Baltimore???

Can anyone explain to me how Baltimore, of all US east coast cities, made the cut?

Odessa Nice

OK, so Odessa does have a dirty port...

... but remember what I was saying about the central district? It's actually quite nice. I don't have a lot to say that the pictures won't tell you.

Potemkin Stairs. They were made famous in the movie The Battleship Potemkin.

This is the central square.

And some of the statues in the park.

I stopped for coffee at one of the cafes in the park...

... where out the window I spied a man re-painting the gold spots on this bean/seed.

The Nut Lady of Odessa

I arrived in Odessa today to meet up with Nick and Kes. This is another city that people had warned me was seedy and dirty, and again, that was not my experience. It is full of tree-shaded streets, cafe-lined parks, and beautiful, European-style buildings. It also has a great vibe.

We had some coffee in the park and then headed for lunch at a cute cafe by the river.
Then hit one of their favorite Irish bars for drinks. (Nick on the left, Kes on the right.)

We finished the night at 3 or 4 AM at another bar they had discovered.

(The title is in honor of Nick, who told us one of the funniest stories I have heard in a long time. I can't do it justice, but suffice it to say that only Nick could find the one nut seller in Odessa who refuses to actually sell nuts.)

How Many Ukrainians Does It Take to Change a Lightbulb?

In 1986, as many of you remember, reactor number four at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded, raining large amounts of radioactive material over portions of the Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus (who got the worst of it) and to a lesser extent across the globe. It is considered to be the worst nuclear disaster in history, with the radioactive material released equaling 400 times that of Hiroshima and an estimated 10,000 times that of TMI. Chernobyl is not far from Kiev, so you can visit the site itself as well as a museum in Kiev. Despite my willingness to take risks with things like camels, I am not so keen on dangers I can't see. And touring a nuclear fallout zone 22 years after the incident, when I understand the term "half life", doesn't strike me as a good idea. So, I just stuck with the museum.

Here is an aerial image of the reactor after the incident.

The museum was laid out very creatively, with a focus on the impact to the people.

One part that I thought was really powerful was this collection of street signs when you exit. For those not familiar with the designation, the red line through a city name is used to indicate you are leaving the city.

Unfortunately, while I liked the presentation, I found the museum light on the hard information I was seeking. I left with more questions than when I entered. What caused the disaster? What happens when a reactor explodes? What does the "hot rain" look like? How many people died? I didn't know much of this information because, while I remember it happening, I was only 11 at the time. I wish I had known more before I entered so I would get more out of the exhibits.

My friends, Helen and Jeroen, did the tour of the reactor site and nearby town. I guess eating river fish and mushrooms wasn't risky enough for them, but they did come away with more information. One piece of information that I found astounding was the process for containment. They had no contingency plan for this sort of thing, so men dressed in radiation suits were sent in two minute increments to build a wall over the exposed portions of the reactor. All of them died soon after from exposure. My friends were told that cracks are now beginning to show in this same wall that still covers the reactor.

After the museum, I walked through the city along the river and saw some great statues.

And some cool buildings. Many fellow travelers told me that Kiev is such an ugly, grey city, but this is not the case. It has wide boulevards, beautiful old buildings...

... and modern homes. Granted it is not ALL like that, but it is actually quite a pretty city.

And probably the most interesting of the buildings is called the Chimera Building due to the menagerie of animals along its roofline.

More fun with Cyrillic. This says Coffee House.

Spelunking

When I checked into the hostel yesterday, I ran into a few of the girls I had met in L'viv. They invited me to join them on a visit to the cave monastery.


This involved a ride on the metro. Here is a view of the long steep escalators in the metro.
As you look down through this dizzying tunnel, imagine trying to balance as you step onto this escalator and ride the stairs down, with 20 kilos in a backpack on your back and another 9 kilos in a backpack on your front. Now, imagine that these escalators are about three times faster than the escalators at your local mall. That was what I had to do yesterday morning after barely sleeping on the train the night before. I think this is one of those rare instances where falling down the stairs ISN'T funny. Hmmm... actually, when you visualize it from the outside, maybe it is funny. Painful, but funny. Luckily, I didn't have to find out. But, I digress...

The cave monastery was founded in 1015 and, as it's name inplies, is located inside a cave, with some Orthodox churches surrounding it. Here are some photos of those churches...

This is actually a pilgrimage site for many, so I did not take pictures inside the caves. You are given a small candle to act as a light, although there are lamps throughout, and we were required to wear head scarves. After descending the stairs into the cave, you encounter numerous coffins and chapels.

Some of the monks lived in small rooms with only a small opening for passing them bread and water. They spent their days praying and when they died, the small hole was closed, sealing them in their tombs. The other monks that lived here were often mumified upon their death and are on display in glass coffins so that Orthodox pilgrims can pray at their tombs. Each of the monks interred here has a defined "purpose" and pilgrims pray at the burial site of different monks based on that purpose.

That night we went out and found another of these life-sized statues. Rumor has it that this is a famous actor. Anyone???