Howie234

Two of us are going to Belarus and Ukraine on our own, starting May 22,for a little over two weeks, travelling independently for the most part.

We are experimenting with a travel blog. So far, we only have two posts, but are hoping to add as we travel around.

The location is:

http://donnhoward.blogspot.com/

Feel free to visit, and add any comments.

The main purpose is to visit the four small towns that my grandparents came from. However, the majority of our time will be in larger cities.

Below is our itinerary.

Fly into Minsk (from Wash. DC) - 3 days in Minsk

Bus (5 hours) to the small Belarus town of Turov, Belarussia (home of grandparent #1) - stay for a day

Hire car/driver for next day to visit David Gorodok (home of grandparent #2)

Overnight train to Lviv, Ukraine, stay in Lviv for 4 days. One of the days will hire car/driver to visit hometowns of grandparent #3 in Cherniv and grandparent #4 in Zolochiv.

Overnight train to Kiev, stay in Kiev for 5 full days.

Next day, fly back to DC.

In the small towns, we don't really have specific places to visit, but will get a feel for the towns. In Minsk and Liviv, we plan to vist the archives to see if we can find any information on family history.

Howard

Howie234

Feel free to add any comments or suggestions you might have on reataurants, things to see, etc.

tcreath

I don't have much to add other than I look forward to reading your blog and hope you write a trip report when you return! This board doesn't get too many off-the-beaten-path destinations such as these, so I'm sure your thoughts on these countries will be useful and interesting to many of us.

Best wishes,
Tracy

julia_t

I shall look forward to reading your blog as well.

Have a great trip, and sont forget to post a report when you get back, or at least a link to your blog so others can see it!

lucy_d

Sounds like a great trip! Looking forward to readiing about your travels. Keep us posted and thanks for the link to your blog.

FainaAgain

Bon Voyage! I'll read your blog with personal interest

Jed

More of us would enjoy it if it were posted here in installments.

Howie234

We are now back home. The trip was very interesting.

We posted about 15 times to:

http://donnhoward.blogspot.com/

Howard

lucy_d

I just read your entire blog. Thanks for posting. It sounds like it was an interesting and productive trip for your research. Were there many other visitors when you visited Babi Yar?

Howie234

Judy -

There were not many people at Babi Yar. The memorials are located in a park, so there were some people there just enjoying thte park. At the time we were there however, only a handful seemed to be there specifically to see the memorials.

lucy_d

Thanks, Howie. I do take interest in such memorials and monuments. I did not realize the site is a park. Did you get the feel that the people enjoying the park were locals? I'm sorry I'm asking so many questions, but it's interesting to me.

tower

Howie:

I just found yor post and will visit the blog in a minute. I just hit "Ukraine" and there you were.

Wife and I are also going to visit Belarus (her ancestors) and Kiev (mine) next month. This will be my third trip into the former USSR...twice before when it WAS he USSR.

First, we're takng a river cruise, Moscow to St. Pete...then we're off on our own to Brest in far western Belarus where we'll be visiting the town of Domachevo (wife's mother's birthplace) where we'll visit the cemetery which is purported to be in fair condition, and the town hall with which I've been corresponding and getting very postive responses (in English)as to birth and death records..then on to Kiev for 5 days, to walk the streets where my dad's early years were spent (1900-1908), in the Podol district (now gentrified, I understand).

Obviously, the infamous Babi Yar is at the top of the agenda. I'm finishing yet another novel and I need to do some light research in and around the area. Babi Yar figures prominently in my new bbok. In a "letter" within a prior work, I take Yevtushenko to task (rather a slight admonition) concerning his epic piece "Babi Yar"...so yes, I have ground to cover in and around Kiev. (By the way, I was one of the author/speakers at the Jewish Genealogical Society's 23rd International Conference, Washington, DC, 2003, where one of my novels was launched.

I'm off to read your blogs, Howie...I'm sure they'll be most helpful.

Thank you so much for your efforts.
Couldn't have come at a better time.

Stu Tower

[email protected] (if you wish to write)

FainaAgain

Stu, do you know about the new visa requirements this year?

If you or your wife have the place of birth any USSR republic, you need a proof of non-citizenship.

If you both were born in the US, you're fine.

tower

Thanks, Faina...we have both Russian and Belo-russian visas. Ukraine, not necessary for US citizens.

No, both Roz and I are North American born..her, Montreal, me Quincy, Mass. My family left Russia in 1912-13-14. Roz's mother left in 1927.

Faina, Where were you born? I'm sure I read it in one of your posts, but I don't recall.

Stu T.

FainaAgain

Belarus.

Usually I say "Russia" as it's easier on others. At first I'd say "Belarus" and get a blank stare

Can't give real travel advices as we left 19 years ago even before USSR fell apart.

MomDDTravel

bookmarking - Stu did you ever do a trip report? I just found out that I am from the Ukraine.. my family left in the late 1800's from a place called Berdichev. I have roots in Jewish farm colony movement called "Am-Olam." Not sure what that is..but figuring it out.