Viking goes to Kiev, and returns March 21

[viking]

Well, I am still unpacking my bags from my trip to Kiev. It is my 4th trip, but my first to the Ukraine and my first trip report. I’m not too handy at this but I will give it a shot.
First some background is in order as this trip had a specific purpose. (And yes JB, it was a short trip so let’s get this over with now)

I met Elena in Bulgaria almost 2 years ago. I was planning a week’s vacation for myself but ran across her on an internet site perhaps a few months before I was planning to leave. After many emails I invited her to join me. Now this is when I was a newbie, maybe even pre-newbie. I knew nothing about anything. Zip. Zero. I sent her some money to join me and she showed up on schedule and we had a very nice time together, even though I left her alone at times to do some scuba diving. For me. It was just a vacation with a nice Belarusian woman. For her a nice vacation with an American man. There were no expectations on either side. But I liked her. And she liked me. Unfortunately her English was very poor, communicating was difficult, but I saw willingness in her to try. We went home, and stayed in touch for a few more months, and recognized the limitations of our meeting.

So fast forward these past 2 years, several more trips under my belt, slammed and scammed by others, one strong relationship down the tubes, learning a lot from members here, I almost called it quits. In cleaning up some debris from my computer of emails from god knows how many other women I talked to, I ran across all of my emails to Elena. I realized that I had never really forgotten her. I remembered everything about that trip. The beach, jet-skiing, dancing and more. So here was an honest woman that I put on the shelf for better pastures and only later to find out the grass is really not greener on the other side of the fence. I fire off an email. “Remember me”?

Turns out she still remembered me, was a bit shocked to receive a letter from me after so much time has passed, and yes would like to re open some correspondence. I send her some flowers.

Well, after a few months of emails, phone calls, sms messages and the like, we decide to meet again. Her English is still poor but a bit improved, but I no longer see this as an impediment but only a small stumbling block. I asked her to join me in Kiev rather than trying to find my way to Gomel, in Belarus, as well as avoiding all the visa hassles.

I engage Jack Bragg for his services.  He hits me with a lot of really good questions, showed a lot of concern and we finally agree on a flat, driver and interpreter. We also agree on a back up plan, should something go wrong. I book my flight, she books her train to Kiev (at her own expense, but which I reimburse her for later) and I am on my way.

Before I begin, I also want to point out, since this will be asked by someone at some point, that Elena is 45 and I am now just turning 60. So we have a nice, comfortable 15 year spread between us. She has a 17year old son, they live together along with her mother, and she works as an accountant at a university nearby.

I do not keep an exact diary on a day to day basis, but this is how my trip unfolds.

I leave New York, just as a snow storm hits the area and was the second to last plane to leave before the airport is shut down. Good Karma, I guess. I arrive in Kiev, on Lufthansa, via Frankfurt. I arrive about 1PM the next day and am met by Val, my driver. He speaks excellent English and we have some good conversation back to the flat. He seems relieved that I am meeting a mature woman and I am not another older AM trying to woo some 25 year old hottie. The apartment is just off of Kreschatyk and is a typical older Russian flat. Comfortable, but it has its problems. I am not tooo happy about it, but for $70 bucks a night, I guess it was ok. I had stayed in better and asked Val if anything else was available. He said he would look into it and get back to me the next day. I freshen up, get some rest and at about 7PM, Val and my interpreter Zina show up, right on time. Zina is about 27, nice and very personable. We talk for a short while and go and pick up some roses and head for the train station to meet Elena.

The train pulls in; I am waiting outside car number 2 and out comes Elena. She looks exactly as I remembered. I give her the flowers, we hug and kiss, introduce her to Val and Zina, and off we go. Zina gets right into some conversation and I can see Elena beginning to relax. We arrive at the flat and she says, hmmm nice, it is ok. But I tell that we will look at something else tomorrow, just to compare. No problem. She freshens up and we go out. Val takes us on a small tour of some monuments, places of interest (I am not going into details here and honestly; I don’t remember the names of all the places, except to say they were impressive). Zina is explaining everything about their history and we all get engaged in some very good conversation and photo taking. Finally, Elena is getting hungry, as am I, and we drive back near the flat. Val drops us off and recommends we go right (versus turning left) to a nice restaurant. Since we were still talking a lot, we did not listen and turned left into a great French, and expensive, restaurant. The 3 of us have a wonderful meal (650 UAH, ouch!) talk some more and then Zina leaves and Elena and I go back to the flat. The rest of the evening is ‘very very enjoyable”. We are both glad to see each other again.

