Olesko Castle, Pidhirtsi Castle and Zolochiv Castle.

Olesko Castle

Pidhirtsi Castle

Eye of the Needle into the Zolochiv Castle

Zolochiv Palace

When we arrived back in L'viv we went to the National Art Museum of L'viv that has art dating back to the 13^th Century.

Art Museum

Our dinner that evening was one of Gary’s favorite events. We had been told about a Speak Easy that was an underground hideout for the Ukrainian resistance to occupation. Gary had heard of this restaurant from friends who had been there, which required knowing a code phrase “Slava Ukraine” before you could be admitted. The food was very interesting but the atmosphere even more so. On your way out there was even a little museum to see items from the war era. This is probably one of the biggest tourist attractions in L’viv and we had a fun time there.

Entrance to speak easy

Pretty Scary Dude

Saturday we had a list of several things that we did not want to miss. As we were almost to the center looking over our map a very kind gentleman who spoke English came to our assistance, to help us find St. Magdalene’s Cathedral and organ house. He was on his way to work at the Polytechnic Institute where he was a professor. He was so kind and went way out of his way to tell us everything he could about this unique city on our tram ride up the hill.

Polytechnic Institute

Gary and the Professor Guide

It was a great walk back to the center where we visited several churches, parks, and other major sites and other sites along the way. When we got to the center there was a 1938 Opal convertible (made in Germany) that Gary was admiring when we discovered that the driver spoke English and was willing to take us on another tour of the city and major sites for a minimal fee. It was Gary’s second favorite thing of the whole trip. It was honestly like we were in a parade as almost every guy we passed took our picture with his cell phone. Well, not necessarily our picture but a picture of the car. It really was fun.

1938 Opal

We met up with the Ricks for dinner and an opera, “Ball Masquerade.” It was a great evening. (The Ricks were the mission office couple here in Kyiv and have gone to L'viv to help set up the office of the new mission there.)

Back of Opera Theatre

Waiting for the Opera

Inside Opera Theatre

L'viv Opera House

On our way to the train depot Sunday morning the taxi driver drove through the center of town and it was a fun drive with happy memories of our time there. We arrived home Sunday afternoon. I will save my adventures of Sunday afternoon for another blog but we were very happy to return back to Kyiv, knowing that we too live in a very beautiful city with many people that we love.

June 30, 2013

Quote for the week by Elder Russell M. Nelson:

"Love for family and friends, great as it may be, is much more profound when anchored in the love of Jesus Christ. Parental love for children has more meaning here and hereafter because of Him. All loving relationships are elevated in Him. Love of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ provides the illumination, inspiration, and motivation to love others in a loftier way."

Some of my favorite pictures from beautiful L'viv