MoldovAnn

Last Sunday we drove 200 km south of Kyiv to the town of Uman, more specifically to the park Sofiyivka. It tied for first place (with Kyiv Pechersk Lavra) on the list of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine. I’ve wanted to go for a long time, so I was excited to finally see the place. The park is really lovely – clean, well maintained, and fortunately not too many people on the day of our visit. Lots of wedding parties though! We spent about 4 hours wandering the shady lanes, climbing on outcrops of rocks, and generally enjoying the nice weather, fresh air, and lovely surroundings. I bet it’s downright gorgeous in the spring when everything blooms.

The park is often referred to as the Versailles of Ukraine. I’m not sure why exactly, maybe because it’s such a big park territory. But whereas Versailles is all manicured and exactly planned and designed, Sofiyivka has a more natural landscaping to it. The trees are tall and lush, huge stone boulders crop up in several areas, and even the artificial lakes have a natural style to them. It makes for a very nice day trip.