Blogs from Odessa, Ukraine, Europe
April 9th 2012
Turkey to Odessa, Ukraine We left Malta and continued sailing to Kusadasi, Turkey, the port to go to Ephesus. We docked right in the downtown area and it is an easy walk to shops and restaurants, although the streets are very crowded and the merchants bombard you with merchandise all with a “special price just for you”. We had walked around Ephesus before, so we decided to take a tour to an outlying village of Sirance. Here we walked through the small village and then went to a private home for a typical Turkish lunch. We had to remove our shoes before entering the home. To the right was a living room with TV and chairs. We were directed up some wooden stairs to the next level where they had a bench on all four sides ... read more
September 4th 2011
Apologies for not having updated this for a while, theres no big excuse for anything. So since I last updated we have said goodbye to England for the last time. The ship wont be back in southampton now untill march of next year. We now use Venice, Rome, Istanbul and Athens as our turnaround ports. I do have to say that the port for Athens (Piraeus) is abit of a craphole, so the turnaround day there isnt going to be a highlight. We've also said goodbye to afew friends, Pato, Laura, Alice and Chris have gone either for vacations, college or Uni. Hopefully we'll see them all soon. Anyway, back to whats been going on. The highlights have definatley been Venice and Istanbul for me. We've been to Venice twice so far, one of which was ... read more
June 20th 2011
Picking up where I left off, Jaco, my new Dutch friend who I met in Lviv then later travelled through Kyiv, Chernobyl, and the Crimea region with for the next 11 days of this trip.Since this blog is actually a few months behind, I will be quick just to get some pictures up… And most of this part of the journey was almost-adventures that ended in fumbles and laughter. Kiev is pretty worth-seeing city, but doesn’t beat L’viv’s atmosphere and feel. Did enjoy St Alexsander Street wandering the stalls selling cheap souvenirs and Ukrainian memorabilia. Went out for a fun night of drinking with several people we met, sampling several different beers and bars. First stumble was trying to get to some cave monasteries but somehow missed that metaphorical boat 3 times in one ... read more
February in Odesa, Ukraine...Train Rides, the Sea, and Food!
Published: March 1st 2011Europe » Ukraine » Odessa
March 1st 2011
Imagine the antique trains you can tour and snap pictures of at old historic train station museums...that's the train that we took last weekend from Chisinau, Moldova to Odesa, Ukraine. On the way there we had padded seats, a table for our snacks and coffee, and NO heat. We rode for five hours in our coats, sipping from our thermos of hot coffee and walking the length of our train car to keep feeling in our toes. On the way home three days later, on the same train we had wooden park-bench seats, limited tables, and a raging coal-stoked fire that kept our car at a cozy 85 degrees F. You really never know what you're going to get over here in Eastern Europe, that's why we live by the golden rule: "Always dress in layers"! ... read more
October 5th 2009
Hi Everybody! Things have improved since my last blog. Yesterday was a beautiful day! The rain disappeared and the city warmed up. We were able to spend the day in the Old Town section of Odessa. We walked to the Odessa Opera and Ballet House. Nearby was a cluster of museums - Literature Museum and an Archaeological Museum. There were many monuments and parks in this area. We saw a statue of Catherine the Great, Duke Richelieu, and many more. It was fun just to people watch in the park and promenade areas. One photographer had animals hanging around his neck and his his vest pockets. He was trying to get mothers to have their child's picture made with one of the animals. He had an alligator with the mouth taped shut, a rabbit, and some ... read more
October 3rd 2009
Hi Everybody! Before I talk about the Ukraine, I want to say again how wonderful the people in the Republic of Georgia are. They constantly tried to give us things and do kind things for us. They would throw money back in our purse, hand, pocket, etc. At the hotel, they would bring us fruit, sweets, etc. They would say things like, "I love you!" It was very touching. Georgia and Armenia are two places that I would encourage you to go. There are many wonderful countries in Eastern Europe that I would like to go back to someday. - Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Hungary, and Czech Republic are a few of those. Then, there are places that I am glad we visited, but I would NEVER encourage you to make as travel destinations. I may change ... read more
September 25th 2009
What a palaver! We left Sulina intending to travel up to Chisinau in Moldova. Tourist Information in Tulcea had said we needed to get a bus to Gelati to do so, but this proved troublesome. So, we took the hydrofoil along the Danube from Sulina to Tulcea from where we took the small local bus to Gelati. This took us through rural Northern Romania where the grape harvest has just begun. The narrow country roads were bristling with horses and carts full of baskets of grapes or winter fodder. Getting to Gelati also involves a 15 minute ferry across the River Danube which is not included in your bus ticket. Once across the river we had to negotiate with a taxi to get into the town as there appeared to be no buses. The Lonely Planet ... read more
April 26th 2009
Hello! My name is Darina. I live in Odessa, Ukraine. I adore travelling, no wonder I'm here)) In my 19 years I've visited plenty of countries, mostly in Europe and North America with my parents. this time next week i will have been in Spain!! so I will write something)))... read more
October 27th 2008
Travel tip, don't go to Odessa at end of long journey, or late October when tourist season has waned and it gets dark by six. Be prepared for power outages in some parts of the city, no one eager to speak English, and non-Western toilets. Keep sense of humour and try to impart it on the locals....or not..... Disclaimer: Do not judge any place by my experiences. I'm floating through Eastern Europe on a pilgrimage to see lands from where my grandparents came. I purposely have changed from in-charge professional to one who is floating around, getting lost, finding what I should and musing along the way. Odessa is a strange city; bit of a summer party town, kinda like Miami beach, only in Eastern Europe standards. Don't fly into Odessa at night unless you have ... read more
September 7th 2008
Waiting for the taxi cab larissa called for us took forever, a bit panicky now as we need to get to the bus station on time, drived came and all the time he was driving he was on the cell phone screaming at someone and we almost got into an accident, he got us safe but charges more than the agreed price saying were supposed to pay for the backpacks as well, argued with him but really futile, he wont open the back of the car we cant get our things if we dont pay him, gave him the money and cursed hm as he sped off! Really hate taxi drivers, everwhere in the world theyre the same. Found the platform bought tickets we were given customs form by the driver and we are off, bye ... read more
