Hi there, it's Lale.

We just won a bronze Lowell Thomas Award for Travel Audio, courtesy of the Society of American Travel Writers.

It's honoring an episode we ran just before the holidays last year, an immersive journey into Ukraine's flourishing rave scene,

and the sense of community and catharsis it's been generating during the challenges of war.

I'm really proud of it

and so is the whole team. So here it is again. We hope you enjoy it.

Hi, I'm Lale-Aric Oglu and welcome to Women Who Travel, a podcast from Condé Nas Traveler.

In turbulent times, parties can be a necessary vehicle for letting off steam,

distraction and finding joy.

Something that's particularly true in Ukraine right now.

Take the capital Kiev, where its rave culture, already established before the invasion,

has become a surprising and vital part of city life in times of war.

It's inevitably changed, and ravers have had to make compromises. But the scene remains as vibrant as ever.

You are on adrenaline all the time.

And then you get to a point where that adrenaline inevitably drops

and now you have to live.

But there's nothing left to live for it

because all the little things disappear

had disappeared during the first month

of the war. So now you have to get them back and reinstate them and open some bars and open

some restaurants and give those little joys back to people.

I think in the party scene, you can see a lot of how the society develops.

...