THE PHENOMENAL BABIJ BROTHER UKRAINE TRIP…that might not have happened
By David Babij
30 July 2019
First, Brother James, the elder Babij, decided to make a 3rd trip to the “homeland”. In conversation with Brother Dan in early 2019, James encourages Dan to consider going “home”. Dan…who has never been farther away from MI than Cozumel or California, and has no passport or any clue as to what is involved. Dan buys in to the plan, shops flight plans, applies for his passport. In an email from James, the plan for the 2 brothers to go “home” is revealed to the rest of the clan. David, the baby Babij, reads the email…the immediate reaction is “Oh hell no, if Dan is going then I am going too!!”Well, now there are 3 Babij brothers committing to the trip “home”. Where is “home”? The homeland of the Babijs…Ukraine…specifically to visit the villages where the paternal grandparents came from before World War I…Burkaniv for Ivan Babij, and Zolotnyky for Anna Chuda Babij. The boys have heard some of the stories, and James had even visited the villages before to try to find some roots.
Travel plans and dates to Lviv are confirmed, hotel rooms are booked at the Astoria Hotel in Lviv. James makes arrangements once again with Diana Borysenko, who will be the guide/interpreter/driver/guiding light for the adventure. Lviv is the only city in western Ukraine with air service where the brothers can unite and where Diana resides. James from San Francisco, Dan from Detroit, and David from Memphis.
Trials and tribulations
David was to arrive first, with a scheduled departure of 6am on Monday, June 17 (MEM—ORD—WSW—LVO), with an anticipated arrival in Lviv on Tuesday, June 18 at 2:45pm. James was to arrive the same date later around 9:30pm. Dan was to arrive on June 19 (DTW—DC—Vienna—LVO). James and Dan arrive fairly close to expectation.
David, however, is trapped in Memphis. His flight to ORD on June 17 is cancelled due to inclement weather in ORD. By the time all disgruntled passengers are rerouted, David learns he will not be able to get out of Memphis and on his way to Lviv until 10a Tuesday morning, June 18 with alternate routes (MEM—NWK—MUN—LVO). After numerous requests to reclaim his checked bag and finally receiving it more than an hour later, David takes a cab ride home, disappointed, filled with more anticipation, and needing rest.
Tuesday morning (June 18), David catches a ride to the airport at 8am with good friend William and all appears to be OK until the flight is cancelled an hour before scheduled departure…mechanical issues due to lightning strike on the incoming plane! Back to the main counter with other disgruntled passengers who were also delayed from the prior day, to rebook. After some haranguing and cajoling, David learns his only way out is an evening flight to ORD on June 18, with connecting flight on Turkish Airlines from ORD to Istanbul, arriving Wednesday June 19, an overnight in Istanbul, and an early morning flight on June 20 from IST to LVO!! This is a kick in the pants as David purposefully booked his original flight to avoid flying through Istanbul. He has a perception that the Istanbul airport is substandard and ragged.
David is irate and already worn out before the trip has even started…..he seriously considers cancelling everything! But he reconsiders and perserveres. Emails are made to James, Diana, Astoria Hotel, Brian. David remains at the Memphis airport all day until the evening flight out rather than returning home and coming back to the airport later. United Airlines fails to advise David that his bag is only checked to Istanbul because he is staying overnight there. David finally departs Memphis around 6:30p, arrives in ORD, and must hurry to catch an airport transfer bus from Terminal 1 to International Terminal 5. The departure gate in ORD is jam packed with all sorts of waiting passengers, mostly non American….like being in a foreign country already. This flight departs mostly on time. Upon his arrival in Istanbul around 4p, in order to retrieve his checked bag he must go to Customs and then is advised he must obtain a $30 Turkish visa….only a 12 hr layover, but the Turks don’t care….12 minutes, 12 hours, 12 days…get a visa!
Well, it is an absolute surprise to David that the Istanbul airport is very new and WORLD CLASS! Huge, multi leveled, an architectural marvel. David schlepps through the magnificent Istanbul airport with rolling suitcase, carry on bag and shoulder bag, and finds a resting spot in a distant corner on the lower level until the next flight at 8am the morning of June 20. The departure gates are on the upper level with access through a spectacular shopping/duty free area… The flight departs Istanbul on time…..and David finally arrives in Lviv 2 days late!!
