Home
Travels
Articles
Reviews
Collections
Links
Shopping
About
Contact
| Ukraine November 2001 | Robert's Travelogue |
|
To view a listing of Photos of Places and Things, follow the link: Photos of Places and Things - Photo Index To view a listing of Photos of People in Places, follow the link: Photos of People in Places -- Photo Index To view a photo journal of an individual day, follow the links labeled with Cities and Dates 02 November Amsterdam, Vienna, Kyiv 03 November Kyiv 03 November 04 November Kyiv 04 November 05 November Kyiv, Odesa 06 November Olbia 07 November Odesa 08 November Odesa 09 November Belgorod-Dnestrovskey, Tyras 10 November Kyiv 11 November Odesa, Kyiv 12 November Kyiv 13 November Kyiv |
|
Additional Categories of links: Genreal Information about Olbia Travel Arrangements, Accomadations, and Services General Links about Ukraine and surrounding regions Numismatic Links pertaining to Olbia, Tyras and the Black Sea region Recommended reading |
|
Day Zero -- Amsterdam, Vienna, Kyiv 02 November Arrived in Amsterdam one-half hour late, due to mechanical problems in Philadelphia. We ran to the departing terminal, this took about 15 minutes. We ran in vain, as the flight to Kyiv had departed as we landed. We explained our situation to the KLM attendents who then called the KLM ticket booth. We were given instructions to exit customs, enter the ticket area and find a 'hull 27', she may have said 'hall' so we asked several more times. The instructions she provided to exit customs were also a bit off, as well, due to airport construction. After finding a KLM check-in booth, at what appeared to be 'hull 27', we were told, after a short wait, that we needed to go to the KLM ticket office for ticket reissue. So we took a number at the ticket office, waitied a few minutes and were told that two flights were available for us to reach Kyiv. One would be a flight the next morning from Amsterdam to Kyiv and the other would be a flight to Vienna and then a flight to Kyiv later that day. Then, after attempting to book us on the flights, informed us that he could not, because we booked KLM tickets through US Airways, so that we needed to get tickets reissued from them. We then went to the US Airways ticket booth, where we were greeted by a representative that guessed who were. He had already booked us and printed new tickets for the flights to Veinna and Kyiv. He asked if we needed to call anyone, by courtesy phone. He spoke with a Russian accent; I Looked at his badge and he, not suprisingly, was Russian. I asked him to call Unipress, to let them know to reschedule our pickup to later that night. He said that I was free to use the phone, but then I expained to him that I have only been corresponding with Igor and Tanya through e-mail, so I was not certain if I would be able to convey the message. So he called, and after confirming the message with Unipress, told me that they do indeed speak English. He then told us that we had to return to the KLM ticket office to recieve the tickets for the flight to Vienna, as US Airways does not have a partnership with Vienna Airlines, so KLM would have to issue the tickets. So we returned to the KLM office, took a number stood in queue and finally recieved our tickets. After a long layover, we were on our way to Vienna. We only had an hour and a half layover in Vienna. We arrived in Kyiv at around 23:00 hours, on 02 November. After we completed our entry paperwork and Declarations forms, we proceeded first through immigration and then through customs. We were met by Alex, who took us to the Hotel Rus. Top |
|
Day One -- Kiev (Kyiv) 03 November 2001 We stopped to view the goods being sold by a traveling merhcant outside the hotel restaurant. He told us that he is only there on the weekends and showed us his wares of matruskas and Soviet crest clad flasks and lighters. Had a quick cup of coffee and then explored the immediate area around the hotel. We watched some people clad in Dynamo-Kiev and Ukrainian National colors, running around the statdium. Met out city tour guides in the lobby around 10:00. We were driven to Strokyviska Hill , to view the birthplace of Kyiv and the foundations of the first brick church in Kyiv-Rus. We then walked to St. Andrew's Slope to view St. Andrew's Cathedral and walked along the sounvenior and art vendor filled sidewalks lining St. Andrew's Slope. We were met by our driver at the base of the slope and drove to Mykhailivska Square. After viewing the statue dedicated to Princess Olha and the magnificant St. Michael's Cathedral of the Golden Domes, we walked through the park behind the cathedral grounds. Viewed some modern monuments (one commemorating Ukraine-Russia friendship, 'Arc of Peoples Friendship' and ???) from the park's hill top. Early Afternoon: After a short drive, we arrived at the Great Patriotic War Museum and walked about the visually stimulating scenes of the grounds , but ultimately our gaze fell upon the great statue, affectionately known as the 'Steel Lady' that overlooks the Dnipro. After another short drive, we viewed the monument dedicated to the legendary founders of Kyiv. Incidentally, this monument and it's plaza that overlooks the Dnipro River is often a sight chosen for the setting for wedding photos. After a short discussion about the Dnipro's current enviormental state, we headed for the main street in the modern Kyiv, Khreschatyk. It was Saturday, so the street was closed to traffic, as it is each weekend. This was pleasent, in that it added an air of antiquity to this anceint city, even in the midst of all the modern streets, buildings and the large plasma sceen television, located near Independece Sqaure(?). We walked along Khreschatyk for a few moments, before stopping in a store containing an exchange booth, recommended by one of our guides, Galina. We exchanged some money for grevna and purchased some bottled water. We met up with our driver and proceeded to the Natural Science Museum. Mid Afternoon: We were told that neither of our guides had ever brought a tourist to the museum, or even had an inquiry as such. The guides were pleased that we wished to visit one of thier museums. The museum houses the history of Ukraine from the Paleozoic Era through the current Quaternary Era, up to the Kyiv-Rus periods, approximately 1100 CE . Besides, this museum houses the famous hut constructed of mammoth bones dated from 15000 bce. The hut was moved from its excavated location of Mezhirich and reassembled in this museum; this was the main point of interest for me ;) One of our guides has a