The breath of Poland, knight’s armour, the sounds of medieval battle, Roman Catholic churches and the sounds of organs that purify your soul, Armenian streets, the London fogs, the castles of medieval Austria, and royal grandeur, intelligence, great spirituality and national pride. Does anyone want to guess what city are we talking about? Yes! It is the so-called “City of Lion”, or Lviv, situated west of Ukraine. We’re on a train, coming back “home” to the Gulyaypole orphanage, - our big children’s family, and bringing with us lots of unforgettable impressions from both the medieval and modern Lviv. The children are humming with excitement! The boys and girls are absolutely delighted and sharing their positive emotions and joyful memories about their journey with each other. What’s more, - there are lots of wonderful memories to share! The excursion tour around the city was perfectly and interestingly planned by our miraculous fair, Vira Vikentivna, so the kids had a great opportunity to enjoy sightseeing for a short period of time.
The children had an amazing stroll around the old city. They saw the medieval cave (where the ancient alchemists practiced their witchcraft in attempts to find the Philosopher’s stone), visited an old Armenian church, and attended a service in a Polish Catholic church, where they heard the living Polish language and superb sound of a pipe organ for the first time in their lives. They also admired the beautiful city at night. And all this was just for the first day!
The following day the children continued enjoying their fairy tale excursion around Lviv. They visited three medieval castles: Pidhirtci, Oles’ko and Zolochiv. The kids felt the spirit of knights and the grandeur of kingdoms and got acquainted with a magical treasury of the world’s art.
Finally, on the third day of their excursion the kids got a great opportunity to visit the Museum of Folk Architecture, where they saw the various architecture and daily life traditions of Polissia, Huzulschina, Bukovyna and Lemkivschyna as well as other regions. And the well-known Luchakivsky Cemetery Museum made the children stop and reflect on ‘eternity’. At the end of our tremendous journey, the children had a whale of time at the “Arsenal” Museum, which displayed weaponry of different epochs and peoples.
That evening on the train, the kids fell fast asleep, and we enjoyed their quiet and peaceful breathing. Then we came to an incredibly happy conclusion: Not everything is lost in the world as long as there are kind-hearted people whose generosity makes children’s dreams come true. We’re deeply grateful to all the people who helped us organize this journey. “The Happy Child” Charity Foundation accomplished something considered impossible – it helped our children feel the joy of childhood, the feeling of care, and the return of lost trust towards the whole world.
The employees of charity fund Happy Child will be glad to answer all your questions.
