Odessa Hot News

[altiva]

Fete of wine in Odessa!

 

October 2-3 - a fete of wine in Odessa Ukraine!

On Deribasovskaya (central street).

This fete is unique - it allows the visitors to taste wines,

presented by wine makers, to watch a show, participate in

competitions, receive prizes, receive free consultations from wine

experts.

Show will consist of performers-representatives of the countries

participating in this fete.

You will be able to buy there:

wine

wine from individual wine makers

saplings

cooperage

ceramics

glass crafts

souvenirs

wine tours

 

Programme

 

October 2 - from 10 to 7 p.m.

October 3 - from 10 to 5.30 p.m.

 

People's wine tasting - on special wine tasting enclosure. Any

visitor can taste a coded sample. October 2 - from 1 to 4 p.m. -

tasting dry wines. October 3 from 11 to 2 - tasting of sweet wines.

Declaring the winners - October 3.

 

What - Fete of wine

Where - Odessa Deribasovskaya street

When - October 2-3

[altiva]

A rare find, a Church Shoppe of Odessa Saint-Illya Monastery.

Adjacent to the Church of Saint-Illya Monastery. This shoppe sells,

besides what ordinary church shoppes sell, candles and icons, and

books with the lives of saints, a hand made, all organic kvas and

pastry!

Kvas is made from barley, with no sugar added, all organic

ingredients, barely and clean artesian water, by an original recipe

from 18 century. Sold in plastic bottles for half a litre, a litre and

two litres. If you tried commercial kvas, made with sugar, before,

this one will taste a little sour to you. Kvas is a non-alcoholic

drink, and children can drink it, too.

They sell a hand made baked good and pastry here, too, and yeast-less bread, and

waffles and such.

Situated about 20 min by car from the centre. Not far from Odessa

Railway station (unique, because it's a terminus), and Catherdral of

Saint Panteleimon with its beautiful cupolas (during the

Soviet regime they had a planetarium here).

 

What: Church shoppe

Where: Pushkinskaya 79

When: every day

Tip: do not go there on Sunday. The monk and all religious people are

prohibited to work on Sunday, and though you will find the shoppe

open, there will be no fresh baked goods, maybe an occasional sad

bun, left from the previous day. Do not wear shorts, shout loudly,

take photo shots and point fingers inside, too.

 

 

[altiva]

Chocoland

 

Museum of Chocolate

 

History of Chocolate

More than fifty chocolate statues

Free tasting

You can buy chocolate boots, chocolate currency, chocolate cars,

chocolate greeting cards and more.

A new excursion every hour

 

 

What:

Chocoland - museum of chocolate

 

Where:

25 Patneleimonovskaya street (5th floor)

 

When: from December 13 2010 n to February 27 2011

From 9 a .m. to 8 p.m.

Monday is a day off.

[altiva]

Today is a Christmas eve in Ukraine.

 

Happy Christmas to you all!

[altiva]

A traditional Christmas dish is called kutya.

On the Christmas day, January 6, people are not supposed to eat till

they see the first star in the sky. The first dish to eat after that

was kutya. Kutya is a kind of porridge, made from corn grain, poppy

seeds, walnuts, dry fruit and honey. It symbolizers good harvest,

fertility, wealth. A large bowl of kutya is placed in the middle of

the table, and people help themselves with spoons. A separate little

dish is put aside for "predky", "duhy", dead ancestors, who visit earth

during Christmas and look after the prosperity of their families.

They will insure that your year will be well and prosperous, in

exchange of this hearty meal. The next morning, January 7, people put

their kutyas in large clay pots and go to visit each other,

especially children are required to visit their godfather and

godmother, but also all the relatives and good friends. You are

supposed to eat at least a spoonful of kutya from any pot, presented

to you, out of respect and for good luck.

This is the photo of raw corn grain and poppy seeds, main ingredients

of kutya.

 

 

 

Recipe.

