Blue Peter Pan and Tinker's Bell

[lupestripe]

Sightseeing in 34 degree heat is never fun. However, being British and thus suspicious of such weather, I probably shouldn't complain too much as after tomorrow, I do not know when I will next see the sun again. I had started to doubt the existence of the burning golden orb. And the day I have had with the Odesa furs was most fun - aside from the snakes.

Nine furs met me at the hotel, a Soviet monstrocity whose primary colour is brown, at around 11am and we quickly scouted out an imposing monument from the Communist era. We then boarded a battered yellow bus which took us into the heart of the city, which is some distance away from where I am saying. I am sure the hotel information said different when I booked it.

With appetities soon satiated after I tried some pork/chicken sausages which tasted like tuna and washed it down with raspberry compotte, we headed to one of the main cathedrals in the city, where an art market was taking place. We then headed deeper into the heart of the town, where two people with snakes were draping them around the necks of children. There were also chinchillas there, rabbits and a small allegator, which I thought was a poor combination. Moving swiftly on, we saw a bouncy castle slide in the shape of a tiger and perspired so much I was forced to drown my belly with as many fluids as it could contain.

The highlight of the day was seeing the monument to Alexander Pushkin and the steps leading down to the port. I had wanted to see these for 19 years and was delighted to finally be observing them. We also saw an array of other sights of the city whilst I was given a fantastic picture of my character as a souvenir of my time in Ukraine. It was extremely touching and I hope to frame it, and hang it on my wall, upon my return to the UK on Monday.

We walked over a bridge with locks placed upon it to symbolise enduring and unbreakable love. Heading into the old town, we did a brief tour before realising it was far too hot and retiring to a bar called McSandwich. It was more a takeaway really and here we started to lose furs who need to go off and do other things. I also got to see my first Greek ruins, which are preserved in the heart of the town.

In the end, we were whittled down to the four of us who called in at a cyber cafe decked out as a Russian submarine (complete with missile) and a proper Soviet milk bar type place where I had meat dumplings similar to Polish perogi. These were floating in oil though, very greasy, and even the paprika in the salt sellar or special balsamic vinegar could do little to improve the food. The customer waiting area was preserved like olden days and it was great to see a true slice of history. Plus the furs told me an awful lot about the history of Ukraine, and what it is like to live here now. As I have mentioned before, all the brands are here now, and this is a major difference.

The four of us retired to my hotel room where we tried some more beers whilst observing the view from the balcony. Either that or we sat on the edge of the twin beds and chatted about all things furry. The three remaining are from Kharson, a town six hours to the East of here, and they have just gone to catch their train. I have been invited to stay over at their place if I ever visit the city, which I may do very soon. A fantastic end to a fantastic day indeed.

Comments

[skawinski.livejournal.com]

Well, you seem to be having a lot of fun in Ukraine! Much different a place than Britain, isn't it?

Although I'm quite surprised with hotel staff not being able to agree on how to pronunce the name of the place...

Hope your back safe and sound :)

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

It was more the spelling they couldn't agree on - it was transliterated from Cyrillic to Roman type and there must be different interpretations.

I did like Ukraine, it's a fascinating country. I imagine it's a bit like how Poland used to be.