specialized doctorate in geography, so she has, on occasion, brought students to this museum for lectures. She was very knowledgable of geological history of the region of modern Ukraine. She was surprised to learn that we actually knew some things of geological history and species development. (hmm.. perhaps a low opinion of American education? or unaware of such engaging televison programs, such as the Disocvery Channel, Animal Planet and TLC? -- Incidentally, the Discovery Channel is very big here even though it is only shown a few times a week on satellite.) At the end of our tour, we regrouped outside the museum. Our guides pointed out our current location and location of our hotel on the courtesy tourist map they provided us at the start of the tour. They informed us that we should be able to get a cab to take us back to the hotel for about 5 grevna, then bid us farewell. After looking at the map a moment, we realized that the map is listed in latin charcters. And as the streets are only listed in cyrillic; this may be a bit challenging. We asked them where the main street was in relation to our present location. They pointed, and off we went. After walking along Khreschatyk, we decided it best to find a cab as it was nearing dusk (16:15). The cost of the cab ride back to hotel was 10 grevna. I guess we did not sound like locals, least look as such. Early Evening: Dinner at in the Hotel Restaurant was pleasent. The menu was limited in selection but the food was good. The staff was pleasent. Night: Spent some time in the hotel services office, renting computer time to access e-mail and surf for news. Late Night: Lots and lots of reading and little sleep. Had many Fanta's at the all night hotel bar. I was, of course reading a book on archaeology ;) ( The Archaeology Handbook: A Field Manual and Resource Guide) Top |
|
Day Two -- Kiev (Kyiv) 04 November 2001 Morning: Slept in a bit late. Was awakened by some loud automobiles from the stadium below. It was semi-pro(?) formula and light class cars racing around below. We tried to catch a glimpse of the races from the hotel bar on the fourteenth floor, as the vantage point was greater than the hotel rooms on the fifth floor. There was a track running around the outside of the former Olympic Stadium (this stadium is now home to the famous Dynamo-Kiev football team.) Headed down to the hotel service office to arange a city tour of the areas we did not have the opportunity to see yesterday. After describing the places that we have visited, Larisa ('Lara') suggested a few places in addition to our desire to see the 'Golden Gate'. We had only heard of the Golden Gate from a courtesy copy of the Ukrainian Observer journal available in the hotel lobby. After agreeing on an itenerary and that a driver would be needed, Lara said that we could start the tour in half an hour, so we headed out to watch some racing. Late Morning through Late Afternoon: First stop, the Golden Gate. This was the original main entry into medieval Kyiv of the kingdom Kyivian-Rus. The view from the top of the restored gate was superb. After the short visit to the Golden Gate, we proceeded to St. Sophia's Cathedral. This 11th century CE cathedral was built by Yaroslav the Wise, of Kyvian-Rus, to fulfill his promise to construct a great cathedral after praying for victory in a decisive battle for Kyiv. In front of the cathedral, a musician was entertaining the visitors with traditional folk songs. This same muscian is depicted in many tourist pamphlets and books of Kyiv sights. The inside of the cathedral was under varying levels of restoration. An excavation of the original foundation was also being conducted within a small area. Evidence of early habitation, prior to Kyvian-Rus was being uncovered within the excavation site. We then visited Strokyviska Hill again for a stop off at the History Museum. This museum contains a fantastic collection of artifacts from the Trypillia culture (5000 BC) to the present, including coins from Olbia dolphins (5-4 th century BCE) to present. It is interesting to note the visible evidence of cultural influences of the Greek, Scythian, and Mongol. Try viewing the displays in reverse chronological order, for the greatest impact. Next stop was a quick visit to St Andrews, including the interior, then a short jaunt down St. Andrews slope. It is unfortunate that it was dark by the time we reached St. Andrews, as the interior relies partially upon natural lighting from windows within the cathedral's dome. Our tour guide, Lara, was extremely knowledgable of ths sites and history of Kyiv. Perhaps I should have taken notes, for the amount of detailed information, she provided, was too much for me to recall. Evening: Dinner in the hotel restaurant, again. Night: Visited the service center in the hotel again to access the Internet. Again I cannot sleep so I am writig this entry, after a few Fanta in the all-night bar. We have an extensive tour of Kyiv-Pechery Lavra monestary planned for a tomorrow staring at 10.00 so I will have to be up early in order to walk about before the tour. We will also be leaving for Odessa tomorrow evening and will visit Olbia on 06 November. The archaeologist had to switch the dates for this tour as he is having a book release ceremony on the original date of 08 November. Everyone here has been very kind. This is really a beautiful country.Well I am going to try to get some sleep. Top |
|
Day Three--Kiev (Kyiv), Odessa (Odesa) 05 November 2001
Morning: Had breakfast in the hotel restaurant and then a quick visit to the service center for email and news checks. Took a short but brisk walk before our 10:00 tour. I am still unable to recieve a GPS signal, I will investigate this later. Late Morning: Tour of Kyiv-Pechery Lavra monestary with our guide, Galina. She specializes in tourism in graduate school(?). After entering the main grounds, we were greeted by our grounds guide, who spoke fluent English. (I do not believe she mentioned her name.) The monestary guide provided us with insight about the religious segment of Ukrainian society. She mentioned that the restorations, that appear to be occurring at every church we saw, were publicly funded. The main church visible after entering the Holy Gate of the Trinity, was a complete restoration, in that the original had met with a mass explosion at the end of the World War 2 Nazi invasion. It is controversial as to the suspect of the bomb. Some speculate that the Nazi's had no motive, while the Russians had motive. (More on this time permitting, at a later time, perhaps.) We viewed