BCITRA Travel

Cruising the Black Sea

Spring 2006

Article by Margot Allingham

(Click on the thumbnails to view a larger image.)

My official "Cruise Log" tells me that we did 1904 nautical miles (1 nm +1.15 statute miles=1.85 kilometres) We started from the port of Piraeus (Athens), and docked at the ports of Istanbul, Turkey; Nessebur, Bulgaria; Constanta, Romania; Odessa and Sevastopol, Ukraine; Kusadasi, Turkey; Katakolon, Greece; Naples and Civitavecchia (Rome) Italy. We passed Stromboli, north of Sicily, en route. We had a day in each port.

My ship, the Prinsendam of the Holland-America Line, was lovely. It is one of the smaller ships, holding slightly over 800 passengers, which is a good size for comfort. The food was great and the evening entertainment was excellent.

The selective outline below is a very much abridged summary of the 13 days spent on the cruise. I have made some arbitrary sightseeing groupings for convenience.

Ruins: Athens: Acropolis: Parthenon

The Acropolis with its crowning glory of the Parthenon is familiar to most of us from postcards, books, films and T.V. The Parthenon is being repaired and in consequence is largely covered in scaffolding. They are using marble taken from the same source as was used for the original.

A charming ruin, the Erechtheion, was a smaller temple to honour goddess Athena. Columns holding up the roof of one porch are shaped like caryatids, graceful young women. These are copies. The originals are in the Acropolis Museum and one is in the British Museum with Lord Elgin's Marbles.

The crowds were very large and it was very hot. Climbing the Acropolis represents a major achievement for those of us with respiratory problems. It was my big challenge and a source of great pride when I did it. I offer no threat to Karl Boerner. He can have Mt. Kilimanjaro all to himself!

Ephesus, Turkey

This is everyone's favourite ruined city. It is a short drive from the port at Kusadasi. Ephesus was originally a large port and commercial centre but the river silted up over time and it is now well inland. Only 25 % of the site has been excavated so far. The loveliest of the remaining ruins is the Celsus Library. The facade hides a display of records of its history. There was a bordello nearby and there was a tunnel to it from the Library. It gives new meaning to a visit to the Library! There is a directional sign carved into the pavement. A foot points in the direction of said bordello.

It was extremely hot and it was very upsetting to see all the feral cats trying to find food and drink and being unable to help them.

Pompeii, Italy

It is as fascinating as Ephesus but in different ways. We have here the remains of a city extinguished in one day, all at once, taking people in the midst of thoughts and plans for the day and the future, conversations stilled by terror and futile flight, the dog straining on its chain. Some artifacts were not available for viewing as they were on exhibition in Canada!

A walking stick is very helpful for picking one's way over ruins. My folding walking stick with its colorful floral pattern was indispensable and was much admired!

Crimean War: Odessa and Sevastopol

Catherine the Great was instrumental in setting up both modern cities: Sevastopol in 1783 and Odessa in 1794. They provided Russia with access to the Black Sea and both developed into large trading ports. They both have a history in the Crimean War and monuments to military figures abound.

In Odessa, the ship docks near the Potemkin Steps, all 455 feet of them. Check the Internet to see the dramatic sequences of Sergey Eisenstein's silent film "Battleship Potemkin" (1925- dealing with the 1905 revolt by sailors). The soldiers fire on the people fleeing down the steps. The sight of the baby's pram slowly rolling down the steps after the mother is shot is still riveting. Potemkin was a nobleman whose name is perpetuated in "Potemkin Villages" -the facades he constructed to make everything look good when Catherine paid a visit.

Glorious 1OO-year-old trees line the street leading past the Steps to a statue of the poet Pushkin. He lived in exile here for 13 years. There is a lovely park where local craft stalls gave us a variety of examples of artists work. Here, again, I was upset to see all the feral cats, which are left to their own devices and roam about trying to get food.

In Sevastopol the beautiful trees were all planted after the Second World War. Only one tree was left standing in Sevastopol, a small almond tree in flower. A metal fence surrounds it now. A plaque is attached to the fence giving the tree's history. It is not all that big for 50 years growth, but it is still hanging on. It is a very important symbol for the city. We visited a large panorama painting (5,000 sq-ft) showing an important battle for the protection of Sevastopol during the Crimean War. At the War Memorial there is an honour guard formed by high school students, both boys and girls. Workers cut the grass with scythes. We saw many people working with hand tools only. We saw people painting park benches. However, they don't put "Wet paint" signs on anything. (We saw the same thing in Constanta.) One has to be very alert.

At the sea side

Nessebur, Bulgaria is a U.N. heritage town on a little isthmus on the Black Sea resort area.

It is a very old town dating back to at least the fourth century. Ruined buildings show red brick and stone in decorative patterns; arches and circles with some coloured highlights. The churches look interesting. The one we visited had murals and icons of a high quality. It is a lovely little town. Luncheon entertainment at a resort hotel consisted of lively and energetic folk dances.

Romania:Constanta

We toured the remains of a Roman warehouse to see the large mosaic floor. In the Museum I particularly liked the Glykon serpent, "patron of the house and the family, guardian of the temple" (2nd-3rd century A.D.). It was carved from a single piece of marble and has an aristocratic stance. It has a semi-human head, long hair and in profile a large ear, serpent coils and a lion's tail. Most of the multicoloured resort hotels were not yet open but at one we were given lunch and watched folk dancing. The breakwater is unique. It was designed in Constanta and makes an impressive entrance to their harbour.

Our young guide was trained as a lawyer but there is no work. He told us something of the grim conditions existing under the vicious dictatorship of the Ceausescu regime.

Stromboli stands alone. The immense volcano rises straight up from the sea and reputedly is constantly erupting. As we passed it in daylight, we were unable to enjoy its pyrotechnics. [Ed. Click on the numbers to see some night time photos of Stromboli.] (1) (2) There is a little settlement at one end including tourist accommodations. Some people climb to the top. Any takers?

I thoroughly recommend this trip.