1 cup of raw corn grain

a handful of raisins (can be prunes, dry apple slices, or any other

dry fruit, but NOT sugared fruit).

Honey (to your liking)

Shelled walnuts (pecans) - 5-6

Poppy seeds - 3-4 table spoons

 

Put your corn grain into a saucepan or a cast-iron pot. Add water to

cover corn grain about a nail-length of your thumb. If you used

saucepan, put it on your cooker, when the water boils, stew on little

fire for about 10-15 minutes, until corn grain is soft. If you used a

cast-iron pot, put it into oven for 20-25 minutes. The cooked kutya

is supposed to have a little water in it, so do not boil it all out.

Let it get a little colder, but not too cold. Add raisins, walnuts,

honey, poppy seeds and stir well. Eat it lukewarm and cold. You do

not re-heat kutya. Kutya has that wonderful filling rich taste, and

though many people are afraid to try it first, they come to live it

really quickly and can't have enough of it.

Kutya with ingredients is called "rich kutya", so the more walnuts,

raisins, dry fruit and poppy seeds you add, the better. Poor people

in the past ate "empty" kutya, just boiling the corn grains, because

raisins, honey, walnuts, all were so very expensive to buy.

Most supermarkets supply "kutya packs" before and shortly after

Christmas, with poppy seeds, shelled walnuts, raisins and corn grain

packed in separate little bags, to buy and cook at home.

[altiva]

Chocoland exhibition drew a lot of positive reviews. Not only you get

a short and sweet story of chocolate, you can eat for free a lot of

tasty things, made from chocolate and marzipan, and buy some more.

Here are some photos.

Chocolate Venus, white chocolate:

 

 

 

Eiffel tower:

 

 

Marzipan and chocolate:

 

 

Chocolate beans, a suckfull of them, a huge one:

 

 

A chocolate guide:

 

[altiva]

Maidans from Odessa is dancing today on Dumska square (at the centre,

near the town hall, Primorsky boulevard). Maidains is a popular

show/movement in Ukraine, a flash mob dancing.

The name has two meanings, when you pronounce it, it sounds like "my

dance" in English, in Ukrainian, "maidan" means "a city square",

thus, dancing outside.

Check their videos here:

 

http://maydans.com.ua/video

 

What: flash mob.

Where: Dumska square, Odessa, Ukraine

When: June 1, 2011, 6.30 p.m.

[altiva]

Silver Wind in Odessa port, Ukraine

 

 

Azamara in Odessa Ukraine

 

 

More photos here:

 

http://odessainterpreters.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=16

[altiva]

Pentecost in Odessa Ukraine

 

12 of June was an important holiday, Pentecost (Triytsia). As a

result, Monday, 13 is a holiday, too.

Originally, ancient Slavs celebrated Green Holidays this day. It was

a sacred holiday, and people celebrated the beginning of summer, and

the beginning of new, summer calendar circle. People decorated their

houses with herbs and flowers, honoured the dead ancestors, sang

special songs around a "sacred", decorated tree (in which the souls

of dead ancestors lived). A young beautiful girl wearing wreaths and flowers,

strolled through a village, and young girls and lads accompanied her.

It was a beautiful holiday.

With the acceptance of Christianity, this holiday continued, but

under the auspices of Christian church. The church was eager to fight

pagan traditions, and accepted many of the pagans holidays,

revamping them as per Christian tradition. Thus, Green Holidays

became Pentecost.

Nowadays, it means going to church, listening to a special sermon,

and concentrating large bouquets of medicinal herbs and flowers,

such as calamus, thyme, camomile, mint. These herbs are supposed to

keep bad spirits away, when you keep them in your place. You can also

buy an obereg - a special talisman, to serve the same purpose.

You can listen to the sermon, buy a bouquet and consecrate it in any

church.

Some tips:

do not come to the church, wearing shorts (both for men and women).

Women cover up their heads in church with a headscarf, men, on the

contrary, take their headgear off. Do not use camera, talk loudly,

point fingers of turn your back to the altar.

