(Alison and I on the pier)
We finally had our first vacation day this last Monday! SO, a bunch of us went to the city of Odessa which lies right on the Black Sea. It is only about a 3-4 hour drive from Kyiv, but we went by night train... It took about ten hours. Though we were told some horrific stories about night trains prior to embarking on our adventure, I was plesantly surprise to see our train was almost up to a decent sanitary standard. The only real sign of filth was the blood smear on Dessie's pillow, which she promptly threw facedown on the floor. Even the bathrooms weren't too bad if you ignored the puddle on the floor.
(me, Lauren, Chantell, Dessie, and Alison on the train)
We arrived early Friday morning and eventually found our hotel, "Готель Юнист" (Gotel Yunist, which constantly reminded us of the girl off of "She's the Man"). We couldn't check in right away so we dropped off our stuff and headed for the beach. It was a way cool walk down to it. There were so many random buildings, structures, bridges, staircases...I can't describe it exactly. We came to the conclusion that it was some sort of exercise training place after happening across some guy boxing with a contraption on a tree, an old guy doing crazy stretches out on the pier where the waves could drench him, and other such oddities.
(Oh, and we found Ariel's perching rock so I couldn't resist)
We were there all of Saturday and Sunday and it was seriously all a blast. I loved it and I love the people I'm here with, as well as the Ukrainians. I couldn't possibly tell of everything we saw and did so I will just post a few of my favorite pictures as well as their explanations for now. When I get home I can share more.
Dessie, me, Chantell just chillin on the beach... having to wear a down jacket at the beach is lame, I know, but even then the Black Sea has been one of my favorite sights so far.
A way tight restaraunt right on the beach. Everything was closed for now...it is still a bit chilly, but Odessa is pretty much the party place of Ukraine during the summer.
The famous steps of Odessa...197 in all! They were made famous by some banned movie because it shows a mom and her child tumbling down them and the mom ends up dying...Anyway, they are also well-noted for their unique architecture. They designed them bigger and wider at the bottom than at the top to make them appear even more dramatic or something. The picture doesn't quite do them justice, but there you go.
I don't know if it is a Ukrainian thing or a European thing but this is a lock bridge and they have one in Kyiv too. Lovers put their names on locks, or time capsuls even, put it on the bridge and then toss the key into the river. I think they take it pretty seriously because a lot of the locks were engraven with messages as well as the lovers' names. I think it's awesome.
Ok. Time for a quick Ukrainian culture 411: Most Ukrainians are quite superstitious. The one superstition that I have been a witness of on several occasions now is that women MUST NOT sit on anything cold or else their ovaries will freeze...and that means no children. If someone, especially a babushka, sees you sitting on cold ground they freak out. Well, we didn't come quite as prepared as the babushka on the left (note the plastick bag upon which she sits...it is the sufficient barrier between her ovaries and the deathly cold.) Anyway, my friend Hilary's shoes got wet so she sat down and took them off to dry a bit. Big mistake! The babushka saw my friend. She started chastising her in Russian and after a minute, the babushka took her shoes that were drying and shoved them underneath Hilary's rear. She promptly resumed her walk and even whacked Chantell with her purse when she unknowingly stopped in the babushka's path to take a picture. I have concluded, due to this experience and several others over the past two months, that babushkas rule Ukraine.