June 20
Diana picks David up at the Lviv airport as rescheduled, waiting near the exit and holding a sign “David Babiy”. He recognizes her immediately from pictures furnished by Jim! She is driving her fashionable and flashy red Mercedes Benz minivan named “Mario”, which she purchased in Germany. They make an instant connection regarding Turks. Diana mentions that David has a “Ukrainian face”, which makes him smile and he begins to relax. Off they go to meet up with James and Dan at the Astoria Hotel. David shaves, takes a quick shower to wash off the “Turkish mountain goat smell”, puts on clean clothes and off they all go on a walking tour of Lviv.
First stop…convert some American dollars to hryvna (26 to the US dollar). Then a tour of the Opera House, a spectacular century old structure near the hotel. Then a brief stroll through the adjacent open air market where David buys a traditional Ukrainian, hand embroidered men’s shirt. David tells Diana and his brothers that his friends will say “Girl….is that your mother’s blouse?” when he is seen wearing it in Memphis. Down the promenade, crossing cobblestone streets to visit several churches, including the 17 altar Dominican Church. Lunch on rooftop terrace of 36 PO on Rynok Square with spectacular views of the medieval city! Lunching on borsch and varenyky…what a pure Ukrainian treat!! Visits to the remainder of the “City Wall”, Royal Arsenal, Museum of Ideas with a glass display, and a very unique beer house with a bronze bust of a naked woman. Diana informs that if the breasts are rubbed properly, then a free sample of beer will flow. David is an admirer of nice breasts, real and bronze, but his rubbing does not produce beer. Dan’s manipulations do produce beer!
More touring, but Diana has an early evening engagement, so the brothers decide to return to the hotel and have dinner at the hotel restaurant….then early to bed. David and Dan sharing a room for the first time in many, many years!
June 21
After nearly a full night of sleep, the brothers meet for breakfast at the hotel restaurant. This will be the morning ritual for most of the stay. Strong coffee, juices, breads, meats, cheeses, cereal, eggs, fruit, yogurt, porridge, vegetables, desserts, potatoes….marching food!
As Diana has an appointment with other clients this day, the brothers strike off on their own in search of bottled water (a must) and other adventures. First, a stop at the Brewing Museum several blocks north and east of the hotel. Lviv has a long history of beer making, and at one time or another there were about 16 breweries in the city. The tour was finished up in the upstairs hall which has a unique “barrel stave” ceiling. Dan and David shared a sampling of 4 different local brews…from light to dark.
Then, off to central old city with a stroll, by accident, through a local bazaar for the “lumkin”. Everything you can image on sale from jeans, shirts, intimates, food, cosmetics, flowers. Diana later informs the brothers that this area is situated on a former Jewish cemetery….oi vey! Then off to visit the chocolate factory…mmmm…mmm. The brothers stop to enjoy a beer, Dan 2 and Jim coffee, at a beer house [called “Pravda”] right on Rynok Square where the table was right along the cobblestone street, perfect for people watching. Dinner that night was at Amadeus, seated outside under a canopy along the cobblestone street behind the Latin Cathedral. Roasted pork and potatoes, bread, gin and tonic. Some interruption from gypsies begging for money. Back to the hotel for much needed rest.
June 22
Another early morning breakfast of “marching food” at the hotel, then the boys are picked up by Diana in her other vehicle, a small 4 door sedan named “Mary”….again red with a gray interior. Diana likes the color red! Coffee to begin the day at Diana’s favorite coffee house next to Amadeus. Many imported coffees including Honduran and Guatemalan. Off to the Folk Architecture and Rural Life Museum (Shevchenkivsky Hai) where dozens of centuries old structures from various areas of western Ukraine have been taken down and reassembled in this location for visitors to see. Schoolhouse, typical Hutsil style home, blacksmith shop, church, grindhouse, etc. Linseed oil and cannbis oil were purchased from the grindhouse vendor.
We proceed to the structure where Halyna Syrotyuk will conduct a pysanky “master class” and teach Dan and David the process of handpainting eggs. Halyna is a nationally recognized/honored artist (Ukrainian National Union of Master Fold Artists) in pysanka, a skill she learned from her mother who was from Kolomyya. A lovely, well built blond with an endearing smile! She treated her guests to biscuits, salt pork on bread, coffee, tomatoes, and a special liquor poured from a Jack Daniels bottle (but not Jack Daniels). Dan, David & Halyna imbibed, then she began to show the process. Pysanky (hand painted eggs) is a centuries old tradition in Ukraine, and various eggs are used including chicken, duck, quail and goose. Needless to say, Dan & David’s first attempts were crude but still brought home as souvenirs. James, Dan & David purchased several eggs that day, and more were ordered for Halyna to complete and deliver about a week later. James bought Dan & David one egg each (David received a unique pierced egg with no color), and James received from them a colored/pierced egg that James has admired for 2 years….an egg Halyna never intended to sell!
