For Whom the Bell Tolls

Lviv, Ukraine May 10, 2017,  5 AM

The last thing I heard before I went to sleep was the ancient church bell tolling midnight.

And now lying awake in bed I hear the bell toll 5 times. Before that, I had heard it ring 4 times but not  3 or 2 or 1. So  I figure I've gotten at least a few hours of sleep.

Since I can't go back to sleep I decide to get up and write.  

Since my flight arrived Monday I've experienced sudden bouts of exhaustion occurring unpredictably during the day along with spells of dizziness.  But, I'm not concerned.  I know the cause.

It's Jet lag.  And it's taking (or should I say ringing?) a toll.

I'll be in Lviv for 9 days and had planned to crash for the first 2. and to sleep intermittently during the day whenever I could to adjust to the jet lag and lack of sleep on the flights from Washington, Frankfurt, and Munich.

So no problem except I want to email the woman I sat next to on my last flight and arrange to meet up with her.  She had told me she has lots of great friends for me to meet here in Lviv.

I'll do that but first, I want to get my balance back so I'll make a decent first impression without my mind fogged by jet lag.  But time is running out.  In transit on the way to Crimea to visit her Mother, she will in town for just 4 days.

A lot has happened since I arrived at the airport  First of all I experienced a failed encounter with Uber, a hoped for new-to-Ukraie better way to get from the airport to my hotel, without the hassle of negotiating a taxi fare or the long wait for a bus.

Unfortunately, I found myself standing in front of the airport, in the rain, unable to find my Uber driver as my cell phone runs out of the few minutes remaining on the local sim card which I use here in Ukraine and had reinstalled in Germany and for which there is no place at the airport to add minutes and where also the attendant in the information kiosk has gone for a one hour lunch break when I return back to the airport for assistance after having endured the hassle of going again through security and where I then find that the taxi driver I had previously rejected now wants  to charge an exorbitant fare owing to the sudden absence of his competitors  who've been absorbed by a flood of recently arriving passengers,  but just then, much to my surprise, he helpfully suggests that I take the number 9 bus which arrives unexpectedly in minutes and  only charges a fraction of the modest amount Uber would have charged.  

So I find myself delighted to be bouncing along in an impressively dilapidated rickety old bus heading into town, appreciating the comfort, reliability and cost effectiveness of the old low tech, common man way of traveling to the city center.

And best of all my self-esteem which had taken a hit from my poor execution of the exfiltration from the airport gets a boost as I congratulate myself on the wisdom of preparing to travel this trip ultra lightly as I effortlessly walk the 7 blocks from the bus stop to my hotel, negligibly burdened with only my small backpack.

Arriving at the hotel, the desk clerk smiles and says how nice it is to see me again and when I am in my room and answer the knock at my door I am further welcomed by a young woman who delivers a cup of tea and some tasty rolls.

It is so nice to be back home in Lviv!

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Yesterday morning when I returned to my room from breakfast I heard drums outside and noticed it is strangely quiet out on the street and square in front my hotel with the absence of the normally heavy vehicular traffic except as occurs on Sunday when this pleasant quiet would be normal.

From the hotel desk clerk I learn it is Victory Day today in Ukraine.  May 9th.  The celebration of the defeat of the Nazis in World War II.

Subsequently, as  I walk up the long promenade to the Opera House I  view the stalls with their endless selections of food, clothing, crafts etc. when I feel something brushing my shoulder.

A young woman who had brushed me with one of her huge white wings invites me to take her picture which I do and then give her the 10 Hryvnia she requests which is only fair. Nothing is free in this world although here it almost is, as that's only about 40 cents.

Then as  I walk into the city center I am pleased to see the iconic historic town hall which was covered last fall for renovations is now uncloaked standing tall in all its refurbished glory.

__________

Last night I went to a Bandura concert.  A unique experience for me featuring a beautiful traditional, musical instrument with the breadth of tonality from guitar to harp to viola, cello, and bass violin or so it appears to my non-expert ear.   

During the concert's intermission, as I snuck a photo of this lovely musician, she graciously turned her two instruments to face my camera and gave me a warm smile 

Great singing and playing by 10 or more soloists, duets, quartets etc. culminating in what I'm guessing might be the largest group of Bandura players assembled in one place.

And it all ended with the singing of a religious anthem with which I am told by my hotel's desk clerk ends every Sunday service she attends.  

Very moving as Orchestra and Audience join together in song. 

More has happened already on this trip to Ukraine, but I'll just mention that I was sure I had missed my flight to Lviv with the delay in my connecting flight from Munich and while I'm writing this I got locked out of my Google account and thought I was further doomed.  But both of those experiences had unexpected happy endings.  "

So perhaps Murphy's law needs a corollary.

How about -----

"Whatever can go right. May.  When least expected."

Thanks for reading!