The next day Zina shows up at around 10AM, we go to a typical Ukraine style café. Buffet style with more food than I can imagine and that I had no clue what I was ordering. Try this and try that I am told. Ok. I will have some of that brown stuff, and some red stuff and some yellow/green with some white stuff. All of it delicious. 60 UAH for everything, for 3 people. Much better. I am learning where to eat. Then we met Val again and he shows us another flat. Much nicer, a tad more money but the difference was like night and day. I pop for it. Elena is very happy with my decision. We move in. Then we spend the rest of the day walking about 3000 miles all over Kiev. Kreschatyk is closed on Sundays to car traffic and there were a ton of people walking about. Nice warmer day as well. So it is this street, that church, this place, until I see a Mickey D’s and say, stop. Gotta have some real coffee. Then it’s under ground near Independence Square. I never realized you could build an entire house, outfit it with every type of furniture and appliance you can imagine, buy every type of clothing you can think of, all under ground. Amazing! You can live down there for years and never come up for real air. Unfortunately, without GPS you can also get so lost. At times I felt like some kind of mole coming out of his hole in the ground. Come up one entrance and nope, wrong side of the street. Back down, walk around, come up another entrance, and… crap. Wrong street all together. Well, let’s try this again. Fun but a bit confusing. It’s something we needed to get use to. We stop at a nice café near the river, and then head back to the flat. Some more talks again, go and buy some food for the flat. I am asked to buy ‘meat with no fat”, some fruit, tea, coffee, a certain type of bread and some other things. Both girls are pleased that I was able to fulfill the order. Amazed I think was the word they used. Then we head out for some supper. I ask Zina to join us again, as it was comfortable for both of us for her to be there, she is becoming more friend than business interpreter, and I am finding that Elena opens up a bit more when she is there. I am also finding that her English had improved more than I thought as well, but she likes to know she is saying the right words. Then back home again and another wonderful night. We also found that some tentative plans to go to an Opera or a disco were less important than spending some quality time together in our flat. Making some snacks, sharing everything, discussing life in general, watching some TV and talking about what we saw, and giving each other some small massages, seemed more in keeping with what was going to happen in real life. She laughed when I tried to learn some Russian from a book I bought and she tried hard to get my pronunciation correct and so did I for some of her English. We had a lot of fun doing this together.

To be continued……

[viking]

Some more photos

[Son of Clyde]

Lovely woman, Viking. Glad you enjoyed Kiev and had a nice time.
Have a happy birthday and don't drink too much.

[wiz]

Lovely woman, Viking. Glad you enjoyed Kiev and had a nice time.
Have a happy birthday and don't drink too much.

Yes I agree Elena is a very nice looking woman.

I enjoyed reading your TR.

When is the next instalment?

[viking]

Hey Wiz, coming right up.

[viking]

The next day we go off on our own for breakfast and have a nice, but very filling meal. A short while later we again meet up with Zina and take off to see the Lava (spelling?), a place requiring some time on the Metro and taking a walk in the nearby park. The catacombs were very interesting and both girls collected some of the ‘holy water’ for future use. On the way back we needed to stop for some stockings since the ones she brought were torn. Again, another effort in trying to find our way out of the maze of the underground. We also took a ride on ‘the vertical’ a small tram that gives a wonderful view of the city. At this point Zina leaves us as I decide Elena and I need to be alone to do our own exploring. We take a nice walk around the Arena area, back down Kreschatyk, some small purchases of souvenirs, lunch, and back to the flat. A bit of a rest as all this walking is beginning to take its toll on me. I fall asleep for a few hours and when I wake up I find her doing some Russian crossword puzzles. I am a bit embarrassed to have fallen asleep and ask why she did not wake me up. She replies that she understood why I was tired but wanted to keep me company in the living room and decided that some relaxing on the couch and doing some mental exercises was just fine with her and there was no problem. Ok. I can deal with this. The comfort level between us is growing. We go out again for a small walk, find an interesting place to eat and call it a night.

