Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane

[Daveman]

Cal, for your education:
1. you will never (ever) be able to make RW shut up

Not quite entirely true, but close enough.. and continuing the education, the most efficient and effective way to guarantee an RW will NOT shut up (and not shut up loudly) is to tell her to shut up.


The best way to deal with questions you don't want to answer is to ignore them..

[Hammer2722]

Doug, perhaps it would be better to ask the mods to move your TR to the Sans Responses section?

[Doll]

Not quite entirely true, but close enough.. and continuing the education, the most efficient and effective way to guarantee an RW will NOT shut up (and not shut up loudly) is to tell her to shut up.

Dave, exactly! I would skip this thread but now I am in
BTW, now we both (you and I) interrupted the "hunting for mushrooms" TR
Hahahaaaaaaaaaaaa!

[calmissile]

Elena had indicated that the English teacher and Headmaster at the primary school (grades 1-9) would like to meet me and perhaps speak to the students.  We arranged a meeting and then followed it up with a visit to the school which is very close to the flat I am staying in.

Every student takes English class.  The English teacher is the short hair redhead in the photos.  A very attractive women.  She got married only one month ago and is 30 if I remember correctly.  She has a very friendly personality and was a joy to chat with.  The kids were  very friendly and curious.  We went around the room and each child introduced themshelf, told their age, and what occupation they wish to have. Being on a military base, it was not surprising to hear that most of the boys wanted to join the army.

One young man about 14 really stood out.  His English was great and he had a personality that will get him far in life.  Julia2 and I were in a local market/ restaurant near the flat and this young man came up to me and started talking to me in English.  He seemed very happy to talk to a native English speaker.  The teacher told me that this boy entered a contest in Cherkassy for English speaking and came in 13th out of 32 contestants.

Also when walking near the flat, the kids that lived in the complex would come up to me and say hello.

The English teacher made a request for me to try and acquire a large wall flag of the US for the school.  I guess it's time to contact my congressman to see if there is any strings he can pull to get a free flag to send them.

The blond lady in the leather jacket and skirt is the headmaster of the school and is about 40 yrs.and single.  LOL

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More school photos

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Cherkassy Park and Beach ----

Beside the river is a large park and beach.
I was fascinated that the park has exercise equipment including instructions for using each type of equipment.
I think some of our US cities could use this idea.
Also shown in the photos is a river boat making passage down river.
The park is also a popular spot of lovers in the evenings.  Since drinking alcohol is forbidden in the park, it seems that most people put their vodka in coke bottles.  LOL

Behind the park is a hill called "Glory Hill"  unfortunately I do not have a photo of it this year.  I believe it is a monument to the men that fought in the great wars.

The photos of two young men on bicycles are of them repairing a flat tire.  The boys spoke perfect English and one of them had a flat tire.  They were repairing the tube in the photos.  It turn out that they compete in tournament frisbee contests as part of the Cherkassy team.

One of the photos is of a sundial created from a birdlike sculpture.

We put Julia2 on the train last night.  It will be 14 hours before she is home in Donetsk.

Tomorrow I go back to Kiev for a few days.  I will be going on the tour of the missile base before venturing off on my next city.

I have to say that living with a family and experiencing everyday life in their home is a great experience.  Seeing how they react to each other, how the children are disciplined, the strange hours that meals are served, etc. is very interesting.

It's nice having a break from US politics and no political advertising on TV.

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More photos from park

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Before moving on to the Kiev trip I thought I would pick up some loose ends about my stay in Cherkassy----

I wanted to bring a gift for the children but had no idea what they would appreciate the most.  I asked Eduard to call Andrew while I was in the US.  We needed to coordinate when I would arrive in Cherkassy and also I wanted some suggestions as to what the girls might like or need as a gift. Eduard's reply was that Andrew was hesitant to suggest anything as a gift but did mention that Maria was in her first year of college.  Having no clue what to bring, I decided to wait until I arrived and try to determine what the girls might be in need of.

During my stay I asked Maria if she had a laptop or tablet to use for her studies.  She said 'no, but hoped to have one one day.  At last, I now knew what to look for.  I had no idea whether I should have my housesitter buy one in the US and send it, or to buy one locally.  The whole family including Julia1 went to the large computer store to check out prices and see what Maria might prefer.  With the help of Julia1 she, Maria, and Elena picked out a modest nice laptop.  The price was about the same as the US prices.  I bought the laptop for her and her dad bought a mouse and carrying case.  Seeing the sparkle in Maria's eyes was worth it.  LOL

At about the same time I learned that 13 year old Dasha was using a hand me down old phone her mother had given her.  For about $ 70, I bought Dasha a new smart phone with all the bells and whistles.  She has carried it with her ever since.

