Springtime in the Carpathian Mountains

For the majority of my time in Ukraine, I've been dwelling in the Kansas-like steppe of the east, which seems to be geographically flatter than a freshly cooked blin (Russian crepe).  Once our May holidays rolled around, I couldn't wait to get back out to the bumpier parts of the country located out west in the Carpathian mountains (you can check out my first visits to this region here and here).  A 30-hour slow, Soviet train ride, quick rest in Lviv, two trains that never showed due to an accident, about 5 hours of waiting in a train station, and a last-minute 6-hour bus resulting in 48 hours of travel time was all it took to cross this country (basically, the time I could have flown to the States and back...twice!), but once I arrived in the cool mountain air, blooming flowered trees, and deep in the essence of "real" Ukraine, it was all worth it:

I was able to get in a couple of really nice solo mountain hikes while I was in the area and, as it's still a bit on the fringes of tourist season, I had them mostly to myself (but not without a few necessities for the mountains in this area):

Of course, I stayed once again with our Ukrainian family at On the Corner B&B in Kolomiya.  It was so good seeing everyone one more time (the last time being our amazing Orthodox Christmas celebration), and I especially had a good time with Vitaliy and Anna on our little road trip through the area:

We made it to the early morning market in the little village of Kosiv, and it was the perfect way to spend a gorgeous Saturday morning in the mountains.  This market provides the culminating pulse for the surrounding villages as a place to buy and sell house goods, clothing, auto parts, fresh fruits and vegetables, meat and dairy products, flowers, shoes, handicrafts, and even tombstones!  The energy here is fantastic:

Anna and I with bags of sheep cheese!

I can't seem to get enough of the country churches and colorful cottages, the pristine little farms, the women in traditional garb and headscarves, and the simple beauty of a place that is partially lost in time, and partially trying to jump into the present through tourism.

When Jacob and I were last here for Christmas in January, I fell in love with a batik painting that Vitaliy and Anna had from a local student artist from Kolomiya.  We ended up commissioning a batik of our own from her and it turned out just gorgeous!  I got to meet her mom (as the artist herself is currently at school in Poland), and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out:

A perfect representation to take home of everything that I love about the Carpathians all executed with some gorgeous dyes.  The photo really doesn't do the vivid colors justice:

For my last journey out West (at least on this Ukrainian adventure), I couldn't have asked for better weather, hiking, people, coffee, or conversation--the perfect getaway no matter how long it takes you to get there!