Catacombs
December 2, 2019
Finally we have reached the point of the trip- CATACOMB TIME! 20 hours, underground, just me, Bob (an American), and 9 Ukrainians. Luckily some of them knew English words and my Russian comprehension was at an all time high. I think I sounded like an idiot trying to communicate, but it was understandable enough, and my comprehension of their conversations was much higher than it would have been 10 weeks ago. That was a fun surprise :)
So, the catacombs under Odessa were created when limestone and other sediment were being mined starting in the 19th century. They are a true labyrinth running a total of 3,000 km- one of the largest in the world. Up to 40,000 people were living there during WWII.
Now, though, they have a harder time being preserved. The entrances are a common hangout for teenagers smoking and drinking. Those that live above the catacombs don't have much respect for their history and frequently route sewer systems to dump into the catacombs.
The amazing man that was our guide has been exploring the catacombs since he was a teenager, so roughly 15 years. He treats it as an art form and maintains that anyone can learn the full layout if they expand their memory enough. Our trip down there was primarily ecological. We cleaned out trash the first hour, then began exploring deeper. Along the way we removed some graffiti on the walls and learned about the drawings of the miners.
Finally we have reached the point of the trip- CATACOMB TIME! 20 hours, underground, just me, Bob (an American), and 9 Ukrainians. Luckily some of them knew English words and my Russian comprehension was at an all time high. I think I sounded like an idiot trying to communicate, but it was understandable enough, and my comprehension of their conversations was much higher than it would have been 10 weeks ago. That was a fun surprise :)
So, the catacombs under Odessa were created when limestone and other sediment were being mined starting in the 19th century. They are a true labyrinth running a total of 3,000 km- one of the largest in the world. Up to 40,000 people were living there during WWII.
Now, though, they have a harder time being preserved. The entrances are a common hangout for teenagers smoking and drinking. Those that live above the catacombs don't have much respect for their history and frequently route sewer systems to dump into the catacombs.
The amazing man that was our guide has been exploring the catacombs since he was a teenager, so roughly 15 years. He treats it as an art form and maintains that anyone can learn the full layout if they expand their memory enough. Our trip down there was primarily ecological. We cleaned out trash the first hour, then began exploring deeper. Along the way we removed some graffiti on the walls and learned about the drawings of the miners.
We picked up trash and cleaned out the entrances for the first hour or so. Then they were like "okay it's time to change to go into the catacombs". These men are putting on LEGIT gear like miners outfits or their army uniforms and intense boots and then you've got me and Bob in pretty normal clothes- and me in my wedge boots (which I rocked like a champ, honestly they were super comfy). They kept asking if we understood what was happening and we would just laugh and say it would be okay. I had a sleeping bag borrowed from Bob's friend and we had some food for dinner and breakfast. Only one flashlight between the two of us, but we were sure we could make it through anything.
After a while of exploring and venturing, we squeezed through the TINIEST crack to end up in some region that would be our campsite. We created a table and benches to sit at, and flat, raised plateaus to sleep on. It was so crazy to be with these guys that just knew exactly what they were doing in such an odd scenario for me.
After a while of exploring and venturing, we squeezed through the TINIEST crack to end up in some region that would be our campsite. We created a table and benches to sit at, and flat, raised plateaus to sleep on. It was so crazy to be with these guys that just knew exactly what they were doing in such an odd scenario for me.
We ate and then it was like 9:30 pm and I was thinking how ready I was for bed... but honestly also building a lot of anxiety about sleeping there. I had kept and claustrophobia or panic attacks at bay as we were walking, but now that we were going to be still and quiet and dark, I was freaking out. BUT! Then Sasha, our guide, was basically like, "okay let's go! we have work to do!"
This was an ecologically focused trip. One issue I discussed above is that the catacombs are essentially being turned into a sewer, so our next adventure was to go build basically these large, deep rock walls on either side of the output so that the catacombs could be preserved and not smell.
You can watch a tiny video of the wall project here https://youtu.be/nEPHL1WTkq0
We split into two teams and each built a wall. I was not much help lifting but it was such a cool thing to do and experience. Once when trying to find suitable rocks Bob and I got really lost and I almost had a heart attack over it. We ended up over on the other side where the other team was building and felt better about having our bearings... we then tried to make it back to our side and found ourselves back with the other team. Third try was the charm and then we literally just stayed by our wall the whole time and didn't help find building materials.
Sasha is quite the artist and wanted us to all take a picture with our walls to show off. He probably kept us there for 30. minutes trying to get the perfect picture and by that time even his friends were really done with the whole production, which made me feel better about just wanting to get some sleep!
We made our way back to the campsite and were ready to sleep by about 12:30 with an approximate 7 am start time the next morning so we could see more of the labyrinth before having to catch our bus back to the city. It took me about two hours to fall asleep and I definitely put in headphones and hid under my sleeping bag and watched two episodes of The Crown on Netflix, but hey! I wasn't scared so it worked out. The next morning dragged a little bit just because there is only so much dark, brown, dust you can see in your life.
Coming out the next morning was the coolest thing. Such a huge feeling of success. Huge appreciation for my life. And not gonna lie my shoulder/ pain was actually feeling pretty good from some quality time with the earth. I'm so glad I got to do such a cool thing!
The after. You guys. I was so dusty. This was the GUNK coming out of my hair once we finally got back to Vishenki. I had to shampoo and rinse about 8 times before it even started to look clear.
The bus ride back was so brutal and long, I was so excited to shower and sleep! I always hate washing my hair but this was a special treat- and this is after my hair had just been in a high bun for the whole experience.
Side note- the high bun was actually a great tool because at times the ceiling would get low real quick and I would hit my head, but the bun cushioned the blow. Eventually I got good at instinctively ducking, but the bun was a total plus so that I only came home with one goose egg haha.
The bus ride back was so brutal and long, I was so excited to shower and sleep! I always hate washing my hair but this was a special treat- and this is after my hair had just been in a high bun for the whole experience.
Side note- the high bun was actually a great tool because at times the ceiling would get low real quick and I would hit my head, but the bun cushioned the blow. Eventually I got good at instinctively ducking, but the bun was a total plus so that I only came home with one goose egg haha.