about half of the public-accessible grounds of the Kyiv-Pechery monestary before our monestary guide left to us on a viewing area while she went to attend to our admission to the catacombs. The view from this rooftop was impressive, but somehow we knew it would not compare to the view from the Great Lavra Belltower. We watched a cat play with a mouse, but somehow the symbolism seemed more important than the event itself. It almost seemd as it was not occurring. This was further enforced when we watched a monk sweeping the paths near the cat and mouse. He just swept around them pretending not to notice. Perhaps it was just for us to see, but I did take a picture of that cat in action, just in case..perhaps this is lack of sleep and too much coffee. As we prepared to enter the catacombs, the museum guide said that we may purchase candles, as the catacombs are quite dark. She said that we did not need to purchase one for everyone, but the impression is that everyone purchases one, as the candles are made and sold by the monestary in one its means of raising funds. I received an awful mental image of candles and dry combustable mummies. So, I did not buy one, stating that I had a flashlight (torch) in my backpack. But when I took my mini-Mag Light out, it appeared to have spent batteries. Now that is odd, for I just changed them before leaving the hotel. Luckily, Andre bought an extra candle. And so we were on our way into the catacombs. We were told that originally, the priests were buried within the catacombs beneath Pechery-lavra. After many years, the priests were still found to be well preserved. Many thought this to be a miracle and even to this day many dispute the scientific claims, that the natural soil composition and the low temperature played a vital role in the mummification of the priests. But now, with so many visitors entering the caves and the use of candles as light sources, the temperature and humidity of the catacombs is quite high. As a result of these changes, created by mass vistors, the mummified remains of the priests have been placed in specially built caskets. These catacombs are indeed dark, damp and hot. In many places, there is not enough room for two people to pass. We were only allowed to visit the first few areas of the catacombs, as the main areas are restricted to believers and some areas are accesible only by the clergy, as many relics are also kept within these caves. As we exited the catacombs, I was somehow compelled to see about the spent batteries in my mag light. As I turned the light to the 'on' postion, the bulb lit up, not very bright, but it did light up. Hmm.. I will let you formulate your own ideas on this. ;-) We continued the tour about the grounds of the monestary to end where we bagan, at the courtyard just inside the Holy Gate. We bid our monestary guide farewell and we proceeded to the Great Lavra Bell Tower. Upon entering the kind keeper of the tower began a conversation with our guide Galina. Although the conversation was in Russian, I was able to understand enough to learn that this was Galina's first visit to the Bell Tower. Upon my questioning Galina, the tower keeper, laughed and told us to go all the way to the top in order to see the best view. He spoke English with an accent resembling that of a Spanish or perhaps Italian speaker. He said, "go to the top for the 'super-panorama'". He empahisized "super-panorama" several more times as we laughed. It reminded us of a footbal (soccer) announcer melodramatically announcing a goal in a drawn out manner. The climb to the top of the The Great Lavra Bell Tower is a bit exherting, but it is well worth the effort. When climbing the tower steps look at the inside of the steps to see the step number. The numbers only appear to be listed for the first two-thirds of the steps, but my favorite marker was the mid-way point listed as "50%!". Upon reaching this point, that single excalamation point is an understatement. :-) When we reached the platform below the top viewing area, the wind picked up dramatically, so if you intend on visiting the tower, secure your scarves, cameras, and other loose belongings or they may be whisked away :-O The view from the bell tower is indeed magnificant. I think I took 24 pictures there alone! This tower was closed to the public during the Soviet Era, since it provides a clear view of a former munitions factory acoross the street from the entrance of Pechery Lavra. Mid Afternoon: We taveled to a war memorial and a small church near the memorial. I believe, at least by looking at nearby monuments on a city map, that the memorial was Glory Park Memorial and the church was St. Cyril Church. We also walked to another nearby church that appeared circular in design. But as we approached our guide, Galina was told that the church was closed today to tourists. As we were walking away, an old lady began cursing at the nuns within the church. Apparently the lady was from a different faith and was upset with the order. This event reminded me of something the monestary guide mentioned. She said that , at the very least, communisim removed the often intolerance of religious rivalries. Since we still had a few minutes left on our tour, we stopped off at a large book market in an attempt to replace my lost English to Russian phrasebook. Unfortunately, without success. But I did pick up a Oxford Russian-English dictionary for about 20 gryvnas (less than 4 USD). Late Afternoon: Stopped into the service center to read news, check e-mail and chat with our new friends in the Service Center. Igor, the attending Internet specialist ay night, made my recent bouts of insomnia more tolerable with conversations of computers, technology, consulting and Ukrainian society. He was a computer science student from Russia, studying in Kiev. We Checked out of the Hotel Rus at 17:00 (5 hours late!). This was my fault; I was unaware that the hotel provided courtesy storage rooms for luggage. I thought that if we had checked out at noon, that we might not be able to carry all our luggage around, since we had too many bags! From what I was told, by Igor of Unipress, much later in the tour, all the hotels in Ukraine should provide this sevice. When in doubt, ask. Alex picked us up and took us to Zhulany airport, which he described as "a country train station". Alex explained that even in such a small municipal airport, the flight announcements are also given in English. He showed us all five departure gates from the single exit point in the lobby. As Alex was bidding us farewell, a lady approached us