Diana decided to take the brothers to a Hutsil themed family restaurant for dinner near her home. A family oriented establishment with several other structures and landscaped grounds for special events. The food was truly Ukrainian…with everyone trying varenyky, banosh, barosh, borsch. All the food could not be eaten, so Diana was sent home with leftovers for the children. The tab was less than $60 US! Back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep, because tomorrow was the big trip to “the villages”.
June 23
The brothers miss breakfast this morning which doesn’t begin until 8am. Dan & David wander over to McDonald’s near the Opera House to get hashbrowns and 4 American coffees for the drive. She was right on time!! Time is another chapter. We drive off in “Mario”, heading south/southeast towards Ternopil, and then further south/southeast to Burkaniv (birthplace of Ivan Babij) and Zolotnyky (birthplace of Anna Chuda Babij). Diana suggested an 8am departure so that arrival in Burkaniv will be around Sunday mass at the village church. About an hour out of Lviv, Diana is stopped by highway police for improper lane use and issued a ticket…she is not happy and ruminates about lost time. And, she drives “like a bat out of hell”!
“Major” roads in Ukraine are asphalt paved, one wide lane each direction, with an occasional passing lane. There are posted speed limits, but they are rarely acknowledged or enforced. Farmland on either side of the road, as far as one can see, interrupted by a village here and there with a church dome always in sight. Many homes with frontage along the highway with a distinct feature…..fences. Many intricate, some stone with metal or wood, delineating the family plot. This feature will also be seen in the villages.
After leaving the main highway, the group finds its way to Burkaniv via very rough and pourly paved country roads, dodging potholes all the way. They arrive in Burkaniv during church service at the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic (Uniate) Church of God’s Transfiguration. Diana approaches 4 women sitting on a bench just outside the church entry, and she begins a respectful conversation with occasional references to Babij and Chuda. David steps inside to witness some of the church service, which is different from yet strangely similar to Catholic service. The next thing to happen is Diana receiving advice from the women to visit a woman named Oksana Syvulska up the road. Oksana is a record keeper for the village and her mother is a Khuda by birth! Upon departing the church, David picks up a rock at the end of the path for his friend Tara, who has made a special request for a rock from Ukraine.
Diana pulls into the dirt driveway of a small farm, all disembark, and she walks up to the fence near the house and greets a woman who is in fact Oksana. After a brief conversation with mentions of Babij and Chuda and the “Americans”, Oksana goes into the house to change. Dan & David wander back to the country lane, turn to the left , and in 50yds come to the bridge over the River Strypa….goosebumps! David crosses the bridge and meanders to the right down a rutted vehicle path to the plain of the river. He obtains another rock here for his friend Steve Simpson, who is a rock collector. David crosses the open field, observing two horses grazing about 300 yards away, and walks to the river bank. He returns to meet Dan on the bridge and they proceed to the house of Oksana, where things are going to happen quickly!
After introductions of the brothers to Oksana, all embark up the lane to “see what we can see, and greet who we can greet”. The distinct feature is everywhere….fences…some dilapidated some well kept, behind which are small homes with gardens, roses, lilies. Chickens and geese wander freely, and Oksana’s small dog follows the group closely. The brother’s have stepped back in time…it seems nearly 80+ years.
Oksana converses with several gentlemen, then, like a party line abuzz”, women of various ages come up the lane. More conversations. Magdalena with her tree limb cane greets the group. The group is pointed to a small house nearby with a lovely fenced in yard. Introductions are made to a woman named Stephania and her husband. Stephania, with pale piercing blue eyes and white hair, is one year older than James. Her grandfather, she relates through Diana, was Prokop Babij. Prokop is the brother of Panteleimon, who is the great grandfather of James, Dan & David! Panteleimon is the father of Ivan.
Bingo!! The brothers have met a distant living relative from the paternal side….a very emotional moment! After a few emotional minutes with Stephania and a near tearful goodbye, the group embarks to head towards Zolotnyky. On the way, an abandoned storefront is pointed out as a onetime Babij establishment.
