It's been more than 2 years since I left the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine. Some memories are vivid but some are becoming blurred. I guess in time, memories do not remain vivid like before. They become past histories and every day our brain creates new memories instead. I know it's hard to erase the memories completely but before getting completely blurred from my memory lane, I have decided to document memories of my life before the war in Ukraine so that they stay alive on the blockchain.
Summer in Kharkiv, Ukraine was always a pleasure. When spring used to arrive, I used to start making plans for the summer. I used to go to different places in the city but during summertime, I used to go on road trips outside of the city but stayed within the oblast/ raion. During summer, Kharkiv people normally spend most of their time at summer houses in the village. The people I knew used to go to their village to spend their entire summer in the village growing vegetables, homestead work, or repairing the house. It is understandable because, during winter, you barely can grow any vegetables unless you have greenhouses in Ukraine.
One of my memorable road trips was to Koropove Village. The village was located in Zmiiv Raion but later Zmiiv Raion merged into Chuhuiv Raion. Raion means region in English. The location of the village is very unique. The village is located within the Homilsha Woods National Nature Park, a beautiful forest in Kharkiv Oblast situated in the Donets River valley. The village is located near the riverbank. So for such a unique location, this village is or was popular for recreational purposes. A lot of resorts and hiking trails were located there.
Carnaval Resort and Spa
So back in summer days, I along with a Ukrainian family decided to drive to the Koropove village to spend one summer day. We had no plans, we just wanted to have a road trip, and spend quality time near the river, and have lunch. The village is located 45 km from the city. We knew that there were many resorts to fit in but instead of booking before we decided to go there directly; besides we had no plan to stay in the resort at night.
We drove to Koropove village and then found a beautiful resort called Carnaval Resort and Spa. Well, in this region, most of the resorts are constructed traditional style made of either mud or wood. These resorts are good for summer stays because, during winter, nobody comes to the forest. We used to call such summer houses Dacha. I have written about a few Dachas before of this village. But Carnaval resort was more modern style.
One thing I wanna mention before writing about the resort is, that in Kharkiv, we had to get permission before going to any type of resorts, private property, or recreational space like this. Because this resort was not very public and worked on booking so we decided to talk to them first. We were looking for a spot to relax, preferably poolside, bar or riverside area where we can also have our lunch. When we talked to them, we came to know that we had to book any kind of activities at the resort before. It was summer time so the resort was already fully booked for the week. But they had allowed us to spend some time in the public areas and showed us where we could go and where we could not for privacy reasons.
After entering the resort area, I was welcomed by the vast green field. The day was sunny and bright so without sunglasses, I barely could see anything. The field was really well maintained and a perfect field for kids or adults.
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The status is called "Eternal Glory to Heroes" who fought for their homeland from 1941 to 1945. Currently, my Russian is so bad, I cannot even read a single word but there was a lot of information written there. It was a tribute but I don't know why it was there.
The resort area was so clean and green. Green was more visible in front of me. The walkways were well designed and it was a good experience walking at the premises of the resort.
We sat there and took photos.
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Seeing the people and kids around, we realized that the pool was around. So we wanted to spend our time near the pool but again we were told that the pool was not a public pool unless we booked the resort room. Even the bar was for the guests only. So, basically, we were not allowed to go anywhere. We saw the map of the resort and realized that unless we booked a room at the resort, we were not allowed to do anything. We even wanted to pay for the swimming pool because in many places or in resorts, pools or bars are open to the public. Anyway, so we decided to stay within the marked public territory for some time.
The pool area was really crowded. Of course, summertime means swimming and sunbathing.
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Photo Alerts: At that time I used to take a lot of photos of myself.
We saw almost nothing of the resort, only a sneak peek of the cottages and villas. It's unfortunate and now I feel more sad thinking that I might not be able to visit this spot again!!
The cottages are mostly made of wood and beautifully designed. We were shown one cottage but we were asked not to take photos. These cottages were designed as a summer house, each cottage had a private garden space.
The pool area, restaurant area, and cottages ( residential zone) were scattered and connected by the stairs and walkways. During spring and summertime, this resort might be a great choice for weekend or vacation time.
Infront of this cottage there was a small water body. They may have tried to create a small pond but the water dried. Enough trees and green spaces were there.
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I am really speechless because I don't know how to describe this kind of relaxing and recreational location, far away from the city, close to nature.
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The land or terrain of Kharkiv oblast is not mountainy there but also it's not flat land at all. The oblast lies large valleys of the rivers. Tons of small lakes were located in the village and around the village area and the forest area.
This terrain is one of hills and ravines, with forests on the slopes of the right bank, and pine forests on the sandy terraces of the left bank.
Well, you see the geography of this location is very different and the reason for the greenery is the forest. These stairs led to the residential area where all the cottages were located. We were not allowed to go there for privacy reasons.
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We were there only for an hour, we had no reason to stay there for longer. We went to another location afterward.
It's a regret that I was not able to see the resort properly and will remain a regret.
Not sure if it was Wednesday when I visited there but I thought this would be a great memory to share on Wednesday Walk.
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Priyan...
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.... An architect, a dreamer, and a passionate writer who loves to write about life. I try to present my own perspective and experiences. Please leave your feedback and criticism because it's the only way I can know and reach your mind and thoughts easily...
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