OK, let’s try this one again; my previous version of this got swallowed up in the ether.
My first real day in Odessa was fairly low key. I wanted to get a feel for the place before I went hog-wild trying this or that. So yesterday was mostly just going out and exploring the neighborhood — unfortunately, without my camera. I’ve got that out in front of me now, so today’s outings should have accompanying pictures.
Most of yesterday was spent on Deribasovskaya Street, a pedestrian mall in the heart of downtown. It’s a rather nice place, with a Saturday Market/Pearl Street Mall vibe to it. Lots of shops and restaurants and street vendors. To me, it seemed pretty busy for a Friday, but I don’t really have a frame of reference for it; maybe that’s just normal, and today and tomorrow I’ll see what “busy” really is.
This will sound lame, but my first real meal in this ancient and storied European city… was at McDonalds. It’s true; the franchise is everywhere, including Deribasovskaya Street. While this was one of the busiest McD’s I’ve ever seen — it was around the noon hour — it was also one of the most efficient I’ve ever seen. They had 8-9 cashiers running, and people were rarely waiting more than a couple minutes. The girl who helped me didn’t speak English, but fortunately not much Russian is needed to order, as long as you stick to the trademarks. “Big Mac” may be spelled a little differently, but it’s pronounced the same. (You can also do Chicken McNuggets, but you’d have to know the word for “chicken.” Or maybe just point to the picture.)
Everywhere I went I found little stands selling “квас” (pronounced “kvass”). Kvass is a fermented drink made from bread, or in other words, beer. Apparently the alcohol content of квас is so low (about 1%) it’s actually considered to be non-alcoholic — which might be why it’s easier to get квас than water when you’re out and about. I, however, stuck to water (вода).
Buying a bottle of water on the street proved one of my guide books to be right on the money about something: street vendors have a notorious lack of change. Either that or, “for my convenience,” they helpfully round off the numbers. The price of the water was 7.25 Hr, and I gave the woman a 10 Hr note. In exchange I got a 2 Hr note, not the numerically correct 2.75 Hr. Of course, that difference is only about 10 cents, so what’s the point in quibbling? I’m just impressed that one of my books was right.
One other interesting thing from yesterday. I am trying not to stand out too much (no point in advertising I’m a tourist), and I think was succeeding, at least yesterday. On my way back to the apartment, around 6 pm, a man stopped me and asked for directions. He spoke Russian, so I’m guessing he was a tourist from somewhere outside Odessa, and apparently I looked “native” enough to ask where something was. A few words of English, though, and I was on my way again. While it would have been nice to know specifically what he was asking, I probably wouldn’t have been able to help him anyway. Oh well.
The plan for today is to head down to Shevchenko Park, and have a look at the seaport and the Black Sea. And, of course, take a couple pictures along the way.