We got back from Kyiv (the wedding I've been grumping about all year) late yesterday evening.
Deep breath, this is likely to be a long one.........
1) Air travel. It's over 20 years since I last flew, mainly because I get motion-sickness. I had pressure-point wristbands and anitemetics and they worked(!), but the whole experience was poo.
Shoehorned into a seat barely wide enough, that had all the comfort properties of a park bench. A travelling companion (Wor Lass) constantly complaining about the turbulence, which TBF was so minor that it probably didn't register on any scale, and strange noises - such as the 'gear going up and down - and trying to dislocate my wrist in response to any event she deemed to be life-threatening (ie any noise or any sudden movement). A bloke near me crossed himself as the 'plane started accelerating down the runway. I found it amusing, but WL said "That just made me feel a lot better. NOT!" and yanked on my hand again. I probably could have coped a lot better on my own, but I have to say
I found the airport process - which WL wasn't so bothered about - particularly stressful.
2) KLM and lost luggage. WL - being tight-fisted - wouldn't pay extra for luggage, so we (just about) managed with carry-ons. Right choice! A lot of people in our party had luggage that didn't make the connection at Schipol, some of them had
everything in their luggage. They were told that it would probably arrive at the hotel at 19hr00 the next day. As if by magic, we were in the hotel restaurant having dinner when the waitress came to the table and said "Excuse me, sir, your baggage has arrived." at pretty-much 19hr00 on the dot. Step-daughter travelled on Friday, and the same thing happened to her. Fortunately she had some of her wedding outfit in her carry-on (wedding was midday Saturday). If you ever fly KLM, either fly direct or don't take anything other than carry-on.
3) If you ever travel to Kyiv, beware - you
will get ripped-off, probably more than once during your stay.
Because of the malarky with the luggage, step-d took longer than normal to clear arrivals and by the time she got out her pre-booked taxi to the hotel had buggered-off. Not good for a lone female traveller. I've been trying to get a refund, but I doubt it will happen. Because step-d had all the pre-booked taxi information, I missed the deadline for confirming our return. Again, trying for a refund but not hopeful. That's £100 down the toilet in one fell swoop.
Never make eye-contact with beggars on streets, if you do they won't leave you alone. It took WL a while to grasp this concept, although TBF we didn't actually see that many.
There were youngish lads in costume (mostly animal costume). They approach you and engage you in conversation, then expect you to pay for "information" they have imparted. We tried walking away, but they kept-up with us and wouldn't leave us until I had given them £20. They wouldn't take local currency. Later, when we passed nearby, they were at it with another tourist couple.
In the City Hall, at the official wedding, there were photographers who (we later found out) weren't engaged by our couple selling their wares almost as soon as the ceremony was over. Again, they wouldn't let you go until you buy. They even wanted us to buy some of another wedding! ......And this is actually
inside the City Hall!
After the wedding reception, we got a taxi back to our hotel. The driver couldn't (or didn't want to) speak English. He realised he missed a junction on the motorway and reversed back!
When we finally arrived at the hotel, he demanded double the agreed fare.
I've had a rough tot-up and I reckon we've been conned out of a total of £300 over the course of a 5 day stay.
No-one on the streets smiles, just-about everyone you see walking has eyes that have a sort of zombie look.
There is an obvious general lack of under-funding in the city. The roads, pavements and older (non-historic or non-religious) buildings are very poorly maintained.
We eventually realised that if you want a taxi, you get the hotel to book it for you. Even then, they ask "You want cheap, or safe?" Always go with "safe"!
Having said all ^^^ that, there were highlights. One of them was Mass on Sunday morning in St.Vlodomyr's Cathedral. I didn't understand a word, but it was very moving. ........And the building is beautiful inside and out.
The hotel was clean, well appointed, had good food, and the staff couldn't do enough to help you.
Many of the (particularly younger) Ukrainian women are stunning.
To sum-up, it was probably an experience I shouldn't have missed. But as a couple who have misgivings about air-travel, we've agreed that in future we
won't go anywhere we can't realistically travel by land to.