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First Trip to Odessa

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halls120 (Plank Owner) 06 Nov 21, 13:47Post
Week before last I was fortunate enough to travel to Odessa for a conference. Flew STR-VIE-ODS on OS E195s, and for a trip under three hours, that is one sweet ride. No real food, just water and chocolate since each leg was under 1.5 hours.

Landed in Odessa, and it was interesting - a mix of old and new. Terminal was fairly new, but you could see a lot of the old Soviet infrastructure still in use. Conference was fine, but the real surprise was the food - it is plentiful, varied, and inexpensive. There is a strong Mediterranean influence in Odessa, and the food is outstanding. As one conference attendee stated, Ukraine is not a country you want to live in if you are on a diet.

Departed Odessa on a TK 787 Max, and I made it through that harrowing experience. ;) That was my first flight on a Max, and it was utterly normal. Unlike many other airlines, TK still has a robust IFE suite in Y, and the entertainment made the tight squeeze (it was a full flight) go by quickly.

Landed in IST and thankfully, one of the TK lounges have reopened - and it was just like I remembered it before COVID. Ample delicious food and drink made the 4 hour layover fly by quickly. I eventually boarded my flight to STR, and surprisingly, our usual A321 was replaced by an A333. I had upgraded that 3 hour leg, and Im glad I did, as once again, Y was packed. Had a great meal and a pleasant flight, and before long, we landed in STR.

One more trip this year, and then it will be time to start wrapping this chapter of my life up.
At home in the PNW and loving it
DXing 06 Nov 21, 18:29Post
Did Odessa back in 2008. Wonderful city to spend some time in. I agree you can expand your waistline very easily. Obviously a little chilly for the beaches this time of the year but we were there in August and there are several areas along the Black Sea, most notably Arcadia Beach, set up like carnivals with all sorts of good food and temporary bars. You can get wasted in that country for next to nothing. The Potemkin steps, Pushkin museum, any of the many churches, all worth seeing. Took the train into town, left via Ukrainian Airways on a YAK 42 to Kiev. Flying museum piece, the overhead call button said "stewardess" next to it! But I gotta tell you, that was one hell of a "stewardess"! :)) We used up more runway than I care to think about, flew south for about 20 miles then turned back north. When we passed the airport heading north I bet we weren't 10,000 feet up. That thing was a real dog. Landing at Kiev the pilot just came back on the power and we dropped like we were on an elevator. Just past the threshold he added power and arrested the descent just as we touched down. No flare that I could discern, just an arrested descent.

Shame the Crimea is now within the Russian zone. Same trip I went there and was totally amazed by the czars palaces and history of the entire peninsula. Sevastopol, only place I've ever been refused service simply for being an American (we are all members of the CIA don't you know!).
What's the point of an open door policy if inside the open door sits a closed mind?
halls120 (Plank Owner) 11 Dec 21, 14:51Post
DXing wrote:Did Odessa back in 2008. Wonderful city to spend some time in. I agree you can expand your waistline very easily. Obviously a little chilly for the beaches this time of the year but we were there in August and there are several areas along the Black Sea, most notably Arcadia Beach, set up like carnivals with all sorts of good food and temporary bars. You can get wasted in that country for next to nothing. The Potemkin steps, Pushkin museum, any of the many churches, all worth seeing. Took the train into town, left via Ukrainian Airways on a YAK 42 to Kiev. Flying museum piece, the overhead call button said "stewardess" next to it! But I gotta tell you, that was one hell of a "stewardess"! :)) We used up more runway than I care to think about, flew south for about 20 miles then turned back north. When we passed the airport heading north I bet we weren't 10,000 feet up. That thing was a real dog. Landing at Kiev the pilot just came back on the power and we dropped like we were on an elevator. Just past the threshold he added power and arrested the descent just as we touched down. No flare that I could discern, just an arrested descent.

Shame the Crimea is now within the Russian zone. Same trip I went there and was totally amazed by the czars palaces and history of the entire peninsula. Sevastopol, only place I've ever been refused service simply for being an American (we are all members of the CIA don't you know!).


Wonderful city, to be sure. And for the time being, it was good being an American in Odessa. The vast majority of the population wants nothing to do with Putin - they want to be in the EU and NATO, especially the younger generations.
At home in the PNW and loving it
 

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