Camping and Ice Swimming

This weekend began our first of many weekends away from Kyiv (we will not be back here for a weekend until March!).  We headed an hour out of town to the campground we visited in the early fall with 4 other families.  For any fellow Kyivites interested in an escape, here is the place's website:
http://www.zel.in.ua/?gclid=CODgovLfzK0CFUfwzAod2X2PgQ

We arrived at dark on Friday evening, just in time to unpack and join our friends for dinner in the restaurant on the grounds.  Saturday we woke up to snow falling.

Enzo's first act on Saturday morning was to fall through the ice (luckily the river is very shallow). He spent the rest of the day covered in icicles.  We think he was thrilled to be so nice and chilly!

Our cabins.  They are very spacious with two bedrooms, huge fireplaces and a big living room. There are kitchens but in typical Ukrainian style, they tore out the stoves and ovens once they built their restaurant last year to encourage business.  We did ask for hotplates so we were able to warm up soup and hot cocoa and did just fine cooking our food on the outdoor grills on Saturday night!

On my walk with Enzo on Saturday morning we spotted this cross-shaped hole carved out of the river. As the morning went on more decorations were added and by 12 the entire village was gathered at the river front. It turns out Saturday was Epiphany on the Orthodox calendar and by Ukrainian tradition on this day all water is sacred.  People bathe in rivers and lakes to wash away their sins.  You have to go under the water 3 times and cross yourself after each submersion.  More on this later....

We spent the morning trudging across the frozen river and exploring the forest on the other side. Enzo spent his time attempting to deforest the region. 

Tigre/Figaro spent his time tending the fire.  

Our cabin. 

The frozen river.  The side near our cabin was not fully frozen due to a spring nearby. It was very shallow so not dangerous- just something to avoid when sledding.  The river itself was solidly frozen judging by the vehicles we saw driving up and down on it.  

By noon the submersion area had been fully decorated and the local priest and his congregation had gathered.  

Blessing the water.

The very first person to enter the water was this woman.  She was more modestly dressed than the others who came later- men in their underwear and young women posing (Ukrainian women never seem to miss a chance to pose) in tiny bikinis.  

Once the congregation had mostly dispersed Paolo took his own turn at the ritual.  This was actually only his first of two submersions of the day. Later, back at our campground he did a sauna with the other men (and two brave women) in our group and they all leapt into the water at the lake there as well.  Paolo NEVER misses an opportunity to swim.