The Luggage Saga Ends
Saturday, June 17
Well, we slept late again – I don’t know how we do it, especially since the curtains didn’t quite close over the windows and there was light streaming in when we finally opened our eyes at about 9 a.m. Ed stuffed Belle in her case, snuck out to take her for a walk, came back so that we could go have breakfast (which closed at 10 a.m.) before showering and checking out by noon.
Breakfast was lovely in the little hotel bar – we were the only people there, and we were beginning to think that we were the only people in the hotel. We certainly hadn’t seen any other guests so far. We had our favorite – porridge (kasha) cooked in milk, with pots of tea and buttered toast. After breakfast we each took a long shower - without running out of hot water! - and by the time we were done it was noon and checkout time. Belle was stuffed in her case once again – I walked down the stairs and out the door carrying her case, went to the corner and liberated her. Ed stowed the bags with the receptionist until our minivan would pick us up (a price was fixed) and take us and our bags to the train station at 4:15. Then Ed came out, got Belle’s case and put it with all our other stuff, and the three of us went out to kill 4 hours on the most beautiful day I had ever seen – blue skies with fluffy white clouds, moderate temperatures, and in the shade absolutely heavenly. We walked up Andriivs’kyi uzviz (Andrew’s Descent), a steep climb on a stone street (not cobble stones, which are regular in shape and size, but actual stones of all different sizes and shapes that were just laid down with cement or something to hold them together) to St Andrew’s Church. This street is lined with galleries and craftsmen selling their wares out on the street. Some of this is crap, and some of it looked very interesting – but time for this when we move here in the fall. I'm afraid that Ed's chatchke fever is returning in full force after lying dormant for a couple of months.
All the artisans loved Belle, and several people warned us about the “evil cat” up the street who “doesn’t like little dogs.” We made it past the cat and continued on Volodmyrs’ka St – a beautiful tree lined boulevard – to St Sophia’s Cathedral which was gleaming green and gold against the stunning clear, blue sky. Of course we didn’t have our cameras, and we’ll probably never have another day like this in Kyiv, but at least we got to see it. There the street is lined with stores like Zegna and Armani in a beautiful square with a huge statue in the middle. With your back to St Sophia’s you look out at the most spectacular view of St Michael’s, a domed Cathedral gleaming gold and blue against the sky. Continuing our stroll, we ended up at Zoloti Verota (Golden Gate) where there is a pleasant little park and shaded café, so of course we stopped for tea.
This was the Kyiv I had expected to see – it looked like an old European city – much like Prague or Vienna – quite beautiful with some lovely boulevards and small tree lined side streets – beautiful turn of the century buildings that were in pretty good shape. We passed the National Opera and Ballet Theater, another beautiful building, and saw that Swan Lake was on the next night but, alas, we wouldn’t be there to see it. Plenty of time for all that. The season ends on June 25, but I assume it starts again in September or October – at least I hope so.
Opposite the National Opera and Ballet Theater is the most hideous Soviet structure we had yet seen in the Ukraine. It’s just a shame – they should really tear it down – not only is it incredibly ugly, but it’s in terrible disrepair and seems to be unused. We turned left and went down hill towards Kreshchatek, but first we stopped for the most delicious ice cream at a sidewalk stand – it was like Dairy Queen only twice as creamy – vanilla dipped in hot chocolate sauce making a hard chocolate shell – fantastic!!! The cone wasn’t the best quality, but the ice cream is about the best I’ve ever had – better than gelato in Italy.
