Waking Up
I had to be up early to drive to Dublin Airport to catch my flight. The drive was expected to take around 2 hours and I wanted to be at the airport 2 hours early. For an international flight in the US, 2 hours in advance is about right. In Europe it seems 2 hours is only necessary if you're flying to Israel, and extra time to clear additional security is necessary. I budgeted an extra half hour just to keep things safe. I was up around 1:30am, showered, and checked out. Around 2am I was on the road.
Limerick to Dublin
When I got on the road the bars were closing and the roads were full with cabs. A particular road I needed to turn down had cabs in both lanes. Google maps suggested the road was two way, but I was suspicious it might be one way. Since I wasn't sure I kept going and let Google redirect me. The directions Google gave were easily the scariest I have yet to receive in any country to date. After intentionally missing the turn, I was redirected down a narrow street I assumed was single lane. I was wrong. Within a short amount of time a police officer pulled me over. He read off a list of things I did wrong. Apparently not once, but twice, I did not yield correctly and I was driving on the wrong side of the road. That said, the cop was most interested in why I was where I was at. He asked several times if I had anything to drink (I explained I had not) and he was in shock I was heading to Dublin Airport. He asked what directions I was given and when I showed him my phone he suggested it was a crime in Ireland to have a phone in your hand while driving. He told me I need to lock my doors and that I was in a very "dodgy" area. He let me go, but escorted me about a quarter of a mile to ensure I was on the right track. I followed Google Maps and it took me down some very scary narrow gravel roads along an industrial park. I was pretty confident it was going to dead end, but fortunately it connected with a main road that put me on the highway. I'd later learn that Limerick is known as "Stab City" throughout Ireland and has a pretty bad rap. I think it's pretty unfair though. The town was pretty nice and the crime appears fairly isolated to certain areas. Aside from leaving Limerick, the drive to Dublin was fairly uneventful. I filled up the gas tank the night before thinking fuel would be impossible to find at night. Fortunately though there was a rest area near the airport with a gas station that I top off at.
Returning the Car
I got to the airport a little more than 2 hours before my flight. I went to the rental car return area and was surprised to see it was closed. The sign had a number to contact, but the number no longer was in service. I tried to follow the directions on the sign, but it gave no indication as to what terminal I should leave the car. Avis has a presence in both Terminal 1 and 2. I stopped at Terminal 2, walked in, and realized my carrier, Ryanair, operates out of Terminal 1. The rental car counter in Terminal 2 was also closed. So I backtracked to Terminal 1. Terminal 1's counter was also closed. Eventually 6am would role around and the agent who checked me in would arrive. I explained my frustration and she kindly told me not to worry. I still had an hour and a half to catch my flight, but I was really worried.
Checking In
From Venice to Kiev
The flight to Venice was fairly uneventful. The airport at Venice is very small. Clearing customs was easy and my bag came without a problem. I tried to find a place to buy a SIM card for my return trip to Italy, but no place appeared to sell them. The carrier I was flying with to Kiev is a Hungarian discount carrier called Wizzair. Like Ryanair, Wizzair charges for just about everything. On some legs (not all) they even charge you to bring a carry on bag. The add on options are very inexpensive though. An exit row (priority boarding) is under $13 and a checked back is about the same. Priority boarding also skirts you around the long boarding line. They have a separate option that allows you to skirt through security and the gate line more quickly at select airports, that option is about $6.
Landing in Kiev
The flight to Kiev was short (about 90 minutes) and rather uneventful. I had my hotel booked and expected to hop a cab to town once I got in. To my surprise the Ukranian was there with some of her friends. I actually had to do a double take. She got in to Kiev about 4 hours earlier via train. She lives in the Crimea region which is about 17 hours away by train. Her connection to the group was a Russian named Yuri. He lives in Moscow and is one of her best friends. He doesn't have a job and came into town about 2 weeks ago, staying with friends who live in Kiev. She had mentioned previously he was a super geek and electronics genius, but I took the comment lightly. I assumed her comment meant he knew how to program a microwave oven. After talking to him for about 5 minutes he showed me some of the gizmos he built that were to be put to use this trip. He constructed, from spare parts, several motion detectors with remote controls and cellular radios. The plan was to put them in various areas of the abandoned town to catch vandals or people touring illegal. When the motion sensor triggered, an SMS message would be sent to police. He also put together a Geiger counter (device to measure radiation exposure) with GPS and compact flash card. The thing even had a display. And this was all from spare parts he could salvage for free. He also put together a radio controlled helicopter that could carry an SLR camera into the sky. He put together a video of himself soldering it together. Some music from a piano played in the background and was added afterwards. I asked about the music (I was curious) and he said he both wrote the music and performed. The Ukranian told me he was still working on the 'anti vibration' algorithm to control camera shake. Yuri was the real life version of Big Bang Theory's Sheldon Cooper, but Russian. I really liked the guy though.
