So let's pick up my little Twitter travel report on Mariupol & Ukraine! To get to Mariupol from Bucharest, Romania, I travelled 2412km by train, 46km by bus and walked another 4km. If you are curious how the journey looked like, check my thread here:
https://twitter.com/PaliparanDotCom/status/1483514376489418753?s=20
Morning in Mariupol started with a walk to the Tsentralny Rynok, the central market of the city. The water tower on picture 3 is the main city landmark. 
Some of the streets directly surrounding the market to the south and west have seen better times. Considering the bad state of the rails it's a wonder the trams don't derail!
Around the actual market hall there is a mazelike patchwork of alleys full of shops and sellers. It almost has a Turkish bazaar Middle Eastern souq vibe. One part sells hats, another alley is for shoes, one area is for women's clothes, etc.
I know I posted some of these snaps of the market hall before, but will include them here again as to give a full picture of Mariupol. It's a gorgeous structure which feels distinctively Soviet. Meat & dairy products sold on the main floor, wedding and gala dresses on 2nd floor.
Talking to some people here about Russia/invasion threats, most shrug their shoulders. Yes, there are worries among citizens, but since 2014 a war has already been raging on their doorsteps in the Donbas so part of daily life. People try to go on with daily life as normal.
For many, daily life is already challenging enough trying to make ends meet. Although the city is predominently Russian-speaking, it has "Ukrainised" quite a bit over the last years since the start of all conflict with local/national institutions growing stronger/efficient.
A last couple of market snaps. I just love to stroll around markets like these.
Lots of decayed old world charm in Mariupol, which has always been an important port city through history. Cossacks, Tatars, Russians, Ukrainians, Jews.. this city has been home to all. It's also the city in Ukraine w the largest (Pontic) Greek minority at 5% of the population.
From the market it's back to the city centre of Mariupol, which actually feels well-maintained and tidy. There are lots of cafés and restaurants along the central boulevard.
Behind the neoclasiscal theatre is a large ice rink which seems to be well-used by the locals on this sunny day.
Greek Square in the heart of Mariupol. The damaged building on pic 4 is city hall, which burned down in 2014 during clashes between Ukrainian soldiers and pro-Russian separatists. It still hasn't been repaired.
Soviet relics..
Next to the modern sports hall you can find the seaside park. A central alley leads to an observation terrace with an "I ❤ Mariupol" sign and some sweeping views over the Sea of Azov.
The Ukrainian coast - and this part around Mariupol in particular - is dominated by high bluffs. You therefore cannot walk from this park directly to the shore for example, but have to take a 40-minute detour.
Talks about a possible "Russian seaborne invasion" (of which you hear a lot online) therefore have to be taken with a pinch of salt as the challenging terrain makes this highly improbable. The same counts btw for the Odessa area.
After the seaside park it's back to the city centre, walking along the State Technical University. When I see some cats on my way I always have to stop for a while to pet the cuties, something which I did here as well.
The Mariupol Philarmonic Hall and the Gym and Volleyball Hall with its blue dome.. it's now again downhill back to the seaside for a drink at the pier and city beach.
To reach the city beach you have to cross the railway lines first which run parallel to the seashore.
It's wonderful weather for a winter beach walk. Even though the temperature is hovering around the 0° Celsius mark (32°F for my friends across the Pond) and can be chilly when facing the wind head-on, it's pleasant in the sun.
Fun fact: The Sea of Azov is the world's shallowest sea, having an average depth of only 7 metres.
The pier even has a branch of Pyana Vyshnya, a well-known cherry liqueur bar originally from Lviv. Of course, in this cold weather you drink it warm! In any case, it's always delicious.
Mariupol might be very well within the "advise against all travel" advisory from the British FCO, but in reality this place feels extremely peaceful with most people trying as best as possible to get on with daily life with all the good and bad things it brings.
IMO it's also a bit unfair not to put Mariupol in same category as rest of Ukraine. I can see why as advice follows oblast boundaries (and Mariupol is formally Donetsk Oblast) but huge difference between cities firmly in government control (Mariupol) & separatist-held (Donetsk).
From the beach it's a bit of a climb up to the city garden located high on the bluff, from where you have some equally great views over the coast.
Strolling through some of the old neighbourhoods just around the city centre. Lots of these beautiful old buildings seem to lie abandoned or are in a general neglected state.
The old Choral Synagogue 1864, which was expropriated by the Soviets in the 1930s, used as a gymnasium and art gallery among others, until the roof collapsed in the 1990s and it was left to the elements. Only recently it was handed back to the Jewish community of Mariupol.
A last walk around downtown Mariupol before it's time to return to the railway station for my long train ride home.
However, first a nice late lunch of solyanka and baked mussels in cheese, after which I take the scenic detour to the train station so I can have a look at the massive Azovstal iron and steel works in the distance..
Next to it is a simply athmospheric neighbourhood full of old stone and wooden buildings, some in OK state, others fully abandoned. Could easily wander around here for an hour more!
