Adventures in Wandaland: Odessa, Ukraine

Odessa was founded by decree from Empress Catherine the Great in 1794. Prior to that, it was a small settlement founded by the Khan of Crimea in 1440, passed into the domain of the Ottoman Sultan in 1529, and then became part of Russia after the Russo-Turkish War. It has a lovely port that allows for cruise ships to pull right up to the dock, so no tender! Duc de Richelieu served as the city's governor from 1803-1814 and is credited with its growth and success. He fled the French Revolution and served in Catherine's army against the Turks.

The famous Potemkin Steps lead from the dock to the main part of town.

Looking back at the cruise ship from the top of the steps.

Formerly known as the Richelieu Steps, they were immortalized in the 1925 silent film Battleship Potemkin. The movie was ground breaking in its use of quick cuts, switching back and forth between broad scenes and close-ups, and other cinematic techniques. It dramatized the mutiny that occurred in 1905 when the crew of the Russian battleship Potemkin rebelled against their officers of the Tsarist regime. The film depicts the slaughter of Odessa citizens on the steps. The massacre actually took place in the streets nearby, but that hasn't stopped tourists from coming to see the steps.

Or guys in dog suits.

Why??

The stairs comprise of 192 steps, with 9 larger platforms interspersed. When one stands at the bottom of the steps, none of the larger platforms are visible. When one stands at the top of the steps, only the platforms are visible.

At the top of the steps is a statue of Duc de Richelieu.

From there, to the right and left are tree covered walk ways with benches for sitting and enjoying the view.

The city of Odessa looks very European in its architecture. In the city center is a statue of Catherine the Great, with lovely pastel painted buildings.

The shipped was docked in Odessa overnight, so we had almost 2 full days there. Our first morning we took a walking tour with a young guide named Anastasia.

She took us to the Vorontsov Palace (same aristocrat family that had a palace in Yalta),

across a bridge with locks signifying a couple's commitment to each other (Jeff tells me that this is popular in Paris as well),

and pointed out Tolstoy's house as well as other beautiful buildings.

We walked by the Opera House and saw where we would be seeing the ballet "Tales of the Vienna Woods" featuring music from Strauss and Mahler later that night. (It was wonderful, we had third row seats, and I wished I had taken my camera to get pictures of the inside!)

The following day, we met up with Anastasia again with another couple from the ship we had met on the previous day's walk and visited the Odessa Catacombs. The catacombs are made up of 1800 miles of tunnels extending throughout the greater Odessa area. Originally, the tunnels were a result of mining for limestone for the houses in Odessa. Later they were used by smugglers and during WWII Soviet partisans used them to wreak havoc on the Nazi occupiers. We saw an office, infirmary, school room, and many other rooms.