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Before War: Ukraine 2013
We could have gone almost anywhere on a vacation in 2013. There were still so many countries that we hadn’t visited yet. Eastern Europe was open and the idea of exploring former soviet areas was intriguing and mystical. The sound of places like Odesa, Crimea, Kyiv, and the Black Sea brought images of dark times, spy stories and the cold war. We flew to Kyiv and then spent 17 days discovering the incredible places and people of Ukraine, the largest country in Europe.
Though we hadn’t planned it this way, the day after we arrived in Kyiv was the Ukrainian Independence Day celebration. On August 24th 2013 they were celebrating their 22nd year of independence from the Soviet Union. Parties, decorations and events were everywhere. We traveled from Kyiv to L’viv to Odesa and on to Simferopol in Crimea. Little had we known what was to come.
Though we hadn’t planned it this way, the day after we arrived in Kyiv was the Ukrainian Independence Day celebration. On August 24th 2013 they were celebrating their 22nd year of independence from the Soviet Union. Parties, decorations and events were everywhere. We traveled from Kyiv to L’viv to Odesa and on to Simferopol in Crimea. Little had we known what was to come.
Kyiv
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