Some events in David's life

Santa was a bit late to visit us this year. Unfortunately, I missed him because I was out buying the newspaper, but I heard that he has a new wife. A younger and prettier Mrs. Claus, though a bit overprotective. So Santa had to wear a helmet while working and wasn’t allowed to lift anything heavy. She’s still shaken after the revolution a few years ago when the elves locked him in the dungeons and delivered the presents themselves. Our children found that quite scary.

Melting snow, that's seriously what I like best about winter. When it melts, I can go out and just enjoy the feeling of the dreadful snow disappearing.

The UN Association in Kristianstad persistently holds a monthly demonstration demanding Russia's withdrawal from Ukraine. And every time, Elena acts as a translator, and I hold her bag.

The last day in Ukraine. It has been such an incredibly pleasant, interesting, and fun trip. I don't want to go home yet. Two contributing factors to this feeling are that everything is comparatively cheap and that this is a country I want to support with my vacation money.

The first goal of the day was to buy gifts in Lviv, but the first shopping mall didn't let us in due to an air raid alarm. We've already learned from Ukrainians, so we ignore both air raid alarms and traffic rules. However, the basement IKEA store was open but didn't have good gifts. Hunger struck, and I had forbidden Elena from choosing the restaurant. She prioritizes places with nice interiors, while I want good food. We found a cafe that seemed to have missed that the Soviet Union had fallen. There wasn't much to choose from, so we ordered most of the menu. Satisfied and full for $5.

The second goal of the day was to cross the border to Poland. On the way there, we were pushed off the road by a convoy of trucks with a police escort. Probably 30 trucks likely loaded with military supplies.

At the border, I misunderstood an instruction, which annoyed a Ukrainian border guard. He decided to retaliate by taking us in for inspection. Little did he know that I would classify this as the best experience of the day.

We were taken to a special hall to unload the car. Very interesting, and I considered asking if I could take photos but decided it might be pushing my luck. The sniffer dog was not interested at all and lay down nearby, watching as we unloaded everything. I was as calm as could be, but Elena, who has a habit of accidentally smuggling things, was more annoyed. This time it was old stamps, and it's uncertain whether historical items can be taken out of Ukraine. I just thought if they wanted to confiscate anything, we could request receipts, have everything photographed, ask how to appeal, and other things that would tire them out. We weren't in a hurry and could entertain ourselves at the border for a few hours. But after Elena calmed down and the guard inspected the stamps and muttered for a while, he eventually got bored and let us go.

The night was spent at Hotel Europa in the small town of Chmilnyk, and before heading home, we wanted to explore the surroundings. However, we ended up staying most of the day. First, we found a small museum that provided an incredible insight into what life was like in the area during Soviet times. Additionally, there was a special exhibition about the Maidan protests in 2014 and the ongoing war. It was tragic to see how many lives it had cost, even in this small town. A woman was sitting there, weaving camouflage nets for the army.

There were two amusing paintings. The first honestly depicted how the road leading to the palace looks. The second, much older, said: What does Ukraine export to Russia? Ukrainians to Siberia, Bread, Sugar, Coal, Steel, Pork. What does Ukraine import from Russia? Political terror, Executioners, Syphilis, Shackling chains, Poverty, Orders.

Afterward, we visited Count Ksido's palace, the town's park, the center, and the spa resort. With a bit of imagination, it felt like walking around the Soviet Union just before its collapse in the 1990s.

We also took a trip into the countryside, and at times it felt like driving through a field, but the "road" was on Google. We found a beautiful valley. Today we also learned that at every place we stay, we are reported to the authorities. Since the full-scale invasion, all foreign guests must be registered.

On our last day in Kyiv, we found a small war exhibition. Civilian cars that had been shot at, and Russian tanks and armored vehicles that had been burned. There was also a missile fragment, and I was surprised by how large it was.

Further away, there was a very long wall filled with pictures and short descriptions of fallen soldiers since the war began in 2014. I could even spot a few women among them.

Today, Elena planned to visit her 86-year-old aunt, and I came up with the excuse that I needed to massage my sore calf. So Elena called around to see who could take me on short notice and then booked a taxi to the address we received. We were slightly surprised when the taxi turned into Kyiv University Hospital and dropped us off among the ambulances. Elena had managed to book me an appointment with a doctor specializing in physiology and surgery.

He looked at me with concern as I undressed and commented on my sunken chest, known as pectus excavatum, suggesting it should be lifted surgically. Then he examined my calves and noted that they didn’t feel right and that an ultrasound should be done to determine the best treatment. Elena dismissed his concerns. "Massage him for an hour, and that will be enough."

After my medical massage, we visited Gymnasium 315. Why invent fancy names when a number will do? In Ukraine, students attend the same school from ages 6 to 18, and these schools are called gymnasiums. This one has 2,000 students and is a strange mix of old and new. Some classrooms have school desks from the 1980s and vinyl flooring that has bubbled. Other classrooms have modern school desks and could pass for any Swedish classroom, except for the solid, beautiful wooden doors, which can only be found in Swedish houses at least 100 years old.

They have a modern swimming facility, slightly smaller in scale but with two pools to accommodate both younger and older children.

School meals are only free for younger children and those with lower incomes.

In the restroom, you first take as much toilet paper as you need and then enter your stall, where you use a squat toilet, which is physiologically better suited for proper bowel movements. Afterward, you flush using an eco-friendly system where water flows only as long as you press the button, allowing you to stop immediately once everything is cleared.

A sad modern addition is arrows placed at close intervals pointing toward shelters. Different colors are used for different age groups since not everyone can fit into the same shelter.

On Day 3, we drove the remaining distance to Kyiv. In every village, there are memorials for fallen soldiers. Yesterday, we encountered a caravan honoring the soldiers. All cars pulled over, and people stepped out and knelt as it passed.

In many places, there are prepared trenches, but initially, they were often unmanned. Closer to Kyiv, we saw soldiers, and at one spot along the highway, we passed a roadblock, but it was enough to slow down significantly so the soldiers could take a good look at us.

In Kyiv, we visited Freedom Square, Maidan. Along the street leading to the government area, the people who died in the 2014 protests are honored. Down at the square itself, flags wave for soldiers who have fallen in the war against Russia. There are also flags for deceased Swedes.

But just 100 meters away, the war is no longer noticeable. People stroll and rush as usual. Cafes are packed, and street vendors sell souvenirs.

On our second day in Ukraine, we planned to visit the Tunnel of Love, but we took a wrong turn and ended up at Klevan Castle, which turned out to be a real highlight—and it was free!

Later, Elena typed "Tons of Love" into the GPS, which led us to the backside of a military base. I was quite thrilled, but Elena found it unsettling to see a soldier in a gun turret. When I suggested stopping for a photo with the soldier, she got angry, so unfortunately, there's no picture to share.

Finally, we visited the same village where I had stayed a few nights back in 2005. I didn’t recognize it, so we drove to a charming bus stop between two fields. It was lovely, but Elena complained about hitting her head on the car roof because of the bumpy ride. All in all, we saw a lot but didn’t get much closer to Kyiv.

Elena and I drove to Ukraine to visit her parents and friends. We stopped for the night just after crossing the border and managed to have a meal before experiencing our first air raid siren. Thankfully, there were no explosions.