The old town of Lviv is a UNESCO World Heritage site containing over 2,000 registered landmarks. It is likely due to the fact that there are so many cultures that have inhabited this city. Our guide said he would take us to many “Instagramic Places”.
Germans built the city center and city hall. There are 44 different styles of houses in the main square. Most merchant homes have three windows across…then 4, 5 or 6 for greater importance. On the four corners of the square are monuments of Roman gods.
One can ascend the city tower by taking the elevator halfway up. And then buy a ticket for the further climb by foot.
Like Kraków, they have a trumpeter who plays from the top window, but he only plays at noon and he plays different tunes each time.
Weird Restaurants
Most of the following restaurants are dedicated to different professions. I don’t have the name for most of these:
Trumpeter Restaurant
When the trumpeter isn’t playing at noon, he can be found at a specific restaurant. He even takes requests.
Did we go: No.
Coffee Shop
There is an underground coffee shop that looks like a coffee plantation. Go down in the basement to Room #3. There is a fire show at your table where sugar is carmelized over your coffee and you must break it to drink it.
Did we go: No-don’t like coffee and not crazy about fires in a basement.
Sadomasochocist restaurant
This restaurant is in front of a modern statue of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch who was born in Lviv. One is whipped upon entering. Yikes! How do they stay in business?
Did we go in: ABSOLUTELY NOT
House of the Legends
Lviv claims to have the first horse drawn tram in 1880, a fact that I am not able to confirm. (I am interested in trams, also called streetcars in America, as my Grandpa, Otis Boone, was once a streetcar conductor in Wichita, KS. I am not sure if they were horse drawn or electric or both.)
At 12:24pm, 3:24pm, 6:24pm, 9:24pm, a little electric tram goes back and forth slowly across the front of this restaurant. As an added bonus, the dragon spews sparkles at the last tram. Was it enough to bring us back at 9:24? No.
Restaurant of the Golden Rose
This restaurant gives you a menu with no prices. After you eat, you are brought the bill for a ridiculously high amount. Then you are supposed to haggle. The greatest reduction occurs if you do a dance from your country of origin. Rob said NO to that one. (What dance would YOU do…the twist, cotton-eyed Joe?)
Arsenal Cellar Restaurant
There are remnants of a defensive wall built in the 1400s. At the bottom of one of the towers is a cellar restaurant.
This restaurant is not for the vegetarian or diners who don’t like to eat messy ribs on their fingers. You watch them roast and then they bring them to you on a board, no utensils. They didn’t exist during this time period.
Brenda said no to this one.
Truth Pub
Not only do they have live music, they serve beers with unique names of past and current world leaders.
Trump-President of the “Divided” States of America. It is a Mexican-style beer sure to build a wall around your heart.
Obama-Hope. He hesitated to help Ukraine in 2014 when world peaceful order was shattered by billionaire Russian leader, Putin. He will go down in Ukrainian history as the leader who could have intervened but didn’t.
There is lots of information here about the Ukrainian struggle against Russian domination – photos in many churches and museums of war heroes killed in 2014.
Statue of Kulchytsky
Yuriy Frants Kulchytsky was a Ukrainian Cossack. In 1683 he brought armies to Vienna to fight the Turks. (Previously, when he had been in a Turkish prison, he learned the language and about coffees.) Europeans hailed him as a hero and gave him a house in Vienna.
The spoils of war included 300 bags of coffee beans. Kulchytsky served his brew to the people of Vienna. Viennese felt coffee was too bitter so he filtered the grinds and added milk, sugar and honey which was called Coffee a al Vienna aka Cappucino. Legend has it that he opened the first European coffee house called “House Under the Blue Glass”. He served drinks himself.
Gas Lamp Restaurant
Oil can be found close to the surface. People were digging in their gardens and found oil. Unlike Jed Clampett, they tried initially to make alcohol out of it.
Instead, they used it for gas lamps. This restaurant has a large collection of gas lamps and has produced the largest gas lamp in the world. Doesn’t she looked impressed?
Rob purchased some ice cream. He asked for one scoop and you could hardly find it in the large cone. He wasn’t smiling before this picture.
We have no idea what this restaurant is selling, but it definitely has a theme. Maybe fast food??
Rob may be interested in returning to Poland for some pierogies.
After all of the wild and wacky restaurants that we heard about, we are thinking about the perfect place to eat. I can assure you that it was none of the above.
Wait! Here is one: cheap, quick, and tasty. Also, a line forms at the best places to get a bite.
They don’t speak English but “cheeseburger” is understood in every McDonalds. Truly a meal to make us HAPPY!!
Grandpa and I read this one when we were together! He enjoyed it and says HI!