Аскания нова nature park

Ukrainian cows

8.8.10 tuesday – cофиевка, Ukraine

Istanbul the first time – sunday 24.7.10
when on 9.7.10 we arrived in Istanbul for the first time it was with a victorious sentiment. we thought we had most likely accomplished the most difficult half of the trip. it was amazing to have traveled 2,000km by our own power to, for us, an exotic new world. our host, Deniz and her fiancÈ, Bora showered us with warmth, kindness and generosity – introducing us to family and friends, escorting us to parties and the hamam (Turkish bath), providing free dental care and opening their hearts to us in friendship. we left in tears as Deniz ‘poured water’ after us as a traditional wish for a safe journey and an eventual return. we headed to the Bulgarian border at Derekoy with our plan to arrive in Ukraine via Bulgaria and Romania. however, the Bulgarian border police said that it would be necessary for Valentina to apply for a special visa in either Istanbul, 250km behind us, or Edirne, 100km to the west. we chose to go the 100km to Edirne but when we arrived at the Bulgarian embassy there we were told that the visa could only be obtained from the embassy in Istanbul and might take a week or more and could end up being expensive. it was the low point of the trip and robed us of much energy (it took it’s toll on the tricycle as well – in that 500km segment the universal joint failed and then the drive shaft). fortunately we were uplifted by the wonderful encounter in the little village on the outskirts of Babaeski with the farm workers, their children and elderly, their animals, their warmth, acceptance, trust, generosity and smiles.

Istanbul the second time and the princessa elena – giovedÏ 29.7.10
we returned to Istanbul with the sole purpose of finding passage on a ship to Cremea, Ukraine. a peninsula reaching into the black sea, it’s the southern extreme of Ukraine and so, the closest point to Istanbul. there was only one ship going anywhere in Ukraine that week – the Princessa Elena, a small cargo/passenger ship built in China in 1991. my guess was that it had to have been built in the 1920’s and I still have my doubts but the captain insisted that 1991 was the actual year of its birth. the accommodations were extremely modest on the 36 hour voyage but this is as close as we’ll ever get to a Black Sea cruise. there was an actual dining room serving breakfast, lunch and dinner (included in the ticket price of $180US per person). however, the upper deck inflatable ‘swimming pool’ was filled twice a day.

Cевастополь – 31.7.10
Princessa Elena’s only stop was Cевастополь. we had hoped to go instead to Ялта, where the mountains meet the sea. we seriously considered biking there - 100km east of —евастополь. in the end we decided to not press our luck with the tricycle in the mountains again and headed north. having been prepared for the impoverished and out-dated Ukraine I was surprised by the modern cosmopolitan look of —Севастополь. historically speaking it's like our Siracusa in that it's a Greek city founded in the fifth century BC.
Аскания-нова, nature park – friday 6.8.10
our one detour in the final stretch of the trip was to visit the nature park atАскания-нова. it was founded in the 1800's by a german man and hosts many endangered species.
the last night of the trip - friday 6.8.10
it was almost dark when we stopped to sleep in the little village ofАрхангельская слобода. while searching for a place to put the tent we met a woman named Нина walking with her child. she suggested that we sleep near the stadium where she works. there was a spot between the birch trees and a field of wild flowers. Нина brought us drinking water and hot water for the thermos for breakfast the next morning. she even returned in the morning at 6am to make sure that all went well on the last night of our trip. we woke saturday morning 7.8.10 before the dawn to eat and prepare the bikes. before leaving, Valentina picked a bouquet of flowers (the common Ukrainian name for those flowers means ‘without death’ because they keep their color even after they dry.) she tied the bouquet on the basket of the tricycle and we left to do the final 25km of our trip to the home of Любовь, Valentina’s mother.
the road along the canal was quiet so we went along side-by-side talking. she told me that her father,Виктор worked for several years with the bulldozer digging the irrigation canal and she told me about the time when she was ten years old and went with him to work. ‘there was a happy atmosphere among the workers – perhaps more so that day due to the presence of Виктор’s little girl. in the van gathering the workers they let me sound the horn for each departure. there was a place covered with flowers were the workers gathered. a man came toward me to ask – ‘do you know who made this floral beauty here?’ he then responded with a wide smile – your father Виктор!’ I passed the entire day at work with my father – a rare and unforgettable experience for a ten year old girl.’
someone along the road said that we should cross the third bridge over the canal to reach the road to Cофиевка. from that point I followed Valentina and we continued in silence. I saw the sign for the small road to Cофиевка – 2km. we turned and continued in silence. after a kilometer she turned on to a small dirt road and I saw ahead a cemetery. she had told me earlier that the last kilometer was a dirt road and I thought that it just happen to pass the cemetery on the way to Любовь’s. instead we entered the gates of the cemetery and I realized that our first stop was to be Виктор’s grave. it was an emotional and sad moment. she took the bouquet of flowers from the tricycle basket and tied them next to Виктор’s photograph. after the emotions calmed she showed me the graves of other family members and friends.

