Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WWII, when the ancestors of the settlers packed up again and moved back to Switzer-
land.
Today the newly revived Shabo winery ( http://shabo.ua ; vul Dzerzhinskoho 10; tour
110uah) is a slick modern operation, but its owners - Georgians from Odesa - are abso-
lutely obsessed with the place's Swiss heritage. Although conducted in Russian, tours of
the winery are interesting and fun. You'll see 200-year-old cellars - look out for the Ro-
manian king's autograph on the wall, an entertaining museum which contains objects
from Bessarabian-Swiss households, and a great silent movie taking viewers through all
stages of wine production.
It all culminates in a wine-tasting session, which is when you can build camraderie
with Ukrainian and Russian tourists by giving thoughtful looks before and sharing emo-
tions after each emptied glass. There is a good restaurant across the road from the
winery, to which you can repair (be carried to by new friends) afterwards.
Shabo is 9km from Bilgorod-Dnistrovsky, so both places can be easily visited on the
same day. You can ask your driver to drop you off at Shabo roundabout on the way from
Odesa. From here, it's a 10-minute walk to the winery. Local buses for Bilgorod-Dnis-
trovsky bus station stop 200m away.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Vylkovo
04843 / POP 8000
A network of navigable canals has earned Vylkovo the nickname 'the Venice of
Ukraine'. Frankly, the comparison is preposterous. This sleepy fishing village feels light
years removed from Venice - or any other form of civilisation. And while the canals -
along which many villagers live - are interesting, you won't spend much time on them
unless you take a special tour. But Vylkovo does have one thing going for it that Venice
lacks: the heavenly Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve.
The lion's share of the marshy, bird-laden Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve ,
Europe's largest wetland, lies in Romania. Few tourists enter from the Ukrainian side,
but those who do are rewarded with extremely affordable half- to full-day boat tours
through the delta's unique waterways. You can visit the Danube's terminus (dubbed the
'0km mark') or take a birdwatching tour. Guides can drop you off on small islands popu-
lated by thousands of terns and their just-hatched chicks. On other islands flocks of cor-
morants and white pelicans roost (the reserve is home to 70% of the world's white pelic-
ans).
 
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