Odessa Ukraine
22 Mar
The lovely enigmatic city, the place where they worship dill and virtually no one speaks English…
First things first- transportation.
There is really no public transportation to speak of that is reliable or convenient. A ride in a street car is a lovely, nostalgic feat, but you won’t get very far- there are no maps on bus, trolley bus or tramvai (street car) stops, and it is increasingly difficult to figure out the route and the final destination of any of the above.
Babushka selling sunflower seeds- Ukrainian's favorite snack on Pushkinskaya street
Taxis are really your best bet, they are relatively inexpensive, you can hail one anywhere at virtually any hour. There are some things you should know: If you are a foreigner, the taxi drivers will literally charge you not only double or triple, but sometimes quadruple the rate. Taxis in Odessa are usually Soviet era old cars, they are quite charming, but sometimes it feels as if one is about to fall apart (don’t worry, it won’t). In fact, there are not many taxis to speak of- more often than not it’s a privately owned and operated car- or “chastniki” not regulated by anyone.
So when you are looking for a taxi- hail on the street, and a car will eventually stop- not a taxi, but just any ol’ car. Locals usually name their price before getting into a taxi, so it goes something like this- ” Fontan- 20 grivna” or if it happens that the driver names a price, you kinda smile with that “c’mon, I know you are messing with me” grin, and tell them you’ll pay about half of whatever they are asking. So if they say 40, you say- no, 20. You haggle and settle on 30. While you are in the taxi and someone else hails it, the driver might stop and pick up another fare- he will most likely not be asking you if it’s ok with you 
Odessa is a pretty young city- at least the parts that you will get to see. The center has a bit of university town vibe- very green, with lots of little squares and cafes everywhere. The city center is great, with plenty to do. You will see a lot of attractive young people congregating everywhere- laughing, reading, sipping coffee or hanging out in McDonald’s.
There are cobblestone streets in most of the center of the city, and all the young girls wear high heels… the heels of course get ruined quite quickly on the cobble stone, so a part of the soundtrack of your Odessa visit will be the cute noise of the exposed metal of the young ladies’ shoes knocking on the sidewalks- klock klock klock….
You will not see many large high rises, and the architecture in the center is mostly in the old world style, with a lot of French and Italian influences. A lot of restoration is taking place everywhere in Odessa- the city is trying to preserve the antique buildings and spruce up their facades. The newly restored buildings look fresh and almost sparkle, but the ones that haven’t been touched are my personal favorites, they have retained their old world charm, complete with the peeling paint, and babushkas sitting in the old dvoriki and gossiping about what once was…..
The main street is Deribasovskaya- lots of shops, cafes, malls, street vendors selling art and souvenirs. Definitely stroll down this lovely street…
On the rooftop at a restaurant in a mall on DEribasovkaya- gorgeous view!
A lot of the city’s attractions are concentrated in the center, around the same area. Odessit’s favorites are Primorski Boulevard, on which one must visit the statue Duke De Richelieu which is the representation of Odessa- Odessa’s mascot so to say. Duke was a beloved mayor of Odessa, and has brought culture and prosperity to the city. Right below the Duke is the magnificent “Potymskinskaya stairs” which are beautiful, grandiose and impressive, and excellent for some good hard exercise. You can walk down the stairs to Odessa port, which is a bit anticlimactic, and is not particularly interesting. If you dare walk up the Potyomskinskaya stairs back to Primorski Boulevard it should certainly fill all your fitness needs for the day, but there is another option for the cardio challenged- escalator will take you back up. Right around Primorski Boulevard there is the newly restored Opera house- the city has been working on restoring the theater for a dozen years, and it is now open to the public. It is absolutely beautiful inside and out- so if you have the opportunity to see a ballet or an opera, in the Opera Theater, certainly do so.
At the end of Primorsky Boulevard lays one of the most charming spots in Odessa -Tyoschin Most- “The bridge of the mother in law” It is near the Wedding Palace. Newlyweds get padlocks inscribed with their names, or just scrabble their names on a padlock – it goes something like “Masha and Misha forever”. They lock the padlock on the railings of the bridge, and throw the keys in the water below…this act should symbolically solidify their union forever. I absolutely adore Tyoschin bridge, it has heard so many love stories, has witnessed so many unions being forged, so much young love, hope and endless possibilities. It has a very special aura about it.
At the end of Tyoschin bridge is an absolutely delightful park where you can have a bit of well deserved rest after walking around for the whole day….
Part two coming along soon- all about food…
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