The larger group was there to pick up someone else on my flight who would also tour Chernobyl. The guy they were picking up was actually from Austria, he's responsible for building out the German language version of content for the organization (Austrians speak German). After about 20 minutes they found the German guy and we were off. I beat him off the plane because I made purposefully made sure I got to the passport control area before anyone*
It's worth noting I had been up since 2am. Although the total flight time was only about 5 hours, the layovers added 3 hours and transit time another 4. I felt disgusting. Since the Ukrainian had a 17 hour train ride I imagined she felt the same.
*Of all the lines at an airport, the customs line can often be the worst. I make it a point to bolt like mad after getting off the plane to ensure I'm one of the first in line. Sometimes there are only 2-3 agents working. Clearing each person can take a minute and around 150-220 people can easily be on a plane. Be sure to swiftly make your way to the passport control area when deplaning an international flight - safe the bathroom break (if possible) for afterwards.
Getting to the Hotel
After the German arrived I wasn't sure what they had planned so I followed the group. I told the Ukrainian I wanted to go to the hotel and shower so she called a cab. There were plenty of cabs at the airport, but she insisted on using her telephone cab service. I found it incredibly annoying that we couldn't just flag a cab and figured we'd have to wait 20 minutes. She grabbed her luggage from the group and fell back with me. Within 5 minutes the cab appeared. I'd later realize her little telephone cab system is completely genius. Negotiating a cab fare, especially as a woman or tourist, in Ukraine is a nightmare. They totally rip you off. The telephone cab system takes your location and destination and provided you a flat rate. Later in the trip we'd often be quoted rates 4 times as high as the telephone cab service.
The hotel was near the city center, but nestled in a residential area. The hotel exterior and lobby were fairly nice. A single person at the front desk spoke English, so checking in wasn't difficult. The first thing I wanted to do when I got the hotel was shower. Since she was on a train for 17 hours, I imagined the same held true for her. I let her shower first and ventured out to get some personal items I needed, deodorant and lens solution.
While she was showering I ventured off to find a place pickup the stuff I needed. First stop was a pharmacy. No one spoke English and communicating was difficult. After about 5 minutes I was able to communicate my need for saline solution or multi-purpose solution. It was expensive though, a 120ml bottle was almost $10. They didn't have deodorant. I found a different pharmacy across the street that did sell it, but it was $12. I felt like I got hustled, but I was in need. After coming back to the hotel and cleaning up we were off to find dinner.
Dinner
The Ukrainian is from Crimea, so she wasn't very familiar with the restaurants throughout Kiev. We explored the down and eventually settled on a place that cooked food over an open fire.
Since I lost track of where we were at as we were walking throughout town, I checked Google Maps to check the distance. We were about a mile and a half away. I suggested a cap and the Ukrainian wanted to walk. During the walk it started to rain and than pour. When the rain got really heavy we ducked out under a building and one time a phone booth. Eventually we made it back to the hotel.
Tomorrow
We had to meet the rest of the crew at the bus station the next morning by 8:30am. Before we met up with the others we had to ditch our luggage in lockers at the station. We were told there wasn't much space on the bus so we should only bring what we needed for two days/one night.
I had to be up early to drive to Dublin Airport to catch my flight. The drive was expected to take around 2 hours and I wanted to be at the airport 2 hours early. For an international flight in the US, 2 hours in advance is about right. In Europe it seems 2 hours is only necessary if you're flying to Israel, and extra time to clear additional security is necessary. I budgeted an extra half hour just to keep things safe. I was up around 1:30am, showered, and checked out. Around 2am I was on the road.
