12th - 14th May 2022
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| The main entry hall at Kyiv railway station |
The Kyiv railway station is a fairly respectable building, if a bit 'Soviet' in architecture and gloomy in some parts. However there were clear and informative announcements in both Ukranian and good English. After another crowded Metro underground trip to get here, I arrived, as is my wont, far too early for the sleeper departing at 7.13pm. No alcohol is served at the station cafés so I made do with a cup of coffee and sandwich.
While waiting, another especially long, loud and wailing air-raid warning sounded. As usual, nobody paid the remotest attention. I thought this was a most suitable 'farewell' gesture and was rather anticipating a timely bomb or rocket to drop so I coud proudly say I left 'with a bang'. Nothing happened.
Left: There is a popular confection served in many cafés and supermarkets here; the Ukrainian Hot Dog, the manufacture of which is interesting. They take the long bread roll, insert a metal plunger which makes a longitudinal hole down the centre. Then tomato ketchup, mustard and some white stuff is poured into the hole. The long sausage is then shoved in and pumped to and fro to to mix the gunge inside which then oozes out of the top. It is faintly pornographic.
I didn't try one (cheap at 35 Hryvnia...about 90p).
On boarding I was greeted by this stout, and not entirely unfriendly, attendant (right) who resembled a friend of mine in UK...I nearly greeted him as such.
On finding my compartment I discovered I was to share it with two respectable looking Ukranian ladies, I think mother and daughter, aged about mid-fifty and mid-twenty respectively. The younger one spoke reasonable English. They told me that they were going to visit friends who were in Warsaw. They were certainly not refugees and would be returning to Kyiv. They spent much of there waking hours on their computers.
It was a strange layout with a bench seat on only one side which could be transformed into three bunks, on top of each other. I was on the top bunk. When we (they) decided to turn in for the night I had to use a ladder to get up to my roost. It was quite a struggle. I had gone to the loo beforehand and hoped I didn't need to go again during the night. The ladder had been removed and it would have been a traumatic descent to exit the compartment. Fortunately it wasn't necessary and, as far as I was made aware, had not snored too loudly...or they were polite enough not to mention it. Although the younger lady did stay in her bunk, asleep, for about 3 hours after we had arisen....
We arrived at the border (I think the place was called Turiysk) at about 6.30am where there was 2 hour delay as the Ukrainian border police took away and stamped our passports. It also involved the train being shunted into a large shed where they had to change the wheel 'bogies' due to the change of railway guage between the ex-Soviet guage and the Polish one. I hadn't realised, or noticed, that they must have done this on the way in. After a bit of banging and clanking and some reversing, we set off slowly into Polish territory at Dorohusk with another 2 hour stop for the Polish team to check and stamp passports.
During this static period I met a young American journalist who was in the adjacent compartment. He was returning to Washinton DC and was an amusing and informative chap. During this long border period the loos were kept locked. Fortunately I seem to have a fairly strong bladder although I was keen to have a pee. I wondered what others, more desperate, did?
At least hot drinks were available at the end of the carriage (they weren't on the way in). Also, and curiously, when at the Dorohusk stop on the Polish side I noticed a couple of vans pulling up and people, wearing tabards, were off-loading many boxes and bags onto the train. It transpired that these were 'charity' workers delivering rations to us poor refugees! We all received sandwiches, a sticky bun and a bag containing fruit juice and several chocolate bars. Well, who was I to refuse, as didn't the two ladies in my compartment. It would have appeared rude and ungrateful. None of us needed it. We had all brought our own grub (in my case a few tins of beer plus cheese biscuits etc.). I'm not sure how many, if any, on that train were 'refugees' or needy. The people I saw on the train all appeared fairly prosperous and capable of looking after themselves.
The train moved faster and much more smoothly on the Polish side. After further stops at Chelm (45 mins wait) and a couple of other stations we pulled into Warsaw East (on the east side of the river) at 3.30pm (that would be 4.30pm Ukraine time). So it was about a 21 hour journey! Then by tram to the centre of town where I was to stay the night at a not so cheap (by my standards) Holiday Inn.
It cost 15 Zloti (about £3.00) for the very speedy lift to the 30th floor which has a viewing gallery. It's just below the clock which you might just be able to see on the photo.
Right: View from the top. To the East, over the Vistula.
Left: The now tallest building in Warsaw, the Varso Tower. I think they just stuck a tall antenna on the top to claim victory.
Right: View to the South. I have photos to the North and West but consider them of no great interest.
Left: A closer up shot including the Polonia Palace hotel, the building centre left, where I stayed previously.
I called in to the Central Station to buy a ticket to Krakow in the south of the country. It is somewhere I have always wanted to visit. Report to follow.
PS. I seem to have 760 Ukrainian Hryvnia left in my wallet (about £20 worth). I withdrew cash from an ATM in Kyiv but as most places took credit cards I stupidly didn't use all the cash. If anyone reading this is thinking of going to Ukraine please let me know and I will sell them at a good price.
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