Blogs from Odessa, Ukraine, Europe

We arrived at Odessa Station early in the morning. We headed over to the Left Luggage Office and dropped our bags off there. I can't remember how much it was, but I presume it was pretty inexpensive. We had a couple of hours to kill before our tour started, so most of us headed over to the McDonald's just across the square. We had to navigate through what felt like an underground maze to get there. My tired, hungover brain just couldn't figure it out. I hadn't really slept on the train and had hoped that by drinking alcohol I would pass out, well it only worked for about 30 minutes and I had spent the rest of the train journey awake. Some food, free wifi, washing my face and brushing my teeth did help and ... read more

Vyspaty smer ranajky puzata huta v obchodnom dome Pandora. Otvarali az o 9/00, tak vonku pred obchodakom sedenie na lavicke pol hodinku a nasavanie konecne slnecnych lucov. Dnes to vyzera na slnecny teply den, konecne. V restike opat tacka a strasne ale strasne pomala obsluha. Uz vcera na fajeront som tu bol rozcarovany zo zamestnancov, tak reku uz koncia, unaveny. Ale dnes tak isto, zlaty kyjev. Pesi 30.min presun na zastavku elektricky c.18, ktora odchadza z Kulykovho pola blizko zel.stanici. Na uliciach dost deti v uniformach (namornici,vojaci, policajti,hasici), zrejme prvy den skoly i ked je dnes 31 augusta. Elektricka totalne plna. Par ludi co si kupovalo listok, dali predajkyne len peniaze a listok si nezobrali, pri konci jazdy zasa niektory ludia nechali predajkyne listky na jej sedacke. Zvacsa sedava na pravej strane na poslednej sedacke, to ... read more

Perhaps I've lived a sheltered life, as I can honestly say I've never experienced anywhere like Odessa. It's important to stress I'm not being negative about Ukraine, as travel adventures drive personal growth. After all, it's travel that reminds us we're inextricably linked by a shared existence on this wonderful planet, and the unique cultures and interactions are to be treasured. To be honest I'm amazed to be even posting from Odessa, as the beautiful city wasn't part of my itinerary during the planning stages for this trip. However, after spending a long period in the big Eastern European capitals of Moscow and Kiev, I was craving the opportunity to get to the coast and have a swim in the ocean. So a quick shout out to Lviv, despite all I've heard from other travellers about ... read more

So we've been in Odessa for about five months now. We arrived to deep snow and a frozen sea, and now the sun has most definitely got his hat on, the beach bars and restaurants are open and buzzing and the city centre is packed with street bars. The situation the east of Ukraine remains violent with constant deadly clashes between the separatists and the government troops, but bar the tragic events of 2nd May, Odessa remains peaceful. Locals here of both sides seem genuinely horrified by what happened on 2nd May and just want to get on with enjoying the summer. But this is not to be a blog about politics. Not because we feel it is not important, but because it is not part of our day to day life here. We follow the ... read more

Yalta, Savastopol and Odessa Ukraine The weather cleared considerably during the night and we arrived in Yalta on a clear autumn morning. This was the start of a three port visit to Ukraine. Yalta is a beautiful small city built at the base of imposing, cloud capped mountains. It had long been a destination for Russians and Ukrainians seeking a warm climate and beautiful beaches. It has the feel of a resort which is what it has been for centuries. The Russian nobility came here often to take “the cure” at spas along the coast. During the Soviet time the proletariat were sent here for vacations at the huge sanatoria near the beach. Here the working class was supposed to be entertained and pampered in return for their devotion to the Soviet Communist system. ... read more