Arriving in Kiev

So the next morning I woke up and headed into Kyiv. I met one of my new coworkers and he gave me the keys to my new apartment. It was late afternoon I was tired and wanted to just relax and do laundry. So found a little restaurant ate and just hung out at home for the evening. I sent Ed one last message with my coordinates before checking in for the night

The next morning around lunch time I had a knock on the door. 

Let me introduce you to Ed. He is kinda a big deal, at least in his own mind. He has his own ride report here Around the World Ed-Venn-ture, the next 800 days

After introductions we got his bike parked and unloaded his bike. We went to dinner and just in general traded stories. So I had been in my house less than 24 hours and I had a guests. I felt kind of bad because my house was empty but I guess it was better than nothing, plus its close to the city center.

After a few days of Ed and I enjoying the bachelor life his girlfriend Tam showed up. Flew in fresh from London. It was kind of strange because she got in in the middle of the night. Ed got her from the airport and came back to my place. I was in bed and left for work in the morning with out meeting her. So all day at work I was preparing myself and wondering/hoping she was cool

She was cool. She fit right in taking and handing out crap probably even better than me! A good sport about everything and always with a lovely smile, well except in photos.

If you remember Ed was going to stay 2 days MAX..... Well 2 weeks later Tam was pushing him out the door. They both had a wonderful time enjoying the good life in Kyiv. Both threatening me as they left that they will be back someday.

Ukraine

After a few hours I headed down the road to a town called Dubno. I got a hotel and found dinner. I had a hard time communicating though. In Western Ukraine the language mostly spoken in Ukrainian. I do know some Russian and maybe someone who grew up speaking Russian can interact and understand Ukrainian but for me no. The older people who grew up in the Soviet Union know Russian as well as Ukrainian but many of the young people either refuse to speak Russian or dont know it well. 

THe menu at the restaurant was in Ukrainian and I asked the young waitress if she could help me. She tried and we finally figured out what things were with hand signs and animal noises lol.

There is an old fortress in Dubna that I strolled around.

There was some pretty heavy fighting for the fortress in WWII 

Before I left in the morning I checked my email and I had a message from Ed. He needed some help with his bike and wanted to know if he could still come and stay with me in Kyiv. Only a day or two MAX he said. I dont want to be in Kyiv but I need parts thats all just a couple days!.

Lviv

So after Auschwitz I started driving towards Lviv. My goal was just to get close to the border and spend the night.

I stopped in a gas station and was checking out a route when a fellow biker pulled in

He was from Hungary and on his way to Belarus. We chatted for a while about some of the places he had been. I was so jealous but it was time to move on we both had to make some km's before the day was over.

I ended up stopping at the border and found a little hotel in Poland. The lady there was so nice I think I paid $20 for the night and it included supper and breakfast! My room smelled funny but ehh what can ya do

About this time I had been in contact with a guy named Ed. He was about to leave Georgia and travel through Russia on a 10 day transit visa. I gave him some advice and on what to see in Russia and told him to stop in to Kyiv if he wants. I will have an apartment, that at the time I had never seen, and he was welcome to stay.

He said thanks but no thanks he didn't want to see Kyiv he was going to Odessa where his girlfriend would fly in to meet him. Ok I told him the offer was on the table I would be there in 2 days.

The next day I woke up and got into Ukraine no problem. I went to Lviv for a few hours walked around.

The main square and church

In general all tourist love Lviv. Its a nice town and fairly western. I personally like it but not on motorcycle. A lot of the town still has either cobblestone streets or brick streets and there are trolley lines running everywhere. It really sucks to drive a motorcycle on.

Birkeneau

After Auschwitz 1 I went back to Birkenau.

This camp was made a little later with mostly exterminating in mind. I think there were 4 or 5 gas chambers.....

The rail way that brought the people in.