wanted us to donate some money to her church, I gave her a few gryvna and she handed me a bible in Ukrainian. I held it in my hand looked at her and questined "paruski"? She said "nyet", so I assume she meant that she had no bibles in Russian. I put it in my bag and read a little from the latest AIA Journal while waiting for the flight. As we checked our baggage for the flight, we noticed that most people preferred to carry all their luggage with them. I had to pay fees for being over the luggage weight restriction. I recall that I was 10 kilos over for a charge of nearly 90 grynas. The plane left on time at around 19:00. We arrived at Odessa airport shortly after 20:00. Out drive to our hotel by way of the airport gave us an improper assesment of Odessa. We saw very little, as there are few street lights and lit signs. The buildings all appeared decrepet tenements remnisent of urban sprawl. The only lights we saw were the neon lights of strip clubs and gambling halls. After checking into the economy room on the fifth floor of the Chornoye More and inspecting the room, in much need of repair, we drew unpleasent generalizations about Odessa. After settling in, I suggested we meet up with Inga and get something to eat. Andre passed, as he was feeling exhausted. Since I was also feeling tired, Inga and I ate at the restaurant in the hotel lobby. The restaurant was quite modern, a cafe really, but quite small; yet the menu was quite extensive. Inga gave me six small Roman coins she bought in Chisinau. The coins were AE3 and AE4's and apparently cleaned. She inquired to the location these coins were found, but the coin dealer did not know. Top |
|
Day Four -- Odessa (Odesa), Olbia 06 November 2001): We awoke early and when we opened the curtains, we saw a wonderful sight. We could clearly see the Panteleymonivsky Orthodox Church. We immeadiately began discussing our hasty gneralization concerning Odessa. Afterall, few street lights and lit buildings are present, so little can be seen clearly at night. We decided that perhaps Odessa is much more than we speculated from a quick ride through dark streets. After several days in Kiev, we thought that nothing in Ukraine could match its beauty and wonders, but our time in Ukraine was just beginning.. We left for Olbia at 08:00. We were accomanied by archaeologist Valdimir Petrovich (patronymic name), his wife Olga, the tour director Igor (he too wanted to see this place!), and Helena(?), a guide from the Odesa Archaeology Museum. The weather was fantastic. At first we stopped to view an unexcavated Schytian or Slavic era burial mound before arriving at the Olbia preserve three hours later. Unfortunately, I did not capture any useful photos of these mound. The entrance to the protected site, was delayed, in that our sudden appearance, especially so, since we were dressed in black coats, sunglasses, and sporting backpacks. We were met by the vice-chief of evcavations for Olbia, Vicktor. He said the groundspeople were reluctant to let us in, even though Dr Vladimir was accompanying us, in that we might have been tomb raiders. The site was magnificant. A work in progress. Schythian, Greek and Roman levels exposed in locations throughout the preserve that covers slightly more than 300 hectres(?). The area was the main city in support of more than 300+ villages surrounding the region. At lunch, we were invited to the vice-director's home and ate a potluck lunch of sorts. We toasted new friendships over a bottle of Olbia brand vodka and spoke of conservational archaeology and the problems of 'pot hunting', just simply stated as "illegal archaeology" by out hosts, that is plaguing Ukraine. We have been invited back to participate in an excavation next summer, on the condition that I learn at least some basic Russian. Because of the problems with illegal digs, I did not to record any GPS data. Our driver got us back in record time. Returned to the Chornoye More hotel late in the evening. Went to a chinese restaurant near the main square on Derybasivska. After enjoying some "Russified" Chinese cuisine, we enjoyed the night sites along Derybasivska. Top |
|
Day Five -- Odessa (Odesa) 07 November 2001: The phone in our room was not working, and when Igor, from Unipress, tried to call, we were unable to speak with him. Igor arrived in person, rather than leaving a phone message, to inform us that we should reschedule our city tour, as it will contiunue to rain throughout most of the day. It was indeed raining and cold outside, so we agreed and rescheduled the city tour for tomorrow. Igor and the staff at Unipress were fantastic. ( Unipress, BTD) After we had many coffees in the hotel restaurant, we tried to catch a taxi. As it was raining and cold, all the taxis we came across, were in use. So we walked :-( We visited the Archaeology museum filled with some 200k pieces. After about a half hour of wandering the museum viewing the displays of ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian collections, we asked the front desk if Elena (sp?)(Helena?), the guide that accompanied us on the tour to Olbia the day before, was working at the museum today. Within a few minutes, Elena appeared. Welcoming us to the Odessa Archaeology Museum. Helena went to the front desk and removed a dirt encrusted pottery vase from a plastic shopping bag. She told us that this item was just brought in by a lady who found this artifact in her yard. In fact, we had just missed the lady that donated this to the museum. It is astounding to see that so many people in Ukraina value their history more than money. We were told that on many occasions, people donated the items found on their farms and such. This is a refreshing notion. Helena then showed us some private exhibits within the museum, not generally accessible. The collection of electrum, gold and silver pieces from the Scythians through the Rus period was incredible. unfortunately, we were not able to photograph this collection. Within this collection is the largest single hoard of electrum coins found in Ukraine. The hoard of coins, found within a clay urn in a farm field by a farmer while plowing his fields, was donated to the museum. I do not recall the entire story, but I believe that the farmer knew of the contents of the urn, when he reported the find and brought the urn to the museum. I commented that it was wonderful to see the treasure of the Ukraine within the Ukraine and mentioned the visits to the museums in Kyiv. To view the treasures within context of the current culture is without question more immersive than viewing