A bit more awake now. We had the wonderful breakfast at the Swiss Hotel. I describe it as the breakfast where you feel as if you should have dressed better.
At 10 AM we were picked up by our guide, Alex.
Alex guided us last year and he is a most amazing person. He speaks all languages in the area and some from out of the area fluently. He seems to know the history of every small town we pass through, which is really saying something because many of these towns were created more than 1000 years ago. He is also skilled at getting us through otherwise "difficult" border crossings without a lot of time wasted and without any bribery. Last year we probably set the record for crossing from Ukraine to Moldova.
We set out driving on the questionable roads of Ukraine and by midday we were in the town of Lukin, the birthplace of our Paternal Grandmother. People here have a tough life. There's not a lot of optimism in Ukraine, in large part due to the political corruption and the ongoing war with Russia. Here are some pictures of Lukin.
The last picture is of what was once the Synagogue for the town. It's a factory now and the previous Jewish population is probably all gone due to the Holocaust, immigration and attrition.
We drove on to the town of Lutsk where we checked into another very nice hotel. The rooms are roomy suites, very modern and comfortable, all for $25 per night.
We dined at the hotel and all of us had plenty to eat and it was all very good. I had grilled chicken with cooked apple slices and a white sauce with a glass of Chilean Chardonnay. The check for all three of us was only $52.
Our breakfast is included and we gave our menu selections at check-in. I'll say goodnight now and work on feeling completely rested for tomorrow's journey.
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