Limerick to Dublin
When I got on the road the bars were closing and the roads were full with cabs. A particular road I needed to turn down had cabs in both lanes. Google maps suggested the road was two way, but I was suspicious it might be one way. Since I wasn't sure I kept going and let Google redirect me. The directions Google gave were easily the scariest I have yet to receive in any country to date. After intentionally missing the turn, I was redirected down a narrow street I assumed was single lane. I was wrong. Within a short amount of time a police officer pulled me over. He read off a list of things I did wrong. Apparently not once, but twice, I did not yield correctly and I was driving on the wrong side of the road. That said, the cop was most interested in why I was where I was at. He asked several times if I had anything to drink (I explained I had not) and he was in shock I was heading to Dublin Airport. He asked what directions I was given and when I showed him my phone he suggested it was a crime in Ireland to have a phone in your hand while driving. He told me I need to lock my doors and that I was in a very "dodgy" area. He let me go, but escorted me about a quarter of a mile to ensure I was on the right track. I followed Google Maps and it took me down some very scary narrow gravel roads along an industrial park. I was pretty confident it was going to dead end, but fortunately it connected with a main road that put me on the highway. I'd later learn that Limerick is known as "Stab City" throughout Ireland and has a pretty bad rap. I think it's pretty unfair though. The town was pretty nice and the crime appears fairly isolated to certain areas. Aside from leaving Limerick, the drive to Dublin was fairly uneventful. I filled up the gas tank the night before thinking fuel would be impossible to find at night. Fortunately though there was a rest area near the airport with a gas station that I top off at.
Returning the Car
I got to the airport a little more than 2 hours before my flight. I went to the rental car return area and was surprised to see it was closed. The sign had a number to contact, but the number no longer was in service. I tried to follow the directions on the sign, but it gave no indication as to what terminal I should leave the car. Avis has a presence in both Terminal 1 and 2. I stopped at Terminal 2, walked in, and realized my carrier, Ryanair, operates out of Terminal 1. The rental car counter in Terminal 2 was also closed. So I backtracked to Terminal 1. Terminal 1's counter was also closed. Eventually 6am would role around and the agent who checked me in would arrive. I explained my frustration and she kindly told me not to worry. I still had an hour and a half to catch my flight, but I was really worried.
Useless Rental Car Sign
I had already checked in and printed my boarding pass the week before
when I was in Germany, so I had printouts of everything. I bolted to the
gate and checked my bag in. Once I was checked in I started to breath
easy. I got some breakfast and called home. I was starting to feel good. About 35 minutes before my flight I started to stroll to the gate and realized...I hadn't cleared security! Panic struck again. Clearing security might take forever. I bolted to the screens and tried to figure out what gate I needed board from. The signs simply stated what counter I needed to check in at. I went to the counter, but the queue was enormous. I sidestepped the line and inquired and was told the screens on the other side, after security, indicate gate assignments. As I predicted, the line through security was long. I approached a security lane that had just closed and pleaded with the man to let me through - he smiled and let me clear. I had about 20 minutes and was still worried that the gate might close any minute. The gate was far, very far...it seemed like at least a kilometer. Since I have priority boarding I went to the front of the queue and the man grunted and turned me away. I assumed me told him priority boarding had already boarded and I was to board with everyone else. I was fine though, at least I was going to get on the plane. While in line I noticed Ryanair was much more strict with their baggage policy out of Ireland than they were out of Berlin. An employee was literally by the door and screening everyone to ensure they had a single bag and that everything (purse, camera) fit in that bag. When I got to the gate I was told I was in the line. This was a flight to Rome, not Venice! At this point I was certain I was screwed. The man told me the correct gate number and suggested I had time. At this point the flight was scheduled to leave in like 5 minutes, so I figured he was wrong. He wasn't though. Once I saw there was a line I realized I had to do something about my bags. I hid my liquid bag in my coat and consolidated everything in my backpack. I managed to clear without issue.
Dublin airport at 6am
Couldn't find a seat, people were sleeping
The flight to Venice was fairly uneventful. The airport at Venice is very small. Clearing customs was easy and my bag came without a problem. I tried to find a place to buy a SIM card for my return trip to Italy, but no place appeared to sell them. The carrier I was flying with to Kiev is a Hungarian discount carrier called Wizzair. Like Ryanair, Wizzair charges for just about everything. On some legs (not all) they even charge you to bring a carry on bag. The add on options are very inexpensive though. An exit row (priority boarding) is under $13 and a checked back is about the same. Priority boarding also skirts you around the long boarding line. They have a separate option that allows you to skirt through security and the gate line more quickly at select airports, that option is about $6.
