We think that a couple parts on our bike need replacing so we stopped at a motorcycle shop to see if we could find them or if they knew of an auto parts store to search at. The guys that worked there ranged from 17-22 years old..that made me feel old after hitting 30 this year, haha! They didn’t have the part nor found the part at a local auto shop. Thankfully the parts are not fully broken so we can ride fine (for now).

We ended up going to lunch with the guys we met at the moto shop. We Google translated our conversation to get to know each other. They asked about our trip, how old we are, what we thought of Russia, and if we thought their town was ghetto. We asked about their families, their life in Russia, the military, and what they thought of the war. I thought there was a massive draft for men (so I was questioning why are these four guys here?) but it sounds like they only have to serve 1 year active duty in the military. Some of the guys already had been drafted and served their year.

For lunch, I had borscht (soup), some beef, and kasha (buckwheat side dish). Austin had potatoes, meat, and a couple of pastries that had meat and onions in them. These are common foods for Eastern Europe, specifically the ex-Soviet countries. We actually had similar food when we volunteered in Romania with the refugee group. The volunteer organization would make Ukrainian food for the Ukrainian refugees so we were familiar with some of the dishes.