The Eagle Lands at Chernivtsi’s Super-Uber-Mega-Monster Market

All our readers will remember our July 14 posting concerning the markets and Murray (a.k.a the buzzard) and Donna (a.k.a. the Eagle). Well, here’s another story for you.

Chernivtsi is located in Western Ukraine. Donna was very keen on visiting here because she was here in 1987 on a university student exchange and wanted to see how things had changed in the post-Soviet era. She also wanted to travel to the surrounding communities where her family originated from. We went after the court date during the 10 day waiting period. Although it was very, very hard for us to leave the kids for a couple of days, we felt this was the best time because we didn’t want to just keep visiting and only playing with them; parenting is yet to come. They might get used to us as only being playmates and not parents. (And while Donna might look OK, Murray in bunny ears and a little one-piece with a pompom on his ass just wouldn’t do…OK sorry bad pun but I had to do it…) Anyway, so we made a quick trip over to Chernivtsi. The town is about 250,000 people, with a beautiful university --Yuri Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University----and many shady parks and clean streets. Although it has changed lots since Donna was here---- it is much more colorful and there is a lot of effort to upgrade buildings, making into a typical central European look. The area is beautiful and it’s good to be out of the pollution of Mariupol’s steel mills.










Perhaps the most memorable activity of our trip so far was our visit to the Kalynivsky Market just outside of town. It is a conduit for goods coming into Ukraine from neighboring countries and attracts 50,000 people a day. It is spread out over close to a quarter section of land, 1000’s of stalls, millions of choices. It was a perfect place to shop for some kids’ clothes and other items. Just look at the pictures…

And, so the Eagle of the markets took flight…Donna soared over the market starting the morning and carrying on for a number of hours. She was after all, shopping for her two little eaglets ---the goods and prices are much better than those in the Mariupol markets. Murray the Buzzard flapped along trying to keep up. But, for the Eagle, it was almost like she was flying over the biggest gopher colony known to man. And they were all newborn gophers, too stupid to dive down their holes. It was overwhelming. She soared and dove in on a buy; soared and dove in a buy; soared and dove…until she could soar and dive no more. Indeed, as Donna said herself as we trudged out of the market: “Okay, the Eagle has landed.” Sometimes you can just have too much of a good thing.

But I’m sure after a bit of a rest, the Eagle will be ready to soar again, only for her eaglets!