my random ramblingsan infrequent (and these days, mostly Mira related…) blog

refreshing night’s sleep. breakfast in the KLM lounge, then did some more window shopping through the terminal. eventually made our way to the gate, great convenience not messing with security. fantastic flight back to Chicago, seats in the upstairs level of the 747, and possibly the best food i’ve had on a plane. customs back into the US was easy and finally got home to a whole bunch of mail. early evening nap turned into lights out for both of us.

up at 4 am with an early taxi to the airport with Лена’s parents. checked in, paid the overweight baggage fee, and said our goodbyes. good flight to Kiev, but bit of a long wait until our next flight – spent lots of time in the cafe and impatiently waiting. eventually off, easy flight, lots of room, and took a bunch of funny pictures with the cat. did some shopping in Amsterdam then checked into the Mercure, conveniently located in the international terminal behind security. cool room, bigger than i thought we’d get. in bed early and without dinner. too tired to catch the Portugal game.

up mid-morning as we have early guests today – Лена’s mom’s friend and grandson. i made a giant omelette for the occasion… fun time, cute kid, enjoyed a nice lunch with everyone. Anya swung by later and visited with Лена for a few hours. Юлия was next, and then it was time for all of us to make our way to dinner. went to a nice spot not far away with live music and dancing. great time and a good meal. said our goodbyes to Юлия and taxied back to the house with the parents. up late packing as tomorrow will be a very early morning.

up late again, nice to again be able to check the news on my phone from bed. hung out at home all day, had a nice meal with Лена and her parents and spent the whole day relaxing around the house. left early evening with Лена and her dad and taxied downtown and met up with Юлия at a cafe. enjoyed picking the foreigners out of the crowd as we shared some food and drink. 4 of us walked to the stadium and found our seats, which i expected to be a bit better. good game, Ukraine should have won but couldn’t finish. that and a clearly scored goal wasn’t recognized as one. but was a great time and was unfortunate that this was the only Euro 2012 game i was able to attend. after the final whistle we started the walk back, eventually grabbing a taxi and making our way back to the house.

yup, up late… the parents came home from some shopping and we all ate a little. then the 4 of us got in the car and drove an hour or so away to the town where Лена’s mom grew up. made our way to the grandparents’ house and was a great opportunity to meet the 2 of them. from there stopped in to visit with more family living nearby – had a nice meal outside, was fun attempting dinner conversation in English, and of course there was again a heavy accompaniment of vodka. played a little soccer and american football with the boys, then it was time to go and we were back in the car and off to Donetsk. got back to the house and the pleasant surprise of electricity – watched some of the Italy game before falling asleep.

another day sleeping late and a late breakfast – made omelettes for everyone. spent the day around the house, used the outdoor shower, and overall another lazy day. Діма & Юлия came by for dinner, and Лена’s father made shaslik outside for everyone. left with Діма & Юлия, swung by a pharmacy to shop for some cheap medicine, then went to their apartment to watch both of the night’s games. hung out late, late taxi back to the house, and late to bed again.

slept in, still no power when we got up. Юлия came by the house and the 3 of us taxied to her apartment. eventually Діма showed up and we went shopping then stopped by the McDonald’s off of Lenin Square. drove back to their apartment then taxied out to a sushi restaurant for dinner. after dinner, found ourselves at another place downtown to watch the Russia – Greece match, and were joined by Юлия’s friend Маша. won my bet with Діма when Greece won the game and advanced. late taxi back to the parents’ house and in bed pretty late.

up early and grabbed a little breakfast. back to the room and started packing with Лена. checked out and started the long bus ride to the airport. stopped by numerous other resorts on the way – good way to comparison shop, but doubt we’ll be returning to this part of the world. stopped for a little shopping before reaching the airport, checked in for our flight, then grabbed some food with the gang at the airport. Лена and i took either side of the last row on the plane and we both slept during the flight. awakened to some turbulance that turned into a huge storm. everyone experienced a white knuckle landing as we plunged into a massive wind and rain storm in Donetsk. huddled in the terminal for some time waiting to catch a taxi. turns out the storm was so bad that it delayed the start of the Ukraine – France soccer match by over an hour. taxi ride to the house revealed countless downed branches and trees. got back to the house but it was without electricity. lit some candles and was disappointed to miss both games on the television.

slept in again and eventually made our way out to meet up with the others for lunch. Лена and her mom went for a walk in the immediate area to do some shopping while i met Юлия & Діма at the pool. the parents swung by, we all played in the pool, then i met up with Лена to take some pictures. reservations at the fish restaurant by the sea for dinner, then took a late swim in the sea and practiced some more headstand dives off of the pier. in bed without watching either of the games.

collected the rental car very early morning, and were off and driving by 5:45 am. 3+ hours later we arrived at Pamukkale, the white mountainside of travertine terraces and hot springs. incredible to look up at the natural spectacle, and we eagerly began the climb to the top. had an awesome time and was great to be there early before the crowds. took our time enjoying the pools and photo ops, then at the top began our exploration of Hierapolis, the ancient Roman city. visited the theater, pool, agora, and countless other 2,000 year old ruins. finally was time to go, and we were both exhausted from the extreme heat, so restarted our hike down past the travertine pools and eventually started the drive back. car died on the way and had a challenging time arranging a pickup from the rental “company”. ended up swapping cars, then drove back to the resort as night fell. got in a fight with the moron running the rentals, then caught the Germany – Netherlands match and finally a late dinner before bed.