three days in Odessa Photo Gallery by nuthatch at pbase.com

three days in Odessa

we arrive on the overnight train from Lviv, to find...	...sycamores and interesting architecture		first stop is the JCC Migdal, not far from the train station...
...where we get a tour and intro to the JCC's work by Jenny	then off into the streets	surprisingly, this little building was a site of the pioneering early-Zionist Odessa Committee
		the former stock exchange building
		a view of the opera house as we head for our hotel
here's the hotel, a historic 'passage' complex of shops, offices, and lodging	still very elaborate inside		but there are other remarkable buildings, even just across the street
	we drop our things at the hotel and head into the City Garden...	...a favorite meeting place in the downtown
off again, heading toward the opera house			another view of the house, built in the 1880s
	we pass thru the city hall area, a large park and promenade	Mercury, one of the symbols of the city...	...like the anchor, representing the port
here's Pushkin, a much-loved visitor (and briefly a citizen)	walking down the tree-lined cliff-top Prymorsky blvd		a glass case in the walkway protects remnants of a Greek settlement from the 4th-c. BC
	the harbor end of Katerynynska street	Marla with friend and guide Alex at the top of the Potemkin Stairs	the Duc de Richelieu waves as we start down the steps...
...across the cargo rails to the waterfront	Ernst Neizvestny's Golden Child, in the golden sunset	yacht harbor at the end of the working pier	a monument to sailor's wives and families, looking out to sea
now we head back up the Potemkin Stairs (we'll take the funicular)	night falling on Prymorsky blvd		a last look over the port before heading off to dinner
the next morning, we head up Preobrazhenska street, to a corner where there was a photo studio around 1905...	...either in this building...	...or in this one, the Lichtenberg studio took a baby picture of Marla's grandfather's first cousin Sam	hmmm... no hard evidence, but it might have been here
in the streets again to see the sights		a quieter and less ostentatious neighborhood	the bookseller's market (Jay is looking for a particular novel in Russian)
the 19th-c. Choral synagogue, converted to a sports hall under the Soviets...	...now serves as a house of prayer, study, and community once again	the Brodsky synagogue, from the 1860s, remains a state archive since just after the 1917 revolution
continuing on...		here is Catherine square; Great Kate is standing on her favorite, Potemkin	one of many memorials around the city
	on Sabaneiv Bridge street, a crumbling beauty		up ahead, Gogol street, with many architectural gems
	here's a house Gogol himself occupied in 1850-51	this seems like a genuine investment opportunity	let's check it out...
hmmm... Gogol's back yard!	an interesting structure in the yard next door	a view back at Gogol's house	seems peaceful enough here
	out on the street again...	...we meet a wandering poet, who composes on the spot for 'Malka'
	the monument to an orange (sorry, the story is too long for a caption)	Teschin (mother-in-law) bridge, one of the longest in Odessa	love locks with a view
on Prymorsky blvd again...	...it's time for a refreshing cup of kvas!	then, to the museum complex for a variety of local history	in the scupture park, Marla checks out Rabinovich the tailor
yes, the varenyky in this city are excellent	an interesting small collection of local history, mostly conveyed via old photos, posters, currency, etc.	here's a portrait by the Lichtenberg studio!	as are the two in the upper corners...
...and this one! but, no new info we can use to help our search	back on the boulevards
	here's the regional history museum	symbols of the city in a 19th-c. mansion	the museum holds maps, models, and documents representing many periods of struggle for control of the city
here's a great display on the building of the opera house	and a memento of the Brodksy synagogue	a contemporary local view of the Russo-Japanese war	heading down the great staircase
now we're in the museum of WWII...	...which focuses on the city's efforts to defend itself from repeated attack and occupation	an Underwood typewriter from the era	and now we're in front of the small but good local Jewish museum
	that's Sholem Aleichem standing	some less happy memories	finally today we visit Arkadia park on the Black Sea
some mural art on the walk down to the water	and at last, we reach the Sea...	...for a glass of wine on the beach sands with Alex...	...a nice way to end the day
next morning, we head for the historic Moldavanka district	a memorial to Jews killed and transported from this area in WWII		the trees memorialize non-Jews who sheltered and saved Jews during the war
	this hospital served the district's Orthodox Jewish community and others before the revolution...		...and continues to serve the community today
	much of the city was built of shellstone quarried under the streets	beyond the often elegant facades, the buildings behind are usually more humble	rear of a facade building
		not all the facade buildings are surviving	meanwhile, across the street...
now we take a stroll through the Trete (3rd) Jewish cemetery		many of the gravesites are very overgrown
a memorial to the victimes of the 1905 pogrom		now we are back in town at the historic Pryvoz market	Marla and Alex with two market regulars
this market has long been known for its fishmongers	crayfish resting under a rug	let's try another part of the market	here, salted, smoked, and dried fish reign
the market complex includes many structures like this		our appetites are ready for a local specialty: bull-headed 'bychky' (goby)	then back to downtown for a last tour of the streets
	the Trinity orthodox church
at Odessa's large university complex
finally, we rest on the sleeper train back to Lviv...	pano: the port of Odessa at night	pano: Arkadia beach on the Black Sea	pano: memorial to the victims of the 1905 Odessa pogrom
a walk thru time...

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