What I did in September 2018

[squirmelia]

In September, I went on holiday to Ukraine.

Photos on Flickr:
Kyiv
Chernobyl & Pripyat

On my first day in Kyiv, I walked through a subway that led to the metro station, and it felt like I was somewhere very different. I was a bit sleep deprived and it smelt kind of like petrol and there were small shops with signs in Cyrillic, selling cushions shaped like fish. I bought a token to use for the metro (later I figured out how to use my contactless debit card for this instead) and got the metro to Independence Square and started an Ingress banner which led me to walk past fountains and pretty churches and Alice in Wonderland like playgrounds and I admired the views as the sun was setting over the city.

The next day, I went on an urbex tour. I dived headfirst through a small hole in what used to be a ventilation shaft in a nuclear bunker and almost did a handstand. Inside the bunker, I found boxes full of gas masks, documents, (wax) body parts and morphine. There were desks set up with job titles still on them, hand painted educational posters on the walls, old televisions cluttering up rooms and circuit boards strewn amongst the floorboards. There were also rusting machines and stalactites growing from the ceilings.

The tour guide removed a manhole cover that was by the side of a busy road and I climbed down a rusty ladder into darkness. We walked through drain tunnels, mostly crouching, although some we had to crawl, which was tricky with a rucksack. We saw a few bats, sleeping. At one point, we came across a waterfall. Then back up through another manhole cover and we were outside again, blinking in the daylight.

After that, I took a ride on the funicular and admired the stained glass windows, and went on the ferris wheel, and wondered around Podil, and ate food at Vegan Hooligan.

I visited the supermarket and there were piles of sugar and flour, and I watched a small child plunge their hand in, and it reminded me a bit of Amelie. I watched TV in my hotel room in a language I didn't understand, a travel programme, where they went swimming in bioluminescence, and then a children's songs channel where they sang about sneezing. I read the reason why the main train station is called "Вокзал" (Possibly because of Vauxhall station in London).

I took the metro to the deepest metro station in the world, Arsenalna, and then walked to Kyiv Pechersk Lavra to visit the cave monastery. I found this to be an odd experience, as someone who is not really religious. I had to wear a scarf over my head and a long skirt. I opted to have a tour guide to take me through the caves, and she gave me a candle to carry, which I was wary of, and she explained who all the monks, who lie in the caves in glass cabinets are, and she told me many stories about them and the miracles that happened. We passed various people praying and kissing pictures and everyone made the cross symbol frequently. I felt overwhelmed and it felt like I could be in an immersive theatre experience, being in a whole different world.

I also visited the Museum of Micro Miniatures, which was similar to the one I visited previously in Prague, but still impressive to see tiny works of art that you can see with a magnifying glass.

After this, I saw butterflies flutter by and then visited the Museum of Toilet History, which was quite informative about the history of toilets, and I learnt things such as that the Romans would sit on toilets together for hours and have political debates, saw old toilet designs and a lot of toilet related memorabilia. I enjoyed visiting the museum.

I visited the Pinchuk Art Centre and stared at art in the Democracy Anew? exhibition.

I ate cheese ice-cream and it was delicious.

I walked through the botanical garden and saw the statue dedicated to the deceased botanist, and learnt that in Russian, botanist is a slang term for nerd. I ate a burger at a vegan place called Green 13.

In the supermarket, I noticed crab and lobster lays (crisps), but I did not eat them. I looked for salted cucumber flavour, but could not find any, so perhaps they are only available in Russia.

I went on a two day tour to Chernobyl and Pripyat. The tour started with watching a video on the bus, which I learnt a lot about what actually happened, and I felt very sad about it all. I found it beautiful but eerie and tragic. Nature had taken over quite a lot. Everything was overgrown and apples were growing on the trees, friendly dogs were running around and fish were swimming in the rivers.

I visited abandoned villages, with overgrown houses with peeling paint and ruined floorboards and broken ovens and smashed windows, and wondered about the people that once lived there.

I didn't watch a play in the dark theatre, nor get my hair cut at an abandoned hairdressers. At the shoe shop, there were still shoes strewn there, never to be worn.

I visited the robot graveyard, which is where robot vehicle devices that helped clear up afterwards rest now, and I felt sad for them also.

I visited a lake and it seemed so serene, and the guide told us that nearby there used to be a popular BBQ spot.

I visited what was a fish farm, and also a fish lab, with empty containers and photos of fish on the walls. There were no fish there, but I walked halfway across a bridge and looked down and there were many large fish swimming there, happily.

