A Lazy Day

Since we weren't able to visit with Maria, we decided to just wander the city and see what we'd discover. We had breakfast at a street cafe. It was very good. It's so helpful to have Brynn here to do some translating. Even with her limited Russian, our orders sometimes get a little mixed up.

We then walked a few blocks up to see the Opera House. It is a beautiful building which is surrounded by many other beautiful buildings. A path behind the Opera House parallels the Black Sea. We took that path and discovered Potemkin Steps. These are 10 sets of 19 steps that take you down to the Odessa port. It is definitely a huge tourist attraction. Further along the path we came to some Greek columns (I don't remember the name) that also overlook the Black Sea. Unfortunately, the beauty of the column structure was diminished by the graffiti on it. All along our walk there were brides and grooms posing for pictures. I am talking about 20-30 of them. This area is popular for wedding photos. I don't know if Friday is a big wedding day or if they take pictures the day before the wedding. It was cool to see the styles of dresses. Many of them were typical to what an American would wear but many were more frilly and poofy than you would see back home. After seeing the Greek column structure, we crossed a bridge that had locks attached all the way across a metal bar. They were all locked and had things written on them. We think maybe new brides and grooms put them there. I will have Brynn post a picture of it since it's hard to explain. At the end of the bridge, we stopped to have a drink in an outdoor setting. It was nice and relaxing. We watched all the wedding parties cross the bridge and take more pictures!

In the evening we had dinner at a pizza place and watched the Opening Ceremonies in Beijing. We are learning to take our time with meals. The waiters and waitresses wait a long time before bringing the check. We have decided it's good to linger awhile after eating-very unlike back home. Brynn and Viktor went back to the apartment while Mike and I walked some more around the city.

We are moving from our apartment in the city to a house on the Black Sea. I'll let you know how that is.