Out of the Frying Pan....

 

 Out of the Frying Pan...

It's was roughly two years since Corona became a crisis here in The Netherlands. Not an anniversary that anybody wanted to celebrate but there was going to be singing and dancing in the streets. Most of the Covid restrictions were being lifted just in time for Carnival. You've probably heard of Carnival. In Rio, minimally clothed women dance to samba sounds on exotically decorated floats. On Bourbon Street, New Orleans, women flash their breats in exchange for strings of beads. Well it's way too cold for that sort of thing here in this part of The Netherlands. Carnival is, however, an important part of the regional culture. It involves dressing up, role reversal, the suspension of moral norms, mocking of authority and, as my Carnival loving friends insist, it's not all about excessive drinking and promiscuous behaviour. They tell me this so often, mostly without be asked, that I have my doubts. Many relationships start up or break up during Carnival and I've not seen many people drinking lemonade!

 Anyway...restrictions were eased, Carnival was back, slimmed down it's true, but back after two years. It was party time! Time to throw caution and surgical masks to the wind! Time for  hugging and kissing and all we've been missing!

That was when the Russians decided to invade Ukraine and provide us with the mother of all hangovers.

There is no need for me to go into detail... you've seen the pictures, you've seen the news, heard the discussions and all the speculations.

Only a handful of people I know have been to the Ukraine.  Three years ago we crossed the bridge from Sigheti Marmatiei, Romania, into Ukraine where we were greeted  by quite an attractive but very angry soldier carrying a large weapon. We had somehow missed picking up a slip of paper which it was her job to stamp. After a brief exchange of words that none of us understood she decided we were too stupid to bother with and sent us further down the line. 

News item: A photo of that same bridge, now lined on both sides with cuddly toys. The children of families fleeing the violence could choose a toy as they passed and customs officers were handing out sweets.

Lviv was quite a contrast to the places we past and visited on the way. Affluent and picturesque with grand buildings in various states of restoration and decay but with all the trappings of a modern cosmopolitan city. Hip coffee bars and restaurants and of course a craft brewery.

The Pravda Beer Theatre looks out over the main square, with several bars, restaurant and shop it was one of the places to be. A tourist attraction. Due to the frequent short but heavy showers we visited it more than once giving us a chance to sample more than one of their assortment.

News Item: Two weeks ago the Pravda brewery announced they would no longer be brewing beer... instead their staff would be using the bottling facilities to produce Molotov cocktails.

We left Ukraine crossing the border with Poland that is currently featured regularly in the media. We were stuck there for six hours, there was no information, we heard later that  the hold-up had been due to a strike by the Polish customs. When we did eventually reach the front of the queue it turned out, despite the long wait, we had managed once again to miss a ticket or a stamp, this time it was Yvonne's tears that saved the day. 

We were tired, hungry, thirsty, frustrated and annoyed that we wouldn't be able to reach the campsite where we had planned to spend the night. Today, and every day, there are ever increasing numbers of tired, hungry, tearful and bewildered refugees, stuck for much longer than six hours, most having no idea where or when they will be moving on or if they will be able to find a place to sleep. The scenes are heartbreaking, it takes a lot to move me to tears, but again there is no need to explain- you've seen it on the News. On the other hand the actions of many private citizens has been heartwarming. The local Polish population have done their best to help. People from other nations have driven across Europe, sometimes more than once, to pick up and transport refugees. Even some food truck owners have made the long journey to provide comfort food.

News Item. The photo: a column of trucks: The caption: These Romanian truckers rushing aid to Ukraine is what a real 'Freedom Convoy' looks like.

What a contrast! These overworked and underpaid  truckers along with many others are giving their time, energy and possibly risking their lives to help desperate people in Ukraine. While elsewhere anti- vaxxers, Corona deniers and conspiracy theorists have been organising demonstrations and convoys, blocking roads and city centres ....grown-ups making a big fuss about a small prick in the arm.