One of the barracks 

One of the roads between the different groupings of barracks

Whats left of most of the barracks 

The Germans tried to blow up the gas chambers as the Soviets were approaching 

Ashes from this chamber were dumped here

Sanitary building in this room they were stripped of their goods and clothes 

Shuffled down the hall, now naked

Shaved 

Showered 

Birkenau was intense also. I never imagined how big that place was. I mean think about it that sign said 90,000 people toiled away their existence there. Thats the people who were living! Most of what I saw there made me ask which was better to be brought in and gassed and had it done with or to be forced to work and almost not be fed and eventually die a long lingering death from starvation or disease. 

One thing I wondered as I walked around was how much of these sites are original? I know some of the other WWII sites I have been to, especially in the former Soviet Union, alot of the buildings and materials were ransacked after the war by locals trying to rebuild. I would like to do some research and see just what is original and was was rebuilt to look original. 

My final impression of both sites together is pretty unreal. I have been on tours through jails, GULAGS, sites of mass murder and other places where just horrible things took place. Auschwitz-Birkenau has to be at the top for a lasting impression though. I think its because many of the personal belongings of the people interned are still there and can be viewed. That and also the photos. Its one thing to look at a building, or for example one of the drainage ditches at Birkenau, its another to look at it and see photos of the prisoners constructing it. The Germans did such a good job of documenting everything that to go to this place is unreal because its not hearsay its noo this happened here is the photos to go with it.

I can only think of one maybe 2 other places I have been where just being there seems unreal. The feeling in the air is indescribable to know the suffering and loss that happened there. If you ever thought of going just do it and do it sooner rather than later. What ever is left that is original is getting old see it before it to gets restored.

Auschwitz 1

Said good bye to my dad yesterday.

I had a long 600 mile day but pretty uneventful. Traveled across Germany on A4 and then part way across Poland.

Got to Auschwitz early, 8 in the morning. I read online its best to go through with our a guide if you want to spend the time to see things and not be pushed through.

I learned first thing there is actually 2 camps, there were more but 2 were turned into memorials/museums

I showed up at Birkenau first and was told it would be better to see Auschwitz before so I went the 3km to the original camp

Birkenau gate 

I made it to the original Auschwitz camp and it was already fairly busy, or so I thought.....

The gate with the infamous Arbeit Macht Frei "work makes you free" 

Some photos of the barracks in Auschwitz 

here was one barrack full of things taken from the people coming in. 

This was in the basement of the cellblock building, for people who broke the rules. They would put people in these small cells with no ventilation and as they breathed they used the oxygen and eventually died. 

The off color wall in front of this picture was where they would line people up and shoot them. When I arrived these boyscouts were all singing something, I couldnt understand. The feeling in the are was intense. To hear this somber song sung in remembrance of the people who suffered here was unreal. 

This was inside one of the first gas chambers they built to try. 

Furnaces 

Looking into the camp 

All in all the Auschwitz 1 camp was really very well done. If I were to do it again I would like to get a guide one day then come back early in the morning on my own to go through it. I was there almost 3 hours and when I was leaving it was packed with people waiting to come in. The guided tours I passed sounded interesting with personal stories but the guides were pushing people through as quickly as possible. Most of the barracks have some sort of display in them and other than the 3 or 4 with the main display nobody visited the others. 

2015 Warrior meeting Bremerhaven

The next day we headed towards Bremerhaven. There would be a meeting of Yamaha Warriors near there.

We made it no problem. Unfortunatly I dont have any pictures of the arrivals. I was busy meeting old friends and having a few drinks

The next morning I awoke to this

One of the guys had an MT-01!!!! 

My favorite bike of the meeting, his license plate fell off on the way to the meeting 

Some of the bikes and riff raff 

One of the guys had a nail in his tire that was repaired and I helped another fix is GPS that wasnt charging. 

I decided to open an on the spot mechanic service. 

They had a quick ride around the area. SOme of us stayed behind, rain was in the forecast and I was welllll could of felt better 

Blue skies ?!?! 

After a while the rain came and I mean it was coming down!

Here is everyone arriving back 

Looks like he is enjoying himself 

After everyone dried out I took a nap. woke up stuffed myself with food and beer and now and about to head to bed. Its been a good weekend not to much debauchery but enough to satisfy my needs.