"THROUGH THE THORKS TO THE STARS" or "HOW TO SEE PARIS AND NOT DIE OF HAPPINESS", Part 1
Dedicated to beginners in independent tourism. Know that anything can happen! Don't give up! Perhaps this will be useful to someone, but for someone, maybe a guide to action.
I have always believed that in life there are certain milestones and dates that are very significant. Since childhood, I considered the Silver Wedding to be one of these dates - 25 years of the life of two people together, and this Anniversary is especially significant for two people who love each other. Back in the fall, six months before our event, the thought settled in my brain that it would not be bad to celebrate such a beautiful date in Paris, because everyone knows that this is a city of lovers and it would be symbolic to celebrate such a holiday there. I thought that I needed to prepare the trip myself, although I had never done anything like this before. But, as they say, "not the Gods burn the pots. " Where to begin? Most likely off the road. The search for direct and indirect regular flights led to the idea that this is an expensive pleasure, but also accommodation, and other expenses were summed up in a completely unbearable amount. Well, okay - should we grieve! Europe is big, you need to look for another romantic place that is more loyal in price. After lengthy research, not without the help of other members of the forum, experienced conquerors of Europe in independently developed and "decorated" trips, the choice fell on Krakow.
Again, the question is - you need to get to this very Krakow, moreover, as cheaply as possible, since the road is one of the most significant components of such trips. The train almost immediately "went into the furnace", because it turned out to be not much cheaper than the plane, and also not convenient from Kyiv. There was a more optimistic route in this sense: Kyiv-Lviv (train) + Lviv-Krakow (bus) - already something! There is an option, but the night on the bus is somehow "not ice". After many days of "raping" the Internet, a flight Lviv-Krakow pops up and for only $ 125 for two in two ways! That's luck! A few gestures and the key is in my pocket - for the first time, for the first time, I manage to "crank" such a super-complicated operation with the purchase of air tickets via the Internet (before that, I had not bought anything except movie tickets through it). What happiness! We must now explore the Krakow airport - you never know what? And then "falls on my head" the possibility of flying from Krakow at a delicious price to Paris - my mother! promises to take the two of us back and forth for only $177. How can you not break loose and run quickly to throw money on the card again and not buy the coveted tickets to your dream?!
Huh, that's what I'm giving! I have a flight to Krakow (3 days) then to Paris (3 days) and Krakow again (1 day)! It's time to start exploring hotels - a pleasure in anticipation of the upcoming trip. The range of hotels is outlined, the list of necessary docks for obtaining a visa is available - preparations are in full swing. And then, like a bolt from the blue, a "letter of happiness" from eurolot about "changing the travel plan", namely, about canceling flights from Lviv in general. After certain steps, the money was returned to me in full, but this did not make it much easier: "But what about Paris? " And in general, it’s a pity that the Polish company didn’t manage to master Lviv, because it would be an excellent “transit point” for traveling around Europe, since there are a lot of options for flights from Krakow in interesting directions and at very sweet prices.
Again, the same question - how cheap and convenient to get to Krakow in order to be in time for the flight to Paris, because those tickets, although not expensive, are non-refundable. I keep in mind the Lviv-Krakow option by bus. I'm not in a hurry with hotels, especially since the Polish consulate requires prepayment and a confirmation letter (fax or e-mail) from the hotel with a seal and signature. A month later, in early January, Wizz Air gives me (and not only, but for me it was extremely important at that moment) a royal gift in the form of a sale of tickets for their flights. And again - legs in hand, I run to the bank, throw the necessary amount of money and book tickets at a great price (1484 UAH for two) for the flight Kyiv-Katowice and back, and there, a matter of technology, there is a transfer Katowice-Krakow-Katowice ( 40 Euro for everything). YES! The schedule has changed a bit and we have Krakow (1 day), Paris (3 days), Krakow (3 days). Now you can do the hotels and other details in preparation for the trip - hooray! With hotels, too, everything was not as smooth as we would like. The Polish hotel (I booked both through booking) was initially without the possibility of canceling the reservation, so the money was immediately withdrawn and the necessary letter for the consulate was sent the next day after my request. And here are the French! Not only do they have no such concept as to take money in advance, they also have some misunderstandings with the letter. Well, it’s hard for them to understand why some lady needs to pay them hard-earned euros in advance, and even send an incomprehensible paper later to her. In general, for a week I persuaded the hotel to take my money, and then for two more I asked and begged to send a letter. There was everything - they even called me from there, but in the end I received the coveted document! I clap my hands and prepare a package of papers for the trip for visas.
