Third Time Charm

We’re accustomed to hearing that “the journey” is where it’s at — slap me upside the head about that meme — but can’t the destination also be a big part of that sojourn?  So in this installment of our series documenting travels to our paternal homeland, titled The Old Country – Echoes In Time, we attempt to show just that, especially when this time around “The Word” was Three.

It was indeed my third excursion to Galicia — The Old Country of our paternal Grandparents Anna & John (Ivan), well-documented (I hope) in our previous posts and videos – plus on this occasion I was joined by our two “baby” brother Babiys, Dan and Dave, making us a trio of Babiys on the loose in Lviv. “Leo’s Town” will never be the same — and neither will we as you’ll soon see for yourself.

Of course we needed a Fourth to keep track of us – making sure we got where we were supposed to go – on time [constabulary notwithstanding]; escorting us to see the historical and cultural sites including the iconic landmarks of one of Eastern Europe’s most fabulous cities; piloting us hundreds of kilometers to the birthplaces of our forebears to meet actual living relatives that ultimately led to the discovery of long abandoned and forgotten, emotionally compelling ancestral evidence echoing back in Time nearly two centuries; organizing yet another challenging Pysanka Master Class with Ukrainian National Folk Art Master Halyna Syrotyuk, and much more; all while keeping us well-fed even to the point of coordinating two home-cooked Galician style dinners that brought back memories of Gramma’s kitchen in Croswell. Yum!

Her name is Diana Borysenko and you will see a lot of her in this video simply because as our Guide, translator, driver and facilitator she made everything happen and became in the process one of The Three DB’s. This video, this journey within a journey would not exist without her efforts. So the very least we could do was to take her to hear some great jazz.

Okay – showtime! Grab a pillow and a footstool or a Zero Gravity Chair, your favorite mobile device, get immobile in a comfy spot where the Climate is coziest,  shelter-in-place, and prepare to be transported to another place in Time for an hour where our destination becomes The Journey.

Please be sure to view our previous videos on the “Pysanka MasterClasses” featuring Pysanka writing sessions led by Master Folk Artist Halyna Syrotyuk and “The Old Country – Galicia“.

Plus 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 our from our most recent visit to Galicia “The Old Country — Between The Forceps And The Stone” in which we both expound upon our innate mortality and expand upon even more ancestral links including those with actual living relatives. Quite a read. But don’t despair.  There will be more [we hope] in 2020 – including if what I am told pans out – a trip to one of the most unique places on Earth — well, Ukraine at least: Tarakaniv Fort!

And if all of this doesn’t whet your whistle 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.

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