His Ukraine, my impressions

There's something different about traveling to Ukraine than to other foreign countries. Whereas in Europe, Bogdan and I are both experiencing a new place together, forming impressions and learning about new cultures and people, in Ukraine I am kind of on my own.

On our first trip to Ukraine almost three years ago, I filled a small notebook with my impressions and thoughts. This trip I was a bit more relaxed, less worried about forming opinions, and sat back and enjoyed the ride.

The fashion for Ukrainians in the summer is more or less the same as last time, flashy borderline gaudy, but with much more revealed skin. The stories of corruption and thievery still abound, as do the shameless representations of stolen wealth in the form of huge mansions and expensive cars. The history is obviously still there, as is the puzzling amount of Hugo Boss shopping bags carried by village people who rightly wonder, "who's the boss?" The food is still amazing, and plentiful. All of it is very much the same to me.

Bogdan lamented what he called the decay of his country, time and again when seeing abandoned buildings and factories, broken fences that would never be mended, and every other unpleasant thing in his view. But this trip was not a cultural study of Ukrainian life - it was a chance to spend time with family.

We talked, shared pictures, ate and drank, listened to stories, and were admonished by Vlad for our dangerous lifestyles (like bobsleds and vespas).On our last day, we celebrated my birthday with a big lunch, champagne, and a tiramisu cake.

Before our trip, we looked at our itinerary and decided we'd most likely need a vacation from our vacation once we got home, but this time in Ukraine was pretty much that vacation.

We boarded an airplane very early the next morning and began our very long trip home.

See all of our pictures from Ukraine here.