Odessa to Athens Odessa was very cold. I think someone said it was in the low thirties. Luckily, we had decided to go to the ballet, so we were not too cold even though the building was not very warm. The ballet was really very good and we enjoyed it. The city itself is about one step up from Constanta, Romania. The Potemkin steps are quite a sight as an entrance to the city from the port. The buildings are beautiful, but need cleaning and some repair. However, it is wealthier than Constanta although both are large sea ports on the Black Sea. Odessa is larger. From there we cruised through the Dardanelles, a beautiful, narrow strait leading to the Bosporus and past Istanbul, in the daylight. We then reentered the Mediterranean Sea and headed to
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