Kolomaya

I guess it's better late than never. I started writing this blog last Monday but my computer began giving me problems and only now have I gotten back to it. 
In Ukraine there is an adage that the first snow never stays and this year  has held up once again. Last Sat. morning the ground was covered in white but by early afternoon it was all gone.  And now a week later after a Thursday storm it look as though the snow is here to stay till spring. 
The city of Kolomaya is located along the north shore of the Prut river and the Carpathian Mountains are only about 20 minutes south of us.  The settlement began as a fort built in the mid 1100's as protection for a trade route from the city of Galicia (now the Romanian city of Galati) near the mouth of the Danube river to Lviv and beyond. This road was known as the "Berladsky Road".  Due to subsequent invasions and wars the city  was devastated and rebuilt several times.  In 1395 the town recieved it's coat of arms and in 1405 was given "Magdenburg Rights" which included administrative, judicial and civil rights.
Kolomaya is also known as the unofficial capital of the Hutsul culture and home to a large Husul museum displaying various aspects of their culture.