The trip is winding down, and I have much to tell… well not MUCH, but enough to keep things interesting.
We spent one final day in Kyiv, unfortunately I did not go to the investment meeting because I was feeling rather ill and Greg suggested I get some rest. It was a good decision, and I slept until 10:00 AM before packing. I then took a walk with someone who also didn’t go to the meaning to an ATM for some cash withdrawal. I then got a Vanilla Coke and a liter of Orange Juice, for a grand total of $2 USD. Its fairly sad that I can’t spend like that anywhere else, only in Ukraine. After that, we went through the checking out process and that took a little bit. I decided not to wear my sweater because it was nice in the morning, that would prove to be a big mistake later.
We went to the center of town and got some food, we toured around a little bit, went to the mall, nothing really special. Then, we took a bit of a tour around Kyiv, to see parliament and a couple other buildings. Unfortunately, the Art Gallery was closed, and of course while we were there it started to rain, not heavily, but it was cold and I was cursing my lack of sweater. Of course, my nose had been running like a sieve since the previous night, and I kept running out of tissues. Not fun, not fun at all.
While there we saw the Presidents meeting place, it was a majestic building full with gargoyles and other odd things, like mermaids and serpents. I appreciated its beauty despite the fact I was cold, tired and congested as all hell.
After this we went back to the center of Kyiv and discussed dinner, which was decided to be pizza, and the pizza here is delicious, so I didn’t protest. However, on the way there (fortunately) while we were in the underground crossing the street, a cloud burst thunderstorm began. I was very hungry so I got a huge Snickers for 5 Hryvnia, which is a good price, but I was still concerned. Ultimately, we decided that it would be fine if we just weathered the storm. I sprinted there, because I had to use a WC and because it was freakin’ storming! It was rather interesting because it was raining so hard that the local drainage was massively failing, there was water coming off streets in torrents, and I jumped and dodged to get to the pizza place, where I enjoyed some chicken and tomato pizza.
We then got on the train. I slept, and we were in Odessa (seriously, that’s mostly what happened.)
Two things about Odessa: 1) Its very beautiful and elegant 2) Its got a lot of different cultures represented because of its history. Odessa was actually founded by French Aristocracy during the French Revolution, and apparently grew from there. It seems that there are Orthodox churches with Classical Greek outsides and very Eastern Orthodox insides. Which is an odd combination, but really shows the pluralism that Odessa represents. All in all, I liked Odessa, of what I saw of it. Hotel service in Ukraine is terrible though, I got a shish-kabob and I had to wait almost 2 hours to get it and eat it. Ridiculous. I slept for a little bit, and then packed to get to the airport to get to Vienna.
I lost 2 things in Odessa, my sweater and a piece of my favorite earphones. Oh well, its nearing the end of the trip, its not that big of a deal. I do wish I didn’t lose my sweater though, my girlfriend, who is the best ever picked it out for me… I guess I’ll just have to do that again.
We arrived in Vienna, and had to wait for some lost luggage (not mine) and arrived at the hotel. I had breakfast, took a shower, and slept.
That is where I am now, I’m not sure of my next move yet, but it may very well be just chillin’ out until tomorrow.
Cheers,
Connor
