Swisskids' Excellent Ukrainian Adventure!

[Swisskid]

Ooooops,

I stand corrected, it is solyanka.  I am writing this report from memory and all I remembered was it was s...anka - something or other...
 
All I know is it was really good soup and I ended up eating alot of it over the course of the rest of the trip!  Maybe you can share a recipe?

[Ooooops]

Maybe you can share a recipe?

Sure, I'll post it in Recipe section. 

[Swisskid]

Switchbacks in the Dark

We are all stuffed when we leave Ali Babas.  It is dark now and we still have a good drive ahead of us to Sevastopol.  

Taz puts the hammer down again and we blast towards Sevastopol at top speed.  

Taz has taken a route which gets us off of the main roads and will take us in the back way to Sevastopol from Simf.  The GPS unit guides us all of the way and it is a reassuring sound hearing the instructions in the dark night.  We finally hit the approaches to Sevastopol and start heading downhill.  The road gets narrow and steep and we are now dropping elevation rapidly towards the sea and Sevastopol.

It is back and forth on extremely narrow switchback roads for at least 45 minutes.  I know Taz is exhausted from driving all day but he does not show it and cruises down the mountain into Sevastopol like it is nothing.  I got worn out just watching him drive!  Very treacherous switchback roads all the way down and they do not believe in guard rails in Ukraine.  One wrong move and you are over the edge and tumbling down a cliff....

We roll into Sevastopol about 10PM.  Taz calls up the apartment connection person and we meet at a parking lot.  We all get out and head upstairs to the first flat.  It is a quite nice little place and we all wait while Taz goes with the lady to see the second flat.  

About half an hour later Taz returns and Zana and I go with Taz to the other flat.  It is bigger than the first and has off road parking.  I can tell Taz would rather stay at this apartment and ask him if he is sure he does not want to stay here with Lana.  

Lana has decided to stay at the other smaller flat without even bothering to see this one which is much nicer.  I can see that this has annoyed Taz.  I feel bad that we are taking this flat as I know that Taz prefers it but Lana is insisting that she and him stay at the other flat.  It is very late and we are all tired so it is pointless to argue but I feel bad staying at the flat that I know Taz prefers.  

Zana and I offload our gear and she just loves the flat.  It is pretty cool, I have to say.  

She asks me if I will make her a cocktail before we get ready to sleep.  She wants me to mix her a Southern Comfort and Coke.  Like beef jerky, she has found that she really likes another American invention, Southern Comfort.  It is indeed a unique American concoction.  That is why I brought a bottle...

I mix us both a night cap and we talk in our broken, slow English together about what a fun adventure today has been.  She is very affectionate and I am so glad Zana had an enjoyable day today.  I know I did.  

We enjoy each others company until we are too tired to stay awake any longer.  Soon it will be morning....

  

[Swisskid]

R. I. P. George Carlin!!!!! 

We'll miss you!

[ScottinCrimea]

I'm not sure why Taz chose such a difficult route from Simferopol to Sevastopol.  It's about a 1 1/2 hour drive directly there with pretty good roads all the way and the only downhill section is in the town itself.  I don't see the advantage of avoiding the main roads in exchange for 45 minutes of downhill switchbacks.  Fear of the militsia?

[Taz]

I had no choice. There was an issue on the road and the signs directed us to go another way. I've been on the main road a zillion times. I didn't want the other road that we ultimately took as it wasn't first choice. When we left it as all back to normal and I left out through the Balaklava route.

The last thing I wanted was all the switchbacks and drop-offs when I was already really tired. Definitely NO militsia to be seen! That was a major plus.

[Swisskid]

Tuesday - Day 4

I finally get some decent sleep and it seems the jet lag is finally starting to abate.  When I wake up I find that Zana has gotten up early and gone walkabout in our little hilltop neighborhood.  Our villa is quite nice and Taz tells us later it is in one of the nicest neighborhoods in Sevastopol.  It is not far from the harbor area, only a few blocks away and easy walking distance.
I am in the little kitchen making some coffee when Zana returns with some goodies for breakfast.  Turns out she was also out of cigarettes and went for a run.  I quit smoking over 15 years ago and I prefer non-smokers but Zana I find out does not smoke more than a few cigarettes a day and they are the Marlboro Ultralight variety so I am not too bothered.  I never smell smoke on her and since I have been enjoying a few cigars so far on this trip, I do not see it as an issue.  Pretty much most people smoke over here I am noticing, a much higher percentage of the population than in the states.  Also, cigs are very cheap, less than $1.00 for a pack of Marlboros.  I will end up bringing back a dozen packs for my smoker friends back home.  They have cool Cyrillic writing on the front and are a big hit.  Only the Monte Cristo chocolate covered cherries are a bigger hit.  These are chocolate covered cherries with strong orange liqueur inside.  We will consume alot of them in a week...They are awesome.

