Polish numbering, Carpathian mountains, and a Ukrainian Greenfield Village

The most pleasant train ride yet of my journey was the Odesa-L'viv journey of 12 hours last night. I shared a compartment with a young woman who'd been volunteering at a children's camp in Turkey and spoke English, and a mother and son (college age). The three of us young people spent much of the evening chatting, teaching each other card games, and playing Battleship on grid paper.

Funny story about the train. I was in Car 17, but the train only went up to 14. Asking a nearby conductor at the Odesa station, she told me, "It's the last car down there, past Car 1." Bemused, I went down there, trying to find Seat 96 when the seats only went to 36. Since my conductor had told me I was in the last compartment, I figured it out. Later on, someone else in my compartment asked the conductor why the numbering was strange. "It's the Polish way of numbering," the conductor answered, to which the questioner replied, "They count differently there?" Jason, feel free to chuckle. I thought of you.

I'd been a bit concerned, because the woman at the train station in Kharkiv where I'd bought my tickets had told me that I'd have to change trains in L'viv, and I knew I only had 20 minutes. As it turned out, I didn't have to change trains. The train changed numbers (from 108 to 107--more Polish numbering?), and I had to change compartments, as I had a second-class ticket for the first part and third-class for the second. I don't know why the woman couldn't have told me earlier that I'd be on the same train...I understand that apparently there weren't spots for one class or the other that were free the entire trip when I bought my tickets.

The ride from L'viv to Uzhgorod was beautiful. We went through the Carpathian mountains, which were full of hamlets composed of cottages, haystacks, and little Orthodox churches. I made the mistake of starting on a practice GRE before we really got to the mountains, with the result that neither got the attention it deserved. But I loved the mountains. The train went through several, via tunnels!

Uzhgorod is actually on the other side of the Carpathians, as best as I can tell. It's a charming small city that reminds me of when my missions trip to Cologne two summers ago (is that all?) took a day trip to a German town. The streets are hilly and cobblestoned, and the buildings are beautiful, with several old churches. This afternoon, after a lovely shower at the place I'm staying, I went up to an old castle, which now houses a historical museum of the Transcarpathian Oblast. After that, I went to an outdoor museum composed of various houses and other buildings from various cultures that have lived here--very much a Greenfield Village sort of place, except that the people didn't wear costumes.

Tomorrow, I'm meeting the secretary from Wesley Bible College, and on Sunday, I'm leaving late enough (there was only one train available, so it wasn't like there was a choice, unless I left at 4 am) that I can attend the Methodist church here.