Western Ukraine, car, four friends, four days and May.
As they say: Hello sunny Transcarpathia! For us, Transcarpathia was not sunny, but gray and rainy.
The first stop is in the village of Uzhok, which is located near the pass, where the river Uzh originates.
And we are met in the village by an amazing building - the wooden St. Michael's Church, built back in 1745 by master Pavel from Butli, a neighboring village on the Galician side of the Uzhoksky pass. Outwardly, the St. Michael's Church in the village of Uzhok is simple and unpretentious. The temple was built without external decorations, intricate carved patterns - it is slender and elegant. And despite this, the temple is extremely picturesque and original. Kupala are made in the form of a wide slope and cover the entire building, which adds a sense of the fusion of the temple with nature. Unfortunately, we did not manage to get inside, because. the service has ended.
Uzhok left behind, and ahead of a bumpy road. Bouncing and remembering all the saints, our company drove through the Volovetsky, Svalyavsky, Irshavsky, Khust regions. And the goal was the famous valley of daffodils. How much I have read about her! And here we are. This is the Kireshi tract, which is located 4 km from the city of Khust. Since 1992, as part of the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve, it has been included in the international network of UNESCO biosphere reserves.
The area is 257 hectares, of which 170 hectares are occupied by narcissus meadows. Such plants exist only in the Balkans and the Alps, but at an altitude of already 2 thousand meters. The world's only population of wild narrow-leaved narcissus blooms once a year, in May. And although we were in a period of mass flowering, it was clear that not all fields were covered with flowers. Slowly various herbs clog the daffodils and soon it is possible that they will be completely replaced. So the trip was not in vain. And the best thing was the smell of flowers! Whether the rain intensified, or maybe not the rain. O sky! How much water can be poured!?
And again on the road. Ahead of us is the city of Vinogradov. Vinogradov (until 1946 Sevlyush) is located at the foot of the Black Mountain. The slopes of the mountain are covered with vineyards and orchards. Residents of Vinogradovshchina gather the very first harvest and say that you will find the best taste of grapes only here. And all because in the prehistoric period, Black Mountain was an active volcano and awarded these lands with a unique climate - the warmest in the region. On its eastern slopes there is a botanical reserve "Chernaya Gora". On the steep rocky ledge of the Black Mountain right above the city, the ruins of an 11th-century medieval castle called "Kankov" have been preserved. Nearby, near the ruins of the castle, the ruined walls of an old Gothic temple sadly stand. Under the masonry of the fortress, archaeologists discovered traces of a settlement dating back to the end of the 1st millennium. In the 11th century, Hungarian feudal lords established control over these lands. In 1262, Sevlyush received the rights of a free royal city, and "Kankov" - the status of a royal castle. In 1399, the Hungarian king Zsigmond I of Luxembourg presented the Kanks to the Pereni dynasty for his courage in the fight against the Turks. The new owners built a stone fortress on the site of a wooden fortification. At the beginning of the 15th century, Pereni gave the stronghold to the Franciscan monks, who turned it into a monastery. During the Reformation period, many Hungarian nobles adopted Calvinism in opposition to the Catholic emperors of Austria. So did in 1556 one of the descendants of Pereni. Converting to Protestantism, Franz Pereny drove the Catholic monks out of his possessions. Subsequently, in 1566, the fortress was stormed by the troops of the Austrian Empire and destroyed. The mysterious ruins of "Kankov" against the backdrop of the picturesque natural scenery of Vinogradovshchina attracted the film crews of the films "The camp goes to the sky", "Shower over the fields", "NadTisoy". Here is such a story.
And I had to get upset because of the rain again. After all, the city has a central square where sakura grows. My dream to see this beauty was crowned with failure, the wet flowers fell prematurely.
And then we have on the agenda the question of accommodation. After discussing all the available proposals, we decide that our overnight stay will be in the sanatorium "Borzhava". It is located in the lowlands of the mountain river Borzhava, in the ecologically clean Irshava region, surrounded by forests. Wonderful area consisting of the main building and a number of cottages. We missed the cottage, but the building has a choice of 1-room and 2-room suites. The room has all the amenities, TV, refrigerator, satellite dish, air conditioning, balcony. Pleases cold and hot water around the clock. 4 meals a day for vacationers is carried out in the dining room of the sanatorium. You can choose from a wide range of dishes from both the diet menu and the national Transcarpathian cuisine. In the daily diet - fish, meat, dairy products, juices, vegetables, fruits. According to the doctor's prescription, dietary nutrition is provided. After wandering around the territory, we learned that the main profiles of treatment are gastroenterology, orthopedics and traumatology, neurology, cardiology. Indications for the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, musculoskeletal system, peripheral nervous system, peripheral vascular disease, endocrine system and metabolism, cardiovascular diseases. For treatment, mineral waters "Borzhavskaya", "Kushnitskaya", "Olegovskaya" are used in the pump room, which is located in the lobby of the building. The main methods of treatment are: balneotherapy, electrotherapy, thermotherapy, singlet oxygen therapy, aerosol therapy, exercise therapy, and diagnostics. Walking along the corridors, I read the inscriptions on the doors and I am surprised at such a number of specialists: a gastroenterologist, an orthopedist-traumatologist, a physiotherapist, a neuropathologist, a rheumatologist, an obstetrician-gynecologist, a urologist, a proctologist. And what is the infrastructure worth: a gym, a cinema hall, a library, tennis, billiards, a sauna, a cafe-bar, a restaurant, a guarded parking lot, a pharmacy, a souvenir kiosk, a conference service, a transfer (group and individual), excursions, evenings recreation, concerts, discos, sports, hiking, hiking for berries and mushrooms, fishing, in winter - trips to the ski lifts. Fine! And the proof that it all works, of course, is the people who rest here.
