Day 195 Cruising the Bosporus....and the Dardanelles

Later in the afternoon we sailed through the Dardanelles…. And past Gelibolu (Gallipoli) site of one of the worse tragedies of WWI where over 500,000 people lost their lives in the Gallipoli Campaign. Gallipoli is now a National memorial to all who lost their lives in battle……

This morning we sailed along the Bosporus and saw some lovely images along the way. As we left the Bosporus we once again sailed past beautiful Istanbul…..

Day 194 Sevastopol, Ukraine

Today didn’t play out as I originally expected it to….. I should have become a doctor. I was right yesterday when I said I felt like I was coming down with pneumonia. I went back to see the doctor this morning (after a trying night) and sure enough... I have pneumonia…. I decided that my 7-8 hour tour today would be a bit much so I gave my ticket to the doctor. I still went ashore…. OK, so it doesn’t sound too smart with pneumonia and temps in the high 40s and rain to boot…. I have never been to the Ukraine so I had to go. I went and toured around Sevastopol for a few hours and then returned to the ship. Even though I felt like crap it was a worthy trip ashore. I would love to come back here under different circumstances (and better weather). I still want to see the Swallow’s Nest…. I now have a couple of days at sea before we get to Santorini Greece. Hopefully I will be much better by then and more importantly….. better weather.

Day 193 Sochi, Russia

Today was a bit of a challenge… First of all, I have been feeling like crap ever since I
got back from Egypt. It feels like I’m coming down with pneumonia…. Anyway, my
tour wasn’t until 1:30 and I went back and forth all day as to whether I’d go ashore or
not. I finally did but not at 1:30. The Russian Immigration Officials set the process for
getting off the ship as difficult as they could make it. It seems funny that a city that was
selected to host the 2014 Winter Olympics has so much difficulty allowing people into
their country. Sochi is a beautiful place but the tour itself left a lot of room for
improvement. It was pretty much a bust. I did enjoy seeing the scenery even if it was
through dirty, fogged up bus windows…. Tomorrow we will be in Sevastopol, Ukraine.
Here is a description of the tour:
Best of the Crimean Riviera
Don’t miss the opportunity to visit the famous resort of Yalta—heart of the Ukrainian Riviera and the favorite summer residence of the Romanov czars. Follow the spectacular coastline to the Swallow’s Nest castle that was built in 1912, but looks like a medieval castle, complete with bastions and battlements, high atop the 40-metre Aurora cliff of Cape Ai-Todor. Next, you will visit Livadia Palace, the famous summer residence of the last Russian Emperor, Nicholas II, designed in the Italian Renaissance style with Byzantine, Arabian and Gothic features. This was the site of the 1945 Yalta Conference, where Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin outlined the future of postwar Europe. See the restored White Hall where the conference took place and the Czar’s Gala Study. Enjoy a short visit to a shopping area to shop for locally crafted mementos of your visit followed.
I’m particularly interested in seeing the Swallow’s Nest. The photo I saw of it looked like it was precariously perched on a cliff, very cool……