we then returned to the road for Cофиевка, a small village on the big Днепр river. the asphalt soon came to an end and we proceeded by foot on the badly eroded dirt road to the home of Любовь arriving at 09,30 sabato 7.8.10. we rang our bicycle bells and waited for her to open the gate where we greeted one another with hugs and kisses. a few minutes later the neighbors arrived, Cергей and  атерина, the parents of Valentina’s musician friend, Pоман. they asked me to sing some American songs. I took the guitar from my bike but when I began to sing, all the emotions came out – the realization of finally being here at Любовь’s home after 67 days and 3,000km, all that we did along the way, all that we saw and all those we had met. I burst into tears and couldn’t sing any more. (at that point  атерина said - Valentina told me that the people accepted that I’m a sensitive, good man.) I gave the guitar to Cергей and he and  атерина sang some spirited Ukrainian songs in harmony.
soon Valentina’s sister“Tатьяана (with whom I had already had several skype visits and a sense of friendship) arrived with her husband, Виталий and daughter Вероника. we began straight away with work projects. we talked about the possibility of putting a sink with running water in the house. in the garden there’s already an electric pump and a 30 meter deep well with delicious water but no running water inside the house. also we’d like to build a wood burning bread oven in the kitchen. in the mean time we’re doing small restoration projects, exterior painting and there’s always lots work to do in the vegetable garden and kitchen.
last night (monday 9.8.10) Лидия, Valentina’s aunt arrived with her daughter Рита and Рита’s husband, Саша and their fourteen month old, Елена. they’ll all be here for a few days. unfortunately the baby is frightened by my beard and runs away every time she sees me. just after dawn Valentina and I, Любовь, Лидия e Шура (the kind elderly neighbor) went to the cemetery to clean the graves of relatives. after the work was done we ate breakfast there with the dead relatives.

now (wednesday 11.8.10) are in Каховка, 20km from Софиевка, to email this to Charles Ellis for the blog. I’d like to close with a memory of the trip that for me is a metaphor for all the kindness, generosity and acceptance we encountered throughout the 3,000km and four countries we traveled (we won’t mention our misadventure in Bulgaria). we were in Saray, Turkey for our lunch break resting under the trees near a middle school when we saw a woman coming towards up with a tray with a glass platter filled with slices of watermelon. there were forks and knives and napkins - all served in the most respectable manner. in that moment I remembered a excerpt from Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-ExupÈry. after 14 days lost in the Sahara desert without food or water he saw a man from a camel caravan coming towards him with a container of water. in that moment Saint Ex saw that man not as only one man but as all of humanity and he had a feeling not of being saved but of being forgiven and that there did not exist even one enemy in all the world.
alive and stronger to led a hand to others, Liam+Valentina

