Ukraine - The Cossacks

The Cossacks are romanticized in the Ukraine, perhaps in the same way that Americans romanticize the cowboys of the old west. Zaporizhia was one of the main centers of this activity, and we had a chance to meet a few of the old boys on our way through.

And here are some action shots.

It's so much fun we want to be Cossacks ourselves.

Drinking the vodka with the sword

And, some more crazy horseback riding

Ukraine - Through the Locks

Still in Ukraine, as we head up the Dnieper river towards Kiev, one of the more interesting things to do on the ship was to watch the passages through the locks. There were several along the route, but the best was the following one, which we went through just before Zaporizhia. Since we were going upriver, we would sail in to the narrow lock and watch the doors close behind us. Then, the lock would fill with water and the ship would rise to the top. As the door ahead of us opened, we would sail out to a new landscape. This particular passage through this one lock alone required an increase in elevation of over 37 meters (about 122 feet).

 

As we approach the lock

 

The giant door will close us inside

We are very close to the walls

The door ahead will open after the water fills

They tie the ship to a cleat which rises with us

Nearly full!!

The town up top (that's Lenin in the park)

Gates open and we sail out