Egyptian mummies in the British Museum, (just an illustration ;). I actually mentioned that it is a shame when one must travel outside the context of historical sites to view and study. After a long silence, Elena told me that the Odessa Museum houses more than a dozen mummies. Hmmm, I suppose I should have mentioned that my comments were not meant as accusations, but I do not think Elena interpreted them as such. After several magnificant hours in the small museum (size of the area not the collection :), we attempted to find a spot for some afternoon tea. We happened by a Ukrainian National Restaurant. The interior of the restaurant is grand, despite the restaurant's apparently limited seating. Gold adorned features lead the viewer to the grand vaulted ceiling. The food was elaborate in presentation; it was also quite delicious. Good food, good prices, friendly staff and great atmosphere. We walked through the old sections of Odessa and out onto the passenger port. We walked to the edge and peered out at the large passenger and cargo ships in the harbor. After an unsuccessful attempt at trying to take a day cruise, we stopped at the harbor chapel. This chapel was under renovation at the time, so we did not get to see very much of it admist the construction. There are galleries on the passenger port as well. We stopped off at one of the galleries that doubled as an art studio for a local painter. Some of the pieces were interested, but I know nothing of modern art. ;) We were in need of something warm to drink, so we stopped at a small cafe on the pier. We also had the opportunity to check our e-mail, as the cafe had a computer with internet access. Late dinner in the hotel restaurant and a long visit to Neo-Club internet cafe for some news, mail and espresso :-) Top |
|
Day Six -- Odessa (Odesa) 08 November 2001 We started the day out late. We met Igor and Natasha, of Unipress, in the hotel lobby at 10:00. We had brought Nickel Metal Hydride rechargable batteries, chargers and convertors, but the hotel plugs were quite worn and high upon the wall, so the heavy rechargers attached to the heavy convertors would not stay within the power outlets. As a result, I tried to find some batteries at the small expensive shop in the hotel lobby. As the shop was out of batteries, Igor pointed accross the street to a small camera store almost within view through the windows of the lobby. I went to purchase some AA size (E) batteries for the digital cameras. A good thing to know when traveling is that batteries are often sold in pairs. So even though a package might contain eight batteries, the labeled price is most often the price of a pair, not the lot. So when you ask for two batteries, you are asking for four batteries. Igor bid us a good tour and departed. We started out by getting coffee at the small cafe on the passenger port, located in the harbor. We spoke of our tour of Olbia and some of the problems and potential solutions to the "illegal archaeology" over several cups of espresso. We packed some bottles of water and coca-cola for the road and off we went to The Odessa Opera House. Natasha told us that the original building material for Odessa was stone quarried from the bedrock. As a result, hundreds of kilometers of tunels were formed beneath the old sections of Odessa. These tunnels are creating the modern problems of sink holes. The foundtiaon of Odessa Opera House is endangered by such sink holes. The foundation of the Opera House was recently reinforced with pillars. The construction we witnessed was not related to the foundation but the facade. Renovations are also being done to restore much of the aging facade of the building. We walked past the Maritime and Archaeology Museums, to the Mayor's Residence, adorned with the patron goddess Demeter and Mercury (a god related to merchantilism is very fitting for a port city) and a musical clock within the tympani. I was then approached by a young girl who spoke excellent English. In fact, I would have guessed that she was from Detroit, by her accent. She had a fast sales pitch for some very overpriced post cards. Overpriced very near the 50 grynva increment, for good measure. I agreed to purchase a set of the large postcards for 30 gryvnas. As she, not suprisngly, had no change for a 50 gryvna note, she said I could buy a large size and a small size postcard set for 50 gryvna. I laughed at this child's resolve and persitance. I agreed with a grin. She laughed too. We both knew that we both knew the retail value of the postcard sets to be less than 15 gryvna total! The tour guide looked at me with her head turned side-ways, and I just smiled; I told her that such persitance and the sales pitch alone was worth the gryvna. ;-) After viewing a statue honoring Alexander Pushkin, we proceeded down the small tree and bench lined Dumskaya Square to the statue of Duke Armand de Richilieu in the regalia of a Ceasar. The statue sits atop the Potyomkin Steps, named for the battleship Potyomkin , and looks out towards the passenger port, facing the harbor into the Balck Sea. We proceeded down the famous steps, when we were approached by a young man carrying a chinchila. He asked if we would like to take a picture with the chinchila, or an iguana , snake or any of the variety of small animals he had with him for the low cost of one US dollar or five gryvna. As the chinchila was quite adorable, I agreed and we took a photo with the chinchila and paid the young man five gryvna. Our tour guide Natasha appeared almost embarssed, for me or the seller, I was uncertain. We walked out passenger port once again; the view was better today as visiblity was not as limited as the day before, in the midst of rain. We met our driver and then proceeded to Schevchnco Park. We watched a changing of the guard. Often school children stand as guard at the glory memeorials. This memorial, in the park, is dedicated to those resitance fighters of World War 2. Natash told us of a story of why this memorial was erected here. She said that on a night after a secondary school dance, students gathered to watch the sun rise in the harbor, but this was to be the last normal sunrise, that generation would see, with the Nazi invasion occurring the next day. Natasha then told us of the underground tunnels where the reistance fighters would hide from the Nzai occupation. These facts with the preceeding story is somewhat similar to the premise of the 1980's film Red Dawn that centered around some children, that were normal high school students one day and resitance fighters the next. As