Our final full day together begins early. We go out and eat a local café for breakfast. Head into different directions for some more walks, get lost, and have some fun finding our way back. I ask Zina to join us in the late afternoon as we needed go get some more hard questions asked. We go over things like family, immigration, expectations about work over here, what she would face living in a new country, some of the hardships I keep reading about that some of the married folks discuss on this forum. I pulled out some maps of where I lived near the ocean, photos of my home and family, (some of which she already knew of course), things about New York and people I knew who had Russian wives. It was intense at times, and I am glad that Zina was there because there were times when the answers I heard from Elena did not make sense and needed to be explained differently. I needed to keep focusing on the fact that the purpose of this trip was to determine if this woman was a good match for me, and I for her, across many different aspects of life. If we decided we were compatible at this point in time, then another, and possibly a final meeting would be necessary. Meet her in her home town and get to know her son, family, friends, and spend time on her turf. I was not expecting to end this trip being in love. But developing that warm and fuzzy connection, that sliver of wanting each other was what I seeking. And I knew that when we got home, decompressed, and then started to talk about how we felt after leaving each other would be the final factor in making the decision to meet again.

Well, after all this conversation, we say goodbye to Zina. She was a wonderful person and if ever anyone wanted a good guide and interpreter, I would recommend her highly. Elena and I go back to the street where Val said to turn right and go into the ‘correct’ restaurant. A wonderful place. We have some wine, a good meal, and made some small talk about the next day. Then she decides that she wanted to buy some Ukraine chocolate. I suggest the local place where I had bought some food and no, someplace ‘nice’. Well off we go trying to find this elusive store. We walk here trying to remember if this was the street with the chocolate sore. Nope. Try that street. Nope again. We are laughing as we continue this quest. We finally give up and walk back to the store I had originally mentioned. What!! It’s closed! She is disappointed. After walking for about 2 hours and no luck, we head back to the flat. Would you believe that we turn a corner, and right there, about 200 feet from a different entrance to the flat, one we had not used, was a kiosk with everything she wanted. Excellent. We buy the candy and with smiles on our faces we go back home. Our last night was again spent in each others arms as we fall asleep.

The next morning, we pack up and Val arrives on time to take her to the train station. We go there, board the train, and we spend a few minutes saying goodbye. Our eyes locked and we both realized we would miss each other. Val and I leave, and go back to the flat to get my things. Since there are a few hours to kill before we need to get to the airport, he and I grab some lunch and just talk about some of his experiences. Mostly of men who came over to meet some women which they had no business in meeting. Some of them were truly sad and some very funny. Val seemed to think that Elena and I were a good match and wished us luck. We finish, drive to the airport, and homeward bound.

I’m sure  left out some things, but that is the gist of it.

In looking back, after only a few days have gone by, I can say I had a great time, in a great city, with a great lady. We managed to pack in quite a bit of Kiev, but more importantly, quite a bit of getting to know each other. I have no crystal ball, but something tells me I will be on a plane to Gomel later this year.

[Patrick]

Very nice report and great photos. Sounds like you have a good lady and she had a grand time as well..

[Kuna]

Viking,

I enjoyed your trip report very much and can identify with many of the things you said about Kiev (especially the underground shopping centres).

Ahhhhhh....  seeing those photos makes me feel "home sick".  It's a great city.

More importantly, you and your lady look great together.  You look like you both "fit"!

All the best to both of you as you continue to get to know each other.   

Kuna

[BillyB]

viking, I was wondering where you went. Nice pics.

[wiz]

I fall asleep for a few hours and when I wake up I find her doing some Russian crossword puzzles.