l’ultima notte del viaggio - venerdÏ 6.8.10

era quasi buio venerdÏ sera quando siamo fermati al paesino diАрхангельская слобода per dormire. mentre cercando un posto abbiamo incontrato una signora con il bambino. lei, si chiamaНина, ci ha consigliato di mettere la tenda vicino lo stadio dove lavora lei. c'era un bel posto tra le betulle e un campo di mille fiori. Нина ci ha portato l'acqua da bere ed anche l'acqua calda per la colazione ed e' tornata alle sei indomani per essere sicura che la nostra ultima notte del viaggio e' andata bene. ci siamo svegliati prima dell'alba per mangiare e sistemare le bici e prima di andarcene, Valentina ha raccolto un mazzo di fiori (il nome popolare ucraino per quei fiori significa ‘senza la morte’ perchÈ anche quando sono secchi non perdono il colore). l’ha collegato sul cesto del triciclo e ce ne siamo andati per fare gli ultimi 25 chilometri del nostro viaggio fino alla casa di Любовь, la mamma di Valentina.
la stradina lungo il canale era tranquilla cosÏ camminavamo a fianco parlando. ha detto che suo padre,Виктор ha fatto anni di lavoro con il bulldoser scavando il canale d'irrigazione e ha raccontato di una volta che quando aveva dieci anni lei Ë andata con lui per un giorno di lavoro. ‘tra gli operai c’era l’atmosfera allegra – forse ancora di pi_ per la presenza della bambina di Виктор. in furgone per raccogliere gli operai hanno lasciato a me la responsabilita' di suonare il clacson per ogni partenza. c’era un posto fiorito dove gli operai si univano. un uomo mi ha avvicinato per domandarmi - e ha risposto da solo con un sorriso ampio - Виктор!> ho passato tutto il giorno di lavoro con mio padre – un'occasione rara e indimenticabile per una bambina da dieci anni.’
qualcuno per la strada ci ha detto che per prendere la strada per Софиевка avremmo dovuto attraversare il canale al terzo ponte. da quello punto ho seguita Valentina e siamo proseguito in silenzio. ho visto il cartello per la stradina per Софиевка – due chilometri. l’abbiamo presa e sempre in silenzio l’ho seguita. dopo un chilometro lei ha girato a sinistra su una stradina di polvere. ho saputo prima che l’ultima chilometro per la casa di Любовь Ë una di polvere. dopo centro metri ho visto il cimitero e pensavo che fosse stato per caso accanto quella stradina. invece siamo entrati nel cimitero e ho reso conto che sarebbe arrivati davanti la tomba di Виктор. era proprio cosÏ e era addirittura un momento emotivo e triste. lei ha preso il mazzo di fiori e l'ha collegato accanto la foto del padre. dopo essere stata ripresa mi ha fatto vedere le tombe degli altri parenti ed amici. quindi siamo tornati alla strada per Софиевка, un paesino accanto il gran fiume Днепр. tra un po’ l’asfaltata Ë finita e abbiamo fatto a piedi la stradina rovinata fino alla casa di Любовь la quale siamo arrivati alle 09,30 sabato 7.8.10. abbiamo suonato i nostri campanelli da bici aspettando fino a che non Ë uscita del cancello Любовь e ci siamo salutati con abbracci e baci. tra pochi minuti sono arrivati i vicini di casa, Сергей e  Катерина, i genitori dell'amico musicista di Valentina, Роман. mi hanno chiesto di suonare qualche canzone americane cosi' ho preso la chitarra. pero' quando ho cominciato di cantare tutta le emozioni sono uscite – per esserci finalmente a casa di Любовь dopo sessanta sette giorni e cerca tre mila chilometri in bici, tutto che abbiamo fatto, tutto che abbiamo visto, tutti che abbiamo incontrato. ho scoppiato in lacrime e non ho potuto cantare di piu. (a quel punto  атерина ha detto - Valentina mi hadetto che la gente ha accettato che io sono un uomo sensibile e buono.) ho ceduto la chitarra a Сергей e lui e  Катерина hanno cantato spiritosamente qualche canzone ucraine pure con la bella armonia.
quindi sono arrivati la sorella di Valentina, "Татьяана (con chi ho gia' parlato diverse volte sul skype cosÏ avevamo gi‡ il rapporto d’amicizia) con suo marito, Виталий e la figlia, Вероника. abbiamo cominciato subito coi progetti di lavoro. abbiamo parlato della possibilita' di mettere dentro la casa un lavandino con il tubo per l’acqua – nel giardino c’e' gia' la pompa elettrica e il pozzo di trenta metri di profondita' con l’acqua buonissima. anche vorremmo costruire in cucina il forno da legna per il pane. nel fra tempo facciamo un po’ del restauro e pittura fuori la casa e c’e' sempre da fare con l’orto e la cucina.

ieri sera (lunedÏ 9.8.10) sono arrivati Лидия, la zia di Valentina e sua figlia, Рита con il marito, Саша e loro bimba da quattordici mesi, Елена. tutti stanno qui per qualche giorni. purtroppo la bimba Ë spaventata dalla mia barba cosÏ corre via ogni volta che mi vede. stamattina prestissimo (martedÏ 10.8.10) siamo andati - io, Valentina, Любовь, Лидия e Шура (la vecchietta simpatica vicina di casa) – al cimitero per pulire le tombe dei parenti. dopo il lavoro abbiamo mangiato la prima colazione con i parenti morti.

domani abbiamo programma di andare in bici a  Каховка, 20km da qui, per spedire questo racconto a Charles Ellis per il blog. vorrei chiudere con un bel ricordo del viaggio che per me e' una metafora per tutta la gentilezza di cui siamo stati trattati tra i quattro paesi (non parliamo della nostra sventura in Bulgaria) e i 3,000km. eravamo a Saray, Turchia per la pausa di pranzo riposando sotto gli alberi vicino una scuola media quando abbiamo visto una signora che ci stava avvicinando con un vasoio con un piatto di vetro pieno delle fette di anguria. c'erano anche le forchette, i coltelli e i tovaglioli – ci ha servito con gli onori. in quel momento ho ricordato un brano del Terra degli uomini, da Antoine de Saint-ExupÈry. dopo quattordici giorni perduto nel deserto Sahara senza cibo nÈ acqua lui ha visto un uomo che lo stava avvicinando con un contenitore d'acqua. in quel momento Sante Ex ha visto quel uomo non come un uomo solo invece come tutta l'umanita'. e non ha provato il sentimento di essere salvato invece di essere perdonato e non esisteva nessun nemico nel mondo intero.

vivi e piu forti per dare la mano agli altri, Liam+Valentina

3.7.10 Tuesday - Evpatori, Ukraine

we are in Evpatori on the west coast of Cremea. it's a big change for me here. the people don't greet us or respond to our greetings as they did in Italy, Greece and Turkey. we are taking a direct route to Kahovka (Valentina's home town) because there's an important part on the tricycle that sounds like it's ready to break and we've already used up all the spare parts. we want to arrive in Kahovka by our own power. it's very hot and humid so our pace is slow. we hope to arrive home in five or six days.

hugs to all, liam+valentina