Black Sea Cruise


Monday June 14 – Odessa, Ukraine Built by Catherine the Great, this beautiful city has a more Mediterranean style. Buildings have a mixture of Art Nouveau, Renaissance and Classical. With over 1 million people, it’s Ukraine’s 3rd largest city with a lovely harbor. Our morning tour gave us the opportunity to learn about Odessa’s history as well as visit some 19th century palaces. Years ago, people were given large plots of land and expected to build their houses. Since they had lots of land, many of them built beautiful “petite” palaces and just as beautiful 2nd buildings next door which were (and still used today) as apartment houses. The same architect who designed the beautiful Odessa Opera House designed the first palace we visited. It was formerly owned by Count M Tolstoy (the writer’s family). Our next visit was to the Palace of Count Novikov now known as the Russian and Ukraine Literature Museum. Each room was beautifully decorated and housed original manuscripts and personal belongings of Pushkin, Bunin, Brodsky to name a few. To top off this interesting tour, we were treated to a glass of champagne and enjoyed a recital of classical music in the beautiful Golden Hall. Most everyone is pleasantly surprised by Odessa. It has wide tree-lined boulevards, well-kept buildings of yellow, white or salmon color and no litter on the streets. People take pride in their city and themselves. They stop to greet one another and even the tourist if we look lost. We like this port.

Tuesday – June 15 – Sevastopol – Also in the Ukraine but has a very different personality. It is the main seaport on the Crimean Peninsula. The Grafskaja Quay (boardwalk) was built in 1783 with beautiful white marble columns and a lovely park filled with roses now in bloom. As an important naval fortress, you can see lots of military ships in the harbor (even a Russian sub). Today we are heading into the countryside to Upensky Monastery. They know it was built into the mountain long before 1400’s but the exact age isn’t known. The church is a cave with a natural stone alter. A legend talks about the beautiful icon of the Virgin Mary housed in a small chapel. Three times it has been stolen and each time somehow it has returned to the same exact place. A Monk opens a small chapel for us to go inside to see the icon. Because of such a small place, we have to wait our turn. Most of our group members are already walking down to the main gate as the last of us are finally inside the chapel. There are 3 local women with 5 or 6 children also inside. A place of silence and reverence. The ladies and children begin to sing. WOW! What beautiful, angelic singing. It was truly a blessing to have had this experience. Sometimes it is worth being last.

We made our way to visit the Khan’s Palace known as the Palace of Gardens. Built in the 1500’s by slaves from Turkey and Iran, it was the home of the Crimean Khanate. They built a moat, walls with stalls for vendors, gardens (each with a different fountain), receptions rooms, and of course a building for his harem. It was said that the “Great” Khan did not have a heart – or that his heart was made of stone. One day, a young girl was brought into the harem. His heart jumped for joy and he fell in love. Within a year the girl died from loneliness being so far from her family. When she died, the great Khan wept for the first and only time of his life. He had a fountain built in her memory – now known as “Fountain of Tears”. Water drips from the top out of a small “eye” one drop at a time. It continues and splits into two areas “their hearts” in the middle of the fountain and eventually goes into a small pool. It was made famous by Pushkin’s poem.