Archive for: October 2008

Anyone interested in WWII history would have heard of the Yalta (or Crimean) Conference.  It was here at the Livadia Palace that Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin met to negotiate how post-war Europe  was to be carved …

Walking around Yalta town, one of the sights that you will not miss is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.  Even during the bright daylight, its onion domes light the skyline like giant high-powered golden light bulbs and …

The Russians have likened Anton Chekhov to the Shakespeare of Russia.  Anton Chekhov was born on 29 January 1860 in Taganrog, a port on the Sea of Azov in southern Russia.  He started writing as a young student …

When we were doing our trip out to Livadia Palace, we saw these colourful cable cars criss-crossing each other in the skyline.  We subsequently found out that the base station was just opposite from where our boat …

At dinner time on the cruise, it’s common for fellow travellers to share stories about their activities and discoveries of the day and recommend to each other interesting things that they had done.  A couple of our friends had ventured …

Yalta is blessed with a deep harbour which allows cruise liners to come into Yalta Bay and river cruisers such as ours to moor at the Embankment. The Embankment is Yalta’s main thoroughfare and the centre of all …

Swallow’s Nest is one of the tourist icons that you’ll see on any visit to Yalta, especially if you are arriving by boat.  The famous Swallow’s Nest was built in 1911 by Baron von …

On a brief stopover in Odessa, one of the best ways to get a feel for the city is to do a walking tour of the old town.  As our ship was moored at the sea passenger terminal, …