No balaclavas required at Balaklava (Black Sea, July 2012)

We took this cruise primarily to view where the Charge of the Light Brigade took place (The cruise was entitled "O the wild charge they made" - Lord Tennyson), and to look at the ruins of various colonies (Greek, Roman, Russian, Ottoman), which are now cities, around the Black Sea. These ruins dated back to around the 6th. century BC. The cruise started and ended in Istanbul.

The cruise company is a boutique operation ("Voyages to Antiquity"), with one ship, the "Aegean Odyssey". This ship, of about 11,000 tons and 463 feet in length, is a 30 year old car ferry, tastefully refurbished as a small cruise ship.

Gambling that the Black Sea would be a millpond, we took a cabin on the highest floor (something we wouldn't do on an Antarctic Cruise !). Our gamble paid off, except for a four hour period one night, when we were thrown around the cabin a bit. 

The ship had a full complement of passengers - 351. The average age was 68 (children are not encouraged on this cruise, and there were only 2 or 3 on board). More than 60% of the passengers came from the UK or USA, and there were 19 Ozzies on board. There were 85 "Odyssey Club" members - those who had been on earlier cruises of the ship. One night, they went to a Cocktail Party, to which no other passengers. Despite the age of the passengers, many of them were serious travellers. For example, we came across one couple who had driven from Alaska to Ushuaia (near Cape Horn), and another couple who had landed on Saint Helena Island (where Napoleon Bonaparte was imprisoned)were invited. 

The service on the ship was excellent (most of the crew being Filipinos and Indonesians), The amenities were good - our cabin had TV and a DVD player, although internet could only be accessed at a few locations on the ship, at a high cost (USD6 per hour). The food was generally, but not consistently, good. We were invited to eat at the Captain's Table one night, but we ate the same food as everyone else (though the Chef came out to enquire whether the food was satisfactory). There were three lecturers on board, specialising in ancient civilisations, Slavic language and lifestyle, and the Crimean War respectively. Every shore excursion was subject to a comprehensive pre-briefing, with particular attention being paid to any walking difficulties. Each excursion had a local guide, with the quality of these being generally good.

The four countries the cruise called at are middle to lower quality - Georgia (GDP per head USD3210), Russia (USD12993), Ukraine (USD7200), and Bulgaria (USD7201). These compare with Malaysia (USD9700). Although these countries are not particularly prosperous, we saw no signs of poverty. The people were reasonably dressed, and there were no beggars (an occasional busker)

Although this cruise took place at around 40/45 degrees north latitude, the weather was very hot, but dry. No balaclavas were certainly necessary at Balaklava !

The first port was Trabzon (pop.250,000) in eastern Turkey, close to the border with Georgia. This was originally a Greek colony, dating from the 8th. century. A major trading port then (and now), it has only one claim to fame aside from this - it is the birthplace of Suleyman the Magnificent. Trabzon clearly reflects its trading nature, with lots of warehouses, factories etc.

Our first excursion took place here. We travelled always in the same group of 40 people ("Red2 group", which was always off first and back first). Within our group, 1 gentleman used two walking sticks, and 19 had one walking stick. Given this, and the high average age, the top speed of the group was not high. The Trabzon excursion took us to the Sumela Monastery, a spectacular building perched on a ledge and built into rock walls in the mountains behind Trabzon.  It has numerous well preserved frescoes. Young crew members were located along the rough trail to this Monastery, helping elderly folk clamber over tree branches etc.

The second port of call was Batumi (pop.229,000) in Georgia, but only 20 kms. from the Turkish border. This was originally a Greek colony, and legend has it that Jason (of Argonauts fame) and Medea met here (there are monuments to Medea throughout the city). It changed hands over the centuries (Arabs, Ottomans, and Byzantines) but now is undergoing a transformation to an ultramodern resort city. Money (mostly Turkish)  is flowing in, in the form of casinos, condos, and similar. Even Donald Trump is involved.  There is a spectacular Sheraton hotel here. The extensive beach is black sand. The shore excursion took us to the Gonio Fortress, dating to the 1st. century BC. Only the walls are left now, and the barest of structures (store rooms etc).

The third port of call was Sochi (pop.71,000) in Russia. This is a long established  fashionable resort city, famous for beautiful parks (in Soviet times it was the centre for botanical research), and sanatoria. The city has won the 2014 Winter Olympics (two hours from the city are the snowfields), and every lamp-post had a poster about these games). It is also hopeful of getting a Formula 1 race. The shore excursion here took us to a dacha built by Stalin. Buried in a lush green forest, the dacha is also painted dark green. so as to be invisible from the air. Stalin was neurotic about his safety, and many of the interior walls of the dacha have spyholes.The dacha has now been converted to a hotel in part, and Russians pay large sums of money to stay there.

The fourth port of call was Feodosiya (pop.100,000) the first of four ports we visited in Ukraine. This was also a Greek colony dating to the 6th. century BC. However, in the 13th. century it fell under the control of Genoa, which built a magnificent fortress at nearby Sudak, to protect Feodosiya. This fortress is very well preserved (with most gatehouses and towers intact) , and has a spectacular location on the top of a cliff overlooking the Black Sea. Now, rather than looking for hostile ships, one can look at windsurfers, banana boat riders, and wall-to-wall sunbathers on the beach !

