The temperature I the Ukraine has continued to soar now in the high thirties and I'm not sure if it will last as the forecasts say it will cool down, I've certainly caught the sun again and haven't seen a cloud for several dsys. This morning wasn't quite such a an early start although glad to see the back of the hotel in Ternopol it was almost pseudo Soviet in its awfulness not just provincial Ukrainian. i got my tickets and some vitals for the journey with a scheduled arrival just after ten a three hour journey. It's always a quite relaxed timing and were see pretty well to time arriving at khmelninsky a bus station number two. I bought my ticket for the onwards journey for four pm later today and then attempted to ask about left luggage. As is so often the case excuse pun, it was a member of the travelling public who understood what I wanted and pointed down to the floor below and in the corner were the lockers. Thankfully they weren't working as they looked anightmsre replaced by alert with a cupboard room where you got a token relating to your case with Seoul of paper put on it which cost about ten pence and was remarkable in its simplicity and ease of use and not a computer in sight! I got a taxi to the road I had been given as a central trolleybus location and it was a fair journey which cost twice the three hour coach trip there. There wdit.was a bit of a one way system which meant that whichever way the sun was at least one direction would be good for shootjng. Film and photography. There was quite a mixture but much more based on ziu trolleys and the odd subsequent trolza plus new local build trolleys from slupst. There were plenty of French and German buses around many still in original liveries. Time marched on interspersed with ice creams and coffees but what seemed a long time doing it eaten up and I'd also found that another suggested street was part of the one way loop so wasted time trying to find it and just down the road with very thin services was another dam and lake but the bridge wasnt elevated so hard to show anything of the water without some perspective at height. The last suggested shooting Spot was by the outside market which had very minimal services and again wasted a lot of time mid morning through to pmsevices are as low as one per hour on several routes although as there were twelve routes throwing in the better ones it still have reasonable frequencies. I heard back and got on to the main road between city and market which I had spotted on the way to market another great stopping place with sun spot on but time was no against me and although I had a strip of minibus tickets I had no trolleybus ticket. I needed to get a taxi to the bus station and there were none around so hopped on the trolley got ticket, got back off a central point and found single taxi driver pissed off that I had interrupted his fat break which actually is a twenty four hour episode for a lot of Ukrainians. Eventually got back to bus station it bollockdby shopkeeper as I picked the ice cream with the price on it, got luggage found stand getting good at reading cyrylic it's amazing how it grows on you. The heatwave awful. The bus even though it was just two hours on quite good road surface isn't. Got to us station where tram also terminates, found taxis tried four none knew of hotel despite ringneck to a major hospital, they really take the biscuit for rubbish taxi drivers anyway found one and we battled through heavy Friday afternoon then your traffic and found hotel took thirty minutes. It's well furnished, air con, internet,superb restaurant up the road and at least seven trolleybus routes passing by. GT message from Martin who is now in Kiev meeting him at local station tomorrow lunch time. Hotel which, clean, reception has no English but when you gain her respect but getting things right such as having correct money to pay equal twenty quid sterling and coming back happy with restaurant she graces you with showing smile! Looks completely place to get around march as den before but then I'd been to Ternopol and that didn't help at all. That's it for steamy Ukraine.
The weather continues to get hotter and it was certainly another scorcher and like a sauna in the bus. I was up early which after a heavy sessional the Italian restaurant last night seemed to come all too soon after I turned out the light. The bus was there ready but left a couple of minutes late just past 5.15. it was the fastest on the timetable but they can't gain time as the buses all interconnect and are also used as a a courier or delivery service around the country . Generally everyone is helpful and pleasant and I've had lots of assistance when required although I did struggle after getting off at the railway station in ivano frankivsk , it didn't really matter that it was not the last stop a as it was listed as prime trolley area but services aren't that frequent even at rush hour and I lost a bit of time ending up in housing areas and couldn't match the lines to the schematic trolley route drawing. A young man walked me back a to the centre o his way to work there anyway, I I was only about ten minutes away and I realised that the scale wasn't that small and most of it covered the centre with feline way loops but late morning through lunch it really fell off a on the frequency. They have slazbourg trolleys and a bit of a pick and mix of others mainly skoda. Liaz, even one ziu I spotted, condition varied but if it had the facility they used Doric route destinations a and next stop info on board plus had posted bus stops with routes and full timetable this is the first I've seen anything like thst. Had splendid coffee halt and after I'd drained the possibilities and I didn't want a to be too late back I got a mini bus 33 to bus station number 2 in the outskirts, number one is at the railway station. The bus was waiting to go by pure chance and was much more comfortable, rough in placed and it took an extra hour but I had some more sleep. I leave here tomorrow early for my next destination which I just filled in the detailed without delay it does hinge on finding alert luggage faculty a mid way as I travel on yet again in the late afternoon,
