2017/09/25

Day 58: Kiev - Warsaw

I want to return home from Kiev in two days. That means that I have to reach to Lublin at least, maybe - according to my plans - even to Lodz. But there's another border crossing and you never know how it will be. The ride to the border takes time. Ukraine also has a considerable extent from east to west, not just Russia. Also, it gets chilly a bit, so I have to change my clothes. At one point, it even rains a bit and I'm starting to worry about my rear tire, a TKC80, a studded tire, with which I've already traveled a lot of kilometers and whose tread depth is now close to zero. Not the ideal tires in rain. But it stays dry then, so that I only need to worry about the tread depth in general ;-).

Again, I can spend my remaining money for refueling.

As a motorcyclist, I'm riding past all the other wating cars at the border. First, there's a several kilometer-long truck queue waiting along the roadside. Not for the first time I feel sorry for the truck drivers who have to undergo these procedures. I suspect that they are waiting for days at the border.

I also drive past the cars and get quickly into the border area. The customs officials here also have to emphasize their importance. No, I do not have more than US$ 10,000 with me. Nevertheless the official wants to see all my foreign currency. Ok, he can. After he has seen there are not bundles of cash in my topcase, he is satisfied and I can continue to the passport control. Is progressing reasonably well. Then I'm passing by all cars with Ukrainian plates to an extra track for citizens of the European Union. Only one Polish car in front of me. But nothing is happening right now. No officials responsible for this track? The car driver complains he's first when I look to see if someone is sitting in the booth. He and his wife are sitting calmly reading a newspaper in the car and are waiting. Uh, not quite as I imagine a border clearance for people with the right passport. But then a female officer comes around, who has just examined some Ukrainians on another track and searches the trunk of the car in front of me and then send them off. She does not want to see anything from me. There actually seems to be some reasonable customs officials. Finally this last border crossing (hurray, I'm back in the Schengen area!) Is reasonably swift. By the way: I strongly recommend to EVERYONE, who wants more border controls in Europe, to travel to the countries I have visited. He will be healed immediately from his desire for more border controls.

Lublin is not very far from the border and I'm still early, so I decide to continue. Unfortunately, I did not enter Lodz as a destination in my navigation system, so I spontaneously decide to let it just navigate to "home". A control of the calculated route shows that this leads through Warsaw. Hmmh, there's a road sign with a distance of 190 km to Warsaw. Ok, I decide that I ride to Warsaw and look for accommodation in the center there. The road to Warsaw takes four lanes nearby Lublin, so I think that the 190 km to Warsaw are easy going. Unfortunately, the four-lanes soon end in a giant construction site. Since the Polish drivers, however, are interpreting speed signs only as a very vague clue, I'm progressing rather fast. Nearby Warsaw, I stop and search for a hotel with the mobile phone, which fortunately works at no extra cost because of the new legal situation in Europe. The hotels are very expensive or outside the center. So I'll try Airbnb. I find a few suitable accomodations and the (professional) landlords respond immediately to my question about a secure parking. One landlord even offers me an upgrade to a more central and larger apartment for the same price. I accept. He also gives me the GPS coordinates on my request, but I have to check in myself to the apartment, which nowadays seems common practice in many professional Airbnb rentals. Well, that's all very exciting, because in the middle of the old town in the narrow streets not far from my destination my GPS gives up and I have to ask for the right street. Then self check-in to the apartment. Then search the parking. Asking again. But everything works out, but I'm very sweaty again, as it is much warmer in Warsaw than during the day.

After the obligatory shower, I have dinner in a restaurant around the corner. Afterwards I have my usual evening walk through the city. Warsaw is quite nice and worth a longer visit. The buildings are nice, but a lot of them are still in need of restoration. Many facades are scaffolded for this reason. Actually I am a little surprised that so many buildings are in bad condition. I assumed that Poland would be much further ahead. But in the historic center Warsaw is already prepared for hosting tourists, so today there are no language problems to deal with.