Kate and I trekked to High Castle today! There used to be an actual castle up there from the 13th to late 19th centuries, but it no longer exists since it was replaced by a park and an artificial hill called Union of Lublin Mound. But it’s still called High Castle and is a popular place to see a panoramic view of Lviv. A TV tower was also built up there, and it’s jokingly known as the Eiffel Tower of Lviv.

After we returned to ground level, we rewarded ourselves with bubbly (₴24 for 100mL) at Champagneria X&X. They swear that champagne pairs well with hot dogs, so I tried a semi-sweet muscat from Odessa and the Ukrainian hot dog (₴68, smoked black sausage, candied pear, and fried egg). I never would’ve thought this combination would work, but it did!

We parted ways at this point: I headed to the Organ and Chamber Music Hall to attend a concert featuring Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” at 17:00. I took a tram (₴2) for the first time to reach it. Tickets at the door were (₴40), and the organist had already started playing the first song by the time I sat down. I didn’t realize how tired I was: I dozed off many times during the warm-up part of the concert when the organist was playing on her own. But after the violinist and painter came on stage for the main part of the show, I had a much easier time paying attention. The organ is just so serene!

The painter was my favorite part of the concert. She kept using the same canvas and covering up things she already painted or changed elements of the picture as the different seasons were played. It was a unique way to add interest to familiar concertos. In the end, the trio got a standing ovation from the audience.

When I returned to Kate’s after the concert, her friend Andrew was there. He grew up in Ukraine but has been living in Phuket, Thailand for seven years. His Thai skills seemed great to me, but I’m no expert. We boozed it up before they headed to the Wiz-Art after-party. My stomach had been upset all day and needed some rest, so I chilled for the rest of the evening.