So here we go with a brief but full account of the day which has ended I'd this almost Soviet era hotel next to Ternopol railway ststion. I set off from the hotel in listen and went to the city centre and managed to capture shots of slot of trolleys heading into service I presume from the direction of the hotel this was a good job as it proved difficult without route maps to find where they went and most didn't,t seem to follow the suggested route along age voli. It was very frustrating as I had to leave to collect my case and head to the bus station and be ready to the onwards journey to Ternopol where I am niw. I arrived late afternoon and although I've been here before I could I find nothing which resembled the former scene. There remains a a small number of Skoda 9tr trolleybuses I photographed one, ride on one and filmed another from inside a trolley behind a us all very frustrationg. The fleet seems a lot less and minibuses a lot more but adding both destinations I did get over an hour of film. Tomorrow I have a very early start to ivano frankivsk but getting the early bus gets me there for next to nothing in three hours I don't care what time I get back wait sounds super slot and I want to get as much there as I csn. I had a great dinner and dunkel beers plus puddings all for seven pounds, great atmosphere here at night better than in daytime and amazingly less drinks but gipsy beggers around. I'll now try to post this.Click
I caught my bus from lviv ok this morning, buying ticket no problem finding the right bus was a bit hit and miss but so many people now speak some English here is usually someone who can help. There was lots of just as the set from yesterday evaporated in the rising sun,, thankfully I had a seat,, it was a small old russian job decorated like Pakistan crossed with Malta inside. Really tightly packed but got us to lutsk and using directions from the previous hotel a I quickly found the hotel which turned out to have burned down two weeks ago. The idiots at booking com used my old email to tell me despite they use the direct one to send confirmatiind.bi know they are hated and loathed by the travel industry typical arrogant Dutch people, there is no emergency contact number and they didn't seem to care a hoot when I reported the incident this evening. Back on the ground I didn't linger as one of the workers repairing it took me in their van to another nearby hotel which although expensive compared with the first is half the price of a premier Inn in the UK and has two floors and you could have a party in it plus it's all new. The staff were helpful as they could be and one helped me catch the bus to rivne near the hotel this time I had to stand a while but eventually got a seat. Weather superb loads of varied trolleys including oldest Ukraine Skoda 9 tr which possibly means I the world I would think, lots of them a in device plus check, polish russian etc quite a good selection and great for film and photos then had coffee and cake got info at cafe on bus station, straight there in local bus and bought ticket and waited just 5 minutes and got express czech coach air conditioned my first full sized motor bus this trip I it was a yutong. Slept in comfort back to lutsk. Morning will do lutsk then back to hotel quickly collect case then same taxi to bus station for 10.45 bus to Ternopol where we visited o last Ukraine trip I as a side run but had old 9trs then let's hope some are left. Two nights there then on to Ivanovich frankivsk. So now flash and get something to establish a day tomorrow!Click
Sorry for the abrupt end to the previous post but with no sleep for two days I just had to get my head down, made do with a packet of wine gums and some mints for dinner. My feet and legs feel better for a rest and I certainly feel more human after a shower this mornjng. The time here in Ukraine is nearly half four in the morning but I've had nearly eight hours sleep and I can not off in the bus which leaves at six thirty, I've got a taxi a to take me to the bus station which I haven't seen yet. It was a shame that I had such foul weather and the tripod trouble let alone a no luggage as I was in a very good road for trucks yesterday and there were still some Soviet era classics about probably more here than in russia. I haven't I seen any ice cream outlets though but I did have other things on my mind. Some any others following in my footsteps I think heading to the rail station would produce more trolleys and out in the direction of the airport which has trolleys serving it. Today I go by bus to lutsk when we arrive it's about twelve minutes walk to a the hotel but I'll just dump my case then try for a car share to find failing that a bus or taxi. Divine can take me through to the evening but I'd better think of estjng. I don't a hold much hope in the hotel packed lunch bag but we were pleasantly surprised if Croatia. Uncovering a the troodos in lutsk tomorrow morning then need the hotel to get me a car share to my next destination but we can discuss that tomorrow night and see how I got on. Not speaking a the language isn't as big a problem as back in the nineties when it all opened up for a the first time as even unlikely people speak a few words of English and anyone young usually quite well.Click
After being awake all last night I eventually gave up looking for my small suitcase and got stuck into the local buses trolleys and of course tram. I I was soon drenched to the skin but using the shelter of windows and doors she I did eventually find a good spot or series of spots to get quite a lot of footsge. I tried to find LOT offices but they had gonr. The head on my old tripod fell off dpso guess the the gorilla glue hadn't I worked so well after all. I did get a little coverage of the trolleys but they were slot hard to trace which is like my baggusge. I managed to replace the broken tripod head with some difficulty and did go on to look for the lot airline shop which didn't,Click
Stranded in Lvov Ukraine with no luggage, no cloggers, wash kit, medication and they don't seem to give a damn about it. There seems to be a chance that it could turn up tomorrow afternoon that's from another passenger as lot had nothing to say other than fill in a form. Tried phoning there head office who gave me a tradebagguage tracing site which I can't get into. I usually travel hand baggage only but as I'm here or should have been for ten days I thought I needed more stuff.. bad mistake and the confusion at bag drop worried me from the stsrt. Why do they have had codes to trace them which they don't use. Not sure what I'm going to do as without my pills I'll be in pain and get withdrawal symptoms. I'll have to try and get back to the UK asap although it would be fine if they could just tell me what was happening. Never trust the poles with anything, I so regret booking with them, should have found another way around it.
