Keep Calm and Carry On
Street Art?
Not sure whether to file this one under 'Street Art' or 'Late Capitalism' or 'Nature Healing Itself', but it's beautiful regardless. Also feels like if you stare at it long enough the face of Jesus or Taylor Swift or some other otherworldly deity will appear. Mother Theresa, maybe?
Anyway, if the building isn't already a Protected Monument of Cultural Significance, it really should be - and it's just half a block from one of the main UN offices here, so presumably that would make doing the paperwork easier....
Gained in Translation
Coming across things that have got lost in translation is quite common when you travel. But here's an example of the much less common corollary of something being gained in translation: An alcohol shop called Alko Food. Perhaps a bit on the nose, but still highly amusing....
Don't Even Ask
Coming across things that have got lost in translation is quite common when you travel. But here's an example of the much less common corollary of something being gained in translation: An alcohol shop called Alko Food. Perhaps a bit on the nose, but still highly amusing....
Friday night summer vibes….
From Wikipedia:
“The GAZ-24 "Volga" is a car manufactured by the Gorky Automobile Plant (Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod, GAZ) from 1970 to 1985 as a generation of its Volga marque. A largely redesigned version (practically, a new car in a modified old body) – GAZ-24-10 – was produced from 1985 to 1992. The Belgian-assembled rebadged models were sold as Scaldia-Volga M24 and M24D for the Western European market.”
Vehicular Déjà Vu
This photo was taken five years almost to the day earlier than the previously posted one, but in Minsk rather than Odesa. The building in the back is where that lone wolf Lee Harvey Oswald lived for like two years, just before returning to the US and randomly deciding he'd shoot JFK one day.
Arrrrrgh!
An homage to Odesa's long, storied history as a cosmopolitan port city. Or perhaps someone is just a fan of parrots and grizzled old sailors....
NB: You still see quite a lot of men wearing these blue and white striped shirts nowadays. No parrots spotted as of yet though, except for at the bird market.
Don't Sleep on Ukrainian Fashion
Didn't go inside, so can't say for sure, but presumably the clothing sold in this boutique will give you otherworldly self-confidence and make you (think you're) the life of any party, but are also prohibitively expensive, might contain fentanyl and have a spectacularly violent Latin American supply chain....
I ❤️ Basterma
Eggs with basterma (Armenian style cured beef coated in magical mystery spices) and fresh coriander accompanied by some (almost) still warm from the oven Finnish bread - every bakery here has a dark bread they call Хліб фінський, and no two seem to be the same, but they're all delicious. Mmmm mmmm....
Keep Calm and Carry On: Ukrainian flamingo edition
Into the Void
Sorry little girl, but it looks like you're just going to have to scream into the void like the rest of us. No one will hear you and it will change nothing of substance, but it might still make you feel better if you don't think about it too much. Best of luck!
Window Shopping
When the customer in front of you can't seem to make up their mind, so you go ahead and snap a photo of them without even asking permission first....
NB: This is at Novi Bazar, ie the 'New Market', which opened in 1850 and is the slightly more upscale of the main two traditional markets in Odesa's old town.
‘Fresh’ from Asia!
It's not quite as bad as that meme that's been going around for years with pears grown in Argentina, packed in Thailand and sold in the US, but shipping entire coconuts to Ukraine just so people can have the 'authentic' experience of drinking out of them still seems a bit silly.
And at 170грн (or just under €4), getting a mouthful of the tropics on the shores of the Black Sea is quite pricey by local standards.
Getting those Goonies vibes
There are some 2500km of tunnels running under Odesa, along with various rumours and urban legends about them - including many involving smugglers hiding treasure during the city's swashbuckling heyday as a free trade zone in the 19th century.
Which is all to say that if you grew up in the 1980s and randomly come across this manhole cover, you're bound to get you some serious Goonies nostalgia vibes - especially if you're looking for a reason to extend your stay again....
Exchanging Rubles
Not the best rates, but it's perhaps the only place in town where you can still exchange rubles these days....
Art Nouveau a Go-Go
FYI, when you hear everyone* who's ever been to Odesa gushing about how pretty, beautiful, gorgeous, etc the city is, it's probably got something to do with most of the old town centre looking like this....
*Everyone except those of us who really don't like art nouveau style architecture. When we gush about how pretty, beautiful, gorgeous, etc Odesa is, it's mainly with reference to the cobblestone, tree-lined streets and early 20th century architecture.
Electric Unicycles Verboten
If you're riding your electric unicycle along Odesa's beachfront promenade and get stopped by police, don't even think about trying to argue your way out of a ticket by saying that the signage didn't expressly prohibit your exact mode of pseudo-futuristic mobility - because someone at City Hall saw your lame excuse coming and has already taken the necessary precautions.
NB: It's probably just confirmation bias, but electric unicycles do seem more prevalent in Odesa than old-fashioned bicycles these days. Although electric scooters - usually swerving through people at speed on the sidewalks - are unfortunately, yet unsurprisingly, still the most common sight by far....
Grapevines Gone Wild
One of the many cool things about Odesa are the grape vines that grow on houses and even larger buildings and apartment blocks all over the city centre and beyond.
Still some weeks before the grapes are in season, but it won't be too long before ripened sugary orbs are literally raining down upon the heads of Odesites, whether they like it or not.
Fun Fact Friday
Fun Fact Friday: Ukrainian kittens LOVE doing crossword puzzles!
The obsession apparently dates back to the late '50s, when a secret programme to teach them various parlour games was adopted as a pet project of Khrushchev and his beloved cat Joe - named of course for Yankees great Joe DiMaggio.
Bonus Fact: Khrushchev was a huge baseball fan, so of course rooted for the Yankees, which is also why you still see so many NY caps around the ex-Soviet states even nowadays.
NB: None of the above might actually be true, but seems the most logical explanation for why all the crossword puzzle magazines at the supermarket have kittens on them. No comment or speculation about the white kitten's moustache though....
Caveat Emptor
"No Man, No Woman, No Commie Can Stump Him."
No comment. Other than to say that this was obviously one of the highlights of a few hours spent perusing Odesa's amazing weekend flea market....
The Fucking Art of Being Subtle
Another American culture sighting on the shores of the Black Sea. It's subtle, see if you can spot it....
From Wikipedia, if anyone was curious:
"The Chevrolet Lumina APV is a minivan that was produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. Launched as the first front-wheel drive minivan sold by Chevrolet, the Lumina APV was sold in a single generation from the 1990 to 1996 model years. Marketed alongside the Pontiac Trans Sport and Oldsmobile Silhouette, the Lumina APV competed against the Dodge Grand Caravan/Plymouth Grand Voyager, the extended-length Ford Aerostar, and the Mazda MPV."