... in response to Ukraine trip report Day 1, posted by Jski on Jan 28, 2003[This message has been edited by Jski]
Day three:
OK, our last day in Kiev. We slept in, but I did manage to get a couple cups of coffee while she was showering (I hope she isn't reading this :-) though she caught me on the last one.
My clothes showed up...finally. I hope the guy who delivered them wasn't expecting a tip :-)
Today was shopping day and a tour of Freedom Square. We ventured forth to the subway relying on Toma's ability to get us around. It worked fine and our first stop was the train station to buy tickets for out trip to Crimea.
Its interesting that one end of the station is old and the other end modern. The place was packed with people, cabbies, and old ladies trying to rent their flats. We booked a first class cabin and headed out to freedom square.
We walked around a bit so I could take some photos and then headed off for some shopping. First stop was the mall under the square. She kept teasing me that we should eat at McDonalds (we both hate it). We browsed around a bit and bought an outfit for my daughter. I wish I could shop there for all her clothes at those prices. Next up was the walk the the Metro underground shopping. We walked the whole distance as it let out quite close to our apartment. At the far end I started browsing those CD sellers and managed to come away with quite a few CD's :-) I also bought some Russian Pop music CD's in one shop to annoy my friends with. We grabbed some ice cream and headed back to the flat. We woke up with 30 minutes left to pack before the flat owner came with Galina, our ride to the train.
We made it to the train in time and said goodbye to Galina. The 1st class cabin wasn't huge, but it was big enough for our luggage and to stretch out in. We had the great luck of being the last cabin next to the bathroom :-) Close for us, but noisy. I didn't sleep much and seemed to wake up every few stops. Toma slept like a baby.
*I want to note that while the bathroom smelled fine during the begining of the trip, I thought I would vomit while trying to brush my teeth in the morning. I thought those thigs were track dumpers, how could they get to smell that bad?
I took the train for the experience of doing, though I think I will fly next time to Simferopol as the cost is close and I would rather save 13 of those 15 hours. Then again, after riding that Antonov 24, I'm not so sure :-)
Day four:
We arrived around 8am into Simferopol. Her friend was there to meet us. She's been a great help to Toma with English lessons and she knows 5 languages and is studying Arabic now. More than I could handle. We grabbed a taxi and headed to her flat. I've come to notice that no matter how bad some of these buildings look on the outside, when you step into the flats its like stepping into another world. All of them that I have been in are decorated nice, great furniture and lots of woodwork, silk rugs, very tasteful! Her place was small, 2 rooms and a bathroom and I joked with her that we would have to seal up 9/10ths of my house when she moved here to make her feel comfortable (my house is 3500 sq ft.....old 1920's style).
We managed to freshen up some, and repack for a few days away as we were headed to her folks for dinner and overnite as well as seeing her Daughter, then off to Yalta and the are the next day. Another long taxi ride brought us to Evpatoriya.
Her folks weren't home, they were at the shop, but came home right away when we called. I guess they thought I needed more food as they started cooking right away. Lunch was great and we exchanged some gifts. They were more than happy to serve me cup after cup of Turkish coffee (Large mugs that is) even over my girl's objections :-) I think Mom and Dad like me as there gift to me was a coffee and tea set with serving dish....Gee, I wonder who told them that I liked coffee :-)
I finally got to meet her daughter and what a sweetheart she was. She understands some English but would bop me on the head when I didn't understand her :-)
Her parents place was much lager, 2 full bedrooms, a kitchen and a living room. I love how every piece of furniture turns into a bed. I don't think Motel 6 has a chance in Ukraine.
Her parents don't speak a lot of English and Toma is good, but not enough to translate all the time, so her friend was with us and did a great job helping us! We relaxed after lunch a bit and I found it funny that whenever I walked in the room with the TV they would switch it to BBC or another English channel for my benefit :-)
Later they took us to the old town area by the seawall and gave us time to walk around. They had to go back to run their shop. We walked for quite a bit and I got some great pictures there. We also stopped and bought bread so Polina could feed the ducks and geese. There's lots of outdoor clubs and cafes there but most were closed as its winter though I can't wait to see it in the summer.
Back at the house it was nearly dinner time. They kept encouraging me to take a shower and I couldn't understand why till later. Dinner was a spread. Lots of course and everything was presented on the plate like a chef made it, colors, shapes placement, you name it. I was given Comgac and beer and the toasts began! Little did I know that finishing the whole bottle of congac and two gian bottles of beer were in the plans and her Dad kept refilling my glasses. After dinner they had a huge cake that had "Welcometo Evpatoriya John" written on it. I was completely stuffed and in fear of moving so I wouldn't fall over from the comgac at this point.
During the dinner toasts, one of mine was used to ask for her parents permission to marry her. They gladly accepted this idea and again the liqour flowed freely......Its been a few years since college and even longer since the Navy, so I'm a bit out of "Bar Practice" :-)
Now is when they suggested a shower again and when I asked why they said the water would be shut off in 15 min.......Ohhhhh, so I obliged.
I just wished that I could find the water in the kitchen at 2am becuase I was completely dehydrated by then.
Notes: Plan on eating alot, you'll get fed well
Pack water, you may need it.....I wished I did.
Everyone is so hospitable and welcoming. They really go to great effort to make you feel welcome.
Asking the parents beforehand seemed to please them. I'm glad I did it!
I really need to learn more Russian before I visit them again.
