Odessa - 'Welcome to Ukraine'

Monday, May 6, 2019, 7:00 AM, the alarm clock rings. Time to turn over. I have to get out of bed around seven-thirty, in an hour and a half the train to Ruse will depart. I am ready by eight-thirty and set off to the train station with Rango. Withdraw money, buy a ticket, organize a coffee, and we're ready to go. Thanks to Dicken, we have the compartment all to ourselves and I can dry my tent during the train ride. It rained a little last night on the beach of Varna. We reach Ruse at the Bulgarian-Romanian border around one o'clock. I buy a ticket for the onward journey to Bucharest in the afternoon and then use the remaining time for a little stroll in the city. We walk past the actual center of the small town due to lack of Wi-Fi and detailed maps, and I mainly see panel buildings. Despite that, I manage to find some food for Dicken and a coffee for myself. We reach the train station just in time, and it starts pouring rain. The border crossing to Romania goes smoothly, and we arrive in Bucharest with a slight delay shortly before seven. There is just enough time to buy tickets to Chişinău and hurry to the platform. However, the train conductor stops us from boarding. Despite having a ticket for Dicken, I am asked to pay again. We agree on €20 because all the alternatives to the night train to Moldova are not desirable. However, I am not completely sure that we will arrive there since we have to cross the border at Ungheni again. Just under a year ago, I was denied a train ride from Iaşi to Ungheni because of Rango. In the compartment, we have a small dinner, and then I stretch out on the bunk for the first half of the night.

At about quarter to three, we pass by Iaşi and an hour later reach the border to Moldova. Apart from a border officer's remark 'Câine interzisă', there is not much excitement about Rango, as it is difficult to see him in the dark compartment. On the Moldovan side, a young policewoman takes a closer look. Several officers thoroughly inspect Rango's passport, and I have to partially unpack my backpack and name its contents. In the end, we are allowed to continue without any objections and arrive in the Moldovan capital at around 9:00 in the morning. I arrange cash and breakfast for us. My local knowledge from the previous year comes in handy. Back at the train station, I inquire about the departure times of the train to Odessa. Unfortunately, it only runs from Friday to Sunday. That is too late for me, actually. So I head to the bus station and try to get bus tickets to Ukraine, which proves to be quite difficult again because of Rango. But we are lucky and can continue our journey to the port city on the Black Sea by coach in the evening. After bypassing Transnistria in a curve, we reach the bus station in Odessa around 10:00 in the evening. I arrange some hryvnia and go to the nearby tram stop. After a short time, I can take the tram to the main train station. There, I update my electronic street map using the station's Wi-Fi and immediately head to the beach. The Skalodrom campsite left a good impression last year but is a short walk away. We reach the location shortly after midnight, but nothing is open at this hour. So I set up my tent on the beach next to the campsite and can go to bed around one o'clock.

The next morning (Wednesday, May 8, 2019), Rango wakes me up by barking at another dog from inside the tent. It is already past ten, time to get up. After a brunch, I set off towards the Arkadia district. The campsite has reopened by now, and I briefly consider moving again but quickly dismiss the idea. If everything goes well, I will only spend one more night in Odessa anyway. According to the internet, the next ferry to Georgia leaves on Thursday, and I hope to be able to travel directly. To clarify that, I need internet. At the next hotspot, I write an email to NaviBulgar and waste some time. Then I continue, and Rango also needs something to eat. At a coffee bar, the Dicken gets nearly 2kg of chicken necks that I managed to find, and I treat myself to a hot drink. By now, Mr. Tarasenko from NaviBulgar has also replied to my email. It seems that I can continue to Georgia without a long delay. Things are going smoothly... In the afternoon, I head south along the green riverbank and back to our campsite. When I turn off towards our beach, I notice my green sweater from a distance. I believe I left it in the tent with a fair amount of certainty. Immediately, a very uneasy feeling arises in me. And indeed, when I arrive at the tent, the feeling turns into certainty. We have been robbed. Someone has taken my backpack and Rango's bags in the last few hours. Everything is gone. The only positive thing is that we are not homeless; the tent is still there. Besides the tent and the sweater, I still have the mattress, sleeping bag, cookware, and everything I had with me during the excursion (clothes, ID, credit card, phone). In the first knee-jerk reaction, I walk a few small paths in the area. Maybe the thief discarded their loot in the immediate vicinity and threw away the useless things. Unfortunately, I am not lucky. The biggest problem seems to be the loss of my passport and Rango's pet passport. Both documents are in the stolen backpack. I pack the remaining stuff together and leave it at the nearby campsite before heading to the police station in Arkadia. The guys there don't seem to feel responsible and send me to the station on Kanatna Street. There, I explain my problem again, and after a welcoming 'Welcome to Ukraine,' I am told that I need someone to translate. Moreover, the timing seems rather unfortunate as Ukraine celebrates Victory Day on May 8 and 9. So I continue with Rango for now and organize the essentials to get through until the next morning (dinner, toothbrush and toothpaste, phone charger). Back at the campsite, I set up our camp again before going out for a beer in Arkadia in the evening. I just felt like it...

