Odesa, jewel of Black Sea

I visited Odesa for the first time during my first trip to Ukraine in October 2022 for two reasons:

  1. I bought tickets for Mykolaiv Zoo soon after the full-scale Rashist slaughter started, primarily to support the zoo.  
  2. I almost went to Odesa in the late 1980s when I was selected for a highly competitive scholarship in the Soviet Union, which was still one of the two superpowers. It was not very difficult for me to decline this offer because I wanted to go to the free West. Many fellow students were vying for this spot, which I vacated, and they even wanted me to help them secure it. The one who got it was assigned to Odesa I.I. Mechnykov State University. He told me a lot about Odesa when he returned for a summer break.  
I visited Odesa again during my 4th trip to Ukraine. I have visited the top five Ukrainian cities by population: Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro, and Lviv. Odessa is undoubtedly the most livable city, though I enjoy visiting every one of them. 

Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral in 2022:


Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral in 2025, after it was heavily damaged by a Rashist missile on July 23, 2023

Many buildings in Odesa are more than 100 years old (built in the 1800s and early 1900s). 





Frantsuzky Boulevard (French Blvd) has an undescribable appeal to me.




Odesa's central post office was the most beautiful post office that I have visited.
Unfortunately, it was closed when I visited again in 2025:


I enjoyed Opera Turandot in Odessa National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet:



Odesa Fine Arts Museum:





Alley of Heroes at Taras Shevchenko Park with over 200 photos of heroes:



The historic Odesa National Medical University:




Suvenir Z Odesy is a fantastic place to buy Ukrainian crafts. The owner is the artist who makes many things sold in the store.


Starokinnyy market (Old Horse Market) is the most fascinating market that I have seen in Ukraine. You can get pretty much anything from it.





Benedikt is a very nice restaurant:


City Buffet is a great place to try different dishes:




Love the food from Myasoed (Мясоед), a deli store:


The Chinese food from Chin Chin is apparently Westernized:







Common street kebab scene:






Odesa Zoom still brings a lot of joy to kids during the war, despite its small size



It was great to see people still trying to have a good time at Odesa Dolphinarium, though the nearby 5-star hotel has been shut down by the war. 


Understandably, many Soviet era monuments remain.
Monument to Alexander Marinesкo who, as a captain of a submarine, sank the German liner MV Wilhelm Gustloff in 1945 when it carried thousands of both military personnel and civilians evacuating as the war ended. 






Monument to an Unknown Sailor:

Kulykove Pole (old October Revolution Square)



The seaside Zdorovya Track is a very pleasant paved trail for jogging and biking.
 



I love feral cats in Odesa:


Pigeons at Diukivskyi Sad (Duke's Garden)



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