Day 13: Doing nothing in Odessa

Just a quick one for the completists out there... Another uneventful day yesterday, I was up pretty early again and went to the beach, but after a couple of hours it got too hot and then after I had lunch it had started to cloud over and was still hot so I decided to call time on my beach dallying and took a circuitous route back to the hostel, getting in probably around 2 for a shower and a nap. Woke up to pouring rain and feeling pretty out of it. Luckily the rain stopped and I went out for another wander and for a very leisurely dinner, just at a chain place, but quite nice pizza! Made a change from cheap Ukrainian food (which I like in general, but I've been trying to watch my money, so I haven't eaten anything spectacular lately). And I couldn't come to Eastern Europe without having one of the legendary thick hot chocolates!


So thick you can stand a spoon up in it! Just like [insert name of person you consider especially stupid here]


Park on Deribaskaya (I probably completely misremembered that) Boulevard


The "Pazazh" (Passage) arcade


After I got back to the hotel, it poured down again. It's fine at the moment, but forecast is for cloud today, so extra glad I got my beach time in at the right moment!

Today I'm going to have a look for some souvenirs - everywhere sells the same crap, but you never know. Coasters have still proven elusive. My friend Liz bought me back something from Russia, so I need to pick up a little something for her, but the problem is I know it's all the same crap she would have seen over there, so it makes life difficult! Will pick up a couple of bottles of booze as well. Then I might go to the archaeology museum. First task, though, breakfast!

My final overnight trip is tonight from 11 to about 8 in the morning. Again, I'll be stuck on one of the high bunks in second class, boohoo! It's meant to be a bit cooler than it has been, I hope so, since I will be going pretty much right to the airport (my flight is at 2, but I'm a nervous nelly when it comes to making it to flights on time) and then I have a bit of a wait in Frankfurt, so I think I get into Paris at about 10 pm Tuesday night. By the time I get into the hostel, it will probably be midnight, by which time I won't have slept in a bed for 36 hours or whatever, groan! Should have made a concerted effort to sleep in this morning, at least it might help me sleep on the train...

I planned to go to the Musée André-Jacquemart in Paris on Wednesday, before my direct train to Tours at about 4, but we'll see how I'm feeling. I will definitely be pleased to be home! Holidays are great, and I have been mooching about recharging my batteries these last few days (and refusing to feel guilty about not "doing stuff") so I'm not feeling as tired as I was in Lviv, for example, but there's no place like home, and holidays help you appreciate that! Unfortunately, the cupboard at home is bare, fridge has been unplugged, but at least I cleaned and changed my sheets etc. before I left, so I'll probably just crawl into bed when I get back (around 6) and worry about unpacking and so on the next day. I have the rest of that week before work starts up again on the following Monday - arggh, seems too soon! But it's definitely good to have several days' with nothing on, I hate going straight into work after a holiday, you're often more tired than before you went away!