Kreshchatek was closed to automobile traffic – I hope they do this every Saturday – it was great – loads of people strolling about, enjoying the beautiful weather. I wanted to see the Central Market so we went straight for it and found it easily. We walked in with Belle (no one said a word about it) and my jaw dropped. The most gorgeous fruits and vegetables laid out in beautiful arrays – fabulous fish, meats, poultry, caviar – wonderful flower stands – spices galore - it was just fantastic. We bought some sausage for the train trip home, some bread, some cheese and a navel orange - the orange cost $1.25, which is about what I pay for a large naval at Gelson’s. (The orange turned out to be very dry inside - I'll have to be careful picking my fruit and vegetables in the future.) All in all I thought the prices were about 50% higher than they are in Kharkiv – but worth it – to have all this under one roof and easily accessible in the heart of the city center – I just can’t wait to live here. I now know where I want to live (within walking distance of the market and the Opera House), and looking around it seemed to me that there must be some very nice apartments, with everything I want, in that area. It’s just a question of finding it. Ed and I agreed that this time I would go to Kyiv for about a week, stay at the Senator Apartments (which look fantastic on the internet, are perfectly located, have high speed internet and satellite TV, and which cost $90 a night for a studio apartment – a bargain compared to hotel rates), get a real estate agent and find a nice apartment a couple of weeks before we are due to move here. Then we’ll hire a minivan and driver to take us and all our stuff from Kharkiv to Kyiv. Never again will we let the luggage tail wag the dog!
After the market visit we strolled down Kreschchatek, then back up to St Michael’s and St Andrew’s (there were lots of weddings at both churches) and then into another café for our last cup of tea before leaving Kyiv. We were just about to order when I heard a New Zealand accent near by. I looked up and saw Pete, of 38 Sumskaya fame, sitting at the next table with a woman. Neither I nor Ed wanted to "engage," especially since we had stood him up and not returned to the apartment the next day, as promised, to discuss his early move out and our early move in to the Sumskaya apartment. So we gathered up our things and snuck out. Ed still doesn't believe it was Pete, but I'm sure it was. We found another cafe for our cuppa.
The minivan arrived on schedule – we piled in with all our stuff, and got to the station in plenty of time. Ed got a porter and agreed on a fixed price of 50 HVA ($10) to take us to the train, wait with us until we could board, and then get all the bags loaded on the train. A bargain I thought. But now comes the hard part – what if we have the same woman in charge of our car as we had the last time?? Well, what are the chances of that, I thought – we were even in a different car this time – Car No. 3 – not Car No. 4.
We arrived at the train, Car N o. 3, and guess who is standing outside the train steps? That’s right – the very same woman. But this time she didn’t look like a Soviet prison guard – she looked just fine – and she didn’t say a word about the luggage!! Ed is convinced that the other porter was in cahoots with her and had rigged the whole thing up – I just think that she realized that she couldn’t get away with extortion twice.
We were in a three seat compartment this time, and a very nice girl – a student at Kharkiv Pedagogical Institute – was the third person. All our bags fit in the compartment, and she even agreed to turn off the TV for most of the trip. When we arrived in Kharkiv, Ed decided that we shouldn’t get a porter because we had been gouged so badly the last time. A guy approached and asked if we wanted a taxi – we showed him all our bags and asked if he could take us and all the bags in one car – he said yes – we showed him the piece of paper with our address written in Russian that Alona had made for each of us at my request, and asked "skulka" - how much. He said 50 HVA and we agreed. When Ed asked him to help take the bags to the vehicle, he told us to hire porters! We said no, we’d take them ourselves and get another taxi. Ed walked off with one of the bags, and the man gave the most ear shattering whistle, gesturing for Ed to come back. He got another guy to help, and the four of us each took one bag and got them all to the taxi in one trip. Turns out that this man wasn’t even the driver – he was like a capper – he got the customers and brought them to the the taxi driver (for a commission, I suppose – I guess he also got a commission from the porters for whom he got business as well). The guy he got to help turned out to be the taxi driver. After we loaded up, the capper tried to raise the price from 50 to 70 HVA, but we said "NYET" - no. When we got to the apartment, I went upstairs to set up the computer so that Ed could call his mother on Skype, and we could call the kids. Meanwhile Ed got all the bags into the elevator and up to the 8th floor. Of course the taxi driver tried to change the price too, but Ed held firm. We’re pros now!
We left the bags in the entryway, Ed called his mom, and we left a message for Jed and Jenny and Jackson. Jason was home, so Ed got to talk to him, and then we hit the sack – it was after midnight, and we were both looking forward to the first day, since we had arrived, where we really had nothing we HAD to do or worry about. I was going to bring my blog up to date and publish everything. Ed was going to study the user's manual for his camera and then go out to get some pictures for me to post on my blog. Things were beginning to feel more routine. We were beginning to feel a little bit at home in our Pushkinskaya apartment.
