Kids, don't do what I did. Don't leave your place of stay without map, water, any kind of ID and bank cards with only equivalent of 20 EUR. Surely I survived, but still, don't do that.
Kiev. It's a beautiful city, full of churches and parks and I enjoyed my time here. It's also very interesting to see churches full of religious people, women with scarfs over their heads [what is God's problem with women hair?], both young and old, going around, praying, lighting candles, doing all kinds of things that are not easily understandable for me, but very entertaining to watch and observe. Parks are even better. Numerous people going and coming, staying and enjoying - it is really becoming a modern advanced city. I could maybe even imagine living here one day. Probably not, but I would put a red pulsating cross over it.
Chernobyl exceeded all my expectation by quite a bit. Probably a lot thanks needs to be said to Chernobyl Tours dot com and our guide Igor [or Ihor] - it was full day of interesting facts and some little walks down the Soviet memory lane. Pripyat, now better known as a ghost town by the Chernobyl Nuclear power plant, reminds of home by a lot. Some buildings look just like the blocks in Klaipėda, ant the amusement park has the exact same Orbita like in Kaunas or little boats [laiveliai] in any of the city in Lithuania where they were put back in the day. I can only recommend taking a tour there - it is not the cheapest entertainment in Ukraine, but man, it is worth it. The history of it is also very heart breaking and moving - I knew some of it, but I definitely left my tour richer in knowledge.
Tomorrow I am leaving for Odessa. Let's see what it will bring. But I am sure Kiev can be a destination to return in the future. Will see.
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Off topic
You didn't believe in us enough for it to happen. And now there is no way back. I don't know how this trip will change me or what version of me will return back to life. But I know where it will not take me back. And I think I'm happy about it.
I'm still very blown away by the turns my life took right before I left. And occasionally, when I remember what I have done, I need to stop, remind myself to breath again and look at the bigger picture. But then the butterflies in my stomach start to go crazy and I start to think that I really only had two options: the right one and the one I did not pick.
And now there is only one way forward.
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