Day 3.

After a good sleep I got up at 6am for a walk to make the most of my final day of the trip.

A person walking across Rishelievska Street in the early morning of day 3.


And at 1 Tchaikovsky Street, the beautiful Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater.


A short walk away was the Monument to the founders of Odessa: Catherine the Great and her companions José de Ribas, François Sainte de Wollant, Platon Zubov and Grigory Potemkin. Originally built in 1900 it was then dismantled in 1920, three years after the October Revolution. The monument as well as the surrounding buildings were then restored in 2007.


Looking down at the Port of Odessa from the top of the Potemkin Stairs.


The Passenger Terminal and the Hotel Odessa on the left. The hotel formerly belonged to the Kempinski hotel chain but is now closed.


The Sailor's Wife Monument near the end of the passenger terminal with the morning sun slowly rising to the east over the Black Sea. It was a great morning to be out and about with the city still awaking in the early Sunday hours. The weather not being too cool and the air being completely still.


Vorontsov Lighthouse just offshore at the end of a long stone causeway.


It is named after Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov, one of the Governors-general of the Odessa region in the 19th century.


The lighthouse is 27 metres tall and emits the Morse Code signal of three dashes, the letter O for Odessa.


The long concrete breakwaters protect the port from the southern high seas.


The red and white cast iron tower is a famous Odessa landmark and is the third lighthouse to be built at the location. The first lighthouse was built in 1863 but was then later relocated to Crimea. The second lighthouse was lit in 1888 but was then blown up by the Soviets on 15 September 1941 so that it would not serve as a guide for German aviation and artillery during WWII. The third and current Vorontsov lighthouse was constructed in 1955.


Looking down at the Viking Sineus docked at the Passenger Terminal with the Potemkin Stairs visible in the background.


Ship unloading cranes sitting idle in the early morning.


The neighbouring railyards, ready to transport cargo to and from the ships in port.


Containers, steel and fuel on the trains this morning.


In front of the 192 steps of the Potemkin Stairs. Built in 1841, the stairs are considered a formal entrance into the city and are the best known symbol of Odessa.


The top step is 12.5 meters wide while the the lowest step is 21.7 meters wide to give the optical illusion of greater length.


At the top of the stairs with the tree lined Primorsky Boulevard and Monument to the founders of Odessa at top-centre.


After the early morning exploration I headed back to the hotel and enjoyed a tasty breakfast.


After checking out of my hotel and storing my bag, I went out for some more sightseeing.

A bright pink two door outside a local patisserie.


парувати.


вулиця.


Onions.


Warhol.


Outside the entrance to Odessa's ornate Pasazh (Passage) Shopping Arcade.


Odessa Passage was built at the end of the 19th century with one entrance on Deribasivska Street and the other on Preobrazhenska Street.


The Passage is awash with intricate Baroque sculptures and it seemed like I was walking through an ornate church or palace rather than a shopping arcade!


At a French café in the arcade where I stopped for a mid-morning caffeine and sugar fix with some orange blossom coffee and four tasty macarons with the flavours currant, pistachio, mocha and the very interesting blue cheese-hazelnut.


Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral. The first and foremost church in the city, it was completed in 1808.


And the breathtaking interior. The original church was demolished by the Soviets in 1936. It was then rebuilt starting in 1999 with the new cathedral consecrated in 2003.


автобусна зупинка.


A political rally on Primorsky Boulevard for the Movement of New Forces party.


The party was founded in February 2017 by Mikheil Saakashvili, the former President of Georgia and then Governor of Odessa Oblast before he quit in protest at extensive corruption in the country. A few days previously he had also been departed from Ukraine to Poland.


Walking down Primorsky Boulevard.


Outside Odessa City Hall with a cannon from the British frigate HMS Tiger that was sunk in 1854 near Odessa during the Crimean War.


1406 kilometres to тріполі (Tripoli).


Folk songs in Palais-Royal Garden.


Одесса.


A fridge magnet to take home for 30 hryvnia ($1.10).


Last time I was in Ukraine it was the cheapest place in the world to buy a Big Mac according to the Economist Big Mac Index at only 21 hryvnia ($1.66 at the time). 3.5 years later the price had more than doubled to 49 hryvnia but still only equivalent to $1.85.


At about 1pm I headed back to the hotel to retrieve my bag and then caught a taxi to Odessa International Airport for 150 hryvnia ($5.66).

They had recently built a brand new terminal at the airport but it was currently only being used for arrivals with the old terminal being used for departures.


A random dog wandering about at check-in.


There was a sign saying that there would be a fee to print out a boarding pass. I had my e-boarding pass on my phone but after lining up for security they said they needed the paper version. A quick visit back to check-in and they printed one off for me without any payment though.


Boarding the 737-800 on time for the 1 hour flight to Kiev.


Some Sukhoi jetfighters parked on the ground shortly after take-off.


Banking left over Odessa.


Above the clouds and the sun back in view.


Enjoying a cheese platter I had pre-ordered for $6.


Snow covered fields below as we make our descent into Boryspil International Airport.


Heading up the escalators to international departures and immigration.


Our 737 for the flight to Dubai.


Enjoying the dinner I had pre-ordered for $8.50. I was quite impressed and definitely the first time I have had real crockery and cutlery in economy.


And back in Dubai after a great trip from Chișinău to Odessa!