Events of the Day:

Our first day started in Drums, PA on Saturday, June 28. It was the first nice weekend in what seems like months of rain & cold in PA. The weather and traffic along I-80 into New Jersey were rather nice and the trip was peaceful despite the fact that both of us as well as our biological children - Taylor, age 10 and Travis, age 4 (4½, if you ask him) - were setting out on a journey of a lifetime. North Jersey was of course North Jersey and we got to the Newark Airport a little behind schedule. Parking and AirTrain Transportation at the airport were a nightmare and it seemed like the property was one large construction site. Luckily we made it through check-in and the now-normal security checks with more than a few moments to spare (but just a few). The flight to Amsterdam left on time and was smooth and peaceful. The kids were troopers, but none of us really slept very well on the flight, probably due to the anticipation. It was our first flight on Northwest/KLM and we found the staff to be very friendly and customer-oriented.

Our connection was through Amsterdam and we ended up with about 5 hours to kill on Sunday morning. Initially, the airport was tranquil, but of course we arrived before 6 AM - it became much more crowded after 7AM. We had time to wander about the airport and found it to be very nice. The terminal we were in was almost exclusively KLM/Northwest. Most signs were in English and most, if not all of the staff we encountered spoke English. We even had time to make some last minute adjustments in our return flight ticketing at the KLM ticket counter in the center of the terminal. We had intended to make these changes in Newark, but time did not permit it.  For anyone else traveling through Amsterdam, we suggest you get to the second floor of the central hub as soon as possible after arrival. There are huge bean bag chairs and beach-style lounge chairs in a quiet setting. We found these around 8AM, and all the experienced travelers already staked their claims on the best loungers.

The KLM connection from Amsterdam to Kiev was on-time, and again the staff was above average. Aside from some Norwegian accents, the staff clearly had a command of the English language or were native speakers. We arrived at Borispol Airport in Kiev in Mid-Day and clearly we weren't in Kansas (or in this case PA) anymore. English and the alphabet we US citizens know and love were now things of the past. The airport and the manner in which you processed into the country was nearly identical to Moscow - passport control, stern-looking officials asking for papers, 2 small baggage carousels in the baggage claim area, and the famous Red & Green lines for declaring your earthly possessions. On the other side of the Customs doors was the long line of Taxi drivers looking for our business. Luckily, we found Oleg, his mother Katherine, our interpreter Yulia (Julie), and our friend Olga waiting for us just past the Taxi-driver Gauntlet. The Kiev airport is fairly clean, and a bit smaller than Moscow's, After a short walk to the waiting van (already hired by Oleg) we were off to our apartment (or "flat") in central Kiev. The apartment was about a 30-40 minute drive from Borispol Airport, but the weather was nice and the drive was scenic. Luckily, the kids and the parents were still holding up well despite being awake >24 hours.

We arrived at our apartment at 88b ВУЛИЦЯ  ОЛЕСЯ  ГОНЧАРА (street named after a famous poet, Olesya Gontchara), and found the accommodations very comfortable. But then again, it was the first time in over a day we could sit down and not be moving!

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