Oksana has the group stop at 2 more houses on the way out of Burkaniv. At the first house, a 92 yr old woman named Stephania lives with her son. Conversations begin, introductions are made, Babij and Chuda are mentioned. Stephania is a Khuda, and her son retrieves a crude family tree he has prepared which, although interesting, provides no links for the brothers. Thanks are exchanged as well as handshakes and kisses.
Her name is not remembered, but the woman living at the second house is a Stelmach, about 50 yrs old. Her home is across the street from what looks like a very overgrown and wooded field, next to the old church. This woman is pointing and tells Oksana and Diana that back in the wooded area are headstones, at least one with the name Babiy. Well, Diana, Oksana and the Stelmach woman lead the pack through overgrowth, scraggly trees, brush until they come to the area with headstones.
Low and behold, in the heavily shaded, overgrown and mosquito infested woods is the headstone of Ignat Babiy. Absolutely stunning and unexpected! This is the grave of the brother’s great great grandfather. And the headstone is fairly tall(~7’), obelisk in shape and readable. There are other overturned headstones. Pictures are taken, then the group rushes out to get away from the mosquitoes. This site will require further investigation, and perhaps funding for someone to clear away the undergrowth. Perhaps the Stelmach woman can assist?
Oksana rides with the group to Zolotnyky where her mother (by birth a Khuda) lives. Diana maneuvers over a very rutted village back road until we arrive at the home of Oksana’s mother. More conversations with Chuda, Anna Chuda, Babij thrown around. Diana interprets that there was a Chuda family with many children, and that they were orphaned after both parents died of typhus….but James does not think this is Anna Chuda’s family. More chickens, geese and dogs abound. Goodbyes are made, and the group ventures down the road to a small market where Diana parks.
Across the lane from the market is a house with residents with another story. Oksana and Diana greet an older woman at this house who is standing at her door, seeing 4 strangers coming up her drive/path. This woman is Sofia Vernyhora-Khuda, 80 yrs old, 5-7”, matronly, red hair, good posture, brown eyed…friendly. Diana and Oksana explain the situation, introduce the brothers from America. Sofia’s 59 yr old daughter Nadia (born 1960) comes out of the house and she is apprised of the situation and introduced. Chuda is popping up, excitement ensues, eyes sparkle.
Well, Sofia tells the group that her mother, Anastasia, was the baby sister of “Aunt” Anna Chuda! The brothers are thunderstruck! “Aunt” Anna Chuda (Popenik) was the first cousin of the brother’s grandmother, Anna Chuda. Yes, there were 2 cousins from Zolotnyky, who were born about a day apart, both named Anna Chuda. “Aunt” Anna immigrated to the States in early 1913, and the boy’s grandmother Anna immigrated about 6 months later, both coming in through Ellis Island. Sofia’s mother wasn’t born until 1919, so “Aunt” Anna never met or knew her baby sister. There was about a 25 yr age difference between the two Chuda sisters!
Bingo! Another connection to distant living relatives from the maternal side. The brothers relay that they met “Aunt” Anna as boys, but did not know her or her husband or her children. Sofia did know that her aunt married a Popenik, and that she had 2 children…Olga Popenik Harvey and a son. Offers to visit again in the future, with return offers for a home cooked meal are exchanged warmly, with good bye hugs and kisses.
Snacks and drinks and ice cream are obtained from the market. Sadly, Oksana is taken back to her home, and more good byes and thank you’s are exchanged! The group begins the return drive to Lviv.
Diana makes stops at: a 16th century castle; a 16th century abandoned church (in a village with the most ramshackle bus depot); and remains of a 2 acre castle/fort. A group of young people had driven into the enclosure of the castle/fort to do some “partying”.
On the way into Lviv, Diana is stopped again by traffic police for failing to yield at a roundabout. She talks her way out of that ticket, fortunately. Diana drops the brothers off at their hotel, and they eventually make their way to dine at Amadeus again. Needless to say, it was a long day, and physically and emotionally draining for the brothers! Tonight will be a hard sleep.