If you have pollen allergy, do not attend!

Here are some photos from St Illya church of Male Monastery

celebration.

Pentecost bouquet under the feet of St Mary

 

 

Pentecost bouquets

 

 

 

Pentecost Oberegy - talismans

 

 

 

 

A grandmother and granddaughter are happy to pose for the photo

 

 

Priest, consecrating the bouquets - sacred water is in the silver

bucket, red box is for donations

 

 

 

more photos here:

http://odessainterpreters.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=17

[altiva]

Odessa International Film Festival

 

Odessa Ukraine July 15-23

 

Ukrainian, Russian, French, British films will be shown.

 

The jury consist of:

Jerzy Stuhr, Maria de Medeiros and her husband and children,

Valeri Todorovski, Nikita Mikhalkov, Sergei Solovyov, Otar Iosseliani

and his wife, Alexander Gordon and John Malkovich.

 

Vladimir Klitschko is one of the guests!

 

There are:

1. Competition program - fourteen new films will be presented for

nominations.

2. Ukrainian laboratory - Ukrainian films by new and raising Ukrainian

filmmakers.

3. Festival of Festivals - This section includes the films that were awarded prizes

at other international festivals and venues.

4. Cinema Live - under the open air, free admission, on Potyomkin

staircase and Langeron staircase, free admission, and live music.

5. Gala Premieres.

6. French Panorama - a vast array of French films.

7. New Russian films.

8. Ukrainian comedies.

6. Retrospective of Monty Python films.

7. Special screenings - films, created by member of the jury and

honourary guests.

8. Made in Odessa. Films created in Odessa.

9. Master Class - classes for film professionals, students and those

who like cinema!

 

 

 

The grand opening - July 15, Odessa Opera Theatre

 

Showing French romance film "The Artist", directed by Michel

Hazanavicius, starring Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo.

 

When: at 6 p.m.

 

 

DAILY PROGRAMME

 

Red carpet - Odessa Opera Theatre - July 15 16.30-18.00

Meet a celebrity, shake hands, take an autograph

 

Opening ceremony - Odessa Opera Theatre - July 15 18.00-20.30

 

Special open air presentation, German silent movie "Metropolis"-

Potyomkin staircase, July 16 21.00-23.30

 

Open air presentation, Ukrainian films, Ukrainian and Russian movie

stars, film concerts - Langeron staircase - July 15-23, 19.00-23.00

 

Presentation of films, movie theatres "Rodina", "Cinema-city",

"U-cinema" - July 15-23

 

Red carpet - Odessa Opera Theatre - July 23 - 18.00-19.15

 

Closing ceremony - Odessa Opera Theatre - July 23 - 19.15-21.30

[altiva]

The largest knights tournament of the year

 

10th Open Championship of Ukraine

 

Steel League

 

16 and 17 of July

 

There will be knights from Odessa, Kiev, Kharkiv, Chisinau, Tiraspol

and other places!

Cheer up for ours!

 

What: Open knights' tournament, historical reconstruction, knights'

battles.

When: 16 and 17 of July, starting at 10 a.m.

Where: Belgorod Dnestrovsky XII century fortress.

 

How to get there:

1. From Odessa, Ukraine, by a suburbain train, at 6.49, 8.42, 12.14,

14.22, 17.50 (to return from Belgorod to Odessa, at 5.34, 9.29,

14.07, 17.11, 19.15)

2. By a mini-cab from 0dessa railway station. They run all the day

long and depart as soon as they are full. If you face the railway

station, the mini-cab's stop is on the right side of it.

It will take you about 1.5 hours to get to Belgorod Dnestrovsky.

In Belgorod, to get to the fortress - you can walk, about ten blocks,

or take a taxi, which costs about 2.50 US dollars.

 

The entrance fee to the tournament - 5 dollars per an adult person,

2.50 dollars for a child, children under 7 come for free.

 

There will be bio-toilets and stalls to buy food and drinks.

