From April 27 to May 1, students of our college teachers Bulakh II and Szymanska OV it was suggested to try active recreation again and go on a tour to the Carpathians for the May holidays, which brought everyone a lot of impressions. The trip made it possible to quickly forget about all the problems, everyday affairs and get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It is in the spring in the Carpathians that you can see unique landscapes of snow-capped peaks and slopes, where flowers and greenery are already appearing . Tours in the Carpathians are marked by the fact that, in addition to fabulous landscapes, there is an atmosphere that always prevails there. Mountains, lakes, waterfalls and rapid rivers. The first loud chords of nature, consisting of a colorful and juicy ensemble of flowers, herbs and the sun. Mysterious castles, outlines of mountain settlements and generous receptions at the feast…
For whatever reason you go to the Carpathians for the May holidays, from there you will return happy, renewed and full of strength and life-giving inspiration.
Our students got the most impressions and adrenaline during the trip while rafting on the Black Cheremosh. This adventure, like no other, is best suited for our students who love active recreation and have become extremely interesting to us as beginners. These are new impressions and emotions. Each boat had a qualified lifeguard instructor, and participants wore well-fitted and buttoned helmets and life jackets. Rafting on the Cheremosh River lasted about 1.5 hours, the length of the route is 8848 meters (as the height of Hoverla), we passed the key rapids of the Black Cheremosh, throughout the rafting was video / photography from GoPro2 action cameras on a helmet instructor. After extreme adventure all participants expecting hot and sweet tea herbs Carpathian's Best Ternopil honey. It is best to float on a mountain river in a boat in spring, when mountain rivers have high water. Rafting on the May holidays, when the snow begins to melt in the mountains, is extreme and interesting. The Black Cheremosh River charged our extremes with positive energy and gave unforgettable emotions.
Then we moved to the village of Verkhovyna. It fully lives up to its name, because only its lower part is at an altitude of 620-640 m above sea level, and most – even higher in the mountains. Excursion to the private Museum of Hutsul life, ethnography and musical instruments, where we had the opportunity to see a collection of household items, traditional Hutsul folk clothing and jewelry, a variety of musical instruments (from bagpipes to trembita), banknotes of different times and even ancient Hutsul mobile phone "! The Roman Kumlyk Museum is a unique collection that has been collected by the owner for more than 30 years. The tour was led by Natalia Guzak, daughter of Roman Kumlyk, who continued his museum work after his father's death. Natalia (doctor by profession) plays the violin, cymbals, trimba, double (flute), ocarina, cuckoo, diaper, lyre, nai and talks about each of the instruments. During the tour you can hear folk songs and Hutsul songs.
The next point of the trip was the tasting of Carpathian teas and infusions in the museum "Grandfather's Pharmacy". Here we tried the remedies used by Hutsul healers for the prevention and treatment of physical and spiritual 🙂 sores.
Our tour group had a great opportunity to visit the museum of laziness in Yavoriv and take part in a master class on making famous Carpathian lazy people. Lizhnik is a hand-woven product made of sheep's wool. Hutsul beds are used as a blanket, blanket, carpet, they cover benches, carriages, sledges, in winter they cover horses. Lizhnik is very warm and has healing properties. Master Natalia showed how to comb wool, spin a thread, start a machine and create a new warm work of art.
Mount Makovytsia is one of the highest peaks in the vicinity of Yaremche, it can be seen from the villages of Dora and Mykulychyn. The mountain itself is relatively low – only 984 m high, but with good visibility it is well visible Yavirnyk ridge, peaks Hamster, Sinyak and Dovbushanka (Doboshanka), as well as Hoverla with Petros in the southwest. We are proud that our students together with the teachers conquered this picturesque peak and saw with their own eyes the vast picturesque landscapes of the Ukrainian Carpathians!
Yaremche is a recognized eco-resort located between picturesque mountains in the picturesque valley of the Prut River. vascular system and gastrointestinal tract. Here we visited the famous souvenir market, Probiy waterfall, Aviary of the Carpathian NNP: roe deer, wild boars, eagles and other representatives of the Carpathian fauna, as in the palm of your hand. The main advantage of the aviary in Yaremche is the lack of a zoo atmosphere. Here all animals and birds are kept in semi-free conditions: spacious enclosures or simply fenced large areas with metal mesh, where deer, roe deer, wild boars and other species of animals that can only be found in the Carpathian region, feel comfortable. We managed to feed the animals and get unforgettable emotions from live communication with the Carpathian fauna.
Khotyn Fortress is the next cultural and ethnographic object of our trip. It was once one of the largest military outposts of the Ottoman Empire. Powerful protection of Ukrainian lands. Great historical battles took place here. Princes and empires fought for the fortress, thousands of soldiers died under its walls. But wars and rulers still remain in history. Khotyn Fortress is still one of the most beautiful architectural monuments of Ukraine. The fortress and the cliffs of the Dniester River impressed our students with their beauty and grandeur.
Kamianets-Podilskyi is one of the oldest cities in Ukraine. It has more than a hundred outstanding historical monuments that reflect the cultures of the seven nationalities living here. The originality and uniqueness of the city lies in the harmonious combination of landscape and urban structure of the medieval city, in which military engineers, using excellent natural properties, created a fortification system that has no analogues in Europe. Our students were waiting for: the old fortress (XIII-XVIII centuries), the Cathedral of Peter and Paul (XVI century) next to which is a minaret with a sculpture of Our Lady, the oldest town hall in Ukraine (XV century), a walk through the streets of the old town we were able to enjoy the beauty that is harmoniously created by nature and man.
On the way home we were lucky to get to another ancient and picturesque city of Ukraine – Chernivtsi. There our students got on an interesting and exciting excursion to the Yuri Fedkovych National University of Chernivtsi. Its main building was originally built as a monastery complex. The residence of the Metropolitan of Bukovina and Dalmatia was located here. Today the university is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
During the whole trip the tour group was accompanied by good, really, summer weather, great mood, casual friendly atmosphere, pleasant communication with interesting people, many new impressions and unforgettable emotions. Students were provided with accommodation in a modern and comfortable hotel complex "Mystery of the Carpathians" in 2-room rooms with all amenities and three meals a day.
Although tired, happy and satisfied, we returned home safely and are now looking forward to new invitations to travel to the picturesque Carpathians.
II Bulakh,
OV Szymanska