Travel to the Eastern Europe: raid to the great nation of Ukraine

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Arriving in Ukraine by train from the border with Romania to Vadu Siret. A Vadu Siret are forced to get by the border police because I have to pay for the transit of trains in Ukrainian territory in local currency because I do not possess these notes can be changed only country that issued them. Unfortunately, in this place there is nothing more than the little station where you will find the customs, the police station and the office of exchange which, however, is closed and will not open until tomorrow. And to think that I had obtained the visa for Italy but not enough to get comfortable. The policeman who took me over makes me realize that I must go back with the first train, then I can spend the night sitting in the waiting room of the station waiting for the next morning to open an exchange, finally provides a colleague Cernauty to take me to the nearest town where I can solve my problem, of course upon payment of 20 euros. Virtually all of this scene for 20 euros here are probably a mesata work, but they could tell me before and spared the fear of going back. The cop car is old and outdated, however across the countryside on a deserted road cement reach the city. I take a bit of confidence with the police just to make it a little less bad and since I can get to the station Cernauty helps me to do the business and he takes me on the train given to the controller. The station as a whole is poorly lit city on the train is comfortable but also because I took a bunk where I'll sleep alone and there is a wizard that provides me with blankets and pillows. The next day around noon arrival in Kiev, where the environment changes, the functional station prelude to a relatively modern capital with wide boulevards, parks, elegant people. It 'funny how miserable wages in a country we can dress so well, domestic products are probably surrogates of the originals. In Kiev I visit a large gold-domed Orthodox church, its museum and taking the tram to a monastery with many churches set on a hill dominating the city and river. I'll be back with a bus station and take the first train to the Crimea. The section that will run even on a bunk will be quite long but very cheap, for us living in western Ukraine does not cost anything, I changed 50 euro but I can not spend it all. The next morning they are in Crimea, a peninsula on the Black Sea, which enjoys a certain autonomy for the presence of a large Russian community. In the early afternoon finally reach Sevastopol, the great city and port located in the former Soviet fleet in the Black Sea now in Russian hands. The city was the scene dellimportante Crimean War in which troops also fought Savoy episode which allowed then to the Kingdom of Sardinia to sit at the peace congress on to claim sovereignty over the Italian peninsula. We are far from Italy but the Italian Risorgimento has gone well here. The center of Sevastopol is located in the upper domain of the military port and not very interesting if not for the museum operated by the Navy with realistic dioramas that recalls the Crimean War. They say that Ukraine is dangerous but I travel with a bag made of raffia in Romania and look one of them. Also avoid talking also because it is Russian or Ukrainian, their language is incomprehensible and it is also difficult to interpret written in Cyrillic. I'm just not much to see in the evening then broken down train to Odessa. This time the train is full and the lady in charge of the compartment is not too kind. Luckily the night I go to Kherson where you change for Odessa. Waiting for the train station rather than the great modern look, there are still some furniture to be discarded. In Odessa the train to go back to having a berth though this time in the company of other people. Once in the city buy a guided walk in front of the station. The tour is made by bus, where I find a Ukrainian wife with the Italian. Walking down the avenues of the city a rich lady tells us a bit of history and shows us aristocratic palaces, theaters and movie studios impressive because Odessa was the Soviet Hollywood. In front of the Teatro dell'Opera descend to walk on the pedestrian walk up the famous steps of armor Potionk. What a disappointment! in the film when you see the wheelchair looks like a huge rush downstream steps in reality is however very small. Back at the station that in itself is a beautiful monument with lots of neat flag flying in front, waiting for the train to Vinnitsa. During the journey to power gesticulate Cernauty I can understand that to reach down to the nearest well and so do Vinnitsa. To see another Ukraine Vinnitsa, much poorer than that seen so far. The waiting room of the station looks like a cinema with several rows of chairs side by side and in front of a shabby bar counter instead of the screen. We are in a rural village, people are not smart here, I'm dressed in peasant clothes, women have a foul-in-chief and a raffia bag, just like mine, full of merchandise. The lounge is dimly lit and smoky environment makes it almost surreal. I try to go outside where there is any kiosk selling drinks and sandwiches, but I do not trust and return. Finally comes the train to where Cernauty sits on a bunk. In the middle of the night I am awakened by the border police who asked me to get up to show a passport. I can not explain why there is a border between a city and one of the country then you will learn that on two occasions for a short distance in the far north of the Republic of Moldova. The railway line that the train travels was built by the Soviet Union without regard to the boundaries between its republics and so when the empire was crumbling the tracks meander from one state to another. I looked out the train window and see that out there in October despite abundant snow. The next morning I come to Cernauty, the city where I had been taken by police just days before. Cernauty seems unhappy with dark buildings and a biting cold. From there a minibus bound for Romania left Ukraine for the border Vadu Siret.