Odessa

Monday 14^th October

I had set my alarm clock for 9am but woke well before that, with the Captain’s announcement as we arrived and the sound of banging as someone chipped away at paint on an adjoining balcony. A very noisy morning!

My mission for the day was to get my dancing shoes repaired – in a strange country where few people speak English. (One heel tip was almost completely worn down, while the other still had the non-stick suede layer on it. I must have been dancing unevenly.) I caught the shuttle bus to the square near the cathedral and went hunting for shops. I asked in two shoe shops. The second wrote something on a piece of paper in Ukrainian (and I hoped it said ‘Shoe repair shop’ and not ‘Send this bloody tourist on a wild goose chase’) and made a few gestures. Unfortunately I interpreted the last ‘left’ pointing as a signal to take the first street on the left, whereas if I’d walked a few steps further in the direction I was going, I would have found the shop on the left. Two more people gave me directions and then an English-speaking couple led me back to the shop. Then I had to show the shoes so they could see what I wanted. The woman showed me that they only had tips much larger than mine but she called in the man who nodded that he could do it. Next I had to negotiate time (picture of ship and a clock showing 2 – yes, today!) and they wrote 12.00. Cost? I was shown 70 on a calculator. I drew a dollar sign. The woman showed 8.75 on the calculator and the man said ten. I handed over ten dollars. When I came back the shoes were almost ready and she offered me change in Ukrainian – which I waved away. He had done a lovely job. Handshakes and smiles all around and I left happy.

After that I wandered for an hour.

I found my way back to the ship, going down the Potemkin Stairs (much easier than going up them). It would have been fun to wander around for longer but I was a bit breathless and tired, so I decided to cut my time short.