Bye Bye Baby Bye Bye

Postcard from Ukraine

So dear readers, it has come this, my last post in England before I set out across the channel to the land of Johnny Foreigner, those lands where, unless I’m very lucky I will not see a civilised toilet for at least 4 weeks and I don’t think I can hold it that long.

To the lands where time forgot, or at least something was forgotten, perhaps it was building regulations or how to cook palatable food or how to mix concrete properly. I don’t know but in some quarters Stalin is still the man, apparently quite popular with some of the old guard, obviously the ones that didn’t go to the Gulags, like my wife’s grandfather, who was never seen again.

For those who are wondering what I am wibbling on about, I am off to sunny Ukraine today and flying tomorrow. You will notice that I did not write ‘The’ Ukraine, because saying ‘The Ukraine’ really gets up their noses and is incorrect. I mean we don’t say Oh we’re off to The Devon, or The France (maybe ‘the’ USA works, there’s always an exception to the rule and we always have to make exceptions for those Yanks and anyway Bruce Springsteen would have had a problem with his song titles!) or The Germany, so there’s no need for us to say ‘The’ Ukraine, its just Ukraine.

Despite my first two paragraphs, written for humorous effect and of course no hint of truth in them (clears throat surreptitiously), I do enjoy going to Ukraine, it is a wonderful country and cheap too, I would recommend it to anyone who wants a different holiday. Get down to Crimea (not ‘the’ Crimea) and enjoy the Black Sea (yes ‘The’ Black Sea is correct don’t get pedantic with me) and the wonderful places to visit.

Of course you also get a flavour of what it was like during the Soviet times as its only 10 years since independence so many things remain the same. The people are very friendly and of course if you want a wife, like I did, its cherry picking time (er I’m not sure if that’s a good analogy) anyway it is a lovely place with lovely people and its all just lovely, am I gushing now?

Of course if any of you dear readers would like a postcard from the edge or even Ukraine from Dr. Rob please go to my website at www.ukraine-4u.com and contact me (with your address of course) via the contact email address given there and I will attempt to find you the most boringest soviet style postcard I can, unless of course you want a nice one.


Now I have to go and see if I can fit any stuff in the overflowing suitcase.

Hasta La Vista

‘I’ll be back’, as someone famous once said

I will try and Blog from Ukraine – honest! - Before Withdrawal, Cold Turkey and the Shakes set in ....