Not only were the kids very grateful, but the parents are as well since they could not afford to purchase these items for them.

During my stay in Cherkassy, I had the opportunity to discuss the age gap issue with several women including Elena, Julia1, Julia2, and their friends.  It is their opinion that it does not matter.  If a man and a women love each other, the woman can care less about the age difference.  In effect, they said to ignore the age gap haters and go with your heart.  While there are practical issues to consider, I am going to take their advice and forget about age differences and see what happens.

The weekend with Julia2 was the hottest weekend with the hottest woman I have ever been with in my life.  If nothing else I will have fond memories to remember.  LOL.   I see why men flock to FSU in search of a wife or lover.

As mentioned earlier, I had the worse head cold in a long time.   The Vodka treatment did not seem to work that well.  Due to my coughing Roman suggested that I should see a doctor.  The images of Ukrainian medical horror stories immediately filled my head.  I put him off for a while but finally he insisted.  He said he had a good friend that was a doctor and would come to the flat to check me out.  I agreed, knowing that it was unlikely that I would loose any vital organs with a visit to the flat.  A good looking man about the same age as Roman showed up around noon.  I think they were both on lunch break from their army duties.  The doctor brought a metal box that looked like something you would  find in the trenches of WWII.  Inside was a blood pressure monitor (pneumatic) instrument.  After several minutes of trying to hold my mouth open without gagging, and much probing of my chest with a stethoscope, he finally took my blood pressure.   When he was all done, he indicated that I had high blood pressure.  I indicated that I take blood pressure medication, but had not been doing so.  After a scolding about not taking it as well as a lecture about smoking he decided that I needed to take medication to get rid of the cold/flu.  In the evening Roman showed up with some awfully smelling nose drops, some cough syrup that wasn't too bad, and two types of prescription pills for me to take 3 times a day.  Since everything on the meds is in Russian, I had no clue about any bad interaction with my normal meds.  What the hell, I was so miserable that I gave it a go anyway.  After several days, the cold is nearly gone and I feel nearly normal again.

Smoking ---  I have yet to find anyone that does not smoke.  Men and women!  Even if the gals say they do not smoke in their profiles, as soon as I ask if it is OK to have a cigarette, they pull theirs out of their purse and off we go.  LOL

Sitting around the table drinking toasts of vodka one evening the family was asking about America and what opportunities are there, etc.   On about toast #6 we decided the whole family would come to America and open a Russian/Ukraine restaurant.  Kate is a professional cook, Elena and Maria are great cooks.  Funny how some drinking can create dreams.

I had a conversation with Julia1 about dating, sex customs, etc.  It was awkward talking to a 19 year old about this topic but she is very open and willing to discuss anything.  I asked about the use of sex toys by Ukraine women.  Her response was that she could not ever imaging using one and did not know any women that do.  She then responded with "Why would I need a sex toy, I can call a man any time I need to".  I guess that pretty well sums it up.  I was also curious what methods are used by women for birth control and she responded that women use many methods including the 'pill'.

Seat belts --- No one seems to wear seat belts.  That is scary considering the madness of how they drive.  LOL

The minibuses can go from 1.5 - 3.0 hours without a rest stop and there are no toilets on the bus.  Going to the toilet before departing is mandatory.

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Some photos of visit #2 to Ultra Club in Cherkassy.  This time have Julia2 and a different girlfriend of Maria.  I learned that the age to get into clubs is 18 and they can drink beer but not hard liquor.  I also learned that they ignore the law.  LOL.

Julia2 got busy with making flowers from the table napkins.

Next installment.... back to Kiev.

[calmissile]

Back to Kiev ---

Elena, Julia1, and Maria put me on the bus in Cherkassy and off I go. The ride was nearly identical to the trip coming the other direction.  The only difference was the rest stop used on this trip had very clean rest rooms.

I had called Val in the morning and told him I needed a flat near Independence Square for $70 or less.  As usual, he said no problem and I gave him my expected arrival time at the bus terminal (next to the train station) in Kiev.

As Val and I were entering the apartment complex a guy outside was asking if we were 62.  Val blew him off and we went inside to enter the elevator.  Two good looking women started to come out of the elevator and then the doors closed.  We waited a minute or so and the elevator returned and the women got out.  They asked Val something and he blew them off.  Out of earshot he said something about prostitutes, probably from apartment 62.  He is a really funny guy to talk to.   