 

The entrance to the fortress, if you want to explore it, too, is 1.50

US per person.

 

Photos from the previous tournaments:

 

 

 

More photos here:

 

http://odessainterpreters.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=4

[altiva]

Melody in Odessa Ukraine:

 

 

Seabourn Quest in Odessa Ukraine

 

 

 

Costa Mediterranea in Odessa Ukraine

 

 

More photos here:

 

http://odessainterpreters.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=16

[altiva]

Odessa International Film Festival, Red capet:

 

 

More photos here:

http://odessainterpreters.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=18

[Judyumcer@aol.com]

Altiva, We will be there on 4 September 2011 on the Oceania cruise ship, Nautica. Can you walk off the ship and be in the city or is it a drive into the city? Sounds like alot of conventions are held there as in our city of Las Vegas, Nevada. What will be going on when we are there? We have never been to the Black Sea and were wondering what type of weather to expect. Will we need light jackets or is it usually hot that time of year? Enjoy your posts. Thank you!

[alexandra cruiser]

Saw the Silver Wind ship photo,,and thats what I ll be on,,hopefully next year...can you tell me where to get more info re Odessa,,have seen whats on Port section of CC..but hard to find any guidebooks,,is there a tourism site for your city??Tried googling it,but most responses were travel agent sponsored sites.Like above poster,,know very little about specifics of Black Sea travel..:)

[altiva]

Altiva, We will be there on 4 September 2011 on the Oceania cruise ship, Nautica. Can you walk off the ship and be in the city or is it a drive into the city? Sounds like alot of conventions are held there as in our city of Las Vegas, Nevada. What will be going on when we are there? We have never been to the Black Sea and were wondering what type of weather to expect. Will we need light jackets or is it usually hot that time of year? Enjoy your posts. Thank you!

 

hi Judy, thanks for reading my thread. Sorry I was late coming back to you, computer problems.

In September, it's usually quite warm or even hot. You can expect

24-25 C and up to 35 (75 F to 95). But, do remember that Ukraine is a

huge plain with very fertile land, with no high hills or

mountains to stop the cyclons. So, weather changes and may be

sudden and drastic, because Arctic cyclones as well as African

cyclones roam the territory freely. So, you can go to bed when it's

24 (75 F) to get up and found out that it became 10 C (50 F). I

remember one couple coming here in early October, in shorts, finding

it 10 C, buying warm clothes to find out next day that it became 24

again! I'd pick up one sweater and one jacket, for emergencies, but

it's still summer and quite warm in September.

In September, it's usually quite warm or even hot. You can expect

24-25 C and up to 35 (75 F to 95). But, do remember that Ukraine is a

huge plain with very fertile land, with no high hills or

mountains to stop the cyclons. So, weather changes and may be

sudden and drastic, because Arctic cyclones as well as African

cyclones roam the territory freely. So, you can go to bed when it's

24 (75 F) to get up and found out that it became 10 C (50 F). I

remember one couple coming here in early October, in shorts, finding

it 10 C, buying warm clothes to find out next day that it became 24

again! I'd pick up one sweater and one jacket, for emergencies, but

it's still summer and quite warm in September.

There are about 1 million people in Odessa, so something is usually

going on.

You can walk on your own, the harbour is right in the centre of the

city, but you will have to climb Potyomkin stairs (192 of them).

There used to be a free funicular but it's now closed for repairs.

Pity you are not coming on September 2, it's a city's birthday, with very nice

celebrations and fireworks.

There are about 1 million people in Odessa, so something is usually

going on.

Pity you are not coming on September 2, it's a city's birthday, with very nice celebrations and fireworks.

[altiva]

Saw the Silver Wind ship photo,,and thats what I ll be on,,hopefully next year...can you tell me where to get more info re Odessa,,have seen whats on Port section of CC..but hard to find any guidebooks,,is there a tourism site for your city??Tried googling it,but most responses were travel agent sponsored sites.Like above poster,,know very little about specifics of Black Sea travel..:)

 

Hi Alexandra,

there is an official site of Odessa.

