An unexpected proposal...

... from Shaun, UK4UA, yesterday. He asked us if we would like to fly to Istanbul and stay there a few days, all expenses paid, the only catch being that there is a 4x4 to drive back to Ukraine. We had a think about it and said yes. A 4-wheel drive vehicle is invaluable in some areas of Ukraine. We are unable to do our usual aid runs for 2 weeks, as both the Polish vans will be used on an aid run to Kherson. And it's a chance for us to have a city break and then an interesting, if long, journey through Bulgaria and Romania, to Ukraine.

You may be wondering why there is a vehicle being donated to Ukraine in Turkey, which is not exactly a friend. Well, the van was brought over by a British person to assist with earthquake relief, and he would rather it to go to help the war effort in Ukraine than be left in Turkey. 

We will drive the Polish van back to Krakow on Monday and, hopefully, stay with our friend, Joanna, and her family in Krakow overnight. About this time last year we had just met Joanna and her eldest son, who were volunteering in the food tent near Krakow Glowny railway station.

First thing Tuesday we'll fly to Vienna and then to Istanbul. We'll explore Istanbul over the rest of the week and start our drive back to Ukraine on Monday 24 April.

We can now see leaves and blossoms on the trees, including from our apartment.

Another season finishes but there is no respite from war on this Orthodox Easter weekend: another 11 civilians lost their lives in a missile attack on an apartment block in Sloviansk, eastern Ukraine, on Friday, and 2 women died in shelling in Kherson today. 

Comments

  1. Franklinatsea15 April 2023 at 13:15

    What a plan! If you need any recommendations about Istanbul, let me know cause I used to live there.

    ReplyDelete

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