Rating 5.0 | Blablacar stories. №5

Cold December morning in Lviv… I already know that Lviv traffic jams are more severe than in Kyiv - so I decided to leave for Kyiv at six in the morning. One of the passengers cancels the trip, and the other one (who booked 2 seats) - does not answer calls. That's why I already understand that it's better to put "confirm" in Blablacar trip settings. Because I wouldn't confirm him, there was no photo in the profile, but there is also little time left before leaving - so I took a risk. When there are already passengers (even if they are "fake" passengers) - you can no longer change the time and details of the trip. That's why I'm leaving, but on the way out of Lviv the first passenger calls me and asks if I'm still in Lviv.

I stop at OKKO on Bohdan Khmelnytsky 292. I check the GPS - it's a 20-minute drive to the train station. No, I will not go. It's 20 minutes there, and back - the number of cars on the road may increase… And the passenger is uncertain where is the guarantee that his plans will not change again. So I say - I'm waiting for you here, if you come - then we'll go to Kyiv. He could not call a taxi for a long time, so I advised him Uklon. As I later learned, this trip cost him 190 hryvnias. Well - and I left from Gorodotska street - if he decided immediately, it won't be a problem for me to stop at the train station nearby. That's it, a small nuance, maybe someone traveling by Blablacar will need it.

And, so it's you, - he says on the way, opening my profile on Blablacar, - you listen to French music, you speak Deutsch, that's what I need to learn, I'm just from there.

And here I recall that I indicated the list of languages ​​in the profile - because I planned to use Blablakar abroad. On that trip, I decided it was time. Because there is never an optimal time - and I was thinking of going to Italy. But already near Lviv, a passenger told me that Italy was closed. I looked up - and really rules changed recently. That's why - another time, and I didn't stay in Lviv too long.

Artem is returning from Poland, where he works as a truck driver. First, we just talk about travel, he tells about the cities he visited in Europe.

• I really liked Basel. We walked in Frankfurt, joined the tour. I just didn't like that near the river - I see two old homodrilles holding hands. When they are young, it can still be funny, but two old faggots - fuuuu, disgusting.

• Yes, they sometimes come here to hold marches, the whole grant industry is around it.

• Let them do what they want there, but they don't need to impose this shit…, - sums up Artem.

In fact, some, and perhaps even some of my readers, want to be "very progressive", posting LGBT badges, rainbow avatars, looking for sexism and discrimination in small things, but the vast majority of Ukrainians are conservatives like Artem.

• France is a cool country. Lots of parking, free souls, but the most dangerous country, a lot of Papuans there!

And further, tells the case of how he was almost robbed. At night, most robberies happen at three or four in the morning. He wakes up and hears that something is rustling - he sees, the door is open and someone starts rummaging in the cabin. He said something, and the robber disappeared. He didn't even have time to steal anything, he just dropped the pants on the street. And in such cases it is better to do nothing. There are usually a lot of robbers, there were cases when driveres were were killed. Why heroism, if the truck and all property are insured?

We talk a lot about travel, different European countries. But trucking is not the same as driving a car. In fact, there is even a phrase that you can drive all over Europe on highways and see nothing. That's why the list of cities that Artem explored is not so big - because parking is usually is at a distance from the cities, and there is not much free time left.

We are also talking about Ukraine. He goes to Zaporizhzhia because he is from there. He is worried if we arrive before the time of his train, but it's ok - we make it.

• And do you put this music to foreigners too? - he asks when the track of the band "DahaBrakha" band is playing.

• Yes, of course, this group by the way is very popular abroad. This is exactly what should be put. And what to put them, "Vladimirsky Central"? What do you listen to?

• And why do you think I listen to such shit? - he is a bit offended

And then he finds his music - puts it on. That's electronic music, in general not bad. But we do not immerse ourselves in it - we just communicate more.

After Rivne and Goshcha, where two more passengers were taken, we communicate less. And I really think about the fact that when you go with someone alone (and it does not matter who it is, man or woman) - the conversation is better than when there are more passengers in the car.

I stop at the WOG gas station, where I take coffee and a sandwich. Artem has already got a hot kettle somewhere - because the glasswasher is frozen and the window is very dirty. He made an effort to fix it, unfortunately, it doesn't help.

• Oh, Frenchman - go knock on his window, talk to him

And I really see that there is a car at the gas station - and there sleeps a Frenchman in an embroidered shirt. He sleeps with his mouth open. We arrived - he wasn't there yet, so he arrived when I was ordering coffee. There is no one in the car except him - you can only see that the jacket is hanging on the side. I wonder if he went for two days or how long. For 10 minutes we were standing there - he did not wake up and of course, we did not wake him.

I drop everyone off at the Zhytomyrska metro station in Kyiv. I will drive near the train station, but in such weather - it will be faster on the subway. Returning to Kyiv almost always brings joy, a feeling of euphoria. Even when I was away for a couple of days. Maybe it's not so important where to go - the main thing is that it's nice to come back…