Unexpected Gems in Lviv, Ukraine

Now that we've been back for three weeks... I guess I better say something about our little rendezvous in Lviv.

Or Lwow.

Or Lvov...

Lemberg? (Okay, I think you get the point. Let's just say that has a lot to do with history and politics and I won't bore you with that discussion this time.)

Speaking of politics, one of the first little "gems" we encountered in this Ukrainian city was at the booths for the Easter festival. Turns out, Ukrainians aren't big fans of of the Russian president...

Vladimir Putin souvenirs in Lviv, Ukraine

And no, we didn't buy this souvenir. But, we did get a great deal on some farm-fresh honey. 80 Ukranian Hryvnia (a little over $3) for a big jar of it. Alex hates honey normally, but he was fighting a nasty cold so he immediately dug into the honey. (Someday I should write a post on the funny quirks about Brazilians.)

Somehow, it just felt right to enjoy a spoonful of honey with our Ukrainian sausage on that sunny Spring afternoon.

Mouthwatering Kovbaca

Another unexpected gem: the magnificent Lviv Opera House. Most of what we saw in Lviv seemed pretty apparent that Ukraine has seen some rough years since the end of communism. So even in the touristy areas, you don't expect to see anything too grand. But this opera house is on par with the Palais Garnier in Paris. And author Gaston Leroux may have done just as well to shelter his phantom in Lviv's opera house since an actual underground river flowing through the city dives right below the stage. According to LVIV ECOTOUR:

"musicians of the Lviv Opera orchestra claim that after heavy rainfalls, the wild roar of the underground current can be heard underneath the orchestra pit." 

But really! You can't get any more phantom-y than that!

Magnificent opera house in post-communist Lviv

Box 5????

After the Opera House, my favorite gem was definitely the chocolate. (There seems to be a food theme here...) Did anyone else know that Lviv is famous for it's chocolate? I didn't, but you can never go wrong with chocolate. :)

The Lviv Chocolate Factory isn't too difficult to find because there are TONS of people coming in and out and a delicious chocolate aroma greets you before even stepping inside.   

Winding up at least five floors, with hundreds of different types of chocolates and truffles on each floor, the staircase seemed like something off of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Only problem was I had this overly optimistic idea that there would be free chocolate samples. Shouldn't chocolate factories give out free chocolate??! Maybe that's too American of me to assume. 

Anyway, later in the day when it started to rain we took cover at a little cafe later where Alex ordered a slice of chocolate cake and I ordered hot chocolate. The menu listed cocoa and hot chocolate. Apparently there is a difference. Who knew?! I got a mug full of hot fudgy deliciousness. (Think HOT. CHOCOLATE. literally!) So much joy!

There is a difference between "hot chocolate" and "cocoa" 

Since I already fessed up to the food theme...We also found the most amazing restaurant that served pasta dishes that beat any of the food we had in Italy. With the currency exchange, each plate cost an average of $2.50! Of course we came back again for dinner. :)

And to top it off, we got some private entertainment complete with singing and fiddling.

Not bad for a brief weekend trip to a neighboring country.

Listening to a tune after dinner. Oh, and that pom pom headdress is classsssyyy.