Shells on the Beach in Odesa

A short war vacation to the Ukrainian Pearl

Photo by Author

Take Flixbus she said, it’s a far more comfortable and smoother ride than the train. I listened to my wife because she knows from personal experience. I can now say that Flixbus makes everything convenient and I recommend it highly for in-country travel although maybe not for longer overnight journeys.

The Bus Depot near the main train station in Kyiv was bustling with activity that morning around 9:45AM when I arrived. All manner of passenger transportation was on display along with many smaller buses heading toward the front. Soldiers milled about on their way back to the front. Coffee steamed from cups in people’s hands. The weather was brisk but not cold. My Flixbus stood out as a higher quality vehicle than many of the others. Check-in was quick, efficient, and friendly.

We rolled out of the bus depot and soon passed one infamous building — there, a woman who worked at one of the Kyiv wine stores and her husband were killed by a Shahed drone’s direct hit. That day is etched in my mind because I saw that very Shahed fly directly over our house maybe 45 seconds before it hit their building. Its lawn mower engine whirred as it passed and then a very loud explosion happened which signified a direct hit. The signs and memories of war are with us every day and we wonder if…