Mariupol vokzal.. time for the long, long train journey back. It will take me 3 days (2 nights).
The first ride to get me home is train 010Д Mariupol to Kiev. I'm booked in platzkart, third class, on this one.
So platzkart is basically an open carriage with 54 bunks in them. No privacy, but it's cheap (~€13 for this 14-hour-long train ride). Some even prefer it above 'kupé' (closed 4-bed compartments, akin to 2nd class) as it can be more jovial and has more social control.
In platzkart, you have to make your own bed. Take a mattress, roll it out over your bunk, and put the linen from the sealed bag provided by the provodnik/provodnitsa (carriage attendant) over it. Easy given that I have quite some platzkart experience from my backpacking days.
Unfortunately, all the lower bunks were already booked, with only the upper ones left. Although slightly cheaper, they are *much* more cramped due to upper shelf above your head. Also, it's much harder climbing into it than I remembered how it was when last travelling in them..
Київ-Пасажирський (Kyiv-Pasazhyrskyi) station at 7 in the morning. Kyiv's station is still as wonderful as I remember despite renovation work in the main hall. However, I cannot really enjoy it as I got sick in the train (food poisoning from mussels..). Made for a horrible ride.
Besides, I barely slept due to the cramped upper platzkart bunk and restricted movement. Instead of exploring Kiev for a day, I therefore went into the ibis hotel adjacent to the station and asked for a day room so I can recover a bit. Cool views though over the train station!
Back to Kyiv's central railway station. It's a large place with a modern entrance building on the southwestern side (pic 1) and the original entrance building (pic 4) on its northwestern side. A concourse above the tracks connects the two sides.
Of course, the original entrance is by far the most magnificent, even though the main set of escalators/stairs in the main hall is currently being repaired and boarded up.
In one of the corridors you can find a door leading towards the palatial first class waiting room, which you can access with a Spalny Vagon (SV, 1st class 2-bed sleeper) ticket. Count me impressed! This waiting lounge really is full of beautiful old grandeur.
Some more snaps from the first class waiting lounge. There is a bar, but drinks and snacks are not included. However, a cup of tea only costs 20 hryvnia (€0.60). Unfortunately, it's served in paper cups and not in a classic glass with podstakannik (prob still a COVID measure).
Time to board my train! I'm booked on train 017 Kharkiv-Kyiv-Uzhhorod, which I will take as far as Mukachevo in south-western Ukraine.
I've booked a spalny vagon (1st class) compartment for private use for this ride. Let's see how it looks like!
This is how it looks like in pictures. The reason why I opted for this train (and not for the 3 or so earlier departures this evening) is simple: It allows me to see the most beautiful stretch of this railway line by daylight right after sunrise instead of the morning darkness.
So with a bit of Verka playing on the background it's goodnight to you all! When I will wake up tomorrow there should be some amazing Carpathian views from the window.
Sunrise over the Ukrainian Carpathians as seen from my Kyiv-Mukachevo train train. Again, what a wonderful way to wake up!
It's still a long way home, but with views like these it certainly doesn't matter for now. Could stare out of the window for hours straight.
We're slowly climbing higher ane higher into the Carpathians which this train crosses from north to south.
After Beskid station the train enters a tunnel and crosses from Lviv Oblast into Zakarpattia Oblast. This is where the most spectacular part of the line begins as the railway runs high above the valley over a couple of impressive bridges.
It's simply a gorgeous railway line which wouldn't look out of place in Switzerland.
A video of one of the bridge crossings. Each major bridge or tunnel is guarded by a soldier - something which was already common practice in this part of the world well before the current Russian-Ukrainian crisis.
Down into the valley again towards Volovets station.
Into a river valley towards Svalyava. We've cleared the mountains now, although to get home I still need to cross the Carpathians *again* later on during this epic train trip.
These icy river views aren't bad either.
Svalyava station. Almost at my stop of Mukachevo now!
And finally, Mukachevo station. I've long wanted to visit this interesting city, but unfortunately I don't have the time for it now so will leave that for another time.
I managed to book all train tickets for this trip online except for the next leg: Mukachevo to Szolnok (Hungary). However, this one is easily bought here at the station for 701 Hryvnia (€22). Cheerful lady even behind the counter who spoke a bit of English.
Note that trains to Hungary leave from the "western platform" some 500 metres away from the main Mukachevo station. This is because of the gauge difference. The lines at Mukachevo are all Russian gauge (1520mm) while the rails at the western platform is standard gauge (1435mm).
This allows trains from Hungary and Slovakia to reach the stations of Chop & Mukachevo in Ukraine without a time-consuming bogie exchange at the border to convert the carriages from standard gauge to broad (Russian) gauge.
My train is being reversed into the station. This is the train IC33 "Latorca" which links Mukachevo & Chop in Ukraine with Zahony, Debrecen, Szolnok & Budapest in Hungary. Just two comfy MÁV InterCity carriages for now but more will be added in both Chop and Zahony.