June 24
Up early for a marching breakfast, then the brothers are picked up by Diana. Diana first wants to introduce the brothers to her first ex husband and her son by that man at a Ukrainian buffet near the Archives Hall adjacent to the Bernardine Monastery. Greetings are made, Diana is in an expansive and giddy mood. Then over to the Archives Hall. Passports are relinquished, sign ins required, and lockers assigned to store unnecessary items. Diana and James research Zolotnyky maps that Diana had requested earlier. Dan & David pore through property and tax records for 1828 and 1858 in Burkaniv requested by Diana. There are numerous parcels noted in Burkaniv in 1828 owned by Babiys, but not Babiys directly related to Ignat (great great grandfather) or his father, Tomas. Many parcels are owned by Tymko, Ivan, Pawlo and Marko Babiy…brothers perhaps? The records show: a surname; a lane address; then parcels owned by resident of that address. Some Chudas also owned land in Burkaniv. Lunch in the basement of the Museum of Ideas.
Dinner at ?
June 25
Up early for marching breakfast, then Diana picks up the brothers for the trip to Yaremche and Kolomyya at the edge of the Carpathians. The first stop is Yaremche, a village on the Prut River which is a very touristy/local crafts venue. The group winds through the many shops selling, linen, shirts, fruit, nuts, berries, cheese, meats, pottery. A stop is made over the Prut River for a photo op. David buys a Hutsil theme plate. There is a bungee experience out over the river that David is tempted to due, but by the time the group gets back across the river, the line is too long and the group needs to get moving to eat , then over to the east to Kolmyya. Lunch at The Green in Yaremche….varenyky, water..then off to the next situation.
Kolomyya is a Carpathian edge city, home of the Pysanky Museum. Of course the museum is the main reason to go there. David buys the wax drawing tool for future experimentation The group then decides to head back to Liviv as Diana is hosting a dinner at her apartment for the brothers this evening….a very special treat.
On the way in, Diana introduces the brothers to good friends and neighbors, Valeri and Donna. Diana lives in a very Soviet era, post World War II apartment which was owned by and willed to her by her father. Very efficient and very compact for her daughter, her 2 sons, and herself. Up in a small elevator to the 4th floor. An entry foyer, a small kitchen ahead, to the left is a tub in one small room, and a water closet and sink in an adjacent small room. To the right is one small bedroom for oldest son Ilya; then an adjoining open living space with table and sofa and a balcony; then the second bedroom shared by Diana and her beautiful 6 yr old daughter, Alisa. The second son, 16 yr old Augustin, sleeps on the sofa in the living space. His birthday is May 27, the same day as David’s.
Upon entry, shoes are removed per Diana’s request. The brothers are introduced again to Ilya and his girlfriend Anastasia, then to Augustin, and then to shy Alisa. A table and 7 chairs have been placed in the living area for the group. The feast, prepared and served by Ilya and Anastasia, begins: a salad, mashed potatoes, salt pork with bread and a huge pot of holubtsi. Shots of whiskey are also shared. Dessert is Tiramisu prepared by Diana….ahhhh. Gifts from Dan & David are presented. Dan gives T shirts to the boys, a ? for Alisa, and ? for Diana. David presents “Moon Pies” (assorted minis) and a Memphis refrigerator magnet for the family, a fused glass/custom made plate for Diana, and 2 fused glass pendants for Alisa. Diana presents each brother a copy of the book, “Lviv: a City of Parodoxes”….so very special. Alisa wants to go for a walk, so she is escorted to meet friends who will get her out of the apartment for a while.
Good byes and thank yous are exchanged, then Diana ushers her guests out to collect Alisa,who is now a little petulant and tired. Diana delivers her guests to their hotel. Another night of much needed rest after a very long day!
Also, Brian’s birthday. David sends a Happy Birthday text on Jim’s phone.
June 26
Another marching breakfast. Off to Archives Hall…same check in routine. There are some records of property owned by Ignat Babiy.
Diana has made arrangements for a special lunch in the Lviv apartment of Kataryna. She is ~79 yrds old, red haired, beautiful, full breasted, very health conscious, widowed, and a documented Lvivan of “special interest”. Such a lovely and gracious hostess! We are met there by Valeri, who will video some of the conversations for Diana’s promotion.
Lunch is all natural, fresh and very Ukrainian: Holubtsi; tomatoes; boiled eggs, halved, and topped with mayo; borsch; salt pork on bread. Followed up with homemade Ukrainian cheesecake for dessert. The brothers offered to contribute something for this hospitality through Diana…her reply, NO!
Kataryna and David discussed Pierogi, through Diana, and Kataryna advised that the dough is 2-3 cups flour, 2 tablespoons sour cream in ½ cup tepid water…..NO EGG!
