NZPhotographer Issue 55, May 2022

It was back in June 2021, when the Delta variant
was raging across the world, that I travelled to
Ukraine. My motivation at the time was to start
visiting more unique destinations, destinations that
wouldn’t normally come to mind when based in
New Zealand. Funnily enough, I travelled more
in 2021 than in any previous year. In fact, I spent
virtually the entire year travelling and happily
added Ukraine, Albania, and Bosnia to my list of
countries I would not have normally visited.
I didn’t have any expectations when the idea of
going to Ukraine popped into my head, not from
a photography standpoint nor as a traveller. I was
just going to take it as it came. Embarrassingly,
my before-travel impressions were that it would
be like Russia, perhaps I’d find the people dour,
rather unfriendly and aloof, and the country not
particularly picturesque other than the beautiful
orthodox churches. Well, wasn’t I in for a surprise!
The trip started rather excitingly as I arrived in the
middle of a massive storm. Strong cross-winds and
pummeling rain made visibility from my window seat
impossible. The plane jerked sideways with each gust
of wind. My palms were incredibly sweaty, which
reminded me why I don’t really like flying. Then, just as
my Turkish Airlines flight was about to touchdown, the
pilot pulled us up again, and we circled in a holding
pattern for about 30 minutes before making a second
approach. Thankfully the second attempt was more
successful, and once safely on the tarmac, I sighed
with relief and could finally breathe again.
I was now in Lviv, Ukraine! Lviv is the cultural and
artistic centre of Ukraine and its sixth-largest city with
a population of just under one million. The city is in
the West of the country and, at present, is mostly safe
from Russian bombings and atrocities. At present, Lviv
is the de facto capital of Ukraine, while Kyiv, the true
capital, is under appalling attack. Please note, in this
article, I won’t comment on the politics of the current
Russian invasion suffice to say that I support Ukraine.
This article is written with respect to Ukraine and as a
reminiscence of a wonderful time spent in the country.
As the centre of culture in Ukraine, Lviv boasts over
60 museums, 10 theatres and holds over 100 festivals
annually. The historic town centre dates from the
13th Century and is blessed with numerous historic
churches, buildings, relics, and a magnificent town
hall and opera house. The streets are cobbled
and lined with huge old doors, some hundreds of
years old. There are numerous stone buildings and
carvings to seek out in every alley and pedestrian
tunnels linking one part of the centre to another.
Needless to say, the entire historic area is very
photogenic. In contrast, once leaving the centre,
the architecture changes dramatically as Soviet-era
high rise residential blocks begin to dominate.
Beautiful Rynok Square in the early evening.
Canon EOS M50 Mk1, Canon 24-105mm F/4 L USM lens @ F7.1, 1/250s, ISO100, 24mm