After getting settled in the apartment, I was too tired to try and get my bearings but Val told me I was only a few blocks from where I stayed before.  I did manage to get my laundry done and hung out on the balcony to dry before going to bed.

After fiddling with the TV for a while I found some English channels and listened to world news for a while.

I am on the 9th floor overlooking the statue of Stalin.  I think I am close to Independence Square.  In the morning I will get the GPS fired up on the tablet and see exactly where I am.

These washing machines remind me of toys.  Something you might find on a sailboat or a motorhome.  Of course there are no clothes dryers anywhere.

I contacted L and she said she would call me the next day.

Lights out for tonight.

[calmissile]

I woke up this morning after a good nights sleep, only one in the apartment rather than 8.  My laundry was dry  on the balcony and I needed to figure out where I was.  A few minutes on the GPS and I discovered that I was only a few blocks from one of the apartments I had stayed in earlier.  Also, I am only a couple of blocks from my favorite buffet restaurant.

It is interesting to watch the electric trolley buses below the apartment.  I was raised in Seattle and most of the city used trolley buses.  I can remember many times when the trolleys came off the wires and the driver had to get out of the bus and pull on the cords to get them properly back on the wires.

A little skulking around in the underground and it was no problem to find my way to the buffet for breakfast.  I also contacted a friend of mine that lives in Tuscon half the year and half the year in Kiev.  We have never met in person but have been on skype for over a year.  Fortunately he is in Kiev at this time so we plan to hook up within the next few days.

L called during the day and said she would be free after 1530 hrs and she wanted to take me to one of the sites.  She knows that I am interested in military history and suggested that we go to the Memorial Complex (National Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945).
She showed up at my apartment in her little car and off we went.  I forgot how this woman can drive.  For such a tiny little thing plowing through traffic just like the cab drivers and most everyone else.  I DID wear my seat belt. Also, she has a stick shift and handles the starting and stopping on hills like a pro.  She would have no problem driving in Seattle or L.A.

We arrived at the museum late and had to rush to see most things.  The place is deceptively huge inside. I don't remember the fee to get inside but it is very nominal.  We rushed through the exhibits and I plan to return earlier in the day to spend more time.  At the place where you buy tickets for entrance there are various books for sale.  There is one in English for around $12 that is a great bargain and full of photos as well as a little history about Ukraine's point of view of the war.

The photos inside the museum did not turn out well. I would suggest anyone that wants to take photos of the exhibits take a camera that has a very strong flash.  My little digital camera just doesn't cut it with low lighting.

After the tour, I had a list of things I needed to pick up for the apartment and L took me to the various stores to find the items.  I had been looking for a flower shop earlier and ran out of time before she arrived.  After shopping we dropped off the items at the apartment and walked to the buffet.  As usual, the food was very good.  It was the first time that I had eaten the little ravioli like items that were filled with cherries.  I think the word starts with a V but it is late and I am too lazy to look it up.

After dinner we went shoppong again and I was led by a flower shop.  LOL.  Aren't women clever?
After buying the roses, L beamed with a big smile and we departed.  Her mom called her and reminded her that she was babysitting her son and would like her to come home.  We said goodnight and she asked me to chat with her on Skype after she gets home.

I will be gone from Kiev all day tomorrow on the tour of the Soviet Missile Complex so we probably won't meet up until the following day.  There is another site she wants to take me to that involves many aircraft, but the translation was poor in her message, so I will wait until we meet again to see where the next journey takes us.

We have lightning, thunder, and rain at the moment and it is time to shower and hit the sack!

[calmissile]

More museum photos

Also hops (for beer) growing outside the museum.  I see this everywhere.  Does anyone make home brew from them?

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For the pilots in the crowd..... check out this cockpit.  Imagine how busy you would be with this many controls and instruments.

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The past couple of days have been quiet.  It has been raining and mornings are blanketed with thick fog,
Yesterday I was scheduled to take the missile tour and it turned into a SNAFU.  I waited at the designated pickup point for an hour and no one showed up.  I even had a policeman and the hotel staff verify that I was in the correct location.   The tour company claimed they were there and did not see me.  Not likely, I was the only one standing around.  Since it was raining I suspect that either the tour company or the original tour group cancelled and they failed to notify me.  As Val would say  "Welcome to Ukraine".  I am rather annoyed since I changed my schedule to accommodate the tour.  In talking to Val, he said that the tours of the facility is an open museum and the tour company simply organizes the transportation.  I might see how much Val would charge to take me there and interpret for me.

Yesterday my friend and I took her daughter to see the dolphin show in Kiev.  It was a nice show and also included trained seals doing all kinds of tricks, etc.