Our little villa is too cool.  It has a little gated garden courtyard and a table with chairs on the little patio.  It also has a little sofa outside.  It is very Mediterranean.  Zana and I will take our morning coffee here every day we are in Sevastopol.  Our little villa is on the ground floor of a 3 story building on the northeast corner.  We really enjoyed it.  Taz picked out a nice place and it was only $70/night.  It could have slept 4 people comfortably as it had 1 bedroom with a double bed and a pull out double bed in the living room.  Very cozy place.

   
 

[Swisskid]

Chersonesos and Cathedral of St. Vladimir

Zana and I enjoy the beautiful spring morning on our little patio in the bright sunshine.  It is another gorgeous day.  The weather has really been perfect since my arrival in Ukraine.  Could not ask for better weather for hiking around town.

Taz calls and they will be over shortly to pick us up.  We finish our coffee and pastries and head inside to get ready for the rest of the day.  Zana and I are both ready to go when Taz and Lana show up in the Ford. 

Taz drives us down to the harbor which is fairly close.  We find a nice parking spot and pile out.  First order of business is to find a spot to have lunch.  We are parked right next to the "Potato House" restaurant but we will not eat there now.  We will eat there several times in the coming days and it will become one of my favorite restaurants in Sevastopol but we are going to walk around a bit for now.  We head up a street and come upon a restaurant with a mannequin in a diving suit in front.  It is one of the old-school suits with the big metal round helmet right out of Jules Verne.  We goof around for a bit as other pedestrians stare at us and we take pictures of everyone in our group with our new "friend".  Before the militsia haul us away we decide we had better move on.

We walk around some more and we pass little shops, a few small casinos, and other businesses.  From what I have read, most of Sevastopol had to be rebuilt after the 250 day siege by the Nazis in 1941 - 1942 and great architects from Russia were brought in and premium materials used for many buildings in the town center.  The area has a charming, Mediterranean feel.  As we walk down the street, Taz spots a Ural motorcycle right next to the Black Sea Fleet Museum.  I have been looking for one all trip.  They were made in Ukraine in Kiev also under the Dnepr badge but are now exclusively made in the Ural mountain area of Russia.  They are bad-a$$ motorcycles.  They have a sidecar with all wheel drive and a reverse gear.  The Russians reverse engineered them from panhead BMWs captured from the Nazis during the war and mass produced them.  They are still mass produced today in Russia using the same 60+ year old design.  They are made to go on any terrain in any weather.  They are too cool and I almost bought one in the states.  I bought a British Triumph instead.  But here one sits and I just have to get some photos.  The girls think I am a little off with my obsession with this motorcycle, but Taz understands......       




 

[Swisskid]

Up the street and around the block we go when Taz spots a Ukrainian food restaurant across the street.  We head over and of course this restaurant has a stuffed fox and some kind of diorama scene near the entrance so we have to goof around and get pictures of the girls again.  The mood is very light and we are all having a good time. 

We get a table right by the far wall where we have a view of the entire room.  It is a cozy little place.  The menu is is Russian so once again I have to rely on Taz and the girls to tell me what is on the menu and order for me.  I do know that I want to start with a big Greek Salad and a Stella Artois draft.  The salad arrives and it is one of the best Greek Salads I've ever had (again!).  Incredibly fresh feta and vegetables and plump, juicy olives.  What a great way to start a meal.  Then the entrees start arriving in these little racks.  We have all ordered various mixtures of meats and vegetables baked in various creamy sauces with spices.  They are served in ceramic tray-like things on metal racks.  Beef, pork, chicken, broccoli, cauliflower, we all have something different and we all have a taste of each others dishes.  The food is superb.  This place we will visit again on this trip too. 

     

[Swisskid]

We are all totally stuffed when we leave the restaurant so we decide to walk it off a little.  We amble our way back towards the car, walking through a nice little park.  Next to the park is a theatre that is undergoing renovation.  There is alot of renovation going on in the harbor area.  Construction crews are everywhere. 

