Beaches, Promenades, Etc., in the Sunshine

Friday, Sept. 5, 2014--Odesa

The weather is warm here.  The forecast is for sunshine and rather warm days for the foreseeable future, but I will be here only until Sunday.

I was lazy this morning.  I stayed inside until 11:30.  Then I went out exploring for 5 hours.  I headed first to the Pushkin Statue at one end of the bluff-top promenade that runs across the northern part of the city.  From there, I passed the Opera and Ballet Theater and wandered down to the port.

Next came probably the most famous spot in Odesa--the Potemkin Steps.  I approached them from the port area, since the best way to see them is from below.  They are famous mostly because the Russian silent film Battleship Potemkin featured them in a dramatic scene ending with a runaway baby carriage representing how everything was lost and out of control.  They were built so that the bottom steps are wider than the top ones which gives the impression that they are much steeper than they really are.  What surprised me about seeing them, however was their positioning.  In the film, I seemed to recall that it looked as if the steps angled down to the harbor.  In actuality, they are perpendicular to it.

At the top of the steps were men trying to convince people to pose with 3 eagles.  Somehow, they had them "tamed."  They would flap their wings, but would not attack.  It was hard to watch, since the guys would fling the eagles around on the ropes tied to them and move them up and down to assure that they would flap their wings for the photos.  This would be a good location for a chapter of PETA.

I walked the entire promenade after that, and stopped along it to read some and watch people.  Then I headed through the large Shevchenko Park to the Lanzheron Beach.  Both the park and the beach were lined with kiosks seeling souvenirs, food, drinks, etc.  When I exited the park for the beach, I was at the Nemo Dolphinarium.  A short walk further took me to the public beach.  This is the smallest of the beaches in the area, but the closest to the city.  It was packed with people mostly sunbathing.  I just wandered and watched.

It was hot and I was beginning to perspire.  Therefore, I headed back toward the apartment from there.  I passed a small carnival near the beach and followed streets I had not yet explored.  Since I ate an early breakfast, I had my dinner at 17:30.  Now I will just relax for the evening.