It is foggy and gloomy this morning so not sure what I am going to do today.  I am considering extending my stay in Kiev for a few more days before moving on to the next destination.

From the 9Th floor it is interesting to watch the crazy traffic below.  3 lanes of traffic make a right turn onto another street and the right hand lane is blocked with parked cars so the right hand lane discovers that there is no lane to turn into.  Sort of mass chaos but somehow they manage to merge with a lot of horn honking and gestures.  Surprisingly no road rage!  This would never do in L.A.

I also notice that the cop cars seem to run around with their blue strobe lights on all the time.  Another thing that is new to me is the traffic lights change from red, to amber, then green.  In America, I have not seen this.  Also, some of the pedestrian signals have a digital clock counting down and a ticking sound to indicate how much time is left to cross the street.  Not a bad idea considering the fate of a pedestrian caught in the intersection.

The platonic relationship with L. has been a real joy.  We seem to enjoy each others company and her daughter is a sweetheart.  For those that did not read me earlier intro, I am not on a sex tourist expedition and any age difference is irrelevant.  I get along well with people of all ages and this is no exception.  It's also nice to have an attractive woman to show you the sites around Kiev.  I am yet to enjoy her culinary arts, but she has indicated that she wants to make borscht for me.  I order it every time we go to the buffet.

[calmissile]

Well it finally happened!  L, myself and her daughter were sitting in my flat and we heard a loud bang.  In looking outside from the balcony, it appeared that 3 cars came together simultaneously in the middle of the intersection.  The scenerio that followed was very similar to California.  Although there appeared to be no injuries, it took about a dozen cops to handle the situation including directing traffic manually.

Seeing 3 lanes merge into one was somewhat comical.  Additionally, a trolley bus had to make a very sharp turn to make a right turn and avoid the wrecks.  His trolley came off the wires which then blocked the only lane of traffic.  The horn honking and seeing the frustration of the drivers was interesting to watch.

When I lived in Washington State, the cops would have had the cars either pushed onto the sidewalk or over a cliff in order to restore traffic quickly.  Not here, this is much like L.A.  A dozen cops to assess the situation for an hour or two while traffic is blocked.

It's been 2 hours and 2 of the 3 cars are still in the intersection.  It appears that they may be be abandoned now. There is no one around the cars and the cops are gone.  All that remains are traffic cones around the wrecks.  Are there no tow trucks in KIiev?  As you can tell, sometimes I can be easily entertained.  LOL.

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I am loosing track of time, but I believe it was Thursday that started out dreary, foggy.  L. sent me a text and suggested that we 'watch airplanes' today.  Immediately brought to mind my teenage years of 'watching the submarine races', but that is not what she had in mind.

As usual, I am not quite sure where we are going but she has trained me to bring the tablet translator, my coat, and umbrella.  It turns out she meant we would go the Aircraft Museum.  It is well worth the inexpensive price for admission.
I will only post a few photos out of the hundreds I took.  There is just about every kind of aircraft from the FSU on display.  I was particularly interested in the experimental, helicopters, missile carrying planes, and the cruise missiles.

My favorite is an experimental aircraft that is near the beginning of the photos.  Unfortunately, the photo of the information plaque did not turn out.  It listed the performance characteristics and the inventor's name.  It is a twin propeller plane and appears quite light.  I can only surmise that it uses a single engine in the fuselage and somehow transmits the power out the wings to the props via shafts and gears.  I might make another trip just to see this plane again.

There was a small red and white building that should not be overlooked if you are taking the tour.  It is easily missed if you are not aware of it.  It is actually a book store and they have English books and information about the museum.

There is a very good display of a jet engine.  It has been machined in a cutaway view and anyone that knows jet engines can figure out the components and their functions.

Being a helicopter pilot, I was interested about the controls on a Soviet built unit.  I discovered that the collective, cyclic, power (throttle), and anti-torque pedals are identical to American made helicopters.

All in all, a nice day.

A cute sidenote…. When walking, the 4 year old took L’s hand and put it in mine.  I think the 4 year old is less shy than her mother.  LOL

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More photos from the Aircraft Museum.
Note the retired officer giving a class of children a guided tour.

