The Zaporizhzhya-Kiev train leaves the main railway station, and I load into one of the parlor cars. I am going on another trip, this time to the Republic of Belarus, to a soccer match between Belarus and Ukraine as part of the selection for the 2016 World Cup.

I arrive in Kiev very early. I want to pass some time, so I go to Syrets station, where I find Syrets Arboretum and walk around it for a while. The weather is getting better, the sun is getting hotter.

I go to the center, where I eat in a pusataya hut, and then, to the bus to Chernihiv. However, I do something incredibly – amazingly stupid and get the wrong branch. I get off at Kharkovskaya. I can get to the station I need by bus and it takes about 40 minutes more. These 40 minutes will still play their role.