On Thursday morning, I talk to Pavel during breakfast at the campsite, and he offers to help me at the police station but prefers Friday due to the holiday. That works for me. So we go back to Odessa to replace the next urgently needed things (shaving gear, towel, change of clothes, a piece of soap). On the way there, I take a break at AromaKava (coffee bar with Wi-Fi) at noon. I have a coffee and find a varied selection of food for the Dicken in the nearby Silpo supermarket. Back at Skalodrom, I use the facilities there. After a little training on the beach and a warm shower, I cook a small dinner in the camp kitchen. Actually, not a bad place to stay for a while.

On Friday (May 10, 2019), with Pascha's help, I can report the theft to the relevant police. I am offered two options. Firstly, I can report a theft. That means the officers will have to conduct an investigation, which of course takes time. Secondly, I can report the loss of my identification documents. That means less work for the police officers and a significantly faster processing time for me. It is strongly suggested to choose the second option, as it is more sensible for all involved. After about an hour and a half, I am handed a document and instructed to come back in a week. Then I take another stroll with Rango, write an email to the German honorary consulate in Odessa, and spend the evening at the campsite again.

Saturday starts rainy, and we start the day relatively late. Apart from the routine visit to AromaKava, not much else happens.

On Sunday morning, Pavel invites me to a kayak rental. It is the opening of the season, and there is an opportunity to try out some things for free. So I arrive at the agreed beach with Rango after an hour's walk and have to participate in a small race right away. In a tandem kayak, I can achieve a second place with Pascha. However, I am not competitive in the subsequent stand-up paddling contest. At least I'm standing on such a wobbly board for the first time. To make matters worse, I fall into the water. Afterward, I take another round with Rango in the tandem kayak, and once again, the Dicken attracts attention. After the award ceremony, we head back to the campsite via AromaKava.

On Monday morning (May 13, 2019), we go to the German consulate in the Old Town of Odessa after a detour to my regular coffee bar. Since I haven't received a response to my email yet, I have to go in person. The young woman who assists me does a solid job all around. I feel well taken care of. The gist of the visit is as follows: I can receive a fully valid new passport at the German Embassy in Kyiv. However, the civil registry office in Chemnitz has to send a scan of my birth certificate to the embassy. After a phone call with an employee in that office in my hometown, it turns out to be easier than feared. They will take care of it. Getting a replacement for Rango's documents seems to be a bit more complicated, though. The embassy employee we had contacted by phone lacks experience in that regard. I decide to take care of it myself. Then it's back to Skalodrom for now.

I spend Tuesday running errands in Odessa again. I need to start preparing for the trip to Kyiv and my hopes of seeing anything of my stolen stuff again diminish. So I treat myself to a new backpack, some small items from the pharmacy, a power bank, a nail clipper, and some repair supplies. While buying a new pair of trousers at the second-hand store, I overlooked the missing button, which now needs to be replaced. In the afternoon, I manage to obtain new pet papers for Rango at the veterinarian in Chemnitz. Ultimately, it turns out to be easier than feared.

Wednesday, May 15, 2019, is rather cloudy again, and I limit myself to a trip to the coffee bar and some chilling.

On Thursday, it's time to check with Ms. Hubatsch at the German Embassy about the scan of my birth certificate. It has arrived by now, great. The civil registry office in Chemnitz was pretty quick and uncomplicated in helping out. Then I go to the police station on Kanatna Street to pick up a new document. The database for files is striking, as it still seems to be primarily organized analog. Cubic meters of paper stacks in most offices. After receiving a stamp on my new document, which I get from the designated stamp officer at the police station, I'm done. Then I go to the train station to buy tickets for the trip to Kyiv. Unfortunately, I can't use every train with Rango, and there are no available seats on the permitted ones over the weekend. The next possible train departs on Monday evening. I am also not pleased with the pricing policy. I would have to buy an entire compartment because of Dicken. I decide to look for alternatives. So, first of all, back to the campsite; I have a climbing appointment in the afternoon.

On Friday, May 17, 2019, in addition to the now obligatory coffee at my regular bar and the evening training routine on the beach, I arrange a carpooling trip to Kyiv via BlaBlaCar for Sunday. So I also schedule an appointment at the German Embassy for Monday.

After a visit to the hairdresser on Saturday, I feel pretty well prepared for the upcoming trip to Kyiv...