The Riviera

Today was half business and half pleasure.

We paid for our last nights stay here in Sevastopol. Our land lady is heading to the U.S. (just a bit envious!) and we now have our plane tickets for Kiev so we were able to settle up with her. Ed and Olga then went to the registry office to get things squared away for next Tuesday. We are praying for smooth paperwork and cooperation by the staff at the office. Our timing hinges on their performance.

After these tasks were completed, Vitaly took us on an "excursion". We drove out of the concrete and buildings of Sevastopol and into mountains and vineyards. The openness did this country girl well. It was surprising to see such mountain heights. From where we are in Sevastopol, there is no hint that we are that close to such landscapes.

Our first stop was the town of Foros, famous for 2 things. One being that it was the town Gorbachev was held in during the 1991 coup attempt in Moscow and the other being the Church on the Rock. The church was built by a very wealthy man in thanks for the survival of his daughter whose runaway horse stopped at the edge of the cliff.





Next stop was Vorontosovsky Palace. The lines and crowds here were long. We toured the exterior and grounds of the palace. This is the residence that Churchill stayed at during the Yalta conference near the end of WWII. It was easy to use your imagination and be the spoiled aristocrat wandering around their summer dwelling. My other thought was, "How did they cart everything over those mountains in preparation for their stay?" The preparation for arrival had to have taken months.












Our driver Vitaly with Ed and the kids.

Our next stop was Yalta for lunch. We walked the waterfront. The Black Sea filled with yachts and sunbathers on our right and high end restaurants and boutiques selling the latest styles and furs on our left. Yalta is where the money is. It must be the destination for the well to do of this part of the world. We were happy to just be eating lunch there.




After lunch we stopped at Livadia Palace. This was the summer residence of the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, and his family. It also served as the meeting place for the 1945 Yalta Conference. It was here that Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill made decisions about post war Europe.

We really enjoyed our time here. The kids were very interested in the history behind the place. Having Great Grandparents that served in WWII made it even more real for them. The upstairs was dedicated to the Romanov's and their last years in power. It was very moving. The rooms were the personal rooms of the family and full of family pictures and memorabilia. Even knowing the history behind the fall of the Tsars and how the common people were so hopeful for a new life and opportunities, it is sad to see the lives of these people shown so lovingly and then know that their end was so brutal. A moving experience for all of us.



























Bandura player on the grounds of the palace.

Our last visit of the day refreshed our spirits. While we thoroughly enjoyed our sightseeing experience, we totally agree with Churchill's comment that Yalta is the "Riviera of Hades". While it is beautiful, it is HOT!! The kids did so well despite the heat. So proud of those two!!

We ended closer to home on cliffs that overlook the Black Sea. Here the air was clean, breeze was cool and crowds non-existant. Such an uplifting experience.







"The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the creatures and all who live in it. For he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters." Psalm 24






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