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About a year ago one of my high school buddies sent me an email when he heard I was going wife hunting in Ukraine.  He suggested I contact a friend of his in Tuscon, Az and get the inside poop on RUA dating.  His name is Bob and he owns an apartment in Kiev and spends about 1/2 of the year in Kiev and the rest in Tuscon and his ranch in Colorado.  During the past year we had never met in person, only frequent Skype calls.  His only advice was actually a question.... Why would you want to marry one?  Just enjoy their company.  LOL

On Friday Bob invited me to dinner at his apartment in Kiev.  Wow! what an apartment.  It is on the top floor of a very tall, modern apartment building.  I knew that he has a full time personal assistant and cook, but had no idea they would be preparing dinner and co-hosting the evening.  The dinner was fantastic.  He also invited a good friend of his named George, also from the USA.  It was a very enjoyable evening and nice to finally get to meet in person.  As I suggested earlier, there is nothing like networking to make friends and meet people.

I took a taxi to get to his apartment, but decided to walk back to my apartment.  Fortunately it was mostly downhill.  Nevertheless,  walking about 1.5 miles was felt in my legs the next morning. As much walking I have done the past month I was surprised that I felt the pain.

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Sunday....
Another gloomy, rainy day in Kiev.  I tried to find out what L. wanted to do today and got all kinds of garbled translations.  She initially said she would be available in 3 hours after her mom got home to babysit.  After that I did not have a clue what she was saying.  Finally after several attempts she sent an email that I could understand (mostly).

Here it is.....

My son was riding with a friend on the subway home yesterday at 9:30 he was approached by a man wearing glasses and punched him in the nose and fled. I was with my son in the hospital until 1 in the morning. Then at night we came to the police took statements from her son and his friend. A friend's son spent the night with us, since it was too late to go home, militsyya left for 3-30 nights. The son of a broken nose.

I have no idea what the bold part of the statement means, but it was enough to get the gist of the message.
Mom's have their work cut out for them for sure!
At about 3 L called me on my cell and said "I am here".  OMG, I was not expecting her and was not ready. I took the elevator down to the street and did not see her.  She usually pulls up in her car out front and calls me.  This time she was not there and I could not see her parked nearby.  I ran back upstairs to the apartment, changed my shirt, brushed me teeth and grabbed my coat, umbrella and tablet translator and headed back down to the street.  Just as I opened the umbrella, she came down the sidewalk with her usual smile.
I had no idea what she had in mind for today since it was raining and we had not discussed going anywhere.  It turns out she just wanted to be together and chat.  We chatted with the tablet translator for about an hour and I started getting messages about the free trial expiring.  Our conversations were interrupted by extra messages telling me how many times I have used it, etc and it became an annoyance.  We took a break and I researched what it would cost to purchase it.  Turns out is was a whopping $2.98.  Needless to say, I bought it and we continued our conversation.
It was a real pleasant afternoon.  Tomorrow is my last day in Kiev for a least a week.  I might ask L if she wants to meet me in Cherkassy in about a week.  I have several stops to make before going back to Cherkassy to say goodbye to my friends.  We will see what surprises tomorrow brings.

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Monday Oct 1,

Before leaving Kiev tomorrow for about a week I thought I would add some odds and ends that did not fit earlier.
First to identify the location of my apartment and comments about the area.

The apartment is located at 2 Shevchenko Blvd.  It is on the corner of Shevchenko and Khreschatyk St.
It is a about a 10 minute walk to Independence Square.  Within 2 blocks of the apartment is the Arena (a one block large building housing entertainment, bars, stores and the Mandrin Plaza which houses a large supermarket at the lower level,  Also T.G.I. Fridays is within a block and my favorite buffet restaurant Puzata Khata.  Directly across the street from the apartment is Billa, a 24 hour supermarket very popular among the locals at all hours of the day and night. It is housed in another very large building that consumes one city block.  Inside the building is a huge open market that sells all kinds of produce, meats, fish and other items of food.  It also houses the best, most economical flower shop I found.

I have previously stayed within a few blocks of Independence Square, however I actually prefer this location for all it has to offer.

A few words I have picked up
Machine.... a car.
Stoy......... stop immediately  (used to tell your child a car is coming and do not move)

These security guys are taking things a little bit far.  I was trying to get a photo of the entrance to the Mandrin Plaza and he came over and covered my camera.  A bit much that you can't take a photo from the sidewalk.

A tip about buying flowers.  When I purchased flowers the first time, it was at a booth at the entrance to the supermarket inside the Mandrin Plaza.  They were 60 grivna each.  I later found a flower booth inside the large open farmers market inside the large building called  Bessarabskyi Market.  The price was 30 grivna each for long stem roses and one morning a cheerfull sales gal said,  just for you they are 25 grivna today.  It pays to be friendly with the merchants.  LOL

A tip about taxi fares.  When my friend Bob invited me over for dinner he suggested that the cab fare should be 30 grivna but they might try to get 40 or more out of me being a foreigner. That at least gave me a target price to keep in mind.
When I got to the street level below my apartment, I asked the first driver if he would take me to the address on my cell phone he said NO,  50 grivna.  I walked away and looked for another cab.  I asked him the same question and he said "no worry, I am English speaking driver" and accepted the 30 grivna price.

