Train arrived!
16.10
Red alert, the more serious flight alarm, missiles are coming in direction towards Kyiv. The police comes and chase out the hundreds of people sitting and waiting for delayed trains. Everyone except an old woman obediently walk out of the train station and down into the underground shelter. The woman screams loudly in desperation, shouting her contempt at the young policeman. He has to give in. Wonder how she will survive this night.
When the danger is over, everyone quietly returns. Later in the night, this procedure is repeated once again. There is an air of patience. No protests, no dispair. People have learned. They have experienced worse.
Sitting in the waiting hall we were all exhausted in the early hours. The sun is now up. Now I give in. Together with Asya I went to the busstation to get tickets for a bus staight to Warsaw. What else could we do? I was just about to pay for the tickets when I got a call from Boel from the train station. "Train has arrived and will leave soon!" Rushed back to the station. Our train started moving at 07.15, after a delay of 13 hours.
17.10 At the border we were further delayed by passport controle and customs, first by the Ukrainians, then by the Poles. We arrived in Chelm 17 hours late and it was again getting dark. We had to shelter in a very basic hotel. But there was hot water in the shower!
18.10 Today is Sunday, the only day the ferry doesn't run. So we had plenty of time to take the train to Warsaw. After that, we had to go first class to Gdansk. All the second-class trains were fully booked. Slept deep at Scandic Hotel in what felt like a completely different world. A comfortable and safe world, but so close to the war with so much suffering.
19.10 We walked the streets of Gdansk. Saw the place where everything started in the 1980th, the Lenin Docks, where Solidarity broke th communist occupation of 17 countries in Europe.
20.10 Exact on time Polferries arrived in Nynäshamn.
Glad you’re all safe - whst an ordeal!