Rest in Bukovel
A gloomy January day with rainy weather could only be brightened up by a sudden good news. It was she who agreed to go on vacation to a ski resort. We have long wanted to go somewhere together, but still did not turn up an opportunity. They did not think about the question “where to go skiing”, the answer is obvious - Bukovel. After some thought, we decided to invite several friends to go with us. After all, the company is more fun. By a happy coincidence, many responded positively to the invitation and were ready to start skiing even tomorrow.
After a couple of days, we decided to start looking for a hotel, so that later it would not be too late. And it was a very wise decision. Already on the fifth refusal “No places”, it became clear that “it smells like fried”... Places were only in expensive hotels or “Lux” rooms in more or less cheap ones. But the desire to escape from the stuffy Kyiv, and to be together was great enough - we decided not to stop. In the end, our business was successful and we managed to find a couple of hotels that had not yet been booked for the dates we needed.
The next issue “on the agenda” was the issue of our transportation. Previously, I traveled with friends on a rented bus, but now the situation was different... As they say, “according to the law of meanness” out of ten who wanted to go, there were four of us left - two couples. On the one hand, it was easier to find a hotel where we could all stay together, on the other hand, ordering a car to Bukovel and back was unreasonably expensive. After a little thought, we decided that the train ride was no worse, and even more convenient and romantic... After all, we were traveling on February 14...
So, having overcome all sorts of difficulties, almost a month before departure, we still managed to book a hotel and were incredibly happy about the availability of places for four in one compartment in both directions.
Long days of waiting were reduced to daily control of the temperature regime of the ski resort and salivating at the sight of photos of Bukovel web cameras... Dreams of three days of crazy drive during the day and endless tenderness in the morning and evening filled our imagination with a frequency of an hour... Thank God, work was distracting …
On the day of departure, the most difficult thing was not to bounce on a chair from the adrenaline arriving every minute (they somehow don’t understand at work)... And now, the long-awaited 17.00 Friday has arrived. And, in fact, everything that I will talk about later flew by in an instant.
Having plunged into a taxi, we arrived at the railway station, where our friends were already waiting for us. The Kyiv-Ivano-Frankivsk train departed at 19.16. We had, surprisingly, a clean, warm and repaired compartment car.
The first bout of happiness happened right on the train... Nothing compares to kissing and falling asleep in an embrace with a loved one to the sound of wheels and a slight swaying of the car, when landscapes float by in the shadows...
Upon arrival in Ivano-Frankivsk at seven in the morning, the first thing to do was to find a minibus to Yaremche (our hotel was located there). It wasn't difficult. Every meter from the station there were minibuses in this direction, and the farther from the station, the cheaper... We decided not to go to the last one and not stand in a crazy queue. Determined that the price of 30 UAH. quite satisfied with us, we loaded into a minibus that was parked nearby. The road to Yaremche took no more than an hour and a half. Not getting enough sleep after the train, who slept, who listened to music, who looked at the approaching tops of the snow-capped mountains. Yaremche met with truly winter weather with snowfall and frost.
The Shafran Hotel, which we booked earlier, is located 30 meters from the bus station and 50 meters from the railway station. A four-story red-brick cottage and hospitable hosts instilled even greater confidence that the rest will turn out well. My friends and I were placed on the top floor in two cozy rooms. The rooms were quite large and well appointed. The walls and ceiling are upholstered with wood, which gave even more courage and the feeling that you are in western Ukraine. The minus that the room is not as warm as we would like was canceled at the sight of a large double bed. From the window in the room there was a beautiful view of the snow-capped mountains and small wooden houses at their foot. Particularly romantic was the window in the bathroom, overlooking the railway, where the trains stopped. Every time I took a shower, I had the opportunity to feel like an Olympic bear, which sees off and meets trains in a modified Adam costume - without a leaf.
Having put on ski equipment, we went to look for transport to Bukovel. Regular minibuses run from the bus station every half an hour, which cost 10 UAH. and in 45 minutes they will “domchat” you to the Bukovel bus station. There is a more convenient way to get to the desired point, but less economical - a taxi. Such a pleasure will cost 150 UAH. one way. We decided to experience all the charm of youth recreation and went by public transport. Having stood on one leg for almost an hour in the "bath on wheels", upon arrival in Bukovel, we realized that this is heaven on earth. It takes about seven minutes to walk to the main lift number 5. And we found our pluses in this: we warmed up before skiing, looked at the most expensive hotels in the region, enjoyed the beauty of steep slopes, and there was still time to calm those who ride for the first time, for whom these slopes were the embodiment of broken legs, arms and other parts body. . .
Having bought a ski pass (half a day (from 12.30 to 16.30) - 194 UAH), we went for ski kits. Skilled workers immediately picked up the right boots, skis and poles. For all this we paid 125 UAH/day. As for our shoes, they put them in a storage cell for 20 UAH / day.
Since there are four of us, my girlfriend started skiing for the first time, my friend the second, me and my friend's girlfriend ride normally - we decided to start with a couple of descents on a relatively easy 5V hill. I used to think that there are three things you can look at forever: water, fire, and how someone works. But it was on the descent that I realized that there is another very entertaining sight - when beginners try to learn how to ride and make such pirouettes that even Maya Plisetskaya would envy. But without it, nowhere. If everyone skated perfectly at once, they would not feel the feeling of victory over themselves. Overcoming uncontrollable laughter, I began to teach my ward the basics of skiing. Seeing a significant reduction in falls, it was nice to know that my teacher was not so bad after all. After the young skier overcame the descent and expressed a desire to repeat, he realized that he could safely let her go alone. Having taken a friend's girlfriend as a partner, we set off to conquer difficult (black) tracks to enjoy the crazy drive, speed and indescribable beauty of the slopes, which, like a web, are located on the slopes of the Carpathians.