Don't ever, ever, get distracted or take your eyes off the traffic when crossing the street.  The drivers seem to play a game of chicken with pedestrians.  Seeing many babushkas telling off the drivers is sort of funny except that there were only inches short of a disaster.

There appears to be no law enforced about public drinking.  Across the street, in front of Billas there is an open area that many people spend their evening drinking, chatting, and listening to a solo guitar player playing to the public.  There is also an upscale outdoor restaurant in the middle of the area where you can have a beer or a meal and watch the locals.

I had no problem with safety, however I did witness several drunk teenagers during the day and evening that looked like they might be looking for trouble.  The best way I found to avoid trouble is to not look at them and walk on past.  No one ever approached me other than those asking for directions and those asking to bum a cigarette.

In general I found the public to be very friendly once you have some dialogue of some kind with them.  Approaching a women and asking "do you speak a LITTLE English?" usually gets a positive response and they are very willing to help you if they can.

I never saw any hookers wandering the streets however there are men that hand out cards with phone numbers to anyone that will take them.

I want to also make another recommendation for the personal services of Val.  He is fabulous at getting you an apartment as well as booking your train and bus trips. His service of taking you to the bus station or train station includes making sure you get on the right bus/train, getting the ETA at the destination, etc.  You can also call him in advance and he will get an apartment for you closest to your requirements.  His fees are very nominal and well worth it.   His phone number is  +38 067 2332353

Tomorrow I head off to Nikolaev to see my nurse friend that I have known for over a year.  I had promised her a Pimsluer Russian/English course a long time ago and finally want to deliver the gift.  From there I am not sure where I will go before ending up in Cherkassy again.

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Monday Oct1

I woke up this morning feeling refreshed after a good night sleep.  I am so happy the head cold is finally gone completely.

L called and gave me 10 minutes to get ready for our daily outing.  She informed me we were going to Babi Yar. I did not have a clue what it was but it became apparent once we got there.  Babi Yar is a large park that holds a monument to the 100,000 Russians, Jews, Gypsy's and others that were murdered in Kiev by the Germans in WWII.

L told me that there was a flood at one time and bones were floating in the streets.  In the photos you can see the deep pits where the bodies were buried.  A class of students was accompanied by their teacher and were touring the memorial when we were there.

From this site we visited 2 other parks.  I don't know the names of them but they are huge.  I have no idea how many miles we walked, but it amazes me that a 4 year old can seem to go forever.  I think I will call her the Energizer Bunny.

At one of the parks, they rent electric cars for the kids to ride for about 15 grivna.  The little one was raring to go.  As you can tell in the photos she figured out where the gas pedal was (to the metal), but has not yet figured out the steering and watching where she is going.  The two guys that rent them were standing in the middle of the area and took their life in their hands as two kids were trying to run them over.

All in all, I am very impressed with the parks in Ukraine.  They are very well attended by the locals and you will find old folks as well a young lovers spending their leisure time there.  The only thing derogatory, is that some of the locals leave a lot of trash on the pathways.  There are trash cans everywhere, yet some people are too lazy to use them.

I also was driven by L's University where she obtained her double masters degree.  It was called the Ukraine National Agrarian University and since has had the name changed to University of Life and Water Agronomy. It is also the university that her mother was a professor for many years.  Her 19 year old son is currently attending the same university.

After returning to my flat, L brought out a photo album of her family photos going back to childhood.  She was a good looking gal back then as well. I had told L that I wanted to copy all of our photos to a CD for her to have so we lit off for dinner at the buffet and stopped and bought blank CD's.  We had a nice chat while her daughter watched TV.  Val showed up with my train ticket so I was set to go the next day.

I included a photo of the little juice cartons meant for kids.  I think it is quite clever that they include the straw with the package.  No fuss, no muss, all mom has to do is push the straw through the foil hole and it is near spill proof.

As L and daughter was putting on their shoes to leave, L broke out in laughter. I asked her what was so funny.  She said her daughter thought they should move into my flat and live together.  The mind of a 4 year old.  It reminds me of the old Art Linkletter show on TV where kids come up with the most embarrassing comments and questions.

L has been a real peach.  She has asked for nothing.  No gold digger here.  She is also very intelligent and best of all always has a smile and a pleasant personality.  What a huge difference from my previous experience last year.