I walked along a railway track and then around a cooling tower and was told not to go in the middle as that was still quite radioactive.

I briefly walked inside a kindergarten with creepy dolls and beds, and I have seen pictures of this place before.

I visited a summer camp with cabins and swings and a rusty slide which no-one will slide down now.

I visited Duga-1 and stared up in awe at the size of it.

I peered into a fire station and thought about the firefighters.

I walked around scrapyards full of old vehicles, rusting, from tanks to buses to old cars.

I stared up at tower blocks and the guide told us stories about the people who once lived there.

I felt grateful when I stared at the the monument to those who saved the world and sad again.

I covered my head and put on a skirt when I entered the church, which is still in use. It was a pretty church.

I walked down a street that had become overgrown and I was not sure if there was a proper road and the houses were all overgrown and I wondered then what my street would look like after this many years.

I walked to a football field and just stood there, thinking. There wasn't much left to see except a field and trees.

I stared at the names of lost towns. So many!

I stared at the Lenin statue, which is still there as it can't be disturbed.

I walked around the bus station and looked at the rusting Kvass stand and the water machines and the lockers. The guide showed us pictures of how it used to look.

I saw a greenhouse and it was overgrown, nothing but everything growing there now.

We looked up at the hotel, towering over, and the restaurants and peered into the supermarket, with abandoned shopping trolleys and signs denoting what used to be found in the aisles.

I noticed yellow phone boxes dotted around, rusting now, no phone calls to be made.

I visited the amusement park and stared up at the brightly coloured ferris wheel, walked around the dodgems, and looked at the swings.

I climbed up the steps of the stadium and stared out.

I ate lunch at the canteen and had to use a machine to scan for radiation before I was allowed in.

I stayed overnight at a hostel in Chernobyl Town and drank coffee from the local shop.

Back in Kyiv, I had dinner with a friend of a friend and I ate pierogi and cherry strudel and we shared stories about our trips.

In the UK:

Actually, my September started at EMFCamp, but I wrote about that in August.

I went to a colleague's leaving drinks and also to karaoke.

I had lunch with the Farringdon Lunch Club at The Fence.

One evening, I visited Ewell and had dinner at the Spring Pub.

Another evening I ate ice-cream at Chin Chin Labs and then went to Pub Standards and caught up with friends.

I went to the Design Biennale at Somerset House with doseybat and verazea and I remember the scratch and sniff wallpaper, and smelling egg custard tarts and temples and opium.

The scariest bit of the month: I had surgery - an operation to remove a fibrodenoma from my armpit and I am still recovering from this, so expect October's "What I did" list to be much, much shorter.

Ingress:

I attended the Enlightened London monthly social.

I continued with the Towers banner and continued walking around various parts of London. I remember walking around Brick Lane and took some photos while I was there with my new camera and admired the street art. One day, I ate a burger at Vurger and another day, I ate at Mildred's.

Comments

[nou]

How was the dinner in Ewell? I’ve been trying to find something interesting there, since it’s one of the few areas of London I’ve not yet explored.

I’ve got off at Ewell East Station twice now, both times because I forgot my Oyster wouldn’t get me all the way to Epsom, but I got straight back on the train again after taking a photo of the station and buying a new ticket.

[mrs_leroy_brown]

What an awesome holiday. I really enjoyed your photos on flickr :)

[miss_newham]

Have you read 'The Idiot' by Elif Batuman? It is great and reminds me of your writing style - especially the section where the heroine goes to Hungary and observes many confusing Hungarian things. (The plot doesn't remind me of you though - the bit where she is an idiot reminded me more of me!)

[squirmelia]

The food was okay, I seem to recall. Also had a wander to Nonsuch Park another time in Ewell and did an Ingress banner.

[squirmelia]

It was an interesting place to visit! Glad you enjoyed the photos.

[squirmelia]

I haven't, but now added it to my Goodreads to read list! Thanks for the suggestion!

[miss_newham]

The local history museum in Ewell is great!

[nou]

Not sure I’d travel to Ewell for just “okay” food, but miss_newham’s suggestion below has probably tipped the balance!

[nou]

Ooh, thank you!

[squirmelia]

I have just finished reading it!

Oh, Ivan.

[miss_newham]

Argh that guy! He was the absolute worst, but I would probably have fallen for him myself.

[squirmelia]

I'm sure I have so many times.

The bit when they buried strawberries! The canoeing!

The emails. So much the emails.