Saturday, May 18th
We arrived in Paris on-time and found the bus from 2E to 2D, without having to pass through passport control. Unfortunately we had a 2+ hour wait in the old 2D terminal, which was split into Schengen and Non-Schengen sides.
The only lounge that we could access was on the Schengen side. So we decided to visit Europe for two hours – quickly through passport control, then customs, then a few minutes to get back through security into the Schengen gates. Not bad lines though and then we had time to lounge.
Passport control back out was a short wait, and the officer was amused that we were only there a few hours. No issue though and we were one of the first ones on the plane. Though our seats had been switched to 1A/C which was annoying – all our stuff had to go in the overheads. Still, we had plenty of room and we were still all carry-on, so our plan was working so far. We settled in and enjoyed it.
The 3h flight was pleasant enough and we flew over a few landmarks. I saw the city of Mainz at the Main-Rhine junction, then we flew just north of Prague. I angled my phone at the window to try to get a shot of the city but could only get the northern outskirts.
We flew over southern Poland before crossing into Ukraine. Here is Krakow at the very right of this picture, and its airport, just left of center.
We descended over fertile river plains and I got my first look at the Dnieper River. A little south of Kyiv proper so no aerial views of the actual city.
Then we crossed the Dnieper and landed in Kyiv about 6:30 – about 30 minutes late. Immigration was very fast and since we had no wait at baggage, we were right through customs. Our driver was waiting for us. It was a fast drive in with a bit of traffic at the very end, but we were at the hotel by 7:30. Great timing!
Our suite was beautiful, with a gorgeous view out our 8th floor windows.
Finally, we grabbed a shower and fresh clothes before heading out to dinner. This bathroom is beautiful as well. Glad I got the suite upgrade!
We headed out early for dinner, and explored the neighborhood near our hotel. But first, a shot of the hotel itself. Nice facade in the evening light.
This is a statue of St. Olga, Volodymyr's grandmother. I just found my first relative here! Eleven hundred years of family history for me, here in this statue.
St. Michael's golden-domed monastery was lit up in the late evening light. A pretty sight.
This building houses the General Directorate for the National Police Force. It's lit up with the colors of the Ukrainian flag. A pretty sight in the evening light.
Further along, a statue dedicated to the defenders of Ukraine's independence. It was dated 2015 so this actually refers to recent events in the East, even though it's clearly St. George and the dragon.
Dinner was at a wine bar that we’d found online, called Vinsanto. All told, it was about a 20 minute walk which was good for us, after all that sitting. I found an ATM and grabbed a few hryvnia along the way. There are ATMs everywhere around here.
The only worry was that most of the route to the restaurant was downhill. It might be a long climb back! I guess that will be good for us too...
We had a few glasses of local wine, and a meat platter as well as a shrimp dish. That was plenty after a day of airplane and lounge food.
After our late supper we meandered back to the hotel by a different route, passing by the opera house along the way.
After such a long day, it was easy to fall asleep.
We arrived in Paris on-time and found the bus from 2E to 2D, without having to pass through passport control. Unfortunately we had a 2+ hour wait in the old 2D terminal, which was split into Schengen and Non-Schengen sides.
The only lounge that we could access was on the Schengen side. So we decided to visit Europe for two hours – quickly through passport control, then customs, then a few minutes to get back through security into the Schengen gates. Not bad lines though and then we had time to lounge.
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| On Board UIA Business Class |
 |
| Krakow and Airport |
We flew over southern Poland before crossing into Ukraine. Here is Krakow at the very right of this picture, and its airport, just left of center.
We descended over fertile river plains and I got my first look at the Dnieper River. A little south of Kyiv proper so no aerial views of the actual city.
 |
| View from Room 806, Hyatt Regency Kyiv |
Our suite was beautiful, with a gorgeous view out our 8th floor windows.
Finally, we grabbed a shower and fresh clothes before heading out to dinner. This bathroom is beautiful as well. Glad I got the suite upgrade!
 |
| Hyatt Regency Kyiv |
We headed out early for dinner, and explored the neighborhood near our hotel. But first, a shot of the hotel itself. Nice facade in the evening light.
This is a statue of St. Olga, Volodymyr's grandmother. I just found my first relative here! Eleven hundred years of family history for me, here in this statue.
St. Michael's golden-domed monastery was lit up in the late evening light. A pretty sight.
This building houses the General Directorate for the National Police Force. It's lit up with the colors of the Ukrainian flag. A pretty sight in the evening light.
Further along, a statue dedicated to the defenders of Ukraine's independence. It was dated 2015 so this actually refers to recent events in the East, even though it's clearly St. George and the dragon.
Dinner was at a wine bar that we’d found online, called Vinsanto. All told, it was about a 20 minute walk which was good for us, after all that sitting. I found an ATM and grabbed a few hryvnia along the way. There are ATMs everywhere around here.
The only worry was that most of the route to the restaurant was downhill. It might be a long climb back! I guess that will be good for us too...
We had a few glasses of local wine, and a meat platter as well as a shrimp dish. That was plenty after a day of airplane and lounge food.
After our late supper we meandered back to the hotel by a different route, passing by the opera house along the way.
After such a long day, it was easy to fall asleep.
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