She is planning to drive to the train station tomorrow to see me off.  Hopefully daughter will also be there.  A last minute email from her late in the evening asked the question "what are the responsibilities to be your wife in the US?"
Hmmm!  I'll have to think about that whole scenario over the next week or so before leaving for the US.

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More photos from the memorial and parks

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It's Tuesday morning and I am scrambling around the apartment trying to get packed and also book an apartment in Nikolaev on line.  No success, the time it takes for them to respond does not look like I will get an apartment booked before I leave.  Well, I have read many TR's about guys going off on their own without any plans so I guess I will give it a try as well.  LOL

Val said that all the overnight trains were suspended so he got me a train ticket for a 12:26 departure from Kiev and a 22:21 arrival in Nikolaev.  L had indicated that she would meet me at the train station.  She had looked at my ticket earlier, so I hoped she would be able to find me.  Val's driver picked me up exactly on time and the fee was supposed to be 100 grivna.  He told me that to escort me to the train would be another 40 grivna (because he speaks good English and is worth more).  Oh well, for $5 its certainly worth it.  We arrived 20 minutes before the train departure and went to the waiting train. L was no where in sight so I called her on the cell and let the driver talk to her to see if she was coming.  She told him that she was running late but is on the way.  7 minutes before departure I see L and her little daughter running down the sidewalk toward us.  She was winded and explained that every traffic light was red and she had to drive like crazy to get there (her normal driving habit).   The little one seemed to not be tired of the run at all. This little Energizer Bunny has more energy than any kid I know.  We said goodbye and waved and blew kisses as the train departed.  The little one and L ran alongside the train as it started off.  The little one has a habit of giving me the thumbs up and even takes her moms hand and forces her to do the same.  How cute!

Prior to departure, while getting my luggage put away in the compartment, there was a man and women that came into the compartment and stashed their luggage.  The man told me that the woman was his wife.  OK, I assumed that I would be traveling with a man and woman in the compartment.  Just prior to departure the man left the train and waved goodbye to her.

I will share the details of the trip because it is a good illustration of the hesitancy to talk to foreigners, yet the openness and friendliness once the ice is broken.  The woman's name is Sveta.

We had no conversation for about an hour into the trip.  I was trying to make a call on my cell and kept getting a 'service not available' message.  Sveta was on the phone intermittently the whole time.  I finally asked her if she had Kievstar. She said yes.  We then shared some information about the cell phone service in somewhat broken English.  After about another 1/2 hour she got out her bag of groceries and asked me if I would like to eat.  I accepted, and she cut a sausage and a offered a flat like bread.  She also had a bag of small tomatoes and other vegetables.  I noticed that she put the sausage onto the flat bread and wrapped it up.  I did the same.  She then offered the tomatoes and suggested I try them.  They were great.  She said that they were from her dacha.

As the conversation continued, she started speaking in near perfect English as we discussed our respective lives.  She and her husband are both medical doctors.  Her husband is still practicing medicine however a few years ago, she went back to school.  I asked her what her profession was now, and she said she is a policeman.  That's great, I have no worries on this train.  The lady likes me and is a cop to boot.  LOL

Well, not quite.  She is a DNA expert and works for the police department.  After much more conversation I learned that she is in some kind of management role over all the DNA laboratories in Ukraine.  The training of all the DNA analysts are done in the US (Denver) and the Denver facility makes visits to the Ukraine laboratories about 2 times a year. Sveta was on her first trip to Nikolaev.  They had just opened a new lab in Nikolaev and she was going there to inspect and audit the lab and its procedures.  She indicated that she is the only one in this position and audits all of the labs in Ukraine.  An interesting statistic she wanted me to understand was that Denver has about 500,000 people and has 35 DNA experts.  In all of Ukraine of 46 million people there are only 8 labs and only 25 DNA experts. I also asked how many years she had to go to school to be a doctor and forensic expert.  She said about 8 years total.

I asked her if her family goes to the dacha every holiday as I have heard is the custom in Ukraine.  She said yes, and indicated there are 3 buildings on the property and in the summer her parents live at the dacha.

Sveta has a 23 year old son that is studying International Economics and also has a 6 year old just starting school.  She kept offering to feed me.  Once you befriend a Ukrainian, their hospitality is unreal.  At one point on the trip we were 45 minutes behind time.  She kept checking the schedule for the next stop so that she could have a cigarette.  Finally, she joined me in the noisy connection compartment between the carriages and we would sneak out and have a smoke together. You are not supposed to smoke on Ukrainian trains, but I caught the female attendant having a smoke and she gestured to just put the cigarette ashes and butt through the hole that goes onto the tracks.

