Blogs from Kiev, Ukraine, Europe - page 7

Dalo by se rici: na Ukrajine na par hodin, kvuli totalne rozvoranemu projektu za H1N1. Krome zpozdeni letadla AEROSVITU kvuli nezaplacenym poplatkum, pouhych 3 hodin spanku, jednani s nepristupnymi Ukrajinci, okukovani lidi v protichripkovych maskach, behu Kievem ve snaze alespn neco videt a 3 piv na trase Kiev-Viden-Praha se vlastne behem 23 hodin meho zivota nic zvlastniho nestalo ...... read more

17 hours to Kiev on a train with a stinking cold wasn't nice, but at least we were both suffering!! Since then neither of us have fully recovered but we have had an amazing week seeing the sights and meeting up with friends old and new. Apologies to anyone if we've been a little too generous with our germs!! Kiev has been an amazing city and we have no doubt we will be back! The question is only when!! Staying with our friend Anthea was lovely and meeting up with Gary and Linda (and Linda's fiance Barry) has made for a memorable week. The first thing Russ did was to check out the football fixtures. Arsenal Kiev v Dinamo Kiev sounded like it would be brilliant - a local derby with passionate fans. Sadly that's not ... read more

Devastation can be devastatingly beautiful When we were making plans for our summer holiday this year one of the things that made us choose Ukraine was Chernobyl - the sight of the worst civil nuclear disaster in history. As a tourist destination this is a totally unique experience. In the entire World Chernobyl in Ukraine is the only place where you can enjoy a tour of an area that has been devastated and rendered uninhabitable by nuclear fallout. The word "enjoy" in the previous sentence was not meant as an irony. Chernobyl really is devastated, but it is also devastatingly beautiful. Look through our pictures and we think you will agree to that. To visit Chernobyl you must have a permit. The easiest way to get one is to join a tour. The tour company will ... read more

Nearly the end. Ukraine is my final significant destination I'm going to tell you anything about. After that its a brief stop in Western Europe to see friends I haven't caught up with in a while, then it's home. In a way, I'm already winding-down from the trip since the adventurous bit is finished now. I've been to the Ukraine before, I have friends in Kiev and I know my way around. I can thoroughly recommend Kiev for a short city-break if you fancy a change from Paris or New York: it's a lot of fun with great restaurants and bars and you'll see a place that's a little different from where people normally go. But for me it's no chasing around dodging mopeds anymore; no hoofing around with my backpack trying to find accommodation ... read more

Lets get ready to Rumble I sat in the front room of our house, I was eager to get on the road again. Everything was set; the plan was a good one (on paper) A taxi to the Chorlton Street Coach Station, coach to Luton Airport, taxi to the Travelogue for overnight stay. Taxi to airport next morning for our 1pm flight to Kiev, then another overnight stay at Marina’s Auntie’s apartment, and then we take an overnight coach to Chisinau. Easy hey? The original plan was to take a coach at 3:55am to avoid the overnight stay in Luton but a week before the journey; we decided to the spent the night in Luton and so we would be bright and breezy for our flight. I got on the phone to National express and explained ... read more