Finally, Ukrainian Tourism

You’ve probably noticed that since arriving in Ukraine, Peder and I have engaged in virtually no sightseeing whatsoever. That’s because we arrived on a Friday – in Odesa, a city renowned throughout the region for its unique people and bubbling nightlife. With only 24 hours in a day, it isn’t easy to stay out socializing until morning and still find time to sleep and see the sights – all in time for the following night out.

But now that the weekend had come and gone, in a much-needed break for our livers the time had finally come to sample a few of Odesa’s touristic offerings.

In my usual style, the following will be a mainly photo-driven post – just to give a taste of the city’s more well-known landmarks.

We began with a leisurely stroll down Deribasovskaya Street, which I have to admit wasn’t nearly as interesting early in the day when its most tantalizing scenery – the people – were nowhere to be seen.

We continued past Odesa’s “architectural jewel,” its 19th century operahouse

And towards its most famous attraction, the Potemkin Steps, immortalized by the award-winning 1925 propaganda film Battleship Potemkin.

Overlooking the steps stands an image of Odesa’s first governor

Which also marks the start of the pleasantly tree-lined Bul Prymorsky, a pedestrian zone that seems to turn into the city’s de facto date spot when dusk rolls around.

A bit farther down is City Hall, originally the stock exchange and later the regional Soviet Headquarters.

The statue in the foreground is The Pushkin Statue, which, according to Lonely Planet, is Odesa’s most photographed monument.

We wrapped up our day at Pryvoz Market, the largest open-air farmers market in the former Soviet Union – although by the time we arrived it was already quite late so most of its many sections were already beginning to close.

See? And I bet you thought we’d be leaving Odesa after nothing more than five days of nonstop partying.

Nope, more tourism to follow tomorrow 🙂