UkrEthnoExp. Part IVAugust 22–25, 2009 VinnytsiaMapThe most god-awful and pointless city on earth.  A Vinnytsia trash can.  Vinnytsia payphones.  Another payphone and Vinnytsia road fences, which are painted red and white.  The city is exceptionally drab and boring.  The asphalt has been laid like a frozen wave.  Ukrainian road signs always specify what makes a particular stretch of road accident-prone. For example, first you see an “Accident-Prone Area” sign, and then, in a hundred meters, another one that says, “Cause of Accidents: Driving into Oncoming Lane,” or, “Cause of Accidents: Speeding.” Or else it just jumps straight into a game of Battleship:  Accident-Prone Area. Caution! 7 Dead, 4 Injured OdessaMapIt’s still just as cozy and wonderful here.  There are a million interesting details hidden all around.  H. K. Shevrembrandt, architect Odessa was always notable for its creative approach to advertising.  Brrr And its creative approach to text layout. 
Roman- Parking meters have appeared in the city (you can also find some in Dnipropetrovsk).  The most noticeable new detail is the new blue garbage dumpsters.  They’re made of plastic and do a cool disappearing trick when a fire breaks out.  The glaring red frames around traffic signs are another Odessa detail. It’s like they’re trying to say, “Look here, there’s a sign!”  It was Independence Day in Ukraine. Someone was yelling, “Glory to Russia!” by the monument to Catherine the Great. The police remained calm. “Happy holiday,” I both started and ended my conversation with the car mechanic. “That’s their holiday, ours is on September 2nd, Odessa Day,” he replied.  IzmailMapThere’s no real reason to come here.  The only items of interest are the fortress and the fancy street signs on the main street.  Russia once kicked the Turks out of the fortress here. The fortress itself is incredibly beautiful and well preserved, I highly recommend visiting it if you end up in Ukraine. The diorama attendant languishes in boredom to the sounds of a taped recording about the glory of Russian arms, which she’s been listening to since 1972.  VylkoveMapA tiny provincial town.  Like many others, I had been charmed by its description as “the Venice of Ukraine.” I drove up and down the entire town in search of confirmation.  Finally, somewhere on the outskirts, I did find a place offering rowboat excursions through dirty water.  The canals are so filthy that the boat immediately runs aground. The gondolier, accustomed to such incidents, hops overboard to give it a push.  A tourist who braves the 70 kilometers of absolutely abominable road connecting Vylkove to a normal highway will be rewarded with a dubious promenade through the reeds. And nothing more.  KhersonMapA city about nothing. Local objects of interest include wide flower planters on all the road fences.  And advertising that, like a vine, wraps itself around every accessible pole-like structure, even if there’s already another ad at the top.  The Oleshky Sands—the biggest desert in Europe—are a stone’s throw away from Kherson. Sounds romantic.  There was grass here at one point, but it was all eaten by grazing herds as far back as a century ago. That’s why this place is now a giant sandbox.  All of Southern Ukraine and Crimea are studded with WWII-era utility poles, wooden and with a huge number of lines.  |
