Odessa Things to Do

It might seem contrary to the intention of this site to suggest you travel somewhere, to relax in front of the telly, but local tv can provide an insight into a neighbourhood & inform you of what is going on, almost literally on your doorstep. 0dessa has several channels whose content is derived from what is occurring within the city limits, & I found them immensely useful for keeping abreast of local events & helped me settle into my extended stays there. I was living on the corner of Deribasovskaya, opposite Sadova, so it was always a curiosity to tune in, to see the camera crew featuring a newsworthy happening, just around the corner!
You might scoff & say why not go & see such things for yourself, instead of watching them on a tv feed, but during my out-of-season sojourns in 0dessa, I have known torrential rain from dawn-til-dusk, or for it all to be a treacherous, giant skating rink, frozen solid at -8
If you prefer not to suffer such episodes of extremes, a cosy 'kavarteera' (apartment), can become a place for actual study of your locale, even if it does mean sitting in front of the tv. The local channels offer identical news broadcasts, but also concern themselves with issues dear to 0dessites, with recurring themes such as the state of the roads/pavements & subsidence of residential property. If you are researching the culture in which you are vacating, these locally produced channels are an invaluable source of information for where to go for the latest art exhibition, etc...
1 such home-made channel runs regular cameos featuring notable 0dessites who have left their mark on the city, & also period photographs, showing the splendour of the city's architecture when it was still new.
Ukrainian national tv offers nothing notable for the educated viewer, but even daytime dross such as the locally produced version of 'big brother', at least offers a way of listening to the language & immersing yourself in pronunciation skills. The best way to do this is to watch a MTV-esque pop channel, with karaoke-style sub-titling of lyrics, in time to when the words are sung. For serious musical entertainment, the best channel on all Ukrainian tv is 'renome', offering concert footage of some of my all time favourite rock bands, & many other acts I was unaware of before finding this broadcaster. It is ironic, that before staying in 0dessa, I had not seen 'the tribute to George Harrison concert', so it was the only moment I missed home when I saw this moving event on tv there, then again when I returned last time...
0dessa is a place carved out of irony, & though no amount of tv coverage has a chance to capture the essence of its mystery, the city's self-promoting broadcasters do provide a wealth of study for any student of this animated metropolis...

0dessa has been referred to as 'the Paris of the east', & as far as its arts scene is concerned, it should not disappoint, whether you seek a bargain souvenir, or genuine work of art. Do not be deterred by my misgivings elsewhere on here, about the city's arty affectatious - these folk sleep all day & boose & smoke all night, so their creative output is negligible. 0dessa does posess a conspicuous art scene, talented in assorted areas, so if you want any sort of hand-crafted souvenir, you will be spoilt for choice...
The obvious place to find a picture is the transitory art gallery that is set-up daily beside the church of the Resurrection, (that gives its name to Preobrazhanskaya street.) There are a variety of framed works to chose from here, mostly oil paintings on traditional subjects, such as still lives & seascapes, which are rather formulaic, but more idiosyncratic graphic styles are sometimes on show. Prices are aimed at the tourist & incredibly low for originals, & proficient enough in technique...
0dessa, resembling an endless hookey street, offers the souvenir hunter more options than this central plein air gallery, so there are no set guidelines for where to look for something less ordinary, though the main parks are where the local sellers tend to congregate. Private galleries may be found throughout the city down the better streets, & these are the places to look if you want a painting specific to the city & some of its local artists are notable talents. The main city gallery is also worth venturing into, especially if you like 'impressionist era' oil paintings, or stage design sketches created for the city's theatre...
Some of the most interesting ideas for souvenirs are traditional Ukrainian handicrafts, such as textiles & pottery - the traditional Ukrainian costume is very decorative, whether male or female. A 'roobashka' (shirt) with Ukrainian embroidery, is a beautiful thing, whether worn or displayed, & so to is the traditional 'chayneek' (teapot)...

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Odessa's Archaeological Museum was founded in 1825 and is one of the oldest museums in the former Soviet Union. There are artifacts from classical times, when the Greeks settled the region. There is also a collection of Egyptian antiquities, including sarcophagi and mummies, and a large collection of gold and silver coins and ornaments in the Golden Treasury, the highlight of which is a gold two-handed bowl from the period 1500 -1200 BC. Overall, however, I was a bit disappointed with this museum. The rooms were rather shabby and the exhibits were poorly displayed. The museum is housed in an impressive Neo-Classical building.