The as no rush this morning as we planned to hit the road down to Heathrow airport at 10am but ascever with Mandy we were away long before then fuelled a by takes on the news last night of frightening queues at airports and traffic chaos. Actually the roads I were busy but nothing like a week day and Heathrow airport has had snake over, they were both a friendly and efficient at terminal two and a I only had a couple of struggles with the suitcase as the supposed helpers at check in spoke little English, no surprise there,, in fact I don't think I encountered one single English speaker just achieving a bag drop which had been over complicated a by technology. Security was made so much less painby the body scanner which gets you through in seconds and no hands down your waist like Manchester. The business lounge plaza at terminal two has good reviews but it isn't that good for food unless you want foreign stuff, a bit of short bread biscuit and amicroscoped muffin, no fruit cake, no scones, no cream, no nothing really for those with a sweet tooth and no tea or coffee as the machine seems to have broken down. On the plus side it is comfortable and relaxing and has good internet connection. We board for the first leg to Warsaw just after five pm then I change for the flight to Lvov in Ukraine where I have whitelist pick up arranged.Click
Good evening to our readers world wide, customers, friends, relations et al, well I've printed off my boarding cards for the LOT flights via Warsaw to Lviv which I'll land after midnight tomorrow well Monday actually. I hope there aren't lengthy delays in immigration as I've a transfer awaiting me on arrival. I understand it's one of the busiest weeks in the year for air travel so I'll add my own little contribution to the chaos. I've needless to say had a busy day, I woke early so got up to the annoyance of Mandy and cracked on with my jobs and soon has the DVDs ready for the orders although I had saved some downloading from EBay etc for Mandy to have a refresher with. We got all these away this morning. We had to wait at home until my replacement camera arrived a Canon G16 just like the one I had which sustained a damaged lends banging against the tripod head lever, I must remember to take one of my toe sleeves which I got after my toe procedure - we have several spare which should fit nicely and prevent any damage on yet another still camera. It will be a lot easier having one I'm used to and can actually hold. I've had a tidy up around the garden, pruned roses, sprayed them, fed plants, swept up so it looks sort of ok but not enough time to weed around the borders in the back garden. I ran off the rest of the cine films I started to copy last night, some nice stuff on a six reel job lot that I'd buried under a load of shopping bags Mandy uses for post etc. Mandy got a pile of sweets for me to pack when she took the post round this morning. I dropped off a couple of items I'd borrowed and a DVD I'd promised to let a neighbour have, remember the production I did on Lower Peover Pageant of 1969, that's the one. Then there was the programme for the event I'd been loaned, that's back with it's owner, I hate having things on loan don't you? I'm now copying some of the cine films from the various collections I own, some I had to get bank loans to purchase back in the 1980's, now I will be putting them on EBay to test the market , if they fetch enough they will help fund more trips worldwide. A background effort of family history going on which looks like linking my Irish roots to the O'Driscoll family of travellers in West Cork. We head off down to Heathrow in the morning but before dinner tonight I'm going to put the ribbons around the toilet at St Oswald's ready for the opening ceremony tomorrow which of course I'll miss. Photos from Cornwall conclude would have concluded the catch up with our trip to the South West but I seem to have lost them copying to the drive when changing camera today.. After Ukraine we have Scotland for Lathalmond plus borders region and then East Anglia and Essex including some trucks. At the beginning of September our pilgrimage walk in the Peak district. Lets look back at Poland as I am copying 1974 film from there. |
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