Romania to Ukraine

Very early (!) morning start - without Ian and Robyn who have other plans from here. Mihail the Serious was there to see us off. Many ‘thank yous’ (mulțumesc in Romanian; boy, has THAT been a door-opener once I learnt it) to him for all his wonderful assistance as tour guide.

Some hiccups at passport control departing Tulcea for speed (!) boat to Ukraine. They said to me “you have overextended the allowed time of 180 days ”. I said we arrived by train on 19 May and showed him my train ticket saved on I-phone. He made a call and said it was a “system problem”. He was very pleasant. It got sorted. Thank goodness! It certainly had my adrenaline  pumping for a bit.

Terrific boat ride across the Danube Delta again - at fast speed, passing large swathes of forest.

We reached Izmail on the Ukraine side. Izmail is a city, Eugene our Ukraine guide explains: because it has two schools and a hospital! It is the largest Ukrainian port in the Danube Delta and has had a chequered history, being variously occupied by the Russians, Romanians and Moldavians. On arrival at the port, there is the attractive little chapel of St Nicholas.

It took 2 hours to process the group through passport control on the Ukraine side - one of the more casual-looking border crossings with its blue umbrellas, cafe and the two officers sitting at picnic tables.

However, casual-looking it might have been but it was not casual. There were a couple of visa issues for some of us, INCLUDING ME (!) because my passport number did not match my visa: the ONE job MF has ever taken on with regard to our travels - and the LAST!!! (although I admit I should have checked the application!)

The look on his face when Knud handed back my passport was pretty priceless (I think he had been a tad worried?). So was the look on mine no doubt; I certainly was!!!!

Fortunately we are on our way now. They appear to have overlooked my visa problem. I just hope I don’t have a problem exiting the country ... Hmmm.

The bus journey to Odessa is 217 kms to go. The formerly pot-holed road has been replaced with good highway (just months ago it was completed) so the travel time is halved! But the lunch stop has been cancelled due to the delays. (As it turns out, it was a great thing that Rad & Reisen in Tulcea had provided us with packed lunches - very prescient!). Apparently it wasn’t MY visa that caused the problem; Lyn had the incorrect date of birth on her visa and this had the officials on the phone several times, even a 3rd official was driven in to our little shangri-la under the blue umbrellas - which unfortunately I could not enjoy whilst I awaited the possibility of being turned back %!@#@+%).

We pass through Tartarbunary north of the Danube Delta. There was a Bolshevik-inspired peasant revolt here in 1924.

The country we travel through is mostly rural - green fields - interspersed with small towns. It is very cold in the winter: 25 to 30 deg C minus. Some of the villages have no gas; the people need to buy coal (which is very expensive) or collect wood all summer to provide heat for the winter months; one bonus is that electricity is 25% cheaper than in the city.

We pass what is known as a Palace of Culture in one village - lots of Soviet influence in the architecture. It used to be the most important building in the village (it was the club house in Soviet times), now rundown.

Most villages and cities have at least one church; these are quite pretty with their golden domes. Religion, while not officially banned in the Soviet era, was considered unacceptable by the State. Eugene tells us that the priests were all KGB agents - “they still are“ he says.

There is a stop at Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi which is considered to be the oldest town in Ukraine. Along with Rome and Athens, it is among the ten most ancient towns in the world. The fortress here was named ‘Akkerman’ (which means 'White Fortress'), and ruled the territory for over 300 years. In the early 19th century, the Russian Empire claimed the fortress as a spoil of victory after a Russo-Turkish war.

Next stop was Shabo Winery, a very impressive enterprise which employs over 1000 people. No expense has been spared - we suspect it has been bankrolled by a Russian oligarch. We enjoyed a great tour and wine tasting.

We pass through the beach resort town of Zatoka; and then finally arrive into Odessa, port city of the Ukraine on the Black Sea (pop. 990,000). It’s been a long day!

Not long after checking in, MF and I set out to see something of the city. It is a lovely balmy evening, about 23 deg C and we find ourselves in the midst of throngs of people enjoying festivities in Deribasivska Street in the old town. We enjoy the music and then walk on down to the Potemkin Steps, a famous Odessa attraction. It is very pretty looking out over the port and the surrounding buildings are very attractive, especially lit up in the night. The Baroque architecture is quite spectacular!

We retrace our steps past several bars and stop at one for a drink, mingling in with the Saturday night crowd. It is a very cosmopolitan city, just like Sydney or Melbourne, just with an indecipherable language that is pretty nigh impossible to interpret!

Continuing on, we come across the Opera House which is a real gem of 19th century European architecture. Built in the Viennese baroque style, it is famous not just for its architecture and fantastic décor, but also for its unique planning and technical characteristics.

The area we walk through is a maze of coloured lights, like a fairyland. It is an amazing sight but we are tired by now (it IS late!) and head back to the hotel.