The Antique and the Artefact

A bit of a randomly timed blip really... hope you don't mind.

I am currently in L'viv, the cobbled hub of Western Ukraine. It's a wonderful, old city with a relaxed pace of life. It feels very much like parts of Krakow before it was massacred by the British stag parties. Although the Cyrillic sign posts and shop names never let you forget where you really are.

L'viv is, in fact, a very nationalistic area where people are very proud to be Ukrainian not Russian speaking, as is the case from Kiev eastwards. Something they do share with their daunting neighbours is a love for vodka, particularly flavoured vodka. Last night I think I sampled the worst drink that has passed my lips - vodka with gherkin flavour. I was then forced to lean over a chair, lift my shirt up so I could be whipped 5 times with a very painful leather whip (true story). L'viv was the home of Masoch after all.

Tomorrow we are off to the Carpathians to do a spot of rambling. Hopefully there will be no whips there...