Nikolai Gogol... google that ish

CLICK HERE - now was that so hard?

the black and white makes him look so serious

So we all know how Walt Disney has Disneyland as his claim to fame - well Mr. Gogol has my town, Mirgorod / Myrhorod (Миргород). 


While you and I both know I actually live in Harkushyntsi, I find myself in Mirgorod probably four times a week (it's only 3UAH and buses run all day) so I've since adopted it as my own (a subsequent post will be provided on Harkushyntsi in the near future). 

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Located in north central Poltavs'ka Oblast, Mirgorod is centralized to a lot of other major Ukrainian Cities (which I'm pleasantly happy about). Being located in central Ukraine I think will make traveling to other major cities on either ends of the country much more feasible. 

• 1.5 hrs to Poltava
• 3 hrs to Kyiv
• 4 hrs to Kozelets 
• 4 hrs to Kharkiv
• 4 hrs to Sumy
• 4 hrs to Dnepropetrovsk 
• 10 hrs to Odesa
• 11 hrs to Sevastopol
• 12 hrs to L'viv
• 12 hrs to Mount Hoverla (Carpathian Mountains) 

My town is actually named after the title of a compilation of short stories written by Nikolai Gogo way back in 1835. While I would like to eventually get my hands on a copy for sentimental value, Ukrainians and Russians love this guy and have probably snatched up most of the copies. 

The town has around 40,000 people and is a very common resort city for Ukraine as well as Russia. And apparently Canada too (ran into four Canadians in the past 2 days). We have beaches, boat rentals, super markets, fountains, concerts, swans, hotels, etc... and because it's such a major tourest attraction, a lot of buses and trains that normally wouldn't run though this size city do pass through my town! I'm also happy to say I'm not alone here - two other Youth Development volunteers from my group are within 10 to 20 minutes from me. 


Poltava region in general is very flat and has a large farming community so I want to buy a bike asap. A few weekends ago I went on a 45km bike ride to the surrounding villages and it wasn't too exhausting - I excited for what else I can find here.


Things I've already found via велосипед (bicycle): 

• a lake
• herds of animals
• gigantic sunflower / wheat fields
• possible camp sites

Today I went on a photo tour of the city with a buddy and here are some of the results.

and yes, that last photo says Robin Hood, and yes, that is a castle.