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Posts Tagged ‘Muscatel’

Crimea, the Ukrainian Riviera.

Italian Riviera offers a multitude of attractions, ranging from beaches to fashionable places to visit and stay at. The same goes for the Crimea in Ukraine. The only difference is the price level really. In Crimea you will find just about all you ask for, the budgetary hotels, to the high class 5 star hotels. In addition its nightlife together with the nature encompass all the various needs any traveler will have, either its for luxury or for a more close to the nature experience needed.

The beaches along the Black Sea coast offer a tremendous opportunity for swimming, diving and various water sports.

Southern coast of Crimean peninsula covers from the town of Alushta up to a village of Balaclava. In the past people from all over the USSR used this region for its health resorts. The climate is mild and the humidity is moderate. The average air temperature is + 13-14°C. This region is closed from North winds by the main ridge of Crimean mountains.

On the plateau the average annual temperature is +5-8°C and in the spring and autumn frosts occur. Tourists are attracted by the sea and mountains and by the remarkable palace and museum complexes surrounded by parks in this region. White Livadia palace venue for the Yalta conference of 1945 and the housing of the Romanovs in the Crimea. You can also visit the Massandra palace which shows the everyday life in the nobleman estate in 18th and 19th century. You will also find the Alupka palace which was Count Vorontsov summer villa and built by English architect. An extraordinary venue is the admirable Swallow’s Nest Castle and the heavenly Church on the Rock in Foros. Chekov’s house in Yalta and Gurzuf together with the Nikitsky Botanical Gardens gives you more exotic experiences to see. There are also Massandra and Magarach wine tasting excursions to participate in for the wine lovers. There are sweet and dry Crimean wines – port, muscatel, cahors and cognac.

South-East coast of Crimean peninsula starts in the the city of Alushta. For many Russians this region is terra incognita. The climate is dry as an example near the town of Sudak the average annual precipitation only 300 mm. The sea at coast is rather shallow and beaches are pebbled. The massif Karabi dominating the east Crimea is the ultimate place for the cave explorers. It is territory of ancient volcanoes, tall beech woods, medieval fortresses, cozy bays.

In Noviy Svet (New World) the outstanding wine maker prince Lev Golitsyn organized champagne production. The village is considered to be the most attractive part of East Crimea. Many Soviet maritime films have been shot here.

Beside – the majestic Genoese fortress in Sudak that is the most preserved one of fortresses out of Genoa.

Further to the east there is the town of Feodosia: the sand beach, the remnants of Kaffa – the Italian capital in Crimea, a great medieval city which had a population of 70 000 at one time.

South-West of Crimea: area of the cave towns is an area with a moderate humidity with an average of 500 mm precipitation pr year. Slopes of the mountains are covered with pine and juniper trees. This is the land of cave cities, canyons of the rapid flowing rivers, picturesque uplands and bays. The Main ridge is cut with deep canyons with its beautiful waterfalls. Her you will find the Grand Canyon of Crimea. In the vicinities of the town of Bakhchisarai (the Internal ridge) many archeological and architectural monuments are found. Here you can visit the Khan palace, which has become the Tatar national museum, and different cave monasteries founded in 6th and 7th century in addition you will find the amazing cave towns Chufut-Kale, Eski-Kermen, Manhup-Kale and the centre of medieval principality, the capital of the orthodox principality, Feodoro. The great city was well guarded with natural abruptions, towers and casemates carved in the rock.

The Sevastopol area, Events of the Crimean war between the years 1853 to 1856 and World War 2, from 1940 to 1945 are connected to the city of Sevastopol. During Soviet time this city was a major military base and hard to access. Sevastopol itself is well known for its archeological monument, the antique city of Chersonesus which attracts a large amount of visitors. In 988, the Russian prince Vladimir the Grand accepted the Orthodoxy here in this location and then christened Rus. 15 km to the south from Sevastopol, in Balaklava, was the English base during the Crimean war. The balaclava helmet, cardigan and raglan sleeve are originally from here. In Balaclava the heroic and useless attack of Light Brigade found place. Not far from here the English tomb and the Conciliation of the participants of the countries-Crimea war monument are situated. This bloody war began with the farewell waving of Queen Victoria’s hanky and it finished with the late regret of lord Sinckler. Near Sevastopol are the burial place of German soldiers remains found everywhere in Crimea and reburied in the proper way here. Sevastopol offers several museums. Especially the panorama museum devoted to the Crimea war and the diorama, a WW II museum.