Hello everybody!

My name is Mark Bilbro, and today I will tell you about my trip to Ukraine, to the city of Ivano- Frankivsk!

Feel the coziness and European charm of Ivano-Frankivsk, hear the noise of the mighty mountain rivers and the murmur of streams, breathe in dizzyingly clean air, admire the mountains covered with green velvet forests. I am sure that this bright picture has already formed in your thoughts. Can you guess what I’m going to talk about today? Without a doubt, we will talk about Ivano-Frankivsk and the places I fell in love with!

My acquaintance with Ivano-Frankivsk happened in the summer of 2018. This small town enveloped me in comfort as soon as I got off the train onto the platform. At the exit from the station, local carriers actively invited me to leave for Bukovel, Yaremche, Vorokhta and other resorts, but I was in no hurry.

The first thing that caught my eye while walking around Ivano-Frankivsk was a large number of book stores. I have not met such in any other city of Ukraine. Here on every street , there was a bookstore, and sometimes there were even two or three. And then I thought, people from this city love to read, which means that they are smart and educated! This city is a real paradise for literature lovers!

In general, being in Ivano-Frankivsk creates the impression of being in some kind of European town.

I began my acquaintance with the city from the main promenade – “100 meters”, as the locals call the street of Independence.

Here we came with my friend for a walk, had a cup of aromatic coffee and talked about life in a cafe nearby.

The city was like a treasure box: the ancient remains of a bastion were hidden in inconspicuous courtyards, and an art space in the old workshop.

On the weekend we went to the Neptune bathhouse. Many years ago in this place the congresses of the radical party were held, which was headed by Ivan-Franko. By the way, this is the oldest bathhouse in Ukraine – it was built in 1845 and is still working. And I was proud that I visited it)

After the bath we went to the restaurant “Ten”. There I tasted Carpathian and European cuisine. The next day we went to the Fabbrica restaurant for breakfast, my friend told me that this restaurant has very tasty Mediterranean cuisine, and he was right, it really turned out to be so!

I was also lucky enough to visit the Galician National Natural Park. The most interesting part of the park was the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Animals with whom trouble have happened fall into the center. In the wild, they would not survive, but there they are carefully looked after.

The coolest thing was that you could get to know them better there – I stroked deer and cuddled rabbits, looked at bears and generally rejoiced at the good conditions the animals are in.

Another highlight of Ivano-Frankivsk was the location of the only active volcano in Ukraine. But, since it is located outside the city, we did not have enough time to go there, unfortunately.

I really enjoyed my trip! This was my week of vacation in Ukraine. I got a lot of positive emotions and was very pleased with what I saw in Ivano- Frankivsk!