From Ukraine to Spain in three days Travel notes on Caliber.Az

What is considered ordinary and taken for granted in peaceful times becomes something highly desirable but inaccessible during wartime. Citizens and residents of Ukraine, which has been under full-scale military invasion by Russia for more than three years, are deprived of the opportunity to fly by plane. Traveling to another country becomes a challenging, very challenging, or incredibly and painfully difficult adventure—depending on the distance to the destination. Your humble servant experienced all the nuances of a journey from Kyiv to the Spanish city of Benidorm.

Peculiarities of wartime travel

A bus ticket from Kyiv's central bus station to the destination cost 8,000 hryvnias, which equals $193 at the current exchange rate. This price includes 40 kg of luggage, but it must be packed into two bags or suitcases. The two-story bus from the Khmelnytsky-based carrier, KLR, features a bio-toilet, high-speed and very high-quality Wi-Fi, and even free mineral water throughout the journey. And this journey takes, mind you, three days.

The departure was at 07:00. Arriving at the departure point about 20 minutes early, I once again noticed how many travel options there are by bus from Kyiv to various European countries. There are destinations to the Baltic States, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Hungary, and Spain. In short, almost any whim can be fulfilled for your money. And looking at all of this, you realize that Azerbaijan is geographically far less fortunate than Ukraine. It's practically impossible to get from the country to these European states by bus or personal car.

Moreover, once again, you understand the enormous advantages Ukrainians gained back in 2017 thanks to the visa-free agreement with the EU. The visa-free trips are limited to 90 days within six months. However, the visa-free regime applies specifically to the European Union, not the Schengen Area—these are two different concepts. In any case, it's almost impossible to imagine what would have happened if Ukraine didn't have the EU's visa-free regime when Russia's full-scale invasion began, especially when embassies and consulates of many countries ceased operations.

Now, three years into this nightmarish war, the flow of Ukrainians leaving the country, whether temporarily or permanently, is still very large. Our bus was packed to the brim. The overwhelming majority were women of various ages, ranging from young girls around 18–22 years old to women of retirement age. For example, a hairdresser named Inna travels every three months for a couple of weeks to visit her daughter, who now lives in Tarragona, one of the oldest cities in Spain, home to a major seaport that plays an important role in the country’s economy. The city is located 98 km southwest of Barcelona.

Some people were headed to Valencia, Alicante, and other Spanish cities. Others, as it turned out later, got off in Poland and Germany.

On the expired passport, a 3000 euro fine

In any case, all the passengers boarded the bus, and we set off on our journey. We reached the Ukrainian-Polish border by about 20:00. There, we were delayed for 6 hours. The line was extremely long. However, the document check itself was quick. As we later found out, this speed came at the expense of the thoroughness of the inspection.

One of the elderly women, as it turned out, had an expired passport. The bus driver later blamed himself but explained that the grandmother had said so much and so many different things during boarding that he simply couldn’t concentrate on checking her passport. He blamed no one but himself. However, questions also arise about the Ukrainian border guard, who also failed to notice that the passport was expired.

In the end, she had to turn back, and the bus driver will now have to pay a 3,000 euro fine, despite his monthly salary being only 1,000 euros.

Our heroic ancestors

Germany. I’ll briefly describe what could be seen from the bus window. We were driving on the autobahn, the quality of which is so flawless that it almost goes without saying—it was perfect. The landscape quickly became monotonous: perfectly flat fields, well-maintained forests and trees, countless windmills of various sizes, and an incredible number of houses and squares with solar panels. Germany has made enormous strides in the field of green energy.

However, it wasn’t just in this area. But somehow, something was missing—like potholes or road imperfections! There was nothing for the eye to latch onto! If only we could have such ease of movement between countries.

Meanwhile, we had quietly crossed into France. We stopped at a Total gas station, where the radio was playing, including some broadcasts in Russian.

The selection of products in the gas station shop was limited: baguettes of various types and sizes, sweets, chips, and drinks. The prices were very high compared to Baku's, and not just compared to Baku.

We had also stopped at a Polish gas station shop. There, the selection was huge—no less than in any good supermarket back home. Prices were one and a half to two times lower than in Kyiv and about 50-60% lower than in Baku. This mostly applied to dairy products, sausages, wine, beer, and even fruits and vegetables. So, the Poles have made a significant economic leap, and those who predict Poland's growing influence in Europe are right.

As we reflected on such thoughts, we entered Paris in the middle of the night. Yes, we didn’t pass through the entire city but along its outskirts. But from the window, we could see the River Seine, the Paris office of Euronews, and much more. Those who expect to see Paris as a city of mesmerizing beauty both day and night may be disappointed. Baku is brighter at night, as surprising as that may sound.

And Spain? Its nature feels personally closer to me than that of Germany or France. The warmth, already up to 20°C, surrounded by mountains, orange groves, and palm trees—it all reminds me of Antalya. The roads are beautiful. Along them, there are posters announcing performances by stars from the 80s and 90s. As we can see, this trend is not only popular in the former USSR.

I’ll write in more detail about life in Spanish cities in future articles. For now, though, I want to pay tribute to our ancestors. They used to embark on conquest campaigns that lasted for several months at times. They set off on trade routes that were equally long or even longer. Not in a bus with air conditioning, a bio-toilet, and fast internet, but on horses and camels. How they managed to endure all of that—I can’t even imagine...