COFFEE BEANS & BEINGS / LET’S PRAY A RUSSIAN ROCKET DOESN’T SMASH THE ATLAS CAFÉ

Before you exit, even if it is only for a walk-through, take time to visit the back room that is decorated with paintings of ancient knights. The comfy armchairs are seductive. Close any deal there. 

It is a good guess that Lviv in Ukraine has more coffee houses than most big cities in Europe.

That possibility gives rise to café hopping as an enjoyable pastime for visitors and locals alike. It is a welcome diversion from the war with Russia. No doubt it will be the site of many Hemingway-esque stories in years to come. 

On this day, our tour stopped at Atlas Café at Rynok Square and Drukarska Street for coffee and pastries. The eclectic Atlas was a Bohemian hangout before World War 2. 

It has endured from then until today as latter day artists, soldiers and lovers (and all others) enjoy precious moments together at sidewalk tables and the grand interior décor. If only the tables and walls could talk. 

Atlas Café serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and its large size allows coffee lovers to sit with espressos and warm conversations without worrying if they’re staying too long at the table. 

 

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Two days ago in Lliv, Ukraine

WAR COMES TO LILV 

In what the Mayor of Lilv Ukraine reported Thursday, Russian forces fired cruise missiles killing five in a residential area. A missile struck the roof of a building destroying the top two floors and injuring 36 persons. Debris and damaged cars lined the streets, where local authorities estimated more than 60 apartments in the area were struck by the deadly strike. Many believed this was the heaviest bombardment to hit Lilv since the war began in Feb. 2022. Photo: Mykola Tys, Associated Press.