in Travel FAQ, Ukraine
First Time Traveller to Ukraine? Read this.
Although most things in Ukraine work similarly as in other European countries, there are some differences and practicalities which you should be aware of. In fact, knowing them will help you to experience Ukraine more as locals do. Transport The bad… The bad things in Ukraine start with the bad roads. To be …
in Travel FAQ, Ukraine
Is It Safe To Travel To Ukraine?
Ukraine’s popularity as an attractive tourist destination has been growing steadily. That is until the social unrest that began at the end of 2013. It’s only natural that after listening to disturbing news reports, many travellers became worried about how safe it is to visit the country. The truth is, however, it’s perhaps the …
in Travel FAQ, Ukraine, Urbangreen
Is It Allowed To Take A Bicycle On A Train In Ukraine?
The short answer is yes. However, there are certain guidelines you need to follow in order to make your experience of the trip smooth. 1. Have a bicycle bag or a cover. It doesn’t matter if it’s a fancy one, costing a hundred Euros, or a piece of film for a few Euros. You …
in Culture&Art, Interviews, Kyiv, Ukraine
Art, Food, and Kyiv, by a Celebrity Chef Tom Wolfe
A New Yorker, a Londoner, and a world traveller. Tom Wolfe is an artist, and a celebrity chef, who worked around the globe and visited Ukraine many times. Recently, I had a chance to ask him about his work, travels, and his favourite places in Kyiv. Tell us about what you do. I …
in East Europe, Odesa, Stories
Odesa Wonderland & Gesheft Market
Four times a year, Odesa is the host city for a trendy design market, “Gesheft”. Which started as a garage sale organised by friends in a flat and became big enough to occupy pretty large venues. A different venue for each event. On its stalls, you can find anything from small handmade art objects, to …
in Guides, Travel FAQ, Ukraine
Three Reasons Why This Is The Best Time To Visit Ukraine
For the last 24 years, Ukraine has been an independent country. At least, formally. In reality, it’s development was stagnant due many internal issues, as well as external dependencies. Making it, not so independent. Things started to change recently, thanks to daring Millennials generation. Who initiated internal processes that manifested in the revolution of …
in Travel FAQ
The Meaningful Travel Manifesto
It’s a mobile world. Forget about travelling like a local. Today, you ARE a local everywhere. The question is, can you truly feel a connection with the place where you are at the moment? Can you understand it, engage with it, feel yourself a part of it? In order to connect with a place, …
in Culture&Art, Guides, Lviv, Ukraine
Language practice: Seven language clubs of Lviv
The article was originally published in tvoemisto.tv, by Hanna Vlasuyk. Translated by NovaEuropa. If you’re tired of learning a foreign language from textbooks, or do not want to perform homework in a language course, then the community Exchange Language Club Lviv is for you. Get involved in language clubs to practice English, Spanish, Italian, German, …
in Lviv, Stories, Ukraine, Urbangreen
Rock ‘n Rail Lviv
When visitors first arrive to Lviv, they are fascinated by its architecture and charm. But when they stay in the city longer than a week, they may need to escape the crowds and noise for a bit. Lviv’s parks can help with this. The greatest of them all is Park Znesinnya. It’s a forested, …
in Culture&Art, Lviv, Stories, Ukraine
The Travellers of War. Part 2. In search of a new home
“I was born in independent Ukraine and grew up here. I have my citizenship and my passport. I have my country.” For most people, the word refugee brings thoughts of war, economic hardship, and a search for rescue in another country. But in reality, every refugee has their own story. Iryna Simonenko, 17, …
On a Tour of Inspirational Goats
Ukraine is among the biggest exporters of grain, potatoes, and sunflowers in the world. However, for small agricultural businesses it still remains a very difficult place to work in, mostly due to poor legislation that does not favour interests of small farmers, and also due to bureaucracy and corruption. It is no wonder that Ukraine …
in Stories
Cultural Intrusion in Downtown Stavanger
This post is not about a place in Eastern Europe, but far beyond it. It’s about a public space in Stavanger, Norway. But the reason it is featured on NovaEuropa is because this is a kind of space I would love to see in Eastern Europe too. It’s a space that you wouldn’t normally expect …
in Lviv, Stories, Ukraine, Urbangreen
Free & Green Gym of Lviv
When we think about getting fit and improving our health, by default most of us start to think about signing up for a gym membership. But the problem with gyms is that too often they require a lot of willpower to go through the initial stage of finding the right one, the sign-up process, and …
in Entrepreneurship, Guides, Lviv, Ukraine, Urbangreen
Revolutionary Spaces of Lviv
Ukraine is perhaps the least expressed country of Eastern Europe to the rest of the world. A former soviet republic, for years there was a grey cloud hanging above it after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. But things started to change recently. The millennial generation, connected and daring, decided that it had enough of …
The Travellers of War. Part 1. An Interview with a Crimean Refugee, Pavlo Belousov
Pavlo is a social activist and an entrepreneur from Crimea, who moved with his girlfriend to Lviv last spring to escape Russian aggression. We met at one of Lviv’s coffee places on an August evening, after the day’s heat had gone. Despite coming from the warm south, Pavlo is sensitive to hot temperatures. We talked …