experience ukraine: 4 posts

Read this article in Ukrainian: Аромат і пам’ять: Відкриваючи Одесу заново крізь запахи

Writing about Odesa today reminded me how memory itself can feel like fragrance—vivid, intangible, essential. I sit at my work table in Brussels, in the dining room, surrounded by familiar comforts. A bouquet of white freesias, casually picked up at the supermarket, fills the air with its violet sweetness. On my right, I’ve arranged a haft seen—a small altar celebrating the Persian New Year, a symbol of rebirth and renewal. Outside, even though I cannot see it from here, I know the tall magnolia tree in the garden is bursting into bloom, its petals opening softly, without hesitation.

Here in Brussels, there are no air raid sirens piercing the night, no unsettling hum of Shahed drones slicing through the quiet. In these moments, I feel deeply conflicted and yet comforted. Part of me wishes desperately to be there—in Ukraine, experiencing the intensity, the solidarity, and the rawness of life in Odesa. Another part feels profound relief to be here, safe yet yearning. I am suspended between two places, two emotional landscapes.

Memory offers a bridge. It lets me travel effortlessly, invisibly. In memory, I revisit streets filled with laughter and chaos, sea air tinged with salt and flowering acacias, the comforting dusty vanilla of old paper in vintage bookstores. I remember the way Odesa’s salty breeze tangled softly in my hair, how at night my skin carried traces of the city—sea spray, blossoms, sunlight—and how these scents whispered of moments lived fully, intensely.

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I like meeting people who pursue their dreams. My friend and partner on our Ukrainian Scent and Taste Adventure, Nataliya Cummings, studied theater in Ukraine, lived in an anarchist community, researched traditional weaving and created an art festival. She now lives in the UK, but she spends most of her year traveling in Ukraine and helping other people fall in love with this fascinating and yet unknown country. Today I want to introduce Nataliya to you.

Nataliya started her travel company Experience Ukraine shortly after moving to Hereford in the UK about 10 years ago, but the genesis of the idea came earlier. After completing her theater studies degree at the university, she started to create art events for children in collaboration with the Longo Maï community. Since children couldn’t travel to cities to see plays and performances, Nataliya decided to bring theater to them. Her experience was so exhilarating that she moved to the village of Nyzhnie Selyshche in the Transcarpathia, a region in western Ukraine. (It’s the same village where we will be staying during our Ukrainian Scent and Taste Adventure this summer.)

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Ukraine celebrates these holidays on January 7th and 14th respectively because the Orthodox Church follows the calendar proposed by Julius Caesar. Yes, we hold onto old traditions.

Nataliya of Experience Ukraine and I will lead a tour in Ukraine on June 2-9, 2020, and it will be a chance to discover more about Ukrainian culture, food, and of course, scents. I can’t be impartial, perhaps, but for the past few years I have been traveling extensively in Ukraine and every trip has been memorable. Nataliya feels the same way, which is why we’re so passionate in sharing these discoveries with you.

To give you a little preview, we’re hosting a #ukrainianscentandtasteadventure giveaway on Instagram: my prize will be an English translation of Nikolai Gogol’s The Night Before Christmas, handmade Ukrainian church incense, and linden blossom hydrosol and Nataliya will contribute an antique hand-loomed rushnyk, hand towel. We will select two winners randomly.

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CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19

Please join us on an exciting adventure in the beautiful region of Transcarpathia. Located in western Ukraine, Transcarpathia is famous for its mountains, wild flowers, artisanal crafts and food, and it will be the next venue for the Bois de Jasmin perfumery course.

Over 8 days, you will learn the basics of perfumery and perfume creation and how to hone your sense of smell, but you will also be immersed in Ukrainian flavors and scents.

We will travel from the capital city of Kiev all the way west to the historical city of Lviv, and along our journey we will cook, eat, smell, have fun and discover Ukraine’s many treasures, from UNESCO heritage sites to smoked pears!

And the best part is that you will be visiting Ukraine in June, the best season to experience its aromas, colors and tastes. You’ll understand Nikolai Gogol’s raptures over this season—“how luxuriously warm the hours when mid-day glitters in stillness and sultry heat…”–and why Ukraine for me is the place of eternal summer.

I’m partnering with Nataliya Cummings of the Experience Ukraine tour company. Nataliya, who is based in the UK, has been organizing highly sought after tours around the country for over a decade, and I’m thrilled about our joint project. We will show you the best of what Ukraine has to offer, while allowing you to combine your discoveries with perfumery workshops.

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