Well, we slept late again – I don’t know how we do it, especially since the curtains didn’t quite close over the windows and there was light streaming in when we finally opened our eyes at about 9 a.m. Ed stuffed Belle in her case, snuck out to take her for a walk, came back so that we could go have breakfast (which closed at 10 a.m.) before showering and checking out by noon.
Breakfast was lovely in the little hotel bar – we were the only people there, and we were beginning to think that we were the only people in the hotel. We certainly hadn’t seen any other guests so far. We had our favorite – porridge (kasha) cooked in milk, with pots of tea and buttered toast. After breakfast we each took a long shower - without running out of hot water! - and by the time we were done it was noon and checkout time. Belle was stuffed in her case once again – I walked down the stairs and out the door carrying her case, went to the corner and liberated her. Ed stowed the bags with the receptionist until our minivan would pick us up (a price was fixed) and take us and our bags to the train station at 4:15. Then Ed came out, got Belle’s case and put it with all our other stuff, and the three of us went out to kill 4 hours on the most beautiful day I had ever seen – blue skies with fluffy white clouds, moderate temperatures, and in the shade absolutely heavenly. We walked up Andriivs’kyi uzviz (Andrew’s Descent), a steep climb on a stone street (not cobble stones, which are regular in shape and size, but actual stones of all different sizes and shapes that were just laid down with cement or something to hold them together) to St Andrew’s Church. This street is lined with galleries and craftsmen selling their wares out on the street. Some of this is crap, and some of it looked very interesting – but time for this when we move here in the fall. I'm afraid that Ed's chatchke fever is returning in full force after lying dormant for a couple of months.
All the artisans loved Belle, and several people warned us about the “evil cat” up the street who “doesn’t like little dogs.” We made it past the cat and continued on Volodmyrs’ka St – a beautiful tree lined boulevard – to St Sophia’s Cathedral which was gleaming green and gold against the stunning clear, blue sky. Of course we didn’t have our cameras, and we’ll probably never have another day like this in Kyiv, but at least we got to see it. There the street is lined with stores like Zegna and Armani in a beautiful square with a huge statue in the middle. With your back to St Sophia’s you look out at the most spectacular view of St Michael’s, a domed Cathedral gleaming gold and blue against the sky. Continuing our stroll, we ended up at Zoloti Verota (Golden Gate) where there is a pleasant little park and shaded café, so of course we stopped for tea.
This was the Kyiv I had expected to see – it looked like an old European city – much like Prague or Vienna – quite beautiful with some lovely boulevards and small tree lined side streets – beautiful turn of the century buildings that were in pretty good shape. We passed the National Opera and Ballet Theater, another beautiful building, and saw that Swan Lake was on the next night but, alas, we wouldn’t be there to see it. Plenty of time for all that. The season ends on June 25, but I assume it starts again in September or October – at least I hope so.
Opposite the National Opera and Ballet Theater is the most hideous Soviet structure we had yet seen in the Ukraine. It’s just a shame – they should really tear it down – not only is it incredibly ugly, but it’s in terrible disrepair and seems to be unused. We turned left and went down hill towards Kreshchatek, but first we stopped for the most delicious ice cream at a sidewalk stand – it was like Dairy Queen only twice as creamy – vanilla dipped in hot chocolate sauce making a hard chocolate shell – fantastic!!! The cone wasn’t the best quality, but the ice cream is about the best I’ve ever had – better than gelato in Italy.
Kreshchatek was closed to automobile traffic – I hope they do this every Saturday – it was great – loads of people strolling about, enjoying the beautiful weather. I wanted to see the Central Market so we went straight for it and found it easily. We walked in with Belle (no one said a word about it) and my jaw dropped. The most gorgeous fruits and vegetables laid out in beautiful arrays – fabulous fish, meats, poultry, caviar – wonderful flower stands – spices galore - it was just fantastic. We bought some sausage for the train trip home, some bread, some cheese and a navel orange - the orange cost $1.25, which is about what I pay for a large naval at Gelson’s. (The orange turned out to be very dry inside - I'll have to be careful picking my fruit and vegetables in the future.) All in all I thought the prices were about 50% higher than they are in Kharkiv – but worth it – to have all this under one roof and easily accessible in the heart of the city center – I just can’t wait to live here. I now know where I want to live (within walking distance of the market and the Opera House), and looking around it seemed to me that there must be some very nice apartments, with everything I want, in that area. It’s just a question of finding it. Ed and I agreed that this time I would go to Kyiv for about a week, stay at the Senator Apartments (which look fantastic on the internet, are perfectly located, have high speed internet and satellite TV, and which cost $90 a night for a studio apartment – a bargain compared to hotel rates), get a real estate agent and find a nice apartment a couple of weeks before we are due to move here. Then we’ll hire a minivan and driver to take us and all our stuff from Kharkiv to Kyiv. Never again will we let the luggage tail wag the dog!