This is the first night of Jazz Fest Lviv…so Diana arrives to pick the brothers up in Mary, wearing her salmon dress with Prada purse and high heels…stunning! She loves to show off her gymnast body and high fashion…why not? Adrien Brandeis Quintet started the fest off followed by Snarky Puppy ….what an amazing sound!
Diana delivers the brothers back to the hotel. Another night of much needed rest after a long day.
June 27
Breakfast at the hotel. Diana takes the brothers to the large cemetery on the outskirts where many famous Ukrainians are interred. Solomya the opera singer, the young composer, the athlete, poets. There is an area of the old Polish section, destroyed after World War II, that has been restored, where there are also graves for soldiers who lost their lives in the more recent soviet conflict. Dan notes a grave for Leszczynski and sends a pic to Ryan.
Then over to a special coffee house, “By the Golden Star “, with splendid desserts, another of Diana’s favorite places. David tries Veronica cake, Diana and Jim have Janduja. This coffee house was once the pharmacy of Mr. Mikolasz where Jan Zekh and Ignatiys Lukaciewitz discovered a particle of gas in 1853.
Diana takes the brothers on a visit to the “Ukrainian Bunker”, where a secret code must be uttered to gain entry. A touristy but cute place with many trinkets for sale….keyrings, shirts, caps, mugs, etc. It has a cell for imprisoning subverts…David enters for a phot op.
Out of the “Bunker” for a tour of the nearby Masonic Restaurant…dedicated to Masons in various locations and from different backgrounds. It has a unique upstairs restroom….plexiglass floors, walls and water closet surround with fake dollar bills everywhere covered by the plexiglass…David of course has to urinate. The brothers rest at a table upstairs and have water and beer while Diana makes a bank run. Dan is visibly weary with an aching back. David “swipes” a menu as a memento. On the way back through Rynok Square, Diana points out to David a men’s store where Galician designed and manufactured shirts are sold. Well, a perfect place to buy Brian a birthday shirt, and one for David as well….check, check.
Dinner is at Baczewski’s, where Diana’s oldest son Ilya works. The place is packed, and reservations were not made, but Diana is able to finagle a table for the group in the atrium. The food is classic Ukrainian and everyone tries varenyky, beet root salad, borsch.
This is night 2 of Jazz Fest. Dan insists he must bow out as his back is “wrecked”, so Diana makes several calls to see if anyone wants the ticket. Valeri accepts Dan’s ticket, and meets us there for for a good time and to get some photo ops for Diana. Diana in her black Roberto Cavalli dress…stunning as always. Performers tonight are Etienne Mbappe & The Prophets & Diana Krall. Etienne is from Cameroon and plays bass with gloves. Diana is a jazz crooner and gifted pianist from Vancouver, one of Jim and Diana’s favorite performers. She is married to Elvis Costello. Diana drops Jim and David back at the hotel.
June 28
Another breakfast feast at the hotel. David takes the day off and rests as he is feeling a cold coming on. What did Jim & Dan do? Ahh, they did stop for ice cream at some point. Diana picks up the brothers for an early dinner at 7 Piggies, before night 3 of Jazz Fest. Is this the night she had stop the car and duck into a hotel on the main street to change into her dress? I believe Diana’s dress this night is white/black/salmon blocked Prada, above the knee on one side, longer in the other. Chicken & house soup, roast suckling pig, more Ukrainian delights. The group is serenaded by a violin player, and an accordion player who can sing. Diana joins the duo for “Chervona Ruta“, a song composed by Volodymyr Ivasyuk, a young Ukrainian musician/composer who disappeared one evening in the 80’s, and was later found hanging by his own belt about one month later. Initially, his death was ruled a suicide, but then later investigation determined the incident to be murder/assassination.
The performers this night are Kenny Barron Quintet and Bobby McFerrin: Gimme 5…both spectacular performances. Kenny received a Jazz Award from the Ukrainian State for his lifetime contributions to jazz. Bobby McFerrin and Chorus performed “a cappella”, no instruments, and at one point there were more than 40 singers! Diana delivers the brothers back to the hotel.
June 29
After another marching breakfast at the hotel, Dan & David venture over to the outdoor market near the Opera House. Dan buys various handmade doilies for Kathy. David buys a small oil painting of the Opera House for 500 hryvna, after haggling a little, as a memento.
