Stories from My Trip to Frankivsk (Part 1)

There are only overnight trains running between Kyiv and Ivano-Frankivsk, my hometown. The journey takes at least 9 hours. Sometimes up to 12 hrs. Recently, however, an extra day train was added, and I deliberately chose it for the second time. Not because I like traveling in old carrige or am a fan of daytime trips, but because I thought there was a lower chance of a Russian drone attack during the day. Ukrainian Railways has its own monitoring service, and if there is a threat, the train stops and all passengers must step off and move as far away from the train as possible. If it's a night train, standing for hours in the middle of darkness and uncertainty waiting for the all-clear is deeply miserable. During the day, it feels far less terrifying and anxious.

I must say, I got very lucky. The day after my trip, Russia shelled several railway stations, including the ones I had passed through just the day before. The following day, enemy drones attacked my hometown, targeting the train station.

My friends were bewildered and asked me: why are you going back when it's such a nightmare there? Truth be told, I wasn't even sure I wanted to return myself. But I missed my husband. While he is in Kyiv, I cherish every single minute we spend together. (Lord, you should've seen the mess waiting for me at home!...) I missed my usual comforts, the little everyday things. My home is here now.

It was a very pleasant trip. I wanted to share my impressions with you.

The Dniester is a massive and truly picturesque river, the third longest in Ukraine. It offers incredible hills, floodplains, meanders, karst caves, and rugged cliffs. My daughter and her husband took me to one of its scenic spots. That day was sunny, but extremely windy.

These days, I mostly travel without my camera—my former enthusiasm and inspiration seem to have faded away... So, whenever the urge strikes, I just take photos with my phone. The quality isn’t quite the same, of course, but the memories are precious.

I mentioned earlier that my daughter works as a gym trainer, so I decided to take the opportunity and work out.

I hadn't trained on gym equipment in over a year. Nowadays, my physical activity consists of Pilates and barre. It was interesting to see what kind of shape I'm in, and to spend some extra time with my sweetheart.

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My mandatory ritual in Ivano-Frankivsk is getting my hair dyed. My friend has been in this business all his adult life, and I trust him with my — not always rational — whims. Plus, I absolutely love the interior design of their space.

In the evenings, after my daughter finished work, we would go for walks. Sometimes we stopped by a new-to-me spot for a glass of wine or beer. When you visit infrequently, it is always fascinating to see how things have changed.

I brought along a book that I started reading on the way from Kyiv. I use an app called RORK, which tracks reading speed, remaining time for a book, what others are reading, book reviews, prices, statistics, and more. I finished all 911 pages in 13 days, even though I didn't read every day. Some where images though. 😁 It turns out I read pretty fast, even compared to my daughter, and she reads a lot. A huge part of the credit goes to the author. His books are incredible—unbelievably engaging and gripping. This is the first book in his new four-book series. Each one takes about three years to write. The first two books are already out, and the third is currently in progress.

I truly hope that one day they will be translated into other languages. This fantastic sci-fi deserves to be seen by the world.