After the market visit we strolled down Kreschchatek, then back up to St Michael’s and St Andrew’s (there were lots of weddings at both churches) and then into another café for our last cup of tea before leaving Kyiv. We were just about to order when I heard a New Zealand accent near by. I looked up and saw Pete, of 38 Sumskaya fame, sitting at the next table with a woman. Neither I nor Ed wanted to "engage," especially since we had stood him up and not returned to the apartment the next day, as promised, to discuss his early move out and our early move in to the Sumskaya apartment. So we gathered up our things and snuck out. Ed still doesn't believe it was Pete, but I'm sure it was. We found another cafe for our cuppa.
The minivan arrived on schedule – we piled in with all our stuff, and got to the station in plenty of time. Ed got a porter and agreed on a fixed price of 50 HVA ($10) to take us to the train, wait with us until we could board, and then get all the bags loaded on the train. A bargain I thought. But now comes the hard part – what if we have the same woman in charge of our car as we had the last time?? Well, what are the chances of that, I thought – we were even in a different car this time – Car No. 3 – not Car No. 4.
We arrived at the train, Car N o. 3, and guess who is standing outside the train steps? That’s right – the very same woman. But this time she didn’t look like a Soviet prison guard – she looked just fine – and she didn’t say a word about the luggage!! Ed is convinced that the other porter was in cahoots with her and had rigged the whole thing up – I just think that she realized that she couldn’t get away with extortion twice.
We were in a three seat compartment this time, and a very nice girl – a student at Kharkiv Pedagogical Institute – was the third person. All our bags fit in the compartment, and she even agreed to turn off the TV for most of the trip. When we arrived in Kharkiv, Ed decided that we shouldn’t get a porter because we had been gouged so badly the last time. A guy approached and asked if we wanted a taxi – we showed him all our bags and asked if he could take us and all the bags in one car – he said yes – we showed him the piece of paper with our address written in Russian that Alona had made for each of us at my request, and asked "skulka" - how much. He said 50 HVA and we agreed. When Ed asked him to help take the bags to the vehicle, he told us to hire porters! We said no, we’d take them ourselves and get another taxi. Ed walked off with one of the bags, and the man gave the most ear shattering whistle, gesturing for Ed to come back. He got another guy to help, and the four of us each took one bag and got them all to the taxi in one trip. Turns out that this man wasn’t even the driver – he was like a capper – he got the customers and brought them to the the taxi driver (for a commission, I suppose – I guess he also got a commission from the porters for whom he got business as well). The guy he got to help turned out to be the taxi driver. After we loaded up, the capper tried to raise the price from 50 to 70 HVA, but we said "NYET" - no. When we got to the apartment, I went upstairs to set up the computer so that Ed could call his mother on Skype, and we could call the kids. Meanwhile Ed got all the bags into the elevator and up to the 8th floor. Of course the taxi driver tried to change the price too, but Ed held firm. We’re pros now!
We left the bags in the entryway, Ed called his mom, and we left a message for Jed and Jenny and Jackson. Jason was home, so Ed got to talk to him, and then we hit the sack – it was after midnight, and we were both looking forward to the first day, since we had arrived, where we really had nothing we HAD to do or worry about. I was going to bring my blog up to date and publish everything. Ed was going to study the user's manual for his camera and then go out to get some pictures for me to post on my blog. Things were beginning to feel more routine. We were beginning to feel a little bit at home in our Pushkinskaya apartment.
posted by Susan Spivak at 8:58 PM
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