Dear Steemit Friends:
Today, I’m taking everyone to another park and nature lovers journey to the magnificent Mezhyhirya National Park, also called Mezhyhirya Residence.
The Mezhyhirya park, is where the ex-President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych lived, until he fled the country to Russia during the 2014 Ukrainian revolution. The ex-president always tried to maintain a modest image in front of the public, but in reality the “modest“ residence includes: man-made lake, golf course, a yacht pier, helicopter pad, an equestrian club, shooting range, tennis court, spa, hunting grounds, automobile museum, dog kennel, vegetable garden, zoo and so much more.
This huge luxurious park is an example of a large scale and very recent corruption, and for that reason many Ukrainians call it “museum of corruption”. On the other hand you can’t can't help but adore the park design and landscapes.
The park is one of the most visited places by travelers, and I could definitely see it from the long line of visitor’s cars parked by the side of the road.
The first thing you see when you enter the park is manicured gardens and fountains.
After few minutes of walk I had a first glance at the main house and the amazing view behind it.
In front of the house there is a lake that contains fountains, lots of ducks, duck-houses and also one two buildings by the lake.
As I continued my anticlockwise walk around the estate, I reached to the golf course, where many people were having their picnics, or just eating some ice cream and enjoying the view.
From the golf course I went down the hill to the Putin place, which is where President Putin used to stay during his visits. Putin’s residence is only five minutes away from the massive automobile garage. Yanukovich had a large collection of cars, from military vehicles to antique presidential cars. Even though a large number of cars have been either stolen or sold off, the remaining collection is still impressive.
Right next to the automobile garage there is ostrich farm, but unfortunately it was closed for visitors.
Moving on from the automobile garage, I headed down towards the river and a yacht pier. On my way I passed a artificially created lake area with various small buildings, and fountains.
Heading up from the yacht pier back to the entrance, there is a wooded area with fences off for animals. During this long walk, you can not help but wonder how many times Yanukovich made this walks walked around the entire park, probably never.
Just before I finished my walk in the park, I went to the zoo, which is right next to the entrance. In the walk to the zoo-park there are many buildings for growing fruits and vegetables, as well as other areas outside for a variety of crops. The zoo has large verity of animals like elk, deer, and mostly peacocks.
And that warps up my day at the Mezhyhirya Park. I spent almost the entire day walking this huge gorgeous park, but consider the fact that the estate is over 140 ha (350 acres), I still had the feeling that I could spend more time there
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