Safe and warm in Kiev

Everything went smoother than I could have hoped after we got to Chicago. I even was able to get a cheap flu shot at the airport clinic, which I had not made time to do earlier. The last two flights were with Lufthansa, which is the best airline I know, punctual (they arrived early, in fact), with sumptuous and friendly service and comfortable and spacious seats. (This is in contrast to United, which in my experience is making a habit of delays and cancellations even when other airlines are OK, grouchy and stingy service, and unreasonably cramped legroom.)

It feels great to be in Europe again. The first thing we did on our Dusseldorf layover was get big cups of cafe au lait.

Our friends that were gone in the summer are also gone now, just for a short time, but they left
keys with someone who even met us at the airport, so here we are in their lovely apartment with wireless internet and a comfortable place to sleep. After no more than 4 hours of sleep in each of the last 2 nights, I'm ready to hit the pillow hard. It's a good way to deal with jetlag, though. Instead of going to sleep at 4 pm, we went exploring in this neighborhood and found a good pizzeria for supper, confirmed that our ATM cards work OK, and bought some groceries for breakfast tomorrow.

-Stan