We reached a stop at the city of Dolinskaya.  It was a 20 minute stop so I had time to go to a small market alongside the station and get some refreshments.  While there I noticed we had lost our electric locomotive and a diesel unit came up and replaced it.  It was too dark to see if the electric wires were no longer overhead, but I suspect that this may be the end of the electrified portion of the route.

We arrived in Nikolaev about 22:15 right on time.  The train made up the 45 minute deficit we had accumulated earlier.  The train station is unlike the other ones I have arrived at.  Usually there are taxi cabs swarming around you.  Not here.  In fact it was difficult (at night) to tell which direction to go to find a cab.  I decided to follow the majority of the crowd.  It was necessary to walk about a city block before you can cross the tracks and get into a parking lot.  On the way, there was a middle age lady with a younger women that was holding a child.  Also a young man about 13.  I asked if anyone spoke a little English.  The Ukrainian woman knew no English,  the younger gal knew very little and the young man seemed to know more.  The younger gal indicated that she was Italian and her baby was Italian.  Between the 3 of them they made a joke about an American, a Ukrainian, and an Italian, and we all were different languages.  The Italian gal finally said to come with them to her friend, the taxi driver.  I followed them to the parking lot and her taxi friend.  The taxi driver did not know much English however I finally got it across that I needed a hotel room somewhere downtown.  They pointed to another taxi that was sitting idle so I went over to see him.  He knew absolutely no English.  I was getting no where fast.  The other taxi pulled up and everyone piled out to assist.  With the help of the other taxi driver and the women, they apparently conveyed to him that I needed a hotel room.  Off I went with the taxi to who knows where. LOL

As we meandered through the streets I saw no signs of a city center.  I was beginning to wonder where he was taking me.  I called Julia2 in Cherkassy and this time she answered the phone. I explained the situation and she said to hand the phone to the driver.  After some conversation between the two he handed the phone back to me and Julia2 told me that he was taking me to a nice hotel on the bank of the river.  Great, it seems my helpers at the train station did understand my messages.  We arrived at a nice hotel but they had no rooms available.  They suggested the Hotel Tourist nearby.  They had rooms and a single was only 280 grivna ($35).  A lot better than the $70-$100 per night in Kiev.  It was a sparse, small room but adequate for an overnight stay.

Upon awakening, my first priority was to find an apartment.  I searched on-line and of all the ones I looked at http://www.cometonikolaev.com was the one I chose.  Using the real time chat window I was in contact with an agent.  He found me an apartment for less than my limit $50 and arranged for the manager to pick me up from the hotel and get me situated in the apartment.  The internet did not work, however the manager returned a couple hours later and fixed the problem (service provider).  So far I have not found it nearly as friendly as Kiev.  I asked about 6 gals for directions to McDonalds and all I got was stares and grunts.  BTW, McDonalds is closed.  It is undergoing major renovation.  An employee near the work site said that it will reopen December 1.  I am paid up for 2 nights.  Whether I stay longer will depend on how much I enjoy the city and the city.

Thinks got a little better in the friendly department.  I was walking back from a supermarket and wanted to find a larger market that has either Pepsi Light or Diet Coke.  I asked a redhead at a corner about a supermarket and it was clear that she did not understand me. Two other gals standing nearby overheard me and asked ‘can I help you’?  They said that there is no larger market nearby and I would have to take a taxi to one.  Maybe things are better than my first impression.

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Friendliness is improving.  I was ready to turn in for the night and while on the balcony, I heard women's voices in the courtyard below.  Just for the hell of it I decided to go down and have a smoke and see who was there.  There were two young women sitting at a picnic table chatting.  I asked them if either knew English.  One gal said a little bit of English.  Her friend had to go home (she was married) so the other gal and I chatted (sort of).  They had both been drinking Vodka for quite a while.  It was a little difficult understanding the remaining gal, but she asked if I drink Vodka.  I said yes, and she proceeded to pour me a triple shot and one for herself.  Her speech was already slurred, but we went on to chat for a while.  I learned that she was 20 and lived in one of the apartments with her parents.  She also works from 0800 Hrs to 2100 Hrs at some business.  I have no idea how they can get up in the morning after drinking a bottle of Vodka until 23:30 hours, but somehow they must do so.  LOL

She isn't my type but it was interesting to chat with her.  I made my escape while she was cleaning up the mess they had made of the table (sunflower seeds, etc).  Once the ice is broken, it seems that people are generally friendly.  But trying to start a conversation on the street is useless. It takes some setting where they are relaxed and do not feel threatened I guess.