The first day of skiing has come to an end. Having handed over our ski equipment, satisfied and tired, we went to the bus stop. To our "great happiness", all minibuses and buses were packed to capacity. We decided not to take a taxi and still try to leave with a cheaper option. Unexpectedly for himself and for others, a minibus drove up and offered to get to Yaremche for 20 hryvnia. As we returned back to the hotel, it was already dark and it was possible to see the city at night, which, surprisingly, was decorated with many garlands and lanterns.
Since we did not take into account that dinners and breakfasts at the hotel had to be ordered in advance, in the evening we had to go to the nearest supermarket (50 m) for food and wine for mulled wine. Taught by bitter experience, we ordered breakfast in the evening. We decided to have dinner with friends in the room. After buying everything you need and returning to the room, they realized that they didn’t have the strength to make mulled wine, but they didn’t get upset about this, and drank the wine in its original form. After drinking wine, we went to our rooms, from which laughter was heard for another hour. It was very funny to look at each other, or rather to count the number of bruises.
At nine in the morning, overcoming the soreness and the desire to sleep, I had to go down for breakfast. As we expected, the dishes were quite tasty. Not every day you can treat yourself to dumplings with potatoes and cracklings.
The second day of skiing promised to be even more interesting and eventful. After all, the beginners have already skated well. Right next to the bus stop, we saw a sign "Ski rental". It turned out that renting a complete set of ski equipment in Yaremche costs only 50 UAH. The awakened thirst for economy again seized us. Having taken everything we needed, we decided to go to the ski lifts right in our ski boots. And this decision was truly courageous. By the time we returned the equipment in the evening, we had almost grown together with the boots, because due to swollen legs, it was out of the realm of fantasy to take them off.
Remaining in the "insane delight" from the last trip to the lifts on the minibus in the pose of a heron, we decided to ride sitting at all costs. All minibuses came already full, but we did not give up. A random fellow traveler in a minibus decided to let us down for 20 UAH. per person, which made us incredibly happy. What happiness it was to go, imposingly lounging on leather seats.
Arriving in Bukovel, we again had to overcome the distance from the stop to the 5th lift. The journey took fifteen minutes. Since, not only did I have to walk in ski boots, and this, believe me, is not so easy, not only to carry skis and poles, but also to catch the satisfied smirks of people walking in human shoes. Fortunately, we were not the only ones - economists. When we got to the lift, not everyone wanted to ride, but the mountains seemed to beckoning us to them (or were they hallucinations). In general, we rushed to earn money and replenish the collection of bruises. The weather was amazing. Sun was shining. There was practically no wind. Rising on the lift, one could see the beauty of the Carpathian Mountains.
Having rolled enough, we decided to have a bite to eat in one of the huts, located on the top of the mountain. Having ordered a set lunch, they brought us hunting sausages lightly fried on the grill, jacket potatoes and sauerkraut salad. Either because of the fresh air, or because we were hungry, but the dinner seemed very tasty to us. Time was running out, and we all went together along another slope, which was closer to the bus stop.
The road home turned out to be successful, as almost immediately we managed to get into the minibus. Of course, the desire to take off his shoes was simply stifling with his persistence, but his cold-blooded mind reminded him that if he took them off now, he would no longer be able to put them on. But when you then put on your seemingly massive, warm shoes, it seems that you are in slippers, well, or in Czechs.
Upon arrival at the hotel, dinner was waiting for us. Of course, I knew that we, Ukrainians, have a generous soul, but why so much... One portion of dinner could be safely taken for two, as it included soup, chop with buckwheat and cracklings, as well as salad. Everything is very delicious.
Since the next day is February 14, my friend and I decided, as expected, in the morning to give our girls flowers. Realizing that breakfast is at nine in the morning, and getting up at seven and going for flowers is beyond our strength, we decided to invent a story that we want to drink beer in the morning, and under this pretext drive to the flower stall that I liked on the first day. That's how it all happened. In the morning, each having come to his room, we saw the girls with obvious displeasure on their faces, saying that "only alcoholics drink beer in the morning. " How nice it was to see the smile on the faces of our loved ones when they saw the subject of the "morning hangover".
In the evening we wanted to go to some restaurant. The hospitable inhabitants of Yaremche advised us the hut "At Yakov's". It is located in the city center. Since there were no free tables when we arrived at the restaurant, we asked to book one as soon as someone left, and we ourselves went to a nearby restaurant to drink wine. The wine had an incredible, rich, bewitching taste of footcloths. Fortunately, the table in our kolyba was vacated after 20 minutes, and we quickly moved there. Impressions from the institution were only positive, as for 400 UAH. the four of us ate too much, and warmed up with cognac. The cuisine is delicious, the service is friendly, the interior is in the appropriate style.
The next morning we woke up in a depressed mood, as we had to leave for Kyiv. On the way to Ivano-Frankivsk one could once again admire the beauties of the Carpathians. Narrow streets, small and at the same time neat houses, fresh air - these things complement each other and create a complex picture of western Ukraine.