Odessa, Ukraine

It’s been 2 years since I’ve been here, but I’m still in disbelief.  If I never had friends of Slavic origin, and if I wasn’t dating a woman in Odessa at that time,  I probably would’ve never visited this place or become curious about Eastern Europe in general. But I’m glad that it happened and I consider the place as a ‘jewel.’ It’s too bad that the terrible situation is occurring.  Visiting Ukraine again  (and Russia for the 1st time) are still on my list of travel. Although most of my visit was an extreme test of my Russian-speaking abilities,  I enjoyed the artistic and cultural sites. The 2 photos I’m showing are the famous Odessa Opera House, and the famous Potemkin Steps entering the city from the Black Sea port. There are many facts but here are a few:

-Catherine The Great was one of the city’s founders.

-Duke de Richelieu was the 1st governor (statue of him at the top of Potemkin Steps).

 -Potemkin Stairs named after Grigory Potemkin.

-Has one of the largest seaports in the area.

-Diverse culture and nationalities.  Odessa is known for its large Jewish Diaspora. They speak Russian and Ukrainian,  but they also have their own language. 

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