They have an English version, too.

The English is not good, somewhat stumbling, but they do post some

events, list museums, and have a tourist section.

Official city site is here:

http://www.odessa.ua/?lang=en

 

Tourism site in English, with the web cam and maps, here:

http://www.odessatourism.in.ua/en/default.aspx

[altiva]

Belgorod Odessa fortress and knights' tournaments

 

Besides watching tournaments, you can visit a torture chamber, shoot

from crossbows (made after an ancient pattern), slings, bows,

hire costumes to get photographed.

Knights and archers held their tournaments here regularly.

Here are the photos from the last tournament:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More photos are here:

 

http://odessainterpreters.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=19

[altiva]

Sad news from Odessa Ukraine

 

There is a funicular in Odessa, Ukraine, near Potyomkin stairs. It

allowed you to ride up, instead of climbing all of the 192 stairs!

But, since May 2011, it is closed!

During it existence, it was closed only three times before: during

the war in 1919, during the WW2 in 1941, and in 1965, when an

escalator was built on its place. Now is the fourth time! The city

authorities said it's closed due to lack of money. 1 million

hryvnias is needed to keep it going, since it's free. But, the city

budget has it not. So, when it broke down, it was simply closed.

Alas, if you want to visit Odessa, you will have now to go

upstairs... Then, doctors say that walking up the stairs is good for

your heart.

[altiva]

"Armed Mexicans are coming to Odessa Ukraine"

 

 

 

 

That was a newspaper's headline

 

 

 

 

Mexican military sailboat came to Odessa Ukraine!

 

 

 

 

"Cuauhtemoc" is 90 meters long, 12 meters wide, and bears 85 people on it. It will be in Odessa from July 30 till August 4.

 

 

It is opened to public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. People on Mikhail Lomonosov can visit it, because it's docked in Odessa port, too.

 

 

 

More photos are here:

http://odessainterpreters.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=16&page=4

[altiva]

Dnieper Princess in Odessa Ukraine

 

 

Mikhail Lomonosov, Viking River Cruisers in Odessa Ukraine

 

 

Mikhail Lomonosov, Viking River Cruisers in Odessa Ukraine, tour bus:

 

 

More photos are here:

 

http://odessainterpreters.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=16&page=4

[altiva]

Odessa Opera House

Gala performance "Only Stars"

Opening of the new theatre season.

Prima ballerinas and solo dancers from the best theatres:

The Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre, Moscow, Russia

The Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg, Russia

National Ukrainian Opera, Kiev Ukraine

Odessa Opera House Odessa Ukraine

Presenting solo dancers from Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Esmeralda,

Scheherazade, Paquita and others.

Tickets are from 19 US dollars to 123 US dollars.

The Theatre is a must to see, especially from inside, even by those

who are not into ballet, because it's the most beautiful theatre in

Europe and an architectural masterpiece.

 

What: Gala performance "Only Stars"

Where: Odessa Opera House

When: August 18 2011, 7 p.m.

 

Odessa Opera House:

 

[alexandra cruiser]

will copy and use for upcoming trip,,,your info and photos are really great,,and we all appreciate the time it must take to gather and post...look forward to seeing your city,,,was thinking about the riverboat you show,,but have now decided on ocean cruise with 2 day stop there next May,,,:D

[altiva]

will copy and use for upcoming trip,,,your info and photos are really great,,and we all appreciate the time it must take to gather and post...look forward to seeing your city,,,was thinking about the riverboat you show,,but have now decided on ocean cruise with 2 day stop there next May,,,:D

 

Thank you, too, Alexandra, you are coming in a very nice month, not too hot yet and already not too cold, and Odessa will be covered with

blooming acacias, it's the city's mascot tree.

[altiva]

One just can't have enough photos of Opera House, with the fountains running, isn't

it a beauty?