Finally we make it back to the car and we are off to Chersonese or "Chersonesos" as it was known to the Greeks.  Chersonese is the ruins of an ancient Greek city of 25,000 that was built about 500 B.C.  It has quite a fascinating history which I read on Wikipedia but will only touch on here.  From what I understand it was habitated for over 1500 years, conquered and reconquered over the centuries until it was finally abandoned.  However, another icon now stands on the ruined city.  This is the Cathedral of St. Vladimir the Rus.  This cathedral marks the birthplace of the Russian Orthodox Church when the ruler of the Rus, Vladimir, wed a Greek princess and was baptized a Christian and hence his people accepted Christianity with mass baptisms.  Legend has it that Vladimir was baptized in Chersonese (or possibly Kiev, no one is sure) and in the 1890's, the cathedral was built supposedly on the spot where he was baptised.  It has recently been beautifully renovated.

We arrive at Chersonese and park the car.  We have to pay to park but it is not much.  We get our tickets and head in.  Just off the road is the ruins of the fortress city walls.  It is allowed to pretty much climb wherever you want on the ruins so Zana quickly starts climbing and finding spots for photo ops.  I have never met a woman who likes cameras so much.  Lana likes posing too but Zana takes the cake.  Anytime these girls see a camera they go into model pose mode.  It is pretty funny and makes for tons of great pictures by the end of the trip.  Taz and I kind of get a kick out of it and later on they will turn the tables and the girls will have me and Taz go into "model boy" poses down by the bay.

The ruins are enormous, spread out over many acres of land.  It is truly an amazing place.  Chersonese is listed as a United Nations World Heritage site and deservedly so.         

[Gator]

Swisskid,

Regarding your Ural motorcycle - is this the same? (the spare tire is stowed in a different location) 

It too impressed me, and I am not a fan of motorbikes (photo taken between Kiev and Odessa).  Notice how my date is driving in the center lane, thus making this cycle pass us on the right, sounding like a banshee.

[UTRO]

Geeeeezzz Swisskid Is it possible to perhaps see some Smiling Faces on this Adventure???? It would be nice to relate ) You have a camera..... Why are you trying so hard to avoid what you've been head over heals with.... namely Zana??? Don't just describe her playing on the Greek Ruins without even so much as a Smile ) Common' Kidd!! I've Shared!! Just black out Mr. Taz's face if he has issues.... it would be good for all I'm sure!!

[Jet]

Swisskid,

Regarding your Ural motorcycle - is this the same? (the spare tire is stowed in a different location) 

It too impressed me, and I am not a fan of motorbikes (photo taken between Kiev and Odessa).  Notice how my date is driving in the center lane, thus making this cycle pass us on the right, sounding like a banshee.

Yep it's the same, you can buy them here: http://www.uralmiami.com/motorcycles.html

[Ooooops]

Here is Solyanka recipe with step-by-step pictures.   Sounds right to me.   It's kind of leftover soup - you can throw in anything you have in the fridge.   


http://www.russlandjournal.de/en/recipes/soups-and-stews/solyanka/

[Swisskid]

The ruins are just amazing.  We work our way over to the little bay on the east side of the ruins.  Here we notice that there are several Russian warships anchored in this little side bay intermingled with private watercraft.  I live in a navy town that is home to the US Atlantic Fleet so again I find myself facinated by the contrasts here in the FSU.  Apparently part of the strategy with the Russian and Ukrainian Navies is to disperse their ships all around Sevastopol wherever they can be anchored so as not to have all of their resourses concentrated in one area in case of an attack.  I will notice this strategy in place all around Sevastopol and the various waterways and inlets around the city. 

It is a glorious sunny spring day and it is getting warm.  We are in a little valley area protected from the sea breeze.  Zana and I are both carrying our jackets now so I ask her if she would like me to put her jacket in the car.  Mine is a lined black leather jacket and I am much too warm wearing it and tired of carrying it around.  She says yes so I take both of our coats and hike over to Taz and Lana to get the keys and then hike back to the car to put away the coats.  I am thirsty so I grab a Ukrainian piva at a little stand in the parking lot and a soda for Zana.  When I hike back over the group has moved down by the water.  Zana is happy I have brought her a drink.  We are a little sweaty from hiking all around the ruins in the warm sun.

We goof around by the water throwing stones, etc.  We are all having a good time.  After taking umpteen pictures of the girls and their model poses, they decide that Taz and I need a photo shoot next, so the girls proceed to pose us on a boulder by the bay.  Now the girls are shouting out instructions and they shoot a bunch of photos of Taz and I.  The tables have been turned....