Diana meets the brothers around 1p at the coffee house next to Amadeus. Halyna arrives shortly to deliver various eggs and sign business cards. She also leaves a signed catalog with Jim. An early dinner is had at 36 Po at Rynok Square, this time inside one of the beautifully eclectic dining rooms with red upholstered chairs and sofas.
This is night 4 of Jazz Fest…what did Diana wear? The performers were Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen and Chick Corea and the Spanish Heart Band! Jon Cleary and his 2 “gentlemen” kicked it with New Orleans inspired jazz…Jon on his piano, accompanied by his bass player and drummer. The sound was AMAZING, and Jim and David commented that the only thing that could have made it a wee bit better was a horn or 2! And, Chick Corea…(27 Grammy Awards) what can you say?
Diana delivers “her boys” back to the hotel.
June 30
Another breakfast buffet. This is one of the lazier days for the brothers. Jim & David venture out to Rynok Sqaure, where they enjoy gelato from an outdoor stand. They wander to a candle shop on the second floor of a structure adjacent to the Dominican Church…both buy candles. There is some sort of event going on outside the Church, women singing, young adults dressed in traditional Ukrainian attire. Jim & Dave head back to the “beer house” on Rynok Square, to enjoy some refreshments and people watch. Some young guys are frolicking in the fountain at the corner of the City Office building…not sure where that water came from!
Jim & David return to the hotel and meet Dan having a beer and shot at the Lobby bar…imagine that?! Jim heads to the room, while Dan & David enjoy 2 more beers and Dan 1 more shot. David and Dan begin packing and organizing for their returns.
This is night 5, the final night, of Jazz Fest and the brothers are to meet Diana at the concert, as she has another commitment. The brothers catch an Uber to 7 Piggies restaurant and dine in a lower space, having barosch, varenyky, bread, water. Young children are playing hide and seek all up and down the stairs, and the serenaders come by the table again. The boys walk the short distance (~1/3 mile) to Jazz Fest where they get seated and eventually are joined by Diana, who is a little late. Diana is wearing her revealing red dress! The performers are Peter Cincotti ( a very Billy Joel Inspired crooner/pianist from New York) and Lisa Stansfield, who was last well known in the 90’s. Both acts, although technically good, were NOT jazz by any stretch…very much Las Vegas “show style”. And Lisa failed to introduce any band mates, which was agreed to be a sad omission on her part. Diana delivers the brothers back to the hotel.
July 1
This is the day for David’s departure. His final breakfast buffet! A farewell coffee is scheduled for noon at the coffee house by Amadeus. Dan & David make one more excursion to the open air market near the Opera House, where Dan buys more doilies and David buys a hand embroidered table runner for his friends, Larry & Gloria. Diana has made arrangements to park Mary outside the hotel. The brothers meet Diana at the coffee house, where she has brought an American couple to sit at another table. All walk back to the hotel, David loads his luggage in Mary, and the group departs to the airport. Diana assists David with checkin, hugs and kisses….on to the gate.
The Return
And that is the start of the return debacle for David. He is beginning to feel worse from the crud. The flight from Lviv to Warsaw is delayed, but the connection is made for the flight to Chicago. The flight to Chicago is delayed, so much in fact, that upon arrival in Chicago, David is not able to make the final connection to Memphis that evening. The long passport scan through Customs with hundreds of people, and the checked bag must be retrieved and rechecked. By this time David is advised that he cannot make the Memphis connection that night and he is rebooked for the first flight in the morning, July2. Another wasted night trying to sleep in an airport terminal while feeling AWFUL. Antibiotics are taken that evening.
David arrives in Memphis about 10:15 am on July 2. HOME AT LAST! He retrieves his bag, catches a taxi to the house, unpacks, starts laundry, makes soup and finally falls into bed about 1p…for a long sleep until about 5a on July 3!
James and Dan also experience trials on their returns. James’s flight into Istanbul is late. He knew he had an overnight layover, so he made a hotel reservation for his 12 hour layover and a cab reservation to get him to the offsite hotel. Both reservations are cancelled, so he spends his overnight in the Istanbul airport, and he also has to obtain a $30 visa to claim his checked bag! Dan’s flight from Vienna to ORD is late, so he doesn’t get into Detroit Metro until early in the morning…about 5 hours late.
Epilogue
This trip for the brothers Babij was PROFOUND! Perhaps “once in a lifetime”, a cultural shock, stunning, unexpectedly revealing, a reuniting and bonding experience, intensely emotional, exhausting, enlightening, unforgettable! Each brother with his own expectations and tribulations. James had been twice before, but this trip revealed more than he or the other 2 brothers could have imagined! Family ties, insight into living situations for the forebears, history of the Lviv/Ternopil region.