we left the very scenic park, we photographed school children assisting in the maintenance of the park. The children enjoyed practicing their English and being phtographed. We then visited a local Orthodox Church. The interior was magnificantly decorated. Many of the older churches within Ukraine are elaborate within. After this visit, we explored the city on our own by walking. We watched some school children departing school for the day and joining in games within the park before stopping for lunch at Restaurant called the Deja Vu. This restaurant was adorned with local 20th century antiques and a custom Harley-Davidson motorbike. The menu was in bright colors with cartoon like pictures and text. It was apparent by the menu prices that this was a restaurant for the young and potentially trendy Odessa youth. The waitresses wore very short skirts and low cut blouses. (To give you a general idea of this retaurant, imagine a Bennigans, merged with a Hard-Rock cafe and a Hooters.) The food was exceptional, so I still feel this restaurant is a good value for anyone concerned about quality versus price. For three course meals, soft drinks, mineral waters, and coffee for three people was around 300 gryvna (60 USD). This restaurnat is one of the few I found in Odessa that accepts credit cards. And apparently without the local customary fees charged. I would recommend a visit to this restaurant if visiting Odessa. By the way do not confuse this restaurant with the Deja Vu Casino, which may be associated, in the case you are taking a taxi cab. Top |
|
Day Seven -- Belgorod-Dnestrovskey, Tyra 09 November 2001 At 9:00 we visited the breakfast buffet in the hotel restaurant. After some lite foods and coffee, we meet Igor and Natasha in the lobby of the hotel. Igor bid us a fond trip, and we then met Kolya, the same driver that drove us to Olbia. After a quick stop at a local grocery store to pick up some bottled water and coca-colas, we were off to Belgorod. Belgorod, or "White City" was west Odessa on the banks of the Dniester River. After an hour or so, we reachd the drawbridge spanning the Dniester. The bridge was in the "up" position as two cargo ships were passing. Kolya said we might as well strentch our legs, as these events sometimes can take a while. We walked to the top of a built up mound near the road. Train tracks sat at the top of this steep mound. From this vantage point, we could see the harbor to the left and a passing cargo ship. This view also provided a fine glimpse into a small sea-side resort town, typical on the sea and river side communities in Ukraine. Natasha told us that such towns are nearly empty during the "off-season" months, but come the summer, and the traffic will be very heavy and the town will be full of vacationers. Many of the homes within this village, were in simple summer homes, modest in size and outer decor. After about 20 minutes, we were again on our way to Belgorod. After crossing the drawbridge, we left the larger roadway for village roads. After another 15 minutes or so, we could see the turrents from Dnestrovskey Fortress. We approached the visiters lot, and saw a magnificiant photo opportunity. A woman was resting beneath one of the large trees lining the outside of the fortress, with a small flock of sheep surrounding her. Admist the backdrop of the fortress, this was a photo not to be missed. Unfortuneately, I did miss it, having taken some bad advice. "Oh, yeah. We can get a picture of that later." Another potential photo lost. :-( We walked up the path to the entrance to the fortress, and marveled at the excavation to out left. Yes, this was the legendary Tyras. Although little is visible, as yet. It was still impressive, even at first glance. Natasha attended to the details of the tour of the excavaton site and fortress with the fortress museum guide. I first visited the rest area; by the way, the facilities in the fortress are, as Natsha put it, "quite primative". Our Museum guide Olga (sp?) guided us first down into the Tyras excavation site, and mentined that many have come to settle this region. First known were the Greeks, then the Romans, Ottoman, Moldavians, Tartar-Mongols, Genoese and Russian. But these cultures all seemed to have called this "White City" or some derivative. The ancient ruins of Tyras would not have been visible when Dnestrovskey Fortress was constructed around the remnants of an Ottoman Turkish fortress. Dnestrovskey Fotress was completed in its current state in the late 16th century(?) Looking into the excavation site, one can witness layers of Greek occupation nearest the bedrock, with Roman and Mongol above that. The medeival layers are close to the current day level, now days. Much of Tyras is speculated to be beneath the Dniester River. The excavations have been damaging layers of architecture built upon the site. Some of the Tartar-Mongol layers and structures, a few iron column bases and furnace have been left intact to show the relationship of the site with the layers of ancient remains. It is apparent that the emphasis is on studying the Roman and Greek layers, as some of the walls and towers of Greek and Roman origin are being reconstruced on the site. Tyras was documented historically and was of importance in the ancient world. Between excavaton pits, were three large piles of pottery sherds. A Romanian archaeological team had completed its work two weeks prior to our arrival. These piles of sherds represented the items deemed of low significance, and were thus left. The museum guide instructed us that these sherds may be collected by anyone with interest. Within the piles lay sherds from Greeks, Romans, Tartar-Mongols, Moldavians, Ottoman Turks, and Rus tribes. The stone yards for the Tyras excavation is located within the fortress, as the fortress can be secured somewhat. We toured the Dnestrovskey fortress. That evening, we opted to visit one of the non-stop (24 hour) grocery stores near the hotel. In fact there are two non-stop grocerices within 100 meters of the hotel restaurant. Top |
|
