Floating Along the Dnieper River

It was wonderful not having to constantly pack and move from hotel to hotel over the two week journey through the Ukraine. Instead, those of us on the trip were assigned a cabin on the Dnieper Princess cruise ship and could relax having a place to sleep each night, eat the next meal and meet others. Retreating back to the ship after daily excursions was also important so we could retreat and process what was experienced each day.

There was a serene beauty along the river that we experienced both day and night. Coming from Bangkok with a population of 14 million, it was a nice change to enjoy seemingly 'untouched terrain' as we traveled from port to port on the river. Granted, there are amazingly beautiful beaches along our vast coast in Thailand but the topography is SO different from what was seen along the Ukrainian riverbanks.

I learned that the total length of the river is 2,200 km with a little more than half existing within the borders of the Ukraine and the remainder in Russia. I didn't realize this until we were on the river itself, but the Dnieper has 10 reservoirs used to produce roughly 10% of Ukraine's power via hydroelectricity. We not only enjoyed the tranquil river but were taken through elevation changes via water lock systems.

It was quite the experience to witness a huge cruise ship narrowly being transported from one elevation to another! Here is a series of photos taken as we approached and went through the first lock:

There were numerous reservoirs and lock systems along our journey, all that looked and operated differently. Here are some images of other bridges and locks during daylight hours:

People often ask my impression of visiting Mennonite heritage sites and, knowing the importance of these places to my ancestors, my summary reply is that the trip was "meaningful and sometimes intense". To me, these sites were not just places on a map but held significance because of ancestral stories that took place there. It turns out, that the cruise down the Dnieper River was just as much a part of the trip through the Ukraine as visiting villages along the way.

Floating along the Dnieper, I felt many times that this river was more than the peaceful and tranquil river I was experiencing. Sure, we were floating along in peaceful times but so many events took place in the past where the Dnieper was anything but tranquil. For instance, the Dnieper proved to be an obstacle to overcome according to this account written by my Grandfather:

"Three days after the Reds [forces led by Lenin and Bolsheviks, referring to the red Revolution] came to Halbstadt [the town of my Grandfather and his family were living at the time], we had a very joyous surprise when on December 29 the door opened and my sister Tina with her small son came in. She had left with her husband to go into a wonderful field of [tent mission] service and returned a widow, tired and crushed. Had Tina been with Jash [her young newly-married husband], she would have become a sacrifice too [at the hands of the bandits who killed Jash and other missionaries during a service held in Eichenfeld]. After Jash and the other four workers were killed, the tent missionary work was discontinued and the remaining missionaries decided to return home. No other way possible, they began the journey on foot with Tina carrying her small son. At dawn they reached the wide Dnieper River, but since using the bridge was too dangerous because of the bandits, they crossed on the ice. Thin at places, it cracked under their feet and they saw the water flowing underneath, but the Lord protected them and they reached the far shore unnoticed. It was cold, the roads were muddy and wet, and Tina was carrying her son the 129 kilometres, but on December 29 she stood in our midst, tired but unhurt." (Fehderau, Mennonite Estate Family, p. 243)

Needless to say, I now have a new respect for the Dnieper River after having seen and read about its beauty and power.