Ukraine. Lviv.
If you asked me how many times I have been in Lviv - I would need some minutes to count. But in the end it would be countless. Probably it’s the only place where I have been dozens of times and I still want to come back there. Because with Lviv I have my own romance, which started out from a cup of coffee.
It is a smart idea for a first date to invite a girl for a cup of coffee (but a great one!) in a cosy cafe in a town with historical importance and beautiful architecture. Most probably, the girl will fall in love with you. That is what exactly Lviv did to me! First this town spoiled me with its amazing coffee and than showed me its best architecture - and I gave up...
This historical event happened in 2006, when Lviv celebrated its 750th anniversary. Before I was a real coffee hater. But the special local lifestyle threw me gently in its coffee stream. What surprised me was its culture, surrounding the dark drink. They organize an annual coffee festival every September, which started in 2007.
You should know one very important date - it is 1683, when a local person named Yuriy Kulchitskiy opened the first cafe in Vienna and one of the oldest in Europe. The name was ‘Hof zur Blauen Flasche’, which means ‘under the blue bottle’. He also invented the recipe of Viennese coffee. Yes, dear Austrian friends, this is a fact. As a tribute to this event, Lviv decided to relive its coffee tradition. No wonder why they make the best coffee in Ukraine. Also in Europe :)
What to see:
- Historical center of the town - a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with Market Square, Armenian Cathedral, Dominican Church.
- Go for a theater play at the famous Lviv’s Opera House, one of the best in Ukraine.