Things have been, surprisingly, rather free from catastrophe as of late. But there will be much less to say after this email ā Iām packing it in and heading home early. Plans for the Czech Republic and Italy have been abandoned and Poland had to be curtailed.
The first bombs fell about 10 pm. Their arrival was no surprise ā journalists left the city two days prior. Residents gathered in Cold War-era shelters as the air raid sirens wailed and radio reports warned of the need for gas masks. The state-run television station blinked out. Explosions erupted around the city and the lights went black.