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Christmas in Ukraine
January 03 - 20, 1998 (18 days)
 
Day 1 (Jan-03  Sat.) New York (JFK International Airport)
Departure to Kyiv (via Warsaw) by LO-007/LO-751 at 18:50 EST.

Day 2 (Jan-04  Sun.) Kyiv
Arrival in Kyiv (Boryspil International Airport) at 10:50 local time, motorcoach transfer to Rus Hotel.
Lunch at the hotel. After lunch - an extended tour of Kyiv, including the Golden Gate of Kyiv, Kiyevo-Pecherska Lavra, St.Volodymyr Hill and more.

Day 3 (Jan-05  Mon.) Kyiv - Kaniv - Kyiv
After breakfast at the hotel - full day motorcoach trip to Kaniv to visit the Taras Shevchenko Memorial.
Dinner at the hotel. Transfer to the rail station. Departure to Lviv by first class overnight train #92 at 19:51.

Day 4 (Jan-06  Tue.)  Lviv
Arrival in Lviv at 07:34. Transfer to Dnister Hotel (superior floor) located next to St.George Cathedral.
After breakfast at the hotel - tour of Lviv, including gems of old architecture, major churches and cathedral, Vysokiy Zamok, etc.
Lunch at the hotel. After lunch - visit to St.Michael Monastery. Visit to the Icon Shop of sister Volodymyra to see the collection of icons and learn how they are painted and restored from the leading expert on Ukrainian iconography. Then, excursion to the National Museum (Section of Sacral Art) to see one of the world’s richest collections of old Ukrainian sacral paintings.
Svyata Vecherya at the Monastery.

Day 5 (Jan-07  Wed.) Lviv
All day free for individual activities. Tourists will find hundreds of Christmas shows, Kolada singing, etc. in the downtown area (both planned and spontaneous).
In the evening - Christmas Dinner with folk music at the hotel (please, reserve seats for local relatives in advance).

Day 6 (Jan-08  Thu.)  Lviv - Univ - Lviv
After breakfast - day trip to the Holy Assumption Monastery in Univ. The Monastery is a world-known place of pilgrimage and a unique sample of medieval (14th c.) fortress-like monastery architecture. Visitors will also have a chance to see the cattle farm and various shops (medical herbs processing is especially interesting) operated by the Monastery. Visit to the graveyard in the woods, where monks were secretly buried during the Soviet rule.
Lunch at the Monastery.
Dinner at the hotel.

Day 7 (Jan-09  Fri.)  Lviv - Kolomiya - Yaremcha
After breakfast - departure for Yaremcha. Lunch and visit to the Museum of Traditional Carpathian Crafts in Kolomiya.
Dinner and overnight at the Karpaty Resort in Yaremcha.

Day 8 (Jan-10  Sat.)  Yaremcha - Kosiv - Yaremcha
After breakfast - early departure for shopping for traditional local souvenirs (wood-carvings, lizhnyks, carpets, leather goods, embroidery, etc.) at the Kosiv Fair.
Upon return to Yaremcha - free time to enjoy the atmosphere of this unique climatic resort, wonderful landscapes of the Carpathian Mountains. Optional walking tour (approx. 1 mile one way) to the Skeli Dovbusha (rocks named after "Ukrainian Robin Hood" Oleksa Dovbush who - according to the legend - had one of his "bases" there).

Day 9 (Jan-11  Sun.)  Yaremcha - The Center of Europe - Yaremcha
On this trip tourists will see absolutely breathtaking Carpathian landscapes at higher elevations. It is also a rare chance to take a picture by the stone marking the geographical center of Europe (in the vicinity of Yasynya).
 
Day 10 (Jan-12  Mon.)  Yaremcha - Ivano-Frankivsk - Halych - Rohatyn - Lviv
After breakfast - departure for Lviv. En route - a brief tour of Ivano-Frankivsk, short stops in Halych, the first capital of Danylo Halytskiy, Rohatyn, the birth place of Roxolana, lunch.
Dinner and overnight at Dnister Hotel in Lviv.

Day 11 (Jan-13  Tue.)  Lviv
In the morning - visits to the Local History Museum (including the Hall of Jan III Sobieski with its unique collection of treasures) and Museum of Antique Porcelain and Furniture. Lunch at the "Pid Levom" Restaurant. Afternoon free.

Day 12 (Jan-14  Wed.)  Lviv - Zarvanytsya - Pidkamin - Pochaiv - Pidlissya - Busk - Lviv
Visit to Zarvanytsya, the place of Holy Miracle of Our Lady (a dedicated church is being built there).
Pidkamin is a place that undoubtedly deserves to be on the front page of The National Geographic Magazine. It derived its name from a huge hanging rock. In the 17th c. a wonderful Baroque church was built there, which made the view even more impressive.
About 15-minute drive away Pochaivska Lavra is located. It is another well-known place of pilgrimage possessing wonderful samples of 17-20th c.c. sacral architecture. Lunch en route.
Visit to the Memorial Museum of Markiyan Shashkevych, the founder of Ruska Triytsya.
A short stop in Busk to see the very first monument to Ukrainian Independence erected in 1992.

Day 13 (Jan-15  Thu.)  Lviv
In the morning - visit to the Museum of Ethnography possessing world famous exhibits of traditional folk crafts. The collections of embroidery and pysanky are of special interest. Afternoon free.

Day 14 (Jan-16  Fri.)  Lviv
Visit to the Historical Park "Shevchenkivskiy Hay" to see wonderful Carpathian wooden churches (some of them operating, some are just exhibits), traditional country homes from different parts of Ukraine. Afternoon free.
After dinner - performance at the Opera House.

Day 15 (Jan-17  Sat.)  Lviv - Krekhiv - Zhovkva - Lviv
Visits Basilian Monasteries (in Krekhiv 17th c.) and unique early 18th wooden churches (the one in Zhovkva has original iconostasis). Lunch en route.

Day 16 (Jan-18  Sun.)  Lviv - Nahuyevychi - Drohobych - Lviv
Visit to the Memorial Museum of Ivan Franko in his native village of Nahuyevychi, walk along the "Poet’s Path" featuring sculptures of the characters of Franko’s writings. On the way back - a brief tour of Drohobych.

Day 17 (Jan-19  Mon.)  Lviv
All day free for last minute souvenir shopping, to catch up with the relatives, etc.
Farewell dinner at the hotel with folk show (please, reserve seats for local relatives in advance)

Day 18 (Jan-20  Tue.)  Lviv - New York
After breakfast departure to Lviv Airport for flight LO-766/LO-006 to New York (via Warsaw) at 11:30 local time.
Arrival in New York (JFK International Airport) at 13:10 EST.


Though the above program has already been coordinated with the local church authorities involved in this project, we will be most grateful for your suggestions and remarks and will do our best to modify it accordingly.
Due to changes in the work schedule of some organizations during the Christmas Holidays, as well as due to poor weather and/or driving conditions (esp., in the mountains), the order of the excursions may be altered and/or some of them may be substituted by services of equal value.
RATES PER PERSON
Complete tour $2,400
Land only $1,700
Single supplement $350
 
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Due to limited seats and to avoid visa rush fees of the Ukrainian Embassy,
application deadline is
December 12, 1997