Happy 8th of March, Women's Day

Women's Day is a serious holiday here. Businesses, schools, and banks are closed. Women of all shapes and sizes receive gifts from the men in their lives (flowers, cosmetic products, and jewelry here in Odessa). Genya's boyfriend couldn't make it due to some financial complications which included paying bail at the police station for a fight he got into the night before. So we went out just the two of us, a woman's night if you wish. First to an Irish pub (photo 1) then to a smoky German beer pub (photo 2) which has become my favorite place in Odessa. I have been replacing dinners with beer and dried fish. Beer and dried fish, I am sure, is not a healthy alternative to dinner, but it seems to be the way things are done in my host family and how can I resist?