"Ukraine girls really knock me out, they leave the west behind..."
So sang THE BEATLES - so who am I to disagree?
Their observation is maybe more pertinent then ever, since the country has separated from the U.S.S.R. & become a centre of the male-interest tourist trade, of which, 0dessa might be considered the capital. The city has always been regarded as the Ibiza of the Black Sea - a 24/7 party city even in the Soviet era, catering to those desiring passing liasions. If like me, you do not indulge in club-culture & begrudge spending on your entertainment, 0dessa might seem the wrong resort to chose, but you can be a 'dyevooshkee' observer & not be brash about it...
0n all but the coldest mid-winter days, when I seem to be there, local girls abound in high heels, skirts like headbands, the hem just kissing the lacy tops of their hold-up stockings. When I originally visited in August, the intense, sweaty heat made the street scene even more risque! A local fashion fondness is for petal thin, white dresses or jeans, with lacy, obligatory thong, gasping for air, beneath...
For only 5 kopeek, you can take a tram or trolleybus to the end of the line - just get on board & wait patiently in an aisle seat - sooner or later, a transitory female passenger will walk by in such attire, not caring to sitdown between stops. Chances are, she might obligingly stand beside you while the vehicle judders over cobbled highways, jostling her pert buttocks in your face, barely concealed by lace & see-through micro-skirt...
0dessa has oft made me feel like Kafka in Prague, but at times like this...I smile - who needs lapdancing clubs?

Bribery and creativity are deeply rooted in Odesa's history and are officially acknowledged in the monument to an Orange, a fruit which had predetermined the destiny of Odesa and helped its development into a prosperous port city.

in 1794, Catherine II signed a decree to allocate money for building a sea port in Odesa, but her death has altered the initial plans. Her son and successor, Pavel I, who hated his mother and everything associated with her, decided to abolish the decree, explaining that by budget deficit. the city, which by the time was inhabited by 12,000 people was on a brim of a collapse. the help came from the former governor Jose De Ribas, who advised Odesa's merchants to offer the Emperor a present - oranges, fruits exotic and unavailable in Russia and loved by Pavel. Carriages, with 3,000 Greek oranges, each wrapped into a paper with a reason why Odesa was a good place to build a port, was expedited to St. Petersburg by guards.

the next day upon receiving such a generous present, the appreciative Emperor renewed the decree and granted the city 250,000 rubles for building the port. In 2004, the monument that depicts a 3/4 of an orange, carried by horses and a cart to St. Peteresburg. in 1/4, Pavel I holds his beloved fruit.

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The northern part of the Primoskiy Boulevard ends with the Vorontsov Palace, the former residence of Odesa's general governor, Mikhail Vorontsov. Built between 1824 -1827, it bacame the signature building of Odesa's chief architect Francesco Carlo Boffo (also built the Potemkin Stairs, the City Council). Built on the cliff, the palace replaced on the former Turkish fortress, Yeni Dünya (The New World). the palace was severely damaged during the Russian-Turkish War (1854-57). After learning about it, the governor send just one request - to secure his library. in the Soviet time, the palace was given to pioneers to their after school activities. our attempts to explore the interior was stopped by a very serious babushka, who said that no adults sre allowed because they 'have kids there.'

what you can and should explore is the adjacent bellevedere colonnade built the governor so he could learn his news. this was the place where Vorontsov used to have his morning tea with his wife. from this strategic point, by observing the port, he was first to learn what ships have arrived and what cargo has been unloaded well before these news were to reach him with official papers.

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the one-wall house, the flat house, the witch's house are the names granted to the unusual house in Vorontsov Lane (Vorontsovsky Pereulok).

from the first sight, it's just another old house of the turn of the XX century, but if you view it from the certain angle, you will see only the front wall. the natural question arises: "how is this possible, and how can people live here?" may be it's hard to believe that they indeed do, but flower pots on balconies and air conditioners confirm that.

the trick is that the building has a triangular shape, where the back wall is attached to the front one. I have read that people, building the house, lacked funds for a four-wall house. while according to the Polish guide who passed with the group, the shape of the house repeats the shape of a land plot which was cut under 45 degree angle, a typical for that time. if the house was smaller it would have rectangular shape. But people wanted to maximize the use of land, thus creating a house which continues amazing guests and residents of Odesa.

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Odesa Opera Theatre, along with the monument to Richelieu and Potemkin steps, is an undisputable city hallmark and an architectural gem. The current building dates to October 1, 1887, and it replaced the first opera and drama theatre, which had burnt to ashes in 1873.

The new theatre was commissioned to a well-known Viennese architect duo - Hermann Helmer and Ferdinand Fellner, whose theatre buildings adorn Vienna, Budapest, Dresden, Prague and Zagreb and the Ukrainian city of Chernivtsi.

The façade is built according to the Viennese baroque style, the interior, truly impressive (one which would make happy French king Louis XVI :) in rococo style. The five-level hall can seat 1,560 people.

The theatre has finally opened its doors September 2007, after more than a decade of reconstruction.

in summer time, don't miss chilling out in the tree shade and sipping coffee in the cafe of Palais Royal, a cozy park to the left of the Opera.