Odessa, Ukraine

I woke up around 09:00 today, showered, got ready, and eventually left the hostel at 11:05. I then walked across “Mother-in-law’s bridge” to Voronstov Palace and its colonnade, which were built between 1827 and 1830 AD by the Sardinian-born architect Francesco Boffo for Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov, one of the governor-generals of the Odessa region. I then walked along Primorsky Boulevard, past the Potemkin Stairs, the city hall, and on to Shevchenko Park. At the park, I walked to the “Old Fortress,” which consists of a rebuilt wall and one canon, but it does have a nice view of the seaport. I walked through the park, past the soccer stadium, past an obelisk monument, and onward to Lanzheron Beach, which naturally had no bathers since it was very cold and windy [NOTE: if visiting Odessa, come in July or August]. I walked through the sand on the beach and south to Otrada Beach, Dolphin Beach, Chkalovski Beach, and finally Arcadia Beach; each beach had some tourists viewing the Black Sea in their heavy winter coats and some had bars and restaurants open, waiting for patrons. At Arcadia Beach, I turned west and walked to French Boulevard; once at the boulevard, I followed it north to the Odessa Film Studio, which houses the Museum of the Cinema. I entered inside the film studio and asked the security guard where to purchase a ticket to the museum; the security guard (speaking only in Ukrainian) explained to me that I need to call the studio in advance and schedule a tour . . . so much for seeing this museum; I’ll add it to the list of Odessa museums that I had hoped to visit. Disappointed, I continued northward on French Boulevard and then turned west to the Odessa Railway Station. Before entering the railway station, my stomach demanded food, so I ate at the nearby McDonalds (to help make up for the incredibly expensive meal I had yesterday); I had a double cheeseburger, French fries, and a coke (all costing me 52 hryvnia or $2.24 USD – pretty damn cheap). After eating, I walked to the railway station to buy tickets; I waited for some time in one ticket line, only to be met by a lazy worker who spoke no English and wouldn’t even try to understand words like “Kiev” nor look at my iPhone where I had typed “26” for the day (in other countries, simple communication methods like these have worked when confronted with an individual with an open mind); I was then sent to another window, only to be told to go somewhere else again; finally, I ended up inside some sort of VIP room where I was finally able to purchase the train ticket I wanted from another worker who spoke no English, but was willing to work with me. With ticket in hand, I walked north to the Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater where I managed to purchase a ticket for a ballet performance scheduled for tomorrow at 18:30. I then walked to a market and bought some food and a bottle of wine and a beer. I then returned to the hostel, found the resident cat sleeping on my bed, grabbed my laptop, went through the photos I took today on my laptop, and munched on some salami, cheese, pistachios, white chocolate infused with coconut, and a fried liver given to me by one of the other guests. I also enjoyed the bottle of Ukrainian Russian Muscat wine that was produced in the Crimea; it tasted fine, like the bottle of Muscat I had had the day prior – like nectar and flowers with hints of citrus, very sweet, but enjoyable. After finishing the food and the bottle of wine, I had a beer as an extra nightcap and then went to sleep.