Ticket purchased for first visit to Ukraine

[alex330]

So, I just bougtht my ticket...flying out for 5 days teh end of April.
Layover is in Warsaw Poland on and flying on LOT Airlines? Anybody have any experience with the airline or airport?
Anything to do quickly while I am in in Warsaw?

Will be visiting one woman, but have several women I can meet quickly if things do not work.
I hired an interpretor while out there who seems youmg and very cool. She has interpreted for some interesting people and doubles as a personal assistant and tour guide which is my backup plan. Just visit the area and she has offered to show me around and take me out if things do not work out. I am sure she has friends as well  

Any ideas for something off the beaten path while I am in Odessa and she is at work?

I will be sure to give a full trip report upon return. To be honest I have not followed many of the rules, but rules were meant to be broken, right?

Happy Womans Day RW!

[Gylden]

LOT airlines is very good! The airport is quite a way from the city, so unless you have a lot of time probably won't be worth it, but if you do, I like Old Town.

[alex330]

Ok, great. Thanks. To be honest I had bad polish jokes running around in my head when I bought the ticket.... LOL
I have found that many foreign airlines have better service than our domestic flights though unfortunately.
Yea, only 3 hours or so layover, so maybe not enought time to get out and do something.

The other route was via Istanbul with a 17 hour layover which was very intriguing..... next trip maybe

[kievstar]

I used to fly Lot from Chicago to Poland all the time.  No issues.  Took them recently and they have been impacted by the crisis and really downgraded the planes including removing televisions.  But this will give you time to study your Russian.

Warsaw has upgraded most of its terminal. 

[Gylden]

LOL
I had a couple of Polish brothers who worked for me years ago and they had all of the best Polish jokes!!
 

[jjen]

Places off the beaten path? Yeah, this is a great idea. Kiev and Odessa seem to have the greatest numbers of scammers on the streets and signed up in the agencies. You know, they're mobile card just ran out and infamous 300 gr. cab fare
My advice, if you are looking for an woman that is more interested in you than in your generosity, take a few days in Odessa, see the sites with an interpretter if necessary, and then leave to a smaller regional city. My favorites, Kherson, which is close to Odessa and Poltava which is nearer to Kharkiv. Keep in mind, if you are planning to go to Krym, make sure you have two way passage booked. May not be a problem in April but certainly is a problem trying to get a ticket out in the tourist times. Wouldn't hurt to learn a little Russian before you go. Check out a site called livemocha.com. Alot of free language instruction and also a great and inexpensive way to meet ladies from Ukraine. Good luck and have a great holiday!

[camachinist]

Layover is in Warsaw Poland on and flying on LOT Airlines? Anybody have any experience with the airline or airport?

Star Alliance member. Flown them from ORD to LWO  through WAW a couple of times. Main drawback is lack of frequency if something goes wrong (mx, wx, etc). The new T2 is a far cry from the cramped, overcrowded and inefficient T1 from my early trips. You'll have transit security if connecting. There's a transfer desk if you need ticketing help. Personally, I wouldn't go landside on a 3 hr connection, but YMMV. Plenty of airside stuff to keep you occupied. Lounges are variable.

Will be visiting one woman, but have several women I can meet quickly if things do not work.

Good plan. Don't worry about filling up your time. There's plenty to do and lots of people to meet in Odessa.

I hired an interpreter while out there who seems youmg and very cool. She has interpreted for some interesting people and doubles as a personal assistant and tour guide which is my backup plan. Just visit the area and she has offered to show me around and take me out if things do not work out. I am sure she has friends as well  

Plan is good. When you hit the ground, get a feel for her character and then, if she seems a good sort, inquire about a driver. IME, a driver is real important if you want to get around and do things quickly. They can also help with the police.

Any ideas for something off the beaten path while I am in Odessa and she is at work?

Yes, have your driver take you out to Nerubayskoye and go on a tour of the caverns.

Visit the various art, literature, history and maritime museums. Inexpensive and a great way to see the history of the culture.

I enjoyed, variously, the circus, comedy opera and symphony. Again, pretty inexpensive.


Also, unless you have a lot of time, consider hiring an interim interpreter (or different one) when the young lady is at work. My best circumstance would have been a male driver/interpreter, but I could not find one. I used a female (older) interpreter and a male driver. Paid them by the week and they were available nearly the entire period of my visit. The interpreter could interpret in real time and worked for the government as a contractor for diplomatic missions. She was amazing. I still stay in touch with her over the years.

I will be sure to give a full trip report upon return. To be honest I have not followed many of the rules, but rules were meant to be broken, right?

Happy Womans Day RW!

IMO, the best rule is to be flexible and trust your interpreter and driver. They'll save your bacon and make your trip a memorable one. I worked on learning Russian for a few months prior to my first trip and promptly forgot almost all of it once immersed. The different of language (written and spoken) was overwhelming to me. Perhaps you'll fare better.

Oh, and watch the dairy; Ice cream gave me Stalin's revenge the whole train ride from Odessa to Lviv. One word- 'LoMotil' It was my only 'mistake'. No other 'distresses' on any of the trips. Enjoy your trip!

[Stirlitz]

My advice, if you are looking for an woman that is more interested in you than in your generosity, take a few days in Odessa, see the sites with an interpretter if necessary, and then leave to a smaller regional city. My favorites, Kherson, which is close to Odessa and Poltava which is nearer to Kharkiv. Keep in mind, if you are planning to go to Krym, make sure you have two way passage booked. May not be a problem in April but certainly is a problem trying to get a ticket out in the tourist times.

I can confirm this. But at any rate you will be running into agencies who would try to make you use their interpreters despite you having yours. Use freepersonals.ru to avoid that.