August 10, 2021
I spent the morning working at Blur Cafe and then made the trek to Kyiv Boryspil Airport. There’s two airports in Kyiv, and luckily I arrived at the one that’s closer to town. The one where most budget airlines operate from is a lot farther, and that’s where I have to go today. You can still get there by bus, but it’s more difficult.
I almost gave up on the bus, just when it arrived. I had to take a metro there and then walk a bit to a very chaotic bus stop on the side of the highway. The bus didn’t come when I expected it to, and then I got even more confused talking to people. I’m not even sure how I found it because there were so many buses stopping and the name on it wasn’t what I expected. There were also taxis, which I considered as a backup until it finally came.
If you’re with at least one other person and heading to KBP, I would just opt for Uber. It’s a bit expensive, but the trek was very confusing and unreliable. I only did it because I didn’t want to pay and my flight was in the middle of the day so I had time to figure it out.
I’m now heading to Rome, even though I really don’t want to leave Eastern Europe. I would have preferred to explore some more Ukrainian Cities and then travel through Moldova into Romania. The problem is that I’m running out of time and Ukraine is a huge country. I’ll waste time, energy, and money trying to travel through it. There were also not many cheap flights out of Kyiv, so I ended up just buying a flight to Rome, where I can find lots of cheap connections.
To get from Fiumicino Airport into the city center, it costs about $15. Rome is not a city you want to do a 24-hour layover in. I get to Yellow Hostel, which is near the main train station, but not other forms of public transport. It’s expensive and it’s really big, but it still seems friendly. The dorms are super modern and comfortable.
My first order of business is to get a pizza, so I walk a bit to Rifugio Romano. Make a reservation for dinner or come early, like I did. The pizza was not my favorite, but it was at least cheap. I expected all of the pizza here to be neapolitan style, but apparently I’m wrong.
My next order of business is to find a cannoli. I walk a bit further to Don Nino, which is a cute little cafe. I’m not 100% sure if this was recommended for cannolis, but I came here for coffee and a cannoli and it was really good. The cannolis are filled fresh. It’s totally my fault but they didn’t understand my coffee order. They gave me some ice separate from my coffee, which seemed like sweetened espresso. I asked them for some milk or cream after it arrived, and added it. It ended up being really good.
My last order of business is to try gelato. After some research, I decide to go to I Caruso. I asked them for a recommendation and they said to try the pistachio so I did. I’ve never tried pistachio ice cream, but I do understand it now. It’s not going to be my new standard choice, but it was good.
When I get back to the hostel, I’m ready to take a rest but then I get to chatting with my roommates. Somehow I end up at Yellow Bar (the hostel bar across the street). I drank a bit too much beer and stayed a bit too long, but I met some really cool people.
August 11, 2021
Before making the poor decision to drink my weight in beer last night, I had already booked a tour of the Colosseum, the Forum, and Palatine through GetYourGuide. It started pretty early and I must have turned my alarm off. I woke up panicked and disoriented because the hostel windows were completely blacked out, so I didn’t realize how late it was.
I rush to the city center but the bus doesn’t come so I can’t make it in time. I go to the tour office and luckily the lady was able to get me on a later tour.
GetYourGuide was more expensive and I had to pay for the iPad visual guide, but it was worth it since I didn’t know if I would be allowed into the country for sure, so I had to book last second. These tours fill up quickly. Since I missed my tour I didn’t get to use the iPad guide, which is fine. I used Rick Steves’ guide instead.
Rome is the most touristy thing I’ve ever done and if you go during peak season prepare for it to be hot. I could spend an entire day in The Forum and several hours in the Colosseum, so when I go back, I will get tickets so that I can do them on separate days (the standard ticket is for one day). The metro directly connects Termini with Colosseum so it is easy to get there but you might have to go to the office for your tour which was annoying. I’ll do research next time and consider buying a more expensive tour because Rome is so big, and it could be worth the money in this case to get a guided tour with transportation. I’m used to tiny little old towns, but with a monster as big as Rome, you might need some more sophisticated tools.
I need to catch my flight later so I take the metro home. I get pasta from La Famiglia (tagliani with cheese, artichokes, and pepper). It was very peppery and salty, which I wasn’t a fan of, but I also think I’m starting to feel sick from the heat and my hangover, so take my review with a grain of salt.
I got back to the hostel and picked up my bags, then headed back to the train station where I again had to pay $15 to get to the airport on the Leonardo Express. There were options for the Leonardo Express at 6:05 or 6:20, which is convenient. You’ll have to take a taxi to/from the airport at early/late hours.
I get through security without any hiccups and board my flight to Sofia, Bulgaria, back to Eastern Europe.
Unfortunately when I arrive, it’s late and dark. Fabian, a guy who has been living in Sofia for a while now, helped me and another girl get to our accommodations. Be prepared to get scammed if you are a tourist using taxis in Sofia.
There was construction on the street where the hostel is located, so I have a moment of panic after getting out of the taxi. The taxi can’t stop right outside so I have to walk half a block to it. Thankfully I find the door, which is marked but not very obvious, and I get inside.
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