A look into my 2nd class train carriage. Comfortable seats, power sockets, perfect for a daytime ride.
It takes an hour to reach the border station of Chop. Apart from a quick view of Mukachevo's impressive hilltop fortress in the distance it's a rather boring ride.
The stop at Chop takes 30 minutes, but as passport control takes place on the train I can't really go out. This is however how the station looks like from the inside these days..
https://twitter.com/AndyBTravels/status/1434093914810634244
During my last visit, the station interior still looked like this... I do fully understand all the de-Sovietisation taking place in Ukraine (and elsewhere), but from an aesthetical point of view they really turned a beautiful station into something downright ugly.
Crossing the bridge over the River Tisza between Chop and Zahony, which marks the 🇺🇦 - 🇭🇺 border. I crossed the same river upstream a couple of days before at Sighetu Marmației/Solotvyno, where it marks the 🇷🇴 - 🇺🇦 border.
The ride across the Puszta - the Great Hungarian Plain - is easily the most boring one of this entire journey. Nothing really noteworthy to see and I've travelled this route too many times before to begin with. It's however a great opportunity to catch up with work on my laptop.
Szolnok - at this station I'm connecting to a Budapest-Bucharest train departing later this evening. But first, time to get some proper food somewhere in town.
This will do for dinner! Delicious pheasant soup with homemade noodles and a proper sized pork chop.
Back at Szolnok's railway station for the last train ride of this trip.
Hungarian train station sounds. I've always loved them, both the catchy tune and the impossible to pronounce language of the announcements.
To quickly get back to the topic of Ukraine - expect a couple of tense days ahead with NATO now having formally delivered its rejection of Russian demands. Other signs not good either, with RU politicians talking about "Ukraine preparing for hostilities".
https://twitter.com/RichardEngel/status/1486366032205955074
Anyhow, the last train on my long journey home from Mariupol is there: Sleeper train IRN473 'Ister' which links Budapest with Bucharest. I'm in a 2nd class seat until the Romanian border at Curtici, where I will switch to a private sleeper. Why? Split ticketing..!
Szolnok-Bucharest all the way in a private sleeper would've been €154. I now pay €14 for Szolnok-Curtici in 2nd, plus €62 Curtici-Bucharest in a private sleeper for the cheaper Romanian domestic tariff. That's €78 saved!
Given that Hungarian border control is at 10.10pm local time and the Romanian at 11.55pm local time (there is 1 hour time difference between the two countries) I'd anyway not have gone to sleep before Curtici. So I don't even mind only having my sleeper after the Romanian border!
The border at Curtici - let's check out my sleeper! This type of Romanian sleeper carriage unfortunately has a rather narrow lower berth due to the presence of the backrest. However, as I'm travelling alone that doesn't matter as I can just take the wider upper berth.
Some more snaps of my comfortable compartment. Off to sleep now, as I want to wake up in time for my 4th time (!) crossing the Carpathian Mountains on this particular trip.
Good morning from somewhere just to the east of Sibiu. Bit foggy still - hope it clears up as there should be some great views in the distance on this railway line to Făgăraş and Braşov as we are running exactly parallel to the Carpathian Mountains.
Fortunately, the fog indeed cleared away! The silhouet in the distance on the third and fourth picture are the mighty Carpathians - not some clouds!
View from the train somewhere between Sibiu and Făgăraş.
Sunrise views - with all pics taken while I'm snug under a warm blanket in my train compartment. Fortunately, my compartment window faces the exact side of the train from which you have the best views during this entire journey, including the scenic Carpathian crossing later on.
Stations on the Sibiu-Făgăraş railway line.
Mountains, fields and villages. Outside the temperature is well below -10 degrees Celsius, but inside my train it's fortunately nice and warm.
Some more snaps taken during this beautiful morning ride to Făgăraş.
Braşov. Just over an hour delay already. Now the ride will really get scenic as we cross the Carpathians towards Bucharest.
Predeal station, the first of the Carpathian mountain resorts on this line if coming from the north. Around here you will find the highest point of the Romanian passenger rail network.
Approaching Buşteni on this absolutely gorgeous day. Around here, the Carpathians are at their most majestic.
Buşteni station. I'd wish I had the time to hop out here and go into the mountains..
Although continuing by train is hardly a crime when the landscape is this beautiful.
A short video impression of the railway line betweem Buşteni and Sinaia.
Sinaia station, the southernmost of the Carpathian mountain resorts in this part of Romania.
Leaving the mountains behind as the Wallachian plain slowly opens up.
Past the Ploieşti oilfields and refineries to Bucharest...
Back at Bucharest Gara de Nord after an epic 5200km train trip to Mariupol and back. Thanks for following along for the ride!
If you liked the impressions of the Mariupol trip, consider buying me a coffee for just €/£/$5. Although all info on Twitter & the Paliparan website is shared for free, supporting us with just a fiver is a great way to help independent publishers.
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