Lviv

Two of my friends took me on a day-trip to Lviv on Monday. I am ashamed to say that despite having Ukraine as my home for 20 years I had not yet been there. It was a worthwhile trip. Lviv wasn't totally destroyed by the war so some of the old European style buildings and streets still exist.
We traveled by electric train from Rivne to Lviv. Thankfully it was the fast one so it only took 2 1/2 hours. It was a fun ride, most people slept and we managed to move to a different car after the first hour so we had a little more leg room (it was pretty much knee-to-knee in our original car).
Our first stop was the cafe Veronika. It is a worthwhile destination. A very worthwhile destination. The best cake I've ever had in my life!
They also had croissants and other pastries and chocolates, but the cake was fabulous!
I had the Hungarian cake which was a chocolate torte with layers of meringue, walnuts and some kind of pudding like filling covered in ganache. My little piece would have sufficed for two quite easily, but I managed to eat it all by myself. It was a great way to start the day and left my mind in a whirl of cake possibilities. My only regret from this trip is that I didn't get a picture of their display case.
The rest of the day was spent wandering around Lviv. We visited the souvenir market and just wandered around downtown.
It is hard to capture the charm of the city in a few pictures. Particularly with my fantastic camera skills. But I did my best to catch some of the old world charm. I've missed seeing old cathedrals and the architecture of Europe.
I can't say that I've missed the cobblestone streets though. My teeth are still rattling.
It was interesting to see how in some ways Lviv is still stuck in the post war period. Comparatively Rivne is much better kept up. But then we don't have old buildings that we are trying to retain here. It is much easier to slap a new facade on a building than it is to keep up one that is a couple hundred years old.
It was a great day. The perfect getaway from all the stress of trying to pack up and move. Thanks Julie and Brenda!