Black Sea

We entered the Black Sea during the night, so needed to develop sea legs when we got up this morning.  Actually, the sea was very calm and by 2:00 we had arrived at our stop, a naval station on the Crimean, Sevastopol.  It's a beautiful city of about 400,00. We had a brief tour of the city, and then we took an optional tour to the ruins of a Greek City from ca. 400 BC, called Chersonecos.   Had time for a quick supper before attending a concert by the Black Sea Fleet Band.  I'm making it through my sample pack of Ukrainian Vodka.  So far I've tried honey pepper, rye honey, and birch special.  All good.

Sevastopol was Russia's "secret" submarine and port city until the Ukraine got it's independence in 1991.  It was founded in 1874!

Touring the city we stopped at St. Vladimer's church.  The Russian generals who died in the Crimean war are buried here (the charge of the light brigade took place not far from here).

We wandered around down by the port.  There is a market, a beach, swimming areas, etc. here.

The Greeks first built a city here in the fifth century BC.  It reached a populaiton of about 30,000; lasting unilt the Romans conquered it in about 100 AD.  After this the Tartars took it from the Romans then the monguls burned it and killed all of the residents in the 1200s.  The area was then left unsettled until the Russian started their secret fleet base here.

The rebuilt St. Andrews/St. Vlaids (St. Vladimier is said to have performed the first baptisms in the Ukraine, converting thousands) church is here next to the early Greek ruins (it was blown up by the Germans). Notice the pillars at the left.  They are the remains of the first Christian church built here in the 400s.

The evening show had a lot of singing and dancing in traditional costumes.

It lasted about an hour and a half.