Things in passing.....

Yet another long day in the hot van on our way back to Lviv, and a further 9 hours or so tomorrow.
However, although they are long days, we always, along the way, have moments that keep us going. 
One was seeing a railway diesel engine. 
It reminded us that Ukraine has managed to keep it's rail network working. That in itself is quite amazing, especially considering the numerous attacks it has had to endure. I read the other week about one such amazing story. 
An evacuation train from Kherson to Lviv was atacked at Kherson station by the Russians.  The last coach was hit, some people were injured and the last coach caught fire. The train guard and other workers managed to get the injured people out, detached the last carriage, placed the injured people on the main train with the other evacuees, and it pulled out of the station leaving the damaged coach behind. It arrived at Lviv Station after a 1000+ kilometre journey, and having been shelled and damaged, only 14 minutes late. Maybe they should run the trans Pennine express service!!!

Another moment of real pleasure was whilst we were having our lunch by the van...we saw 2 storks flying across the sky over a lake not 50 yards from us...enormous birds really, and looking somewhat prehistoric.

Where we stayed last night also showed us how quite dilapidated much of the housing is. Much of it was built in former Soviet times, very quickly, with the thought that it would be a short term solution. 
Unfortunately, they are now showing their age. Many in very poor condition. This will be a further challenge for the Ukrainian government long term.

Fiona forgot to mention in yesterday's blog that, unbeknownst to us, it was Vyshyvanka Day, a national holiday in Ukraine, celebrating the traditional, ethnic, embroidered clothes called vyshyvankas. When we were walking in Dnipro we saw a number of women, and some men and children, proudly wearing their vyshyvankas and posing for photos.
This morning, as we were driving, we saw the Ukrainian flag in the countryside....as you do.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Third Christmas of the War.

Image
I remember when we first went to Ukraine, we thought we'd better hurry up and get over there to help before the war finished, and there'd be nothing for us to do. How naïve were we? The situation in Ukraine at present has got even worse, especially in the areas in close contact with the Russian forces, although with the constant Shahed and missile attacks nowhere is safe. Kherson has become particularly difficult, and delivering aid there is a direct threat to life. Any vehicle or person can be targeted by Russian small killer drones. This week, a vehicle that is used to deliver aid that we have sometimes used, was attacked and badly damaged beyond repair. Miraculously, the driver, a person I know survived but suffered injuries.  The occupants of a bus were not so fortunate. It was attacked, 3 people died and several more injured. It's really terrifying.  What's really sick is that the Russian's then post o...
Read more

The killing goes on.

Image
Time diminishes things. News cycles bring new, more pressing concerns. But the war here in Ukraine grinds on, with deaths a daily occurrence. The killing seems to have become more incideous and heartless.This weekend in Kherson, delivering aid, under the fairly constant sound of artillery and drone attacks, I heard and saw the inhumanity of this senseless war. There is now a real tangible fear about going out in your car in Kherson. Over the last few months, individual cars have been targeted by Russian drones. These carry small bombs or grenade type munitions. . A car is targeted. An initial bomb dropped. The man realises he's  being targeted and tries to drive away at high speed. He then stops suddenly, hoping to get away. Opens his door to run away, but about two metres away from the car a small bomb explodes. With the door open, nothing seems to happen, then as in slow motion, a man falls from the driver's seat onto the road. Dead. It...
Read more

Krakow to Lviv

Image
We left Krakow at 3am because we had heard that there have been up to 3 hour waits on the Poland-Ukraine border. The balance has changed to more people returning to Ukraine (to the relatively safe western Lviv region) than leaving Ukraine. As it happened, we drove through the fairly haphazard border controls with no hold up. The first thing we noticed on the Ukrainian side were miles (literally) of lorries lining the side of the highway, which was only 2 lanes so made for fairly scary driving. On the Polish side was an equally long line of parked cars, waiting to be sold. We also noticed more potholes on Ukrainian roads than even East Lancashire! The purpose of our visit to Ukraine is 2-fold: firstly, we drove our friend, Romana, home to Lviv (in her car) with her 4-year-old daughter, as she decided against coming to England in order to be with her husband and family. Secondly, w...
Read more