Venice Airport
The gate, to a bus, to a plane
I haven't seen a Jetway in a long time
Landing in Kiev
The flight to Kiev was short (about 90 minutes) and rather uneventful. I had my hotel booked and expected to hop a cab to town once I got in. To my surprise the Ukranian was there with some of her friends. I actually had to do a double take. She got in to Kiev about 4 hours earlier via train. She lives in the Crimea region which is about 17 hours away by train. Her connection to the group was a Russian named Yuri. He lives in Moscow and is one of her best friends. He doesn't have a job and came into town about 2 weeks ago, staying with friends who live in Kiev. She had mentioned previously he was a super geek and electronics genius, but I took the comment lightly. I assumed her comment meant he knew how to program a microwave oven. After talking to him for about 5 minutes he showed me some of the gizmos he built that were to be put to use this trip. He constructed, from spare parts, several motion detectors with remote controls and cellular radios. The plan was to put them in various areas of the abandoned town to catch vandals or people touring illegal. When the motion sensor triggered, an SMS message would be sent to police. He also put together a Geiger counter (device to measure radiation exposure) with GPS and compact flash card. The thing even had a display. And this was all from spare parts he could salvage for free. He also put together a radio controlled helicopter that could carry an SLR camera into the sky. He put together a video of himself soldering it together. Some music from a piano played in the background and was added afterwards. I asked about the music (I was curious) and he said he both wrote the music and performed. The Ukranian told me he was still working on the 'anti vibration' algorithm to control camera shake. Yuri was the real life version of Big Bang Theory's Sheldon Cooper, but Russian. I really liked the guy though.
The larger group was there to pick up someone else on my flight who would also tour Chernobyl. The guy they were picking up was actually from Austria, he's responsible for building out the German language version of content for the organization (Austrians speak German). After about 20 minutes they found the German guy and we were off. I beat him off the plane because I made purposefully made sure I got to the passport control area before anyone*
It's worth noting I had been up since 2am. Although the total flight time was only about 5 hours, the layovers added 3 hours and transit time another 4. I felt disgusting. Since the Ukrainian had a 17 hour train ride I imagined she felt the same.
*Of all the lines at an airport, the customs line can often be the worst. I make it a point to bolt like mad after getting off the plane to ensure I'm one of the first in line. Sometimes there are only 2-3 agents working. Clearing each person can take a minute and around 150-220 people can easily be on a plane. Be sure to swiftly make your way to the passport control area when deplaning an international flight - safe the bathroom break (if possible) for afterwards.
Kiev Airport
Ukrainian and me - we're both pretty grubby after traveling
Getting to the Hotel
After the German arrived I wasn't sure what they had planned so I followed the group. I told the Ukrainian I wanted to go to the hotel and shower so she called a cab. There were plenty of cabs at the airport, but she insisted on using her telephone cab service. I found it incredibly annoying that we couldn't just flag a cab and figured we'd have to wait 20 minutes. She grabbed her luggage from the group and fell back with me. Within 5 minutes the cab appeared. I'd later realize her little telephone cab system is completely genius. Negotiating a cab fare, especially as a woman or tourist, in Ukraine is a nightmare. They totally rip you off. The telephone cab system takes your location and destination and provided you a flat rate. Later in the trip we'd often be quoted rates 4 times as high as the telephone cab service.
The hotel was near the city center, but nestled in a residential area. The hotel exterior and lobby were fairly nice. A single person at the front desk spoke English, so checking in wasn't difficult. The first thing I wanted to do when I got the hotel was shower. Since she was on a train for 17 hours, I imagined the same held true for her. I let her shower first and ventured out to get some personal items I needed, deodorant and lens solution.
While she was showering I ventured off to find a place pickup the stuff I needed. First stop was a pharmacy. No one spoke English and communicating was difficult. After about 5 minutes I was able to communicate my need for saline solution or multi-purpose solution. It was expensive though, a 120ml bottle was almost $10. They didn't have deodorant. I found a different pharmacy across the street that did sell it, but it was $12. I felt like I got hustled, but I was in need. After coming back to the hotel and cleaning up we were off to find dinner.
The Beer Bell
Dinner
The Killers!
Since I lost track of where we were at as we were walking throughout town, I checked Google Maps to check the distance. We were about a mile and a half away. I suggested a cap and the Ukrainian wanted to walk. During the walk it started to rain and than pour. When the rain got really heavy we ducked out under a building and one time a phone booth. Eventually we made it back to the hotel.
Tomorrow
We had to meet the rest of the crew at the bus station the next morning by 8:30am. Before we met up with the others we had to ditch our luggage in lockers at the station. We were told there wasn't much space on the bus so we should only bring what we needed for two days/one night.
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