Greetings from Dnepropetrovsk!

[Kineo]

 
I finally made it to visit my UW. I arrive on 10/14. It is a wonderful experience. The one biggest piece of advice is to be sure you a resource that is very familiar with this city. Even my UW uses her network of friends and family to help her AM survive here.
 
I hope to post more soon.
 
Here is the Dnepropetrovsk train station:

[Hammer2722]

gREAT TO hear you landed safely and good luck with your special lady. Hope it all goes as you expected. Looking forward to the pics!!!! 

[Kineo]

Arrival:
 
My flights here were rather long PWM->ORD->FRA->VIE->DNK. Nothing like flying west to go east!  But they were great. Connecting through FRA was a breeze even with less than an hour layover.
 
My first major surprise came when I arrived at DNK. The airport is so small for a city the size of Dnepr. There seems to me to be no facilities to maintain an aircraft. I saw no other arriving or departing flights. PWM is much larger for a city 1/10 the size of Dnepr. I understand there is to be a new terminal built here starting in 2011. But they need more than a new terminal. Once off the plane there was no English. So I just followed the herd. The passport check officer tried to ask something about destination address and I think gave up. I found customs interesting for the people watcher. There was what I believe to the officer in charge a large disheveled man in a light blue uniform with stains striding back and forth. Meanwhile the rest of the uniformed people sat an talked. Except one who point to the x-ray machine. Everyone put their bags through the x-ray, picked them back up again and left.
 
I met my UW in the airport lobby. We get my first live view of each other. I am glad she brought an interpreter as neither of us were was to communicate at our best.
 
I had read on here the stories about Ukrainian driving. I find most of these stories believable now. I saw several crashes on the way into the city. And cars literately falling apart as they go down the street. My UW seem to be a very good driver though. I thank god since I get car sick easily. And to her credit has gotten me safely around the city. And whether it is just for my appreciation or not she seem to be one of the more courteous drivers.
 
She rented apartment just of Karl Marx for me. A fairly nice place. After settling in we went to exchange money. The exchnage booths were closed. We found one shop keeper who was willing to exchange $100 so that we could get a few groceries and basic supplies for the apartment.

She promises to use more English tomorrow.

[Kineo]

I thought I was going to write in a sort of diary fashion. But since my time here is going by so fast the days have blended together quite a bit. So things will only be sort of chronological.
 
So after a good night's sleep my UW came over and we fixed breakfast. Well actually she prepared breakfast shewing me out of the way. Though not how expect the way things to be in the future, it did make me smile though.
 
Now the smell test. The first thing I thought of was the thread about scent here on RWD. It appears I passed this test. But my clothes however did not and over next couple of days they would all me washed.
 
Then we walked to Park Globa. This is where I think I realized one of the biggest observation I have made of Ukraine. In many area the idea of maintenance is pretty much limited to repair of necessary parts when the item becomes not functional, not more. Anyway this park offer a lot and potential for the park is huge. We walked and talked. Try to talk anyway. To her word she tried to speak as much English as she could but it was difficult. I urge people to not underestimate the need to be able to communicate. We had a very good time just the same.
 
The following day we tried to exchange USD. See my thread on Starting Out to read about my experience.
 
Attached are a couple of picture from Park Globa: