I haven't spent much time in the northeast of the country (save for a short trip to Lyubotyn and Kharkiv many years ago to visit some of my orphans), and don't know much about the area.  Last summer, at camp, we had kids from the internat in Horodnya, near Chernihiv.  I decided that it might be fun to combine the two places into a day trip. 

I hired a driver, bought a map, and set out with my friend Ruslan.  We had lots of gifts for the kids – photo albums for each of the campers, chocolate bars for each of the students, and a set of Harry Potter books in Ukrainian (the last volume had just come out).  We studies the map, plotted out a course, and set off.

Ukraine is not yet a very driver friendly country.  I've mentioned the lack of adequate sign-posting many times, and we had our problems with that.  Much of the time spent away from main roads (and sometimes on them) consists of stopping, hailing pedestrians, and asking them "How do I get to..........?"  This is particularly common at rural intersections, as there are rarely any signs, and everyone local already knows where to go, so why waste money on a sign?

The maps aren't much better.  Oh, they're better than they used to be, but there is still the problem of Russian-only maps (good for those who can read them, I guess), and the lack of differentiation of rural tracks from good roads.  I picked a route to Horodnya that would skirt Chernihiv (to avoid city traffic), and it did, but much of our drive was on small, barely two-lane roads.  These looked exactly the same on the map as the big intercity roads.  Still, it was a pleasant drive, meandering through villages, with lots of rural vistas.  I quite enjoyed it.

In Horodnya we wandered a bit looking for the internat.  We found it readily after being told to look for Lenin1 and he would show us the way.  We did and he did. At the internat were given a nice welcome, and my students were rounded up for me.  All were there, and we had a pleasant reunion. 

Two of my campers from 2006, Natalie and Kathy

There were lots of hugs, and a big of catching up.  They loved the photos.  Then they had to get back to class, and I was shown around the school.  It was a nice, well-maintained campus.

We drove back via Chernihiv, an ancient and lovely Ukrainian city.  It is large, but not huge, with a population of about 300,000, and is situated on the banks of the Desna River, 141 kilometers north of Kyiv. Chernihiv is one of the most ancient towns in Ukraine. Chernihiv is older than Kiev. Chernihiv was first mentioned in the year 907 A.D., but dates back to the 9th century, and was, with Kyiv, largest economic and cultural center during the Kyivan Rus era. Some legends state that the name came from Prince Cherniy; others say that it owes its name to the thick, dark, surrounding cherniy (black) forests.

It remained an important city until 1239, when the city was sacked by the hordes of Batu Khan. The city then changed hands many times, and was burned a second time by the Tatars.  It gained prominence again during the Cossack Hetmanate (1654-1775), sinking into regional obscurity from the 19th century on.

The thing I noticed most as we entered the city center was how many trees there were.  The oldest part of the city has been preserved in a park that winds its way from the banks of the Desna and through the city center. In this area there are ancient burial mounds, the Val (fortifications from Kyivan Rus) and numerous ancient golden-domed churches.  They are connected by paved footpaths among the golden-leaved trees2 and numerous flower beds.  We wandered about, visiting the churches and wandering thorough them and their museums.  It was a beautiful autumn day, and we had a marvelous (if not nearly long enough) time.

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1. 1.Statues of Lenin often portray him with one arm extended, as if pointing to something.
   
                             

   

   
   

2. 2.Autumns in Ukraine are golden, as that is the predominant color of autumnal leaves.  There is little of the showy colors that we get in the northern and central USA – bright pinks, reds and oranges.  October is "zhovten" in Ukrainian, meaning "yellow one." November is "lystopad," "when the leaves fall."