With Motorcycle to NORDKAP-Norway
Day-3 : 06 July 2016  Wednesday
from Cluj-Napoca - Lviv (UA)  >>>>Total distance : 515 km
10 hr 30 min

Day-3 :from Cluj Napoca (RO) to L'viv (Ukraine)

I woke up early in the morning around 06:30 and packed all my stuff and put them all into the cases of my motocycle. It is a clear and sunny day. After a moderate breakfast in the inner court of the Hotel Transilvania I went to the backyard of the hotel where I had parked my bike. 

I departed from the hotel around 08:15. The map was not loaded on my Garmin Zumo navigator and I fixed the direction to which I have to ride. My plan is to reach to the city L’viv in the West part of Ukraine. 

 I took the direction to the town Zalau. The landscape is wonderful. A lot of fields, meadows and agricultural facilities. There are villages around the road. It is little bit cool. It is around 16-17 deg C. There is a changing topography. Slight slopes and hills are in harmony.The speed limit is 50 km/h within the villages. This is very important in Romania because sometimes there are speed scanners and police control. 

50 km after I left Cluj, there were some mountains to climb. The mountains and the nature was spectaculiar. There are a few hotels and holiday resorts in this section. I stopped at the entrance to Zalau in order to buy some fuel.

I am heading to Satu Mare which is a city in the nord west border of Romania. After Satu Mare I ride in the direction of Baia Mare. The signs on the road related to the border crossing are very poor and after 18 kms I turned to the left in the direction of Halmeu according to map reading. Halmeu is the border town of Romania with Ukraine.

A few kilometers before the border line I saw a fuel station and bought some fuel in order to spent all my Leis. The Romanian border officials are checked my docs and stamped my passport and I left Romania in 15 minutes and I entered Ukraine. Typical old fashion “Soviets” type controls and application started.

They have long registration procedures. There is no visa requirement from Turkish citizens. It took almost half an hour to get in. Just after the entrance there is a fuel station at the left. I rode in and was trying to find a guy to ask about money change there come a a guy and he spoke with broken Turkish to me. He was a funny guy and expressed his best wishes for the feast “Ramazan Bayram”. Most probably he is one of the Turkish origin guys living in Romania. He directed me to the next market where they make money change. Just after 1 km on the right hand side at the road I found the market. I requested for the money change some money. 

Important Hint : Always change money (30-50.-USD equivalent) at the borders. Do not make profit calculation! You may lose some but you feel yourself safe. Anyway this money can be spent for fuel or something. 

The first 30 km s after the entry to Ukraine are bad. The roads are very bumpy and uneven. It was not paved in many places. I followed the route to Berehova, Mukaceve and Stryj. After getting to the main road in Mukaceve the quality changed and the road conditions became better. After Mukaceve there are mountains of Ukrainian Karpats. The roads are good but there was heavy rain. 5-6 kms just after the mountains began, I stopped for rest on the right hand side. There was a very nice restaurant and gift shop.

I have eaten my apple which I had taken from the breakfast basket in the morning.

Then I started to ride but 5 minutes later a heavy rain started on the mountains.

Very urgently, I rode to a sheltered barbecue site in a few minutes and I put on my rain stuff and also rain gaiters. I started to ride further in the direction of L’viv. It was raining very tough.

The signs at the road are very clear. L’viv and Kiev are clearly written. Without needing any map or navigator someone can get to the target. Very close to L’viv I stopped to buy fuel and the take off my rain gear. Because there was no rain and the sky was clear 30 km ahead to L’viv. There came also some other Ukrainian bikers and we talked a little bit.

I haven‘t arranged any accommodation in L’viv. So, as soon as I was in the city center I looked around and asked for hotel. The taxi drivers are poor in English. Language is a problem in general. Circulating in the city I saw a sign of a hotel in a side street. I stayed in

Stepana Bandery Str and Saharova Str are merging into Kopernika Str

LEOTEL in the Str.Lukyanovicha,3  79012 L’viv. The hotel has got also a private parking lot just at the side of the hotel. I parked my bike safely there. It is a very nice hotel and 400-500 meters to the city center. It was 18:40 when I was in the hotel.

Typical street in L'viv

Right after that I walked down the Kopernika Street and I was in the down town.

Art installation on the Street Kopernika

I walked in the Svobody Avenue. I took some pictures in the city. There are a few small and narrow streets all with old buildings. 

Shevchenko Monument in the centre

Shevchenko is adjusting the clock

Opera House of L'viv

Centre

Armenian Catedral on Virmenska Street

Then I sat in Chleb Koniczyna Restaurant at the Virmenskaya Street. It is a small restaurant but nice service and good food is available.

Narrow streets with old buildings

I ate a pumpkin soup with Parma ham and Greek Bugazza (=peynirli kızartma börek).

I paid roughly 7.-Euro incl. a glass of wine. After dinner I walked the streets and I found a well-furnished coffee shop called “Kava Int’l”. I tried their own “kava” which was very tasty.
The ambiance is also very beautiful in the coffee shop.

 Then I climbed up the street Kopernika and I came to my  LEOTEL.

The streets of L’viv are paved with stone. It looks good but motor bikers should be careful when it is wet and rainy. Food and beverage is cheap and in general the ambiance of the city is old fashioned and friendly. The hotel charged for one night 28.50 USD incl. breakfast.

I need to say good night !!