And here are the passports with them in our hands - there is no limit to happiness! Europe is waiting for us with impatience, we look forward to meeting with it even more! Routes were drawn up, public transport patterns, places and opportunities for food and even shopping were studied. We enjoy the anticipation of the unknown - this feeling is usually no worse than the trip itself. And now, when this expectation and elation reach their peak, two nights before departure, a natural disaster attacks their native Kyiv in the form of a crazy snowfall and a real blizzard. Blimey!! ! Well, okay, there is still a little time, after all, the last decade of March is in the yard, by morning everything will disperse "like smoke from white apple trees. " Saturday morning (departure on Sunday morning) showed "where the crayfish hibernate" - a look out the window shocked me! There were snowdrifts to the waist, in the yard some cars were brought above the roof, the snow is not even going to stop, but is only gaining momentum. Well, you know, this is already out of the way! Nature, look at the calendar! It makes me want to scream about it. But, realizing the senselessness of this procedure, the words get stuck in the throat, and we, silently, frowning, walk around the apartment, trying to extract sober thoughts from the brain. And there is only one thought – we have to be at Krakow airport by Monday morning to fly to Paris. Browsing the Internet only supports bad thoughts - no one flies anywhere from Kyiv. Looking at the continuation of the revelry of the elements, we understand that tomorrow we have almost "0" percent to take off.
Again, the Lviv-Krakow bus pops up in the brain. It is easy to say or think, but how to get to Lviv? There is one possibility - a train, since the tracks are also covered with snow and even a jeep will not help, and we have not yet acquired an armored personnel carrier. Well, the train, so the train, I'm going to the station (it's good that the snow has not yet made its way into the subway). You should have seen how I made my way waist-deep in the snow to this subway. At the station, I saw a revolution, a demonstration, a picket and an evacuation all rolled into one - people in crowds and densely. Some are trying to return tickets, some are trying to buy, and some are loitering or sleeping on luggage or anywhere, hoping to go somewhere. In fact, trains don't run much better than planes. Having stood an incredible line at the box office, I heard the "good" news that there were no tickets to Lviv. But they gave me a small hope that there are seats on the Moscow-Lviv train, but they will be sold only when the train crosses the border with Ukraine. Nothing can stop me anymore - I stand a kilometer (almost without exaggeration) queue at the help window to find out that this train will cross the border at 10 pm. OK! Rushed home to collect things, because, looking at these cataclysms, hands dropped so much that they didn’t even do it. Without something 10, I'm at the box office, slammed on the head: "So these tickets have been sold for a long time. " How? I was told that at 10? ! The kind usher reasonably asked: "Did I tell you that? " Well, what to do with this bad luck? I wander around the station in the hope that someone will hand over tickets for the right train. There was one who handed over his friend's ticket, but judging that we could not travel together on the same shelf, I refused and, in desperation, told a random acquaintance about my "woe". Like a normal man, he was imbued and said that he agreed to give me his ticket, saying: "You need it more. " I decided to grasp at a straw and ran to find out if there was a chance for this train to arrive in Lviv, at least by tomorrow evening, since many trains were late for sooo many hours or were completely canceled. It turned out that it is almost impossible to achieve the truth due to circumstances. I made the only right decision in that situation, and with the thought “how God wills, if fate, then we will fly away tomorrow”, I, tired to death, returned home.
The morning surprised us, but what surprised us, just struck by the glimpses of the sun! What do we do? Just in case, we'll go to the airport, we decided. It's easy to say, but how? It is not possible to order a taxi… We were pleased with a call from a friend: “I dug up a car here, if I leave the yard now, I can try to take you to the airport. ” The road stunned us - there was an unpleasant feeling that we were in a war zone. Empty, one side of the ring road crammed with parked wagons; the lucky ones who managed to dig out are trying to overcome the road along one half in two directions, and even that half was partially occupied by serious military equipment that tried to help the sufferers escape from snow captivity. All in all, it's creepy! Pictures from a Hollywood blockbuster.
Here we are at the airport. The optimistic news is that our flight is listed on the scoreboard and there is even an inscription that registration is open. The people line up together with the docks in their hands, after half an hour it begins to dissolve. The information is new - the flight has been delayed for two hours. Then another hour. . . and so on. It turns out that our plane was barely dug out of the snow, but it ended up in ice and an anti-icing operation is being carried out. Moreover, this plane must first take people to Italy, return, and only then fly to Katowice. Simple mathematical calculations make it possible to understand that we cannot escape from Kyiv before eight in the evening. Well, okay! There is still time until the morning, when we have to be on the flight to Paris, and we are assured that, in any case, we will fly away. We are still lucky, in the sense that there is time until the morning, and most of the passengers on our flight should be in time for the connection today. Some, having heard from us about a flight from easyjet Krakow-Paris, booked it right there, as the only option, however, already at 120 euros per person one way - wow! How to book in advance with low-cost airlines! The difference is four times! But be that as it may, the people and their rest were saved.
Thanks to Vizzam for finding another board for our company, which has already rallied for many hours of waiting (of those who managed to get to the airport), and we check in at six in the evening. Moreover, as compensation, the carrier handed over coupons for dry rations to everyone so that we would not starve to death. With happiness, we even forgot to get it and settled in the departure waiting area, of course, after visiting Duty Free. First of all, I had to inform our hotel in Krakow that we were ten hours late - I absolutely did not want to spend the night on the street after everything we had experienced. The deed is done, it's time to go to the plane. But no! Again, something is not right and we are sitting again. And they sat out - crazy snow fell again outside the window. Blimey! We waited (untranslatable pun)...
But, despite all the previous ups and downs, we are on the plane - the Lord had mercy on us, once again, sending trials. We are still flying!
