Ukraine

Gypsy Guide to International Cocktails

This post has been a long time coming and most definitely not going to be the last of its kind. As a half-Russian, I was pretty much born with a ...

Gypsy Tips for Learning A Foreign Language

I’m pretty bad at languages but I love the process of learning them and think knowing at least a second or third is so important – especially for travelers. Cognitive ...

Scenes From a Dacha Party in Odessa, Ukraine

I really can’t believe September will be here tomorrow. Where did the summer go? Sadly it seems to have just passed by my window as I sat inside for the ...

20 iPhone portraits of Kiev on Matador Trips

Check out my latest photo essay on Matador Trips! It’s called 20 iPhone portraits of Kiev. I’ve been working on it for a while now and had hoped it would ...

Ukraine Interview on Travelinksites.com

Check out this short and sweet interview I did about traveling Ukraine over on Travelinksites! http://travelinksites.com/travel-ukraine-larissa-of-the-blonde-gypsy/ Also, check this video. One of my favorite Ukraine party songs

Throwback Thursday: The Piano Man of Pripyat – Chernobyl

I know what you’re probably thinking…NOT ANOTHER CHERNOBYL POST! Or maybe not if this is the first time ever reading my blog. Either way, just thought it would be fitting ...

Happy International Women’s Day from The Blonde Gypsy

Happy International Women’s Day to all my girls out there – on the road, off the road, or somewhere in between! This holiday is HUGE in Eastern Europe, especially Ukraine ...

Open Love Letter to Odessa, Ukraine

Dear Odessa, Just found out Katie from Katie Going Global is going to visit you for a few days and I am insanely jealous. I miss you like you wouldn’t ...

Traveling to Tiraspol, Transnistria via Train from Odessa, Ukraine

This post is meant to give straight up facts to anyone interested in visiting Transnistria–a unique little place situated in between Moldova and Ukraine. First of all, unless you have ...

Summer, summer, summertime in Odessa

Went down to the beach on my lunch today and even though it was still warm enough to lay out and swim, I can feel autumn coming in harder, faster, ...

Today is the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster

And guess what? This bad boy (otherwise known as Reactor 4) still hasn’t been fixed. Built in a hurry back in 1986, the “sarcophagus” now covering the burnt reactor was ...

How Couchsurfing Changed My Life (and Possibly Saved It)

I found out about Couchsurfing a few months before I started my travels and was dying to try it out. Kind of. I loved the concept and was excited to ...

Lviv: Ukrainian Mind, European Heart

Good news, Lviv is alive and well! I was worried I might not see the city for what it was because the first time I tried visiting everything was closed ...

10 Seconds in Chernobyl

Here is a sneak peak at the craziest daytrip I have ever taken. 10 seconds, 20 seconds…basically however long you spend staring at the photos. Chernobyl and its aftermath has ...

Golden Kiev: The Churches and Cathedrals of Ukraine’s Capital

Kiev has really impressed me. A couple of months ago when I first started looking into visiting, I forecasted quite accurately a city full of traditional Kievan Rus churches topped ...

I’m obsessed with…Georgian food

Went to Nikala, a Georgian food restaurant, in Kiev last night. It was my first experience with Georgian food and it was a great success. ღორის ქადა Salati (salad) Just ...

Welcome to Kiev!

Woooooooow! I have to say, I am quite impressed with what I have seen from the city so far. I had no idea I would like it this much! It’s ...

I Left My Heart in Odessa, Ukraine

My trip to Ukraine started off a bit crazy. Swine Flu Mania was sweeping the country and I was forced to learn the hard way how Ukrainian politicians garnered support ...

I’m obsessed with…Pepper Vodka & Grapefruit Juice

You must try this now! It is like a party in your mouth. Don’t worry, I always wanted to vomit when I thought about pepper flavored vodka, too. Nevertheless, I ...

Хурма are so hot right now

Хурма (khurma): street name…PERSIMMONS I thought these things being sold on every street corner in Odessa were just scary tomatoes, but actually it is a very delicious fruit that I ...

Odessa, the film star

I didn’t know anything about Odessa before I came except that it was where one of the most famous scenes in film history took place. In Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin, ...

Drinking Gogol-Mogol at Гоголь Моголь

I finally got to try Ukraine’s version of eggnog called “Gogol-Mogol” at Odessa’s famous cafe Gogol-Mogol (Гоголь-Моголь). It’s probably 2,000 calories a glass, but sooooo tasty! Gogol Mogol – Ukrainian ...

Panic on the Streets of Ukraine

Three hours before I was supposed to fly out of Sweden to begin my journey into Ukraine, I received this message from a girl whose couch I had requested to ...

My (Crazy) Week in Travel!

I got a message today from a friend of mine who has been following my Twitter updates for the past week or so. It read: “Your travel rate is straight ...