Day Eight -- Odessa (Odesa) 10 November 2001 Free Day We walked toward the trainstation to find the CD market that we had visited the day before. Without success, we eventually made it back to the hotel. We then eventually visited the Odessa Archaeological Museum. We spoke with Elena but as she was busy, she said that if we returned in an hour or so, she could take some time to show us around Odessa. She suggested that we visit the Museum of Oriental and Western Art, located near the Archaeology musuem. We had actually passed this museum on our way to the Archaeology museum, but chose not to vist because of the large number of school groups that were waiting in line. When we arrived at the Museum of Oriental and Western Art, there was no line. :-) The architecture of the museum was superb. It was not permitted to take photogaphs but a kind musuem worker understood that I only wanted to take a photo of the room and not the artwork, so she kept a watchful eye for the museum director and indicated when it was safe to take a photo. So I was able to take at least one photo here ;-) Of all the pieces within the museum, I was most captivated by the superb Mongol shields and weapons, but the most impressive item was a magnificant helmet, of an apparent high ranking and important Mongol leader. The piece was not only elaborate but in superb condition. Elena took us on a short tour starting with Derybasivska Top |
|
Day Nine -- Odessa (Odesa), Kiev (Kyiv) 11 November 2001 Free Day An early morning visit to the internet cafe, Neo-Club. I checked my mail and read some news for a bit while enjoying a coca-cola. Stopped at the cafe upstairs for some coffees. Andre still needed to find a few things. The bartender informed us that there was a big department store just accross the street at the corner that might have the needed items. We then proceeded to the department store known as "Uni Vermacht". The department store was fashioned after the Soviet Style department stores, that more resemble western shoppng malls, but the shops within are usually small individual shops. Most of these shops were stands, really. We were told of a very large open air market on the outskirts of Odessa known as Seven Kilometer. Unfortuneately, we did have the opportunity to visit. :-( After shopping at the Uni-Vermacht, we walked down Richilieuskya to Derybasivska and on to the Odessa Archaeology Museum. Elena took us to an antiques shop that doubled as a Numismatic Museum and to several antique and coin shops. I bought a bronze Pantikapion obol from a coin shop that had a promotion to provide a gift worth 10 percent of the purchase price. So I settled on a very nice silver Russian and Soviet coin. Elena mentioned that much of the Soviet silver coins are made of melted down church icons. Here are the links to the Pantikapion coin: obverse (front), reverse. Elena took us to some cD shops, where I purchased a CD with traditional Ukrainian songs. I should have taken Elena's advice in listening to the CD prior to purchase, because it was not what I was expecting at all. The CD conatins only vocals, spoken and sung of traditional folklore and songs. The CD is called As it was in Ancient Times... Elena took us to some more CD shops, by Andre's request, and to the open air market near the train station. We walked back toward the archaeology museum, where we thanked Elena for taking so much time to show us Odessa and bid her farewell. Igor met us at the hotel for our flight to Kiev. As we arrived a bit ahead of schedule, we went upstairs to a little known lounge to enjoy some coffee. This flight lounge was very luxorious in comparison to the simple and pragmatic airport interior. Igor told us that this lounge had been a first class lounge at one time with direct access to a shuttle bus, but since airport security has been increased, recently, it was converted to a general passenger lounge, and the doorways to the shuttle ramp, sealed. Arrived in kyiv about 20.00 and felt exhausted. Alex met us at the airport and drove us back to the Hotel Rus for the last few days of our visit. When we exited the car to unload luggage, the wind was was quite fierce, and we realized that the cold weather had begun in Kyiv. We asked Alex about the previous night's match between Ukraine and Germanay. Alex infomred us that this hotel and all the surrounding areas were crowded from all the fans, both local and foreign and that the match was played right there in Republic Stadium, behind the Hotel Rus. We had missed the opportunity to see the game by one night. :-( Alex said if he had known we were football fans, he would have mentioned it to us when we arrived. The playing field is acutally viewable from the Hotel Rus. We stopped off at hotel restaurant for a late dinner and visited the internet cafe in the hotel service center to check e-mail and read news, as the lobby bar was now closed. The lobby bar played CNN Europe most hours during operation, so it was nice to sit and have some coffee and catch up on world news, but it is worth noting that the prices in the lobby bar were higher than the prices in the other bars within the hotel. I suppose the pricing model is inteded for visitors, conference goers, and such. (The Hotel Rus has three bars, including one all night bar on the second floor, as I recall.) I spent most of the night conversing with a Spainish business man named Max and Igor, the internet specialist on staff, within the hotel service center. We began to speak of economy and the trend of western companies outsourcing technical labor within eastern europe, as Max was a technical recruiter and project manager for an IT firm. The conversations then tunred to the ills of exploited labor in all its forms. I believe this in-depth and lengthy conversation was prompted by the entrance of a late middle-age toothless man and a very young working-girl. The man asked if Igor could call his temporary friend a cab. Igor looked at us, almost in an embaressed manner and dialed the cab company. Without the intent of sounding condescending, people will do what they feel is needed to survive. I suppose I have more respect for someone doing something out of the need to care for one's self and others rather than to feed an addiction (Don't flame me for this, but there are places to get help for addictions.) Top |
|
