Ruben StormOdessa, Ukraine — fragments of a city that once felt like home
Here are some old photos from Odessa, a city that became a quiet anchor during the first years of my life on the road. In this post, I’m sharing 8 images taken across different moments and different visits, small windows into a place I kept returning to over time.
Back then, Odessa wasn’t just a stop on a map for me. It was a city I came back to again and again, because something about it felt alive in a way I couldn’t fully explain. I loved the atmosphere in the streets, the mix of history and everyday life, the long walks along the coast, and the architecture that seemed to tell stories even when you didn’t know the language. No matter what the weather was like, I walked. Rain, wind, or sun — it didn’t matter. Being outside, moving through the city, was part of how I experienced it.
Many of those days ended with the same small ritual. I would sit down at Aroma Kava, order a cappuccino and a piece of cake, and watch the city flow past. Locals, travelers, snippets of conversations in different languages, the sound of traffic and footsteps — all of it blended into a kind of calm background that made me feel both alone and connected at the same time.
The last time I left Odessa was in February 2022, through the airport. At the time, I didn’t know it would be the last time I would see the city the way I remembered it.
Since then, everything feels different. The memories are still warm, but they carry a quiet sadness now. If the war had never happened, I know I would still be going back, still walking those same streets, still sitting in the same cafés, and still adding new chapters to a place that once felt like a second home.
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