Blogs from Odessa, Ukraine, Europe - page 2

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Europe » Ukraine » Odessa May 3rd 2013

By the time we awoke at 08:30 we had already docked in Odessa. The temperature was already in the high 60s. It was going to be another scorcher. I don't know much about Odessa other than Michael Caine was involved with some files in the midst of the Cold War!! Odessa was founded in the late 1700s by Catherine the Great after 4 foreigners in Russian Service met by chance on a Russian Military vessel. One of these men, the Duc de Richelieu convinced the Russian Empress to found the city. His statue now stands proudly at the top of the Potemkin steps, the 192-step staircase that runs from the port of Odessa up to the city. Having researched the places we would be visiting prior to our trip, we had decided that today was a ... read more
Roisin made it to the top of Potemkin Steps
The back streets of Odessa
Pivo & Viski anyone? Scottish Pub in Odessa

Europe » Ukraine » Odessa July 13th 2012

When waking up we didn't have any plan for where to go today. We had been considering three alternatives, to go to the beach of Zatoka, to take the train to Crimea or to travel towards Kiev. So we packed our things, checked out and went to a nearby café to research our alternatives. Both the Zatoka and the Crimea alternatives felt as we would then be in a hurry for the rest of the vacation, so we decided to go to Kiev and have a little looser schedule. The train to Kiev was to leave at 7:11 PM, so we didn't have any hurry. We also had our luggage with us, so we didn't feel like sightseeing. We sat at our breakfast café using the WIFI until 1 PM, then we walked to the train ... read more
Last view of Odessa

Europe » Ukraine » Odessa July 11th 2012

After a hot night on an too small bed we were both tired when we woke up. After drinking some morning coffee we realized that we didn't have very much time left. We also didn't have almost any Transdnistrian roubles on us so our only options were to either walk or take a Marschrutka to the train station. We were lucky, the correct minibus appared at the bus stop just when we got there, so after buying tickets at the station we still had 15 minutes to go. The trip to Odessa went very smoothly. We had an Ukrainan border guard stamp us in at the train and most of the time there was plenty of space. When arriving to Odessa we quickly found an old gentleman renting rooms and started our journey to our room. ... read more
The city after the rain
The Odessa stairs
A heart covered with love locks

Europe » Ukraine » Odessa June 9th 2012

Geo: 46.4693, 30.7356We knew it was going to happen, we postponed our departure from the hotel in yalta as long as possible, last minute swim, last coffee, but finally we went off and caught the bus for the two hour ride to Simferopol station. I'll even own up to solving the problem of what and when to eat before a train leaving at 5pm by having a macdonalds! To top it all Liz has come down with a heavy cold and didn't expect to sleep on the train either! And she didn't. But it made no difference, nothing we could do would alter the fact that the train pulled into Odessa station (admittedly a rather wonderful station) at 5am. We cheekily tried our hotel who were rather taken aback but couldn't find a room for us ... read more
Thats the one ,with no engine
The Odessa opera House ,at 6am
The potemkin steps

Europe » Ukraine » Odessa 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

Europe » Ukraine » Odessa 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

Europe » Ukraine » Odessa 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
Flower Clock
Water ball statue
Puzzle buildings

Europe » 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
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Europe » Ukraine » Odessa 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
Odessa Opera House
Shop Owner in Odessa
Grand Prix Cafe

Europe » Ukraine » Odessa 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
Building in Odessa
Eyesore Building
Street in Odessa




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