Day Ten -- Kiev (Kyiv) 12 November 2001 We found ourselves missing the splendors and 'old world charm' of Odessa. Late morning coffee and light breakfast in the hotel restaurant (The breakfast buffet was good, as usual, so if you plan on staying at the Hotel Rus, ask for an inclusive price for the room.) We passed by several churches under reconstruction on our way through the hill ladden streets towards Khreschatyk Boulevard. I never noticed how much more Kyiv resembles a large city in comparison to Odessa until today. The people seemed to rush about in an all-business manner, with few smiles and intent on reaching their destinations without noticing going-ons around them. (This could just be sheer stupidity on my part, too. :-) As we were lost, as ususal, LOL, I suggested we stop for a map with cyrlic characters so that we might have a better chance. We approached a young lady in a kiosk apparently selling city maps. We pointed to a city map displayed in the kiosk window. After completing the transaction, I opened the map to find our current position, but could not determine our location on the map. After Andre also failed to find our position on the map, Andre went to the young lady in the kiosk and pointed to the map, while shrugging his shoulders wildly. LOL That display certainly transcends all language barriers. After she failed to find our location on the map, she asked a lady nearby, setting up her open-air newstand, for assistance. The lady appeared aggitated at the request and after looking us over, simply ignored the young lady's further appeals for assistance. I pulled out Linda Hodges' Guide to Ukraine out of my backpack, turned to the page with the rudimentary city map of Kyiv, pointed to the map and asked "Gdye?" to the young lady. After several more minutes she apologized and shrugged. After a "spasiba zapomish", we waved to the lady and off we went. We visited a few shops including an outdoor market of sorts below the streets within a large underground walkway spanning the traffic filled streets. We inadvertenly found our way back to Kreshatik. So, if two directionally challenged people could find there way in Kyiv, anyone can. After we purchased some water from a vendor in front of the large uni-vermacht (department store), a young man with an SLR camera and clipboard, shouting for people to sign some sort of petition or list, stopped and looked at us with a faint astonished look. He took aim and attempted to take a picture of me and andre. I am not certain if I had turned sideways in time ;-) He then watched us as we continued down the boulevard. Whatever that young man was selling, most people he approached looked quite disturbed by his pitch. Lengthy visit of the art museum opposite the Dynamo-Kyiv Training Grounds. Top |
|
Day Eleven -- Kiev (Kyiv) 13 November 2001 Robert, Andre: Tourists Lara: Tour Guide, Hotel Rus Service Center We went to the hotel service center to inquire about a tour to the Pechery-Lavra Monestary Treasures Museum. It was good timing, as Lara, our favorite tour guide was on staff. As she would not be able to take us to the museum until the early afternoon, we set off to explore the city on our own. Walked about for a while searching for some interesting shops. Andre was on a mission to find some open-air CD markets. We headed toward downtown and walked along Kreshatik.I began feeling a stomach coming on, so we stopped to find some water so that I might take some stomach medicine. We walked into a semi-crowded McDonalds and decided against standing in the line to ask for a cup of water, since neither of us wanted anything to eat. We continued past the adjoining Uni-Vermacht. As we were walking past the Uni-Vermacht, two young boys followed us whispering to one another attempting to appear inconspicuous. When we stopped at a nearby kiosk to purchase some bottled water, the boys took turns stepping just to either side of me feigning a closer look at the kiosk goods. They did this several times while inconspicuously glancing at me. After a few minutes of this, particularly after making the other customers in queue feel uneasy and drawing attention to themselves, began arguing with one another in a joking manner. Where one was insisting while the other was disagreeing. I think they may have mistaken me for someone or maybe even someone from somewhere else. Note: The Hotel Rus did not sell bottled water, save Perier, so stock up from a local grocery. (There is a non-stop corner store at the base of the hill where the hotel Rus is situated. Follow the road down the hill, from the Hotel Rus, at the main road, it is there to the right, just around the corner.) But, as it was quickly approaching time for us to meet Lara at the hotel for the tour, we headed back without anything to note, until we reached the base of the hill that the hotel was situated on. We were approached by two young girls, one was about six and the the other about eight. They were begging for money. I recognized these girls at this same corner when we had left for Odessa. Alex gave them some change from the car window. Andre and I gave the girls a few gryvna, but they were relentless, they literally latched onto our legs and began sobbing loudly. The numerous peole who passed just looked at the girls and shook their heads in disgust, but no one was trying to help us detach the little professional beggars. (This infuriates me when people use children.) As we crossed the busy street the girls detached and reattached themseleves to our coats as we attmepted to walk up the hill. At this point, an angry shopkeeper came out and scalded the girls and threatened to call the police on them. (I suppose these two cannot be good for business.) We thanked the shopkeeper and began to jog up the hill with the two girls trailing behind. As we reached sight of the hotel, a policeman gave a stern look and warned the girls, and they left back to their corner. (There was always a policeman stationed near the entrances to the hotels, day and night.) Tour with Lara. Top |
|
Day Twelve -- Kiev (Kyiv), London, Philadelphia (USA) 14 November 2001 5 AM came quickly. I packed my bags and went down to the lobby. I checked-out of my room and visited the Hotel Service Center. After a few minutes at checking mail and reading news, I returned to the lobby and waited for my ride to the airport. Alex was on time, as usual. I asked him to stop at the corner store so that I might pick up some bottles of water and cola for the trip. He offered to come inside with me to assist me in the buying process, but I told him that the people in this shop were accustomed to my near non-existant and sometimes non-comprehensible Russian. He just laughed and declined an offer of a drink or snack. Travel time. |
|
Areas Under Construction:
Top |
| Links |
|
Field Studies and non-academic participation at Olbia: |
|
Numismatic Links pertaining to Olbia, Tyras and the Black Sea region: |
Recommended Reading:
Top |
|
Photo Credits: DCP_xxxx (
Kodak DX3500 Digital Camera) series by Andre, unless noted. DCPxxxxx ( Kodak DC215 Digital Camera) and other series ( Canon Sure Shot 35mm) by Robert, unless noted. |
| Robert may be contacted by email: webmaster@archad.org or by personal email |
|
Noblecom.com Calling cards Best Long Distance Rates | |||||
|
| |||||
|
|||||
| |||||
|
| |||||
| |||||
| |||||
