Lovran, Kijiv, kesteni

Ovog vikenda imala sam zadovoljstvo posjetiti prekrasan Lovran kako bih vidjela svečanost 49. Marunade. I naravno, da bacim pogled na more. Slikovita staza do vodopada bila je doslovno prekrivena ljuskama kestena, što me odmah podsjetilo na dom.

Kao dijete voljela sam skupljati kestene samo zbog radosti dodirivanja tih okruglih, glatkih, hladnih plodova. Shvaćam da se ovdje u Hrvatskoj pitomi kesteni uživaju kao specijalitet i koriste se u desertima, za pripremu rakije i, na moje iznenađenje, piva!

U Ukrajini imamo divlje kestene, koji nisu jestivi, i obično ih koristimo za izradu jesenskih ukrasa za školu.

Ipak, ovo drvo je omiljeni simbol našeg glavnog grada – Kijeva. Kesten je na njegovom grbu, a njegova središnja ulica, Khreshchatyk, ukrašena je ovim visokim prekrasnim drvećem. U svibnju je Kijev pun cvjetova kestena. Kijevski kesteni hvale se u književnosti, popularnim pjesmama i kinematografiji.

Zaista se nadam da ćemo jednog dana ponovno moći uživati u toj šetnji ispod rascvjetanih kestena. I da ćemo moći pozvati prijatelje iz Hrvatske da sigurno posjete Kijev.

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Lovran, Kyiv, chestnuts?

This weekend I had the pleasure of visiting beautiful Lovran to see the festivities of the 49th Marunada. And to catch a glimpse of the sea, of course. The picturesque path to the waterfall was literally covered in chestnut shells, which instantly reminded me of home.

As a child I loved to gather chestnuts just for the joy of touching those round, smooth, cool nuts. I gather that here in Croatia sweet chestnuts are enjoyed as a specialty and are used in desserts, to prepare brandy and, to my amusement, beer!

In Ukraine, we have horse chestnuts, not eatable, and usually use them to make some autumn crafts for school.

Nevertheless, this tree is a beloved symbol of our capital city — Kyiv. Chestnut is on its emblem, and its central street, Khreshchatyk, is adorned with these tall beautiful trees. In May Kyiv is full of chestnut blossoms. Chestnuts of Kyiv are praised in literature, popular songs, and cinematography.

I do hope someday we will be able to enjoy that walk under the blossoming chestnuts again. And to invite friends from Croatia to visit Kyiv safely.