You fall asleep with such a nice attractive woman?


Come on the Globus shopping Centre is not that difficult to go around…… I have been there many times and I find it an excellent place to move around, shop and have a nice place to relax, right at the top at the Nescafe bar, looking outside the Square.

[jj]

Viking-
nice report. It sounds like you had a good time.  I agree, you look great together. Good luck!  I will leave for Kiev next friday for 9 days to see my lady. She will be coming from Russia.  Like you said, less passport hassle.  -jj

[2tallbill]

Viking nice trip report you two look good together,

Bill

[viking]

SOC

Yeah I could not have had a better birthday present. Thanks

Wiz

Yep, I fell asleep on her every night.  Also, there was a nice place to grab some coffee, which we did. There was another underground center at the other end of the street, closer to where we were staying. The shops were smaller and, sorry to say, I did find it a bit confusing. I know Elena did not like going underground much.

Billy

You been reading my posts on past experiences. Been a hard road, and I am happy this trip worked out well for a change.

JJ

Good luck on your trip. The weather should be good. Have you been there before? If you need a driver, guide, or terp, please let me know. The people I met were ultra reliable and price competitive.

To all, Thanks.

[groovlstk]

Viking,

Great TR, and more importantly I'm glad to see you had a good experience after your rough-and-tumble time in St. Petersburg last Winter! Good luck and I look forward to reading about your next meeting.

[Photo Guy]

Viking,
An interesting trip report that brought me back to Kiev, the only place
I've been in the FSU. It felt good to be back. Maybe I'll go back this summer.
You had a good experience with a woman, despite the language barrier..
...but that's another topic. I can relate.  Best wishes!  -doug

[Jet]

Very nice story Viking 

[START2]

Viking,
  I'm happy you had a nice trip. Your gal looks great and I'm sure that once you both can communicate more the relationship will blossom as much as you desire. Did you discuss her taking english classes? Actually Gomel isn't that far from the Ukr. border. It's important that you get to meet/know her family and friends. You'll enjoy that trip and if it's typical, they will treat you as family. I agree with Kuna about feeling almost homesick when I see pics of Kyiv. But that's true to when someone posts pics of Odessa, Krim, and other cities I ventured to. What was your impression of Kyiv? Of course for me 3-4 days and I'm ready for the smaller towns.

[wiz]

START2

just to make you more sick.......here is a small selection from Independent Square in Kyiv

Wiz

[Gator]

Hi Viking,

You sly dog!  You had an ace up your sleeve for two years.

This seemed like a short trip (about half a week).  It is a great sign that the two of you immediately picked up where you left off two years earlier.  Another good sign is the driver's comments as I think they keep silent if they see a mismatch.

The Lavra is part of an interesting monastery and complex of museums.  Personally, I found the caves a little freaky, especially when my date (a MD) bent over and kissed the coffin of a 700-yo preserved monk (she claimed he was a healer).

I imagine your becoming tired and sleeping was less due to the walking but more due to jet lag (and whatever you were doing the previous nights). 

Elena is attractive and she seems to be a very calm woman.

Good luck to both of you as your relationship progresses.

[viking]

Hey Gator

Funny how some things just work out, eh? Elena did the same thing. Leaned over and kissed one of those things. Then had to buy 'certain' icon pictures and walk away with a quart of this water. I'm not a religious person, but if this made her feel better in some way, fine by me. I had mentioned in a PM to another member that I do not sleep well on these flights. I figured about 30 some odd hours of very little sleep, then a night with almost no sleep  , combined with a lot of walking, I just crapped out for a few hours. What I think was important was that she did not mind. It was only for maybe 2 hours and when I woke up she was more interested in knowing, I was ok, did the sleep help and so forth. Her just staying in the same room as me, keeping herself occupied, I think, said a lot about her. And yes, she a calm and somewhat quiet person, but when she gets excited, she can be very playful and funny.

It was a short rip, no doubt. But the whole focus was to see if we could pick up where we left off, and this transition was very very smooth. It felt natural. Have not had that feeling in a long time.