We split up into couples again and go separate ways along the little beach.  I can tell that Zana is really enjoying herself and I am having a great time myself.  We hang out along this little bay for a while longer and then start to work our way up a rise overlooking the Black Sea.  When we get to the top the view is wonderful.  We work our way west to the other side of the ruins.  Now there is a strong breeze blowing off of the sea and it is suddenly very chilly.  This does not seem to bother the sunbathers below the cliff on the shore by the sea.  We notice a couple walking out on some rocks.  The gal strips down to a little string bikini.   I sneak a couple of shots without Zana noticing...  It is only in the low 70's and there is a very cool breeze blowing off of the cold sea but these sunbathers are unfazed.  I guess they are a little more diehard here getting their sun.  Zana and I were freezing and I hiked back to the car to retrieve our coats.   

[Swisskid]

The wind is really whipping now.  We have only explored about half of the ruins so we start moving now.  There is a famous gazebo and a large bell we check out.  Then we get to the area where artifacts recovered from the site are kept on display behind an iron fence.  There are hundreds of artifacts and many are in pristine condition.  I am blown away.  I really feel a sense of understanding what life must have been like here on this site 1500 - 2000 years ago.  There is even mosaic tiles removed from the floor of the square we were just walking on on display.  It is just an incredibly amazing place.  While I am lost in time gazing at the artifacts, the rest of the group has moved on and I have to hustle to catch up.  They have made it up to the large statue of St. Andrew.       

[Swisskid]

We admire the statue and then proceed to the Cathedral of St. Vladimir.  The original cathedral began construction in 1861 and was completed in 1892.  The cathedral was bombed to rubble in WWII and has recently been rebuilt over the past 15 or so years and very recently completed.  The new cathedral is breathtakingly beautiful and filled with world-class artwork. 
As we enter we are told there are no photos allowed inside the church and the women must rent veils with which to cover their hair.  We get squared away and enter the lower level of the cathedral.  The new cathedral has been built over the ruins of the foundation of the old.  The lower floor encases the ruins of the old cathedral.  There are displays of photos of the old cathedral and photos of the construction of the new cathedral, with a photo of Putin on the site displayed prominently. 
We look around for a while and then head upstairs.  What we find upstairs is a gorgeous new sanctuary with stunning artwork and icons.  The walls and ceiling are covered with beautiful paintings and symbols.  It is very interesting to me as I can pick out Jewish, Muslim, and Christian symbols all intertwined in the painted and gilded walls.  It is truly a world-class cathedral right up there with the great cathedrals of Italy, France, other European countries. 
There is a little grotto where a church lady is taking donations to do a special prayer for anyone who writes down names on a list.  Both of the girls pay the lady and make their lists.  We wander around in silence admiring this awesome display of art and architecture.  There is a very spiritual feeling I am getting from this place.

Suddenly a monk begins chanting and the girls say that the service is starting.  We stay for the entire service and it is quite a treat, at least for me.  I have attended Greek Orthodox services before but never a Russian Orthodox one.  The service is very nice and we are all blessed at the end by the head priest with incense as he walks around the congregation with his incense burner.  There is a choir behind the main alter and the back and forth between the monk chanting, the main priest reading the service, and the choir singing makes for a beautiful ritual.  I think our entire group is touched when it is over.  I give Zana a big hug at the conclusion of the service and notice that there are tears in her eyes.  It is truly a holy place, of that I am sure.       

[ScottinCrimea]

Chersonnes is truly a fabulous palce to visit.  Your report brings back fond memories.  Last time we were there our Turkins friend told us that the urns that you show in the photos were used to hold gold coins.  This was their "bank".

[Swisskid]

Chersonnes is truly a fabulous palce to visit.  Your report brings back fond memories.  Last time we were there our Turkins friend told us that the urns that you show in the photos were used to hold gold coins.  This was their "bank".

Then this must have been where the urns were kept as I was told it is the ruins of the city "money house".
 

[Rasterops61]

   Ok - I'm hooked!!!   Great thread  - please keep it coming and thanks for all the great details regarding your trip!!

[Rasterops61]

Swisskid - Is the story over?      

[DonAz]

I just read this trip report from beginning to end in one sitting. Great report but where is the rest of it.

It was a real bummer to see it end and to be left hanging 

DonAz

[SANDRO43]

I just read this trip report from beginning to end in one sitting. Great report but where is the rest of it.

Actually, this was not the only one sort of left hanging in mid-air, see also his trip mates':

- http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=6490.0
- http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=7711.0

[2tallbill]

Did anyone hear a bump in the night?

[2tallbill]

Actually, this was not the only one sort of left hanging in mid-air, see also his trip mates':

- http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=6490.0
- http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=7711.0