Yet, with so much revealed, there are still so many missing pieces. There are generations missing in the history. Where are the graves of Ignat’s wife and any children? Where are the graves of Panteleimon Babiy and his wife, Maria? Where are the graves of Prokop and Phillip Babiy and their families? Where are the graves of Paul and Ksenia Khuda? Where are the graves of grandma Anna’s siblings? What happened to them all? Buried in mass graves? Sent off to gulags? Did they succumb to the forced starvations mandated by Stalin?
Ivan Babij and Anna Chuda Babij exited this area of the Ukraine, separately and not married at the time, before the start of World War I. They left all family behind, except for “Aunt” Anna Chuda. Ivan was “illegal”, and Anna came through Ellis Island legally. Brother James knew Ivan somewhat before Ivan committed suicide in 1950 after a long term illness….the “cancer”. All the Babij siblings knew Grandma Anna, and what little of the history they knew mostly came from her, some from Paul Babij the eldest son, and some from our dear Aunt Estelle Babij Spearman. Grandma Anna made sure all her grandchildren knew what pierogi (varenyky), holubtsi and kapusta are.
Paul Babij, the first born child of Ivan and Anna, was not a great teller of the family history. He, as well as his siblings Peter, Olga and Estelle, were encouraged to assimilate and move forward in the American way of life. The family early on lived a transient lifestyle until settling in the “Thumb” area of Michigan, and eventually became owners of a home on Howard Street in Croswell, MI. This is the home and the village that all remember.
Ivan and Anna never returned to their homeland, and their children never visited there. Bits of history that were relayed almost seemed “unreal”. Were there fabrications just to enter this country “under the radar”, so to speak? How did they end up in Croswell and why there?
But, the brothers Babij made the trip to the “homeland” in June 2019 to discover, or uncover, some history and truth. The stories told were real. The names are real and very common in the Ukraine, but not so in America. There are living relatives. There are archives with names, dates and places. WE ARE REAL. Very comforting for some to know this!
P.S. In case you missed it be sure to catch both of our videos on the Pysanky MasterClasses we took from Master Folk Artist Halyna Syrotyuk. You’ll want some pysanky as gifts too!
A quick note about the photos in this blog and others on this site: to view an expanded Lightbox view of a particular photo, just click on it and it will fill your screen. To close, click the small “x” located in its upper right-hand corner. Enjoy.
And be sure to watch these videologs of our tours to The Old Country: “The Old Country – Galicia” ; our 2019 tour of Western Ukraine featuring The 3 DB’s titled “The Old Country – Echoes In Time“; and “The Old Country – A Slideshow” – a visual tour of the sites and sounds of the ancestral villages and historical places we’ve visited in our trips to Ukraine.
Plus….if these videos aren’t enough to whet your whistle, you won’t want to miss the posts on our visits to The Old Country starting with: The Old Country – Ternopil Oblast; then The Old Country – Ivano-Frankivsk; followed by The Old Country – Lviv; from 2018 both The Old Country – In Nomine Patris; and The Old Country – Salt of The Earth; and 2019’s “The Old Country — Between The Forceps And The Stone” in which we expound upon our innate mortality, the pandemic of fake news, alternative realities, and “unknown unknowns” – our take on Donald Rumsfeld’s paranoia about “things we don’t know we don’t know”, then present even more ancestral links to actual living relatives that we’ve found.
And….be sure to read our most recent blog “The Old Country: Our Slavic Roots” in which we discuss how Time turns truth into legend via missing family narratives, plus tales from our 2021 trips to Ukraine titled “The Old Country – Blue Over Gold” – documenting meetings with extended relatives and a lengthy discussion about the ongoing war with Russia.
These posts are journeys from the Present into the Past, opening portals opaque with age or forgotten or long closed and hidden by Time’s passage. We make our own history and in the end, history is about the journey not the destination.
And if all of this starts to pique your passion for a visit to our ancestral homeland, check out Diana Borysenko‘s website DianaTours-WesternUkraine.com for links to all of the tours, masterclasses, activities, and ancestral heritage services she provides.
Plus you can keep abreast of the ongoing battle for Free Ukraine here and keep watching Diana’s Diary – Ukrainians At War updated periodically via her posts on social media .
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