The not so stolen bike
... or the story about the Ukrainian mafia
There are a lot of stories about the Ukrainian Mafia. I have met the true Ukrainian mafia!
The story is like this. If you look at the picture below you see Margareta'a back wheel on arrival in Crimea. It just didn't look good. and I realised I needed to fix a new wheel. I was staying in Bakchisarai but there was no bicycle shop there, so I had to go to Sevastopol by bus. I left my bicycle outside a cafe. I "told" the manager that I would come back in the evening. I managed to by a new wheel in Sevastopol, even if I realised when I came back that it was one inch to small...
Come evening and I realise that the bicycle is gone!!!!????? Everybody had told me I couldn't leave it outside, and it has stayed with me in my room, in hotel lobbies, once even in the kitchen of a pension. And it is true I have never seen a bicycle parked outside. Anyway it was dark and late and not much to do about it, so I went to bed. Next morning I went down again (the hotel was like a 15 minutes climb up the hill and I then saw my bike inside the cafe - I had almost expected that. Of course it was closed and no opening hours posted, so I just had to hang around. After an hour or so, the manager comes and I thanked her for taking care of my bicycle, and she laughead and said (remember that I don't really speak the language) and signed that I should give her a kiss on the cheek and pay her a bottle of Crimean champagne from her own bar. I felt it was almost a joke but obeyed and got my bicycle back. So now you understand how dangerous the Ukrainian mafia is and I here show you the picture of the GodMother (the cafe manager).
Jokes aside, there is perhaps a Ukrainian mafia, but I don't think tourists hjave anything to fear from that mafia. They are inte robbing their country or big companies and not mugging tourists in the streat.
There are a lot of stories about the Ukrainian Mafia. I have met the true Ukrainian mafia!
The story is like this. If you look at the picture below you see Margareta'a back wheel on arrival in Crimea. It just didn't look good. and I realised I needed to fix a new wheel. I was staying in Bakchisarai but there was no bicycle shop there, so I had to go to Sevastopol by bus. I left my bicycle outside a cafe. I "told" the manager that I would come back in the evening. I managed to by a new wheel in Sevastopol, even if I realised when I came back that it was one inch to small...
Come evening and I realise that the bicycle is gone!!!!????? Everybody had told me I couldn't leave it outside, and it has stayed with me in my room, in hotel lobbies, once even in the kitchen of a pension. And it is true I have never seen a bicycle parked outside. Anyway it was dark and late and not much to do about it, so I went to bed. Next morning I went down again (the hotel was like a 15 minutes climb up the hill and I then saw my bike inside the cafe - I had almost expected that. Of course it was closed and no opening hours posted, so I just had to hang around. After an hour or so, the manager comes and I thanked her for taking care of my bicycle, and she laughead and said (remember that I don't really speak the language) and signed that I should give her a kiss on the cheek and pay her a bottle of Crimean champagne from her own bar. I felt it was almost a joke but obeyed and got my bicycle back. So now you understand how dangerous the Ukrainian mafia is and I here show you the picture of the GodMother (the cafe manager).
Jokes aside, there is perhaps a Ukrainian mafia, but I don't think tourists hjave anything to fear from that mafia. They are inte robbing their country or big companies and not mugging tourists in the streat.
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