The headlines from Sunday Travel Sections over recent years ran through my mind...
Budapest: The New Prague!
Tallin: The New Prague!
Riga: The New Prague!
Ljubljana: The New Prague!
Prague: The New Prague!
The latest most ridiculous headline ran over a piece by a journalist who was 'rediscovering' Prague since the stag groups had moved on to all the other, cheaper 'new' Pragues.
These headlines ran through my mind because I am determined not to call Odessa 'The New Prague'. It's Opera House is reminiscent perhaps of Dresden; the setting on the Black Sea made me think of Gothenburg; the low rise C19th architecture laid out in a neat boulevarded grid brought Charleston to mind, but Odessa stands out as a must visit destination in it's own right.
2012 would be deadline to get to Odessa if you are in the market for discovering places before the hordes. The European Football Championships comes here then and the coverage and cheap flights are bound to spark off a tourism boom.
Odessa is charming, well laid out and packed full of very trendy chic shops and eateries. Planned by Catherine the Great as her 'window on the west' in the footsteps of Peter The Great's St Petersburg. It abounds with quietly grand and cololurfully restored architecture and museums.
Unlike Bucharest which is being touted as the new City break destiniation, Odessa does not suffer the same dereliction, communist destruction and poor planning that Bucharest does. Most buildings are spruced up and there are many places to curl up under a tree for a relax or a read. Even more places to settle for a relaxing drink.
Pictures to follow.
Budapest: The New Prague!
Tallin: The New Prague!
Riga: The New Prague!
Ljubljana: The New Prague!
Prague: The New Prague!
The latest most ridiculous headline ran over a piece by a journalist who was 'rediscovering' Prague since the stag groups had moved on to all the other, cheaper 'new' Pragues.
These headlines ran through my mind because I am determined not to call Odessa 'The New Prague'. It's Opera House is reminiscent perhaps of Dresden; the setting on the Black Sea made me think of Gothenburg; the low rise C19th architecture laid out in a neat boulevarded grid brought Charleston to mind, but Odessa stands out as a must visit destination in it's own right.
2012 would be deadline to get to Odessa if you are in the market for discovering places before the hordes. The European Football Championships comes here then and the coverage and cheap flights are bound to spark off a tourism boom.
Odessa is charming, well laid out and packed full of very trendy chic shops and eateries. Planned by Catherine the Great as her 'window on the west' in the footsteps of Peter The Great's St Petersburg. It abounds with quietly grand and cololurfully restored architecture and museums.
Unlike Bucharest which is being touted as the new City break destiniation, Odessa does not suffer the same dereliction, communist destruction and poor planning that Bucharest does. Most buildings are spruced up and there are many places to curl up under a tree for a relax or a read. Even more places to settle for a relaxing drink.
Pictures to follow.
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