Odessa

Odessa, Ukraine's 3rd largest city at more than a million, is located on the southern coast and the Black Sea.  It was founded in 1240 as a Tatar settlement.  After defeating the Ottoman Turks, in 1794 Russia's Catherine the Great enlarged the city and began using the port as Russia's southern point of naval trade as well as sea power.  This is the port from the top of the famous stairs.  Without us blocking the view you can see a hotel and access to the main dock area, though many more docking areas are located to either side.

"Odessa’s most iconic symbol, the Potemkin Steps (Primorsky Stairs) is a vast staircase that conjures an illusion so that those at the top only see a series of large steps, while at the bottom all steps (about 200) appear to merge into one pyramid-shaped mass."   Up on the hill is a nice shady promenade.  Down along the water's edge is a sandy beach, unusual for the Black Seaside, which normally has gravel or rocks.  One can see why tourism is a main industry.  

"The historical architecture has a style more Mediterranean than Russian, having been heavily influenced by French and Italian styles. Some buildings are built in a mixture of different styles." This is the city administration building.

Across the plaza is this side face of the opera house.

This front view of the opera house shows its ornate architecture.  We were told the inside hall is one of the loveliest and unique, but it was closed on the Sunday afternoon we were there.  

There were several carriages available for hire for Sunday visitors.

This cathedral near the train station was obviously an important one but we just drove quickly by.

This Voksal or train station is the beginning and the end of trips to Kyiv for most of our friends who come to the temple.