We got to Odesa after our beautiful 4-hour drive (Zoryana kicks ass!)
Odesa is such a historic city. Worth checking it out on Google if you get the chance.
We stayed in a beautiful hotel, The Bristol. Not only is it very nice, but it has a bomb shelter in the basement, which is one of the reasons we chose it—for security.
The Bristol Hotel
The main lobby. Clearly, you can see the luxuriousness of the place. Not what most people picture when they think of Odesa now.
Luckily, our good friends from Allrise Capital invited us to visit their stadium in Odesa. They bought the stadium a few years ago–it is absolutely beautiful and seats 35,000 fans. They also own the local women’s professional football team that trains and plays there, FC Chornomorets Odesa, nicknamed The Seasters (Odesa is a Black Sea Port–get it? 😊)
First because of Covid, and now because of the war, they play the games but with no fans in the stands, so it’s been a tough few years. But these guys are smart and resilient (surprised? 😉) and are investing in the stadium with a hotel, a conference center, and a beautiful training facility, and it looks world-class to me. We can’t wait to return when they can play in front of fans again.
Pretty cool stadium, eh? Club Director, Sergey Burka was kind enough to show us around the facility. Very gracious with his time, and his energy/passion for this was clearly visible.
The daily message to the team at their facility
Got to walk on this beautiful pitch (Pitch = field for any of you who don’t know proper soccer/football terms 🤪)
Zoryana, enjoying the view from the luxury boxes 😊
This is their pool. There is a hotel, conference center, business center, world-class gym. What a facility!
They presented us with a jersey and a promise to have us back. Can’t wait.
What an awesome day.
Onward!