The fifth port of call was Yalta (pop. 150,000). Originally a minor Greek colony, and later taken by Genoa, this city gained prominence in the 19th. century as a fashionable resort. It attracted Russians such as Leo Tolstoy and Anton Chekhov. Russian royalty also patronised the city, and constructed palaces. Not only are there royal structures, but in the early 20th. century, a wealthy German oil baron (Baron Von Steigel) built the famous "Swallow's Nest", perched atop a 130 foot cliff. Built for one of his mistresses, she declined the gift and it fell into disrepair (Von Steigel having lost his money meantime). It is now an Italian restaurant, but it features on all tourist posters of Yalta. The shore excursion took us to the Swallow's Nest and also to Livadia Palace, where the famous conference took place between Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalian in 1945. This was a memorable visit, with many of the rooms used by the attendees being preserved as they were in 1945. Old TV programmes play continuously throughout the palace. This palace was a favourite of the last Czar of Russia (Nicholas II), and he unsuccessfully  asked the Bolsheviks after the Revolution if he and his family could retire to this palace (they were all executed by the Bolsheviks instead). There are many photos of the last Russian royal family scattered throughout this palace. We saw another famous Palace in Yalta - the Vorontsov Palace - another magnificent creation by a Russian noble family. We also visited Chekhov's house, which was quite small but full of memorabilia of his life.

It was school holidays in Russia whilst we were in Ukraine, and Yalta was packed with Russian tourists. The public beaches were wall-to-wall with sunbathers, though the black sand was unattractive to my eye. I had a rather surprising experience in Yalta. Whilst walking by myself along the promenade, I was approached by a buxom young girl, probably 50 years younger than me. I was surprised she chose me (rather than a younger person) , and I assume that although she was young, her eyesight might be impaired. Words spoken by her were "Time" (pointing to my watch) and then "Maybe coffee now". I was so surprised that I didn't respond, and she left me !

The fifth port of call was Sevastopol (pop.350,000). In Soviet times, this city was closed to visitors (except relatives of residents, most of whom worked in the naval facilities). This was because of the naval facilities, which included a  pen for nuclear submarines). It was opened to outsiders  in 1996, but still has a shortage  of hotels for the sun seeking tourists from Russia who flock there every summer.  It was originally a Greek colony dating from the 5th. century BC, and on one of our two shore excursions, we visited the well preserved ruins of Chersonessus, which was the name of this colony.

The highlight of the cruise took place here. This was the visit to the battlefield where the Charge of the Light Brigade took place - between Sevastopol and nearby Balaklava. From the top of the hill facing east where the overall commander of the English forces - Lord Raglan - was positioned, we looked down on two valleys (running east and west), divided by a low range  over which and to the south Raglan could see the second valley. The first valley was surrounded on three sides (east, north and south), by Russian forces. The Light Horse (sabre equipped) under the Earl of Cardigan had gathered immediately below Raglan (where there is now an Esso petrol station on a road crossing the valley !), This force had access to both valleys, though Cardigan could not see over the low range to the second valley. Apparently Raglan intended the Light Horse to capture Russian guns on  the slope of the range facing the second valley. The Brigade thus would have moved south into the second valley, and taken the guns. Instead, the Brigade charged into the first valley, and came under fire from Russian guns on three sides. They were decimated. It is not known why the Light Brigade did this - the orders were apparently poorly drafted, not being clear about which Russian guns were to be taken. Cardigan led the charge and survived. That evening he returned to his yacht, moored at Balaklava, and had a champagne dinner. Blame for this fiasco was apportioned between The Earl of Lucan, who had overall command the Light and Heavy Brigades (the latter, under Maj. Gen. Scarlett, also fought on that day) and Lord Raglan, the senior General.

In Sevastopol, there is a "Panorama" building which comprises a 360 degree painting of scenes from the Crimean War. A remarkable accomplishment.

The experience of seeing this battlefield was the highlight of the Cruise.

We also had another brief shore excursion - to Balaklava. There we visited the submarine pen, which, being underground, were quite cool,and thus pleasant.

The next port of call was Odessa (pop. 1,600,000), the fourth largest city in Ukraine. This is, and always has been, a very cosmopolitan city. Its first mayor was the Duc de Richelieu, a Frenchman, who wanted to make Odessa as beautiful as Paris. Indeed the architecture throughout this city is striking ( reminiscent of Prague, I thought). The 193 Potemkin Steps (from the shoreline to up to the City) is a striking feature of this city. Our brief shore visit enabled us to stroll through the streets of the city, viewing the architecture, and looking at the famous Opera House,and the Cathedral. The Eastern Christian Church is the dominant religion here, though many religions are represented, all living peacefully together.

The last port of call was Nessebur, in Bulgaria. Although originally a Greek colony dating to the 6th. century BC, it changed hands over the centuries (Roman, Byzantine). This has left the old city of Nessebur a treasure trove of ancient churches (there are 40 of them - with names like St. John the Baptist and Christ Pantocrator). Now, Nessebur is a major holiday destination for package tourists. Near the old city, there are more than 500 hotels strung along the beach, packed with holiday makers. Unlike the holiday resorts in Ukraine, tourists to Nessebur come from the UK, Germany and other European countries (as to almost 80% of visitors). As a consequence of this, English is well spoken by locals, and Nessebur is the only one of the resorts we visited where it might be possible to go to on a "free and easy" basis. Without Russian, visits to the other resorts would be most difficult. Crimea is in the Russian leaning part of Ukraine, and even the locals favour Russian over Ukrainian. Western visitors are not at all frequent.

From Nessebur, we returned to Istanbul, where we stayed a few days at a quite large serviced apartment. Istanbul has changed for the better since I was last there. It is now serviced by an extensive and spotless underground railway system, and there is an abundance of good quality restaurants in the Taksim area, where we stayed. We also ventured to the suburbs to look at one of the new mega malls (Istanbul Forum). In all, Istanbul gives an impression of increasing prosperity, though the old buildings still remain.

An interesting and enjoyable holiday.