Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1043876
v i k i n g c r u i s e s . c o m . a u 23 is is a sample of the food that leads to the heart of an enigmatic nation: Ukraine, once part of the USSR, now a fiercely independent country reclaiming its culture and sharing its heritage with the curious tourists drawn to its shores. e view from the refurbished Viking Sineus of Odessa's port encapsulates the country's contemporary story: cranes loading ships with barrels of sunflower oil; locals strolling the boardwalk on a hot summer's day; the Potemkin Steps leading new arrivals up into a magnificent old city that's forging itself a new story. e famous staircase creates an optical illusion: from the bottom, all you can see are endless steps; from the top, only landings. ere's a metaphor contained within, says our guide: hardships appear to be insurmountable to begin with but, once overcome, only a sense of victory remains. Similarly, Ukraine is shaped by adversities and triumphs which reveal themselves as we sail from the Black Sea – poised at the crossroads of Eastern and Central Europe and the Middle East – along the Dnieper River to the country's capital, Kiev (the journey is also undertaken in reverse). Catherine the Great swept down this river from the north, pausing in cities that would later erect castles and cathedrals in her name. Herbaceous hibiscuses glow deep pink against the sandstone walls of St Catherine's Cathedral in Kherson, a port city tucked inside the river's delta. Buried in a modest grave beneath the cathedral's dome is her commander-in-chief and lover, Grigory Potemkin, for whom those complicated steps in Odessa are named. e themes of conquest and expansion persist as we glide along the river – fringed with wetlands here, yawning so broadly it becomes positively oceanic there. At Zaporoshye we navigate a mighty lock through the Dnieper hydroelectric dam, which was bombed by the Red Army during WWII, unleashing a flood upon the city. Downstream we visit Khortitsa Island, where the Cossacks built a fortress, and where their descendants perform feats of horsemanship in rich Cossack tradition. But even crusaders get hungry, and food is the very best teacher. And so we cruise into Kiev quenched on sparkling wine and fattened by tomatoes sweet as honey, borscht in bright reds and greens, pirozhky (dumplings) so perfect they'd induce the most fearsome of warriors to lay down their weapons and eat. A 11-day Kiev to the Black Sea cruise starts from $5,195pp, departing in July 2019 including free return flights to Ukraine. vikingcruises.com.au DOUBLE YOUR EXPLORER SOCIETY DISCOUNT