Ukraine Eastern and Crimea 08th - 21st Sep 2013

         ‘When in Rome do as the Romans do’. Well, I’m in Ukraine and they eat air dried salted fish with a beer sooo…… Again great hospitality from an old school friend of Marina’s, Natasha and her husband Sergei in Zaporozhye

         Sergei and Natasha took us on a tour of Zaporizhye where we gained a little insight to the local history. The city is on the Dnepr River one of the main water systems of the region. As such it has been an important strategic location throughout history first established as a Cossack outpost in the 16^th century. In the background can be seen the Dniproges Dam which until 2007 was the seventh engineering wonder of the world. It was rebuilt after WWII when the Soviets bombed it to stop the German advance and in the process 80,000 people downstream died 

             This was the first we have seen these little red squirrels. They seem to be hyper active but then I guess that’s just summer work before hibernating for the long cold winter

               So you think we had high interest rates during the, “banana republic” days. How about 23% for your cash on deposit! Means borrowing money at over 25% if you can get it! Not sustainable I would suggest. Many Ukrainians have been hurt badly post the GFC with soaring inflation and a devaluing currency. There’s a strong pro/anti EU debate happening; join the EU and look for expanding markets and structured constitutional politics or stay with Mother Russia who holds the carrot of existing contracts but a darker political aspect

               The bosch ( cabbage soup) was nice but this Ukrainian dish “rulka”, pork leg, pork fat, mayonnaise and horse radish has got to be to the body like 23% is to the economy 

              Beautiful black loamy soil from the eastern border through to the west; thousands of hectares of cultivation both irrigated with huge pivots as well as dry land farming. Ukraine was one of the early bread baskets for the Soviet Union and not hard to see why. Unfortunately during the infamous days of the 30’s it suffered terribly from political persecution of the kulaks with numbers unknown to me, shot or exiled to Uzbekistan and Siberia. The result was grain production plummeted and countless thousands died from starvation 

              Is it Lake Eyre? No but rather salt lakes along the neck of the Crimean Peninsula. A surprise to me….

        

                    The Crimean Peninsula being the northern end of the Black Sea has long been an attraction for tourists from the northern latitudes particularly Russians who come in droves to soak up the sun on narrow stony beaches with limited space….. reminds me of a seal colony….

             The Crimean Peninsula at the northern end of the Black Sea has always been of great strategic importance for thousands of years. This fort in Sudak was built by the Genoese in the 14^th and 15^th centuries to hold secure their trading links which included the silk road

            Another famous building with unlimited views of the coast is the Massandra Palace completed in 1889 by Tsar Alexander as his summer palace but better known in more recent times as Stalin’s dacha

             One building that I wanted to see was the Livadia Palace where the 1945 Yalta Conference was held. Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin met to divide up post war Europe. The USSR gained control of a large share of Eastern Europe in return for keeping out of the Mediterranean.  

            It was fascinating to see the actual table where the documents were signed along with the Italian Garden where the famous photo of the “Big Three” was taken

            How about this to bring into focus modern day Russia. In the front garden of the Livadia Palace a giant stage was being erected, we were told for an ‘oligarch’s’ birthday party (exceptionally wealthy Russians who on the fall of the USSR, made their money often by taking up internal Soviet contracts underpriced on the world markets). I wonder what that would cost plus hiring the Livadia Palace for 4 days!  

        

                The Swallow’s Nest built in 1912 by a German oil magnate for his mistress. I wonder if his wife ever got to holiday in it?

         
     

                             The Crimea is renowned for its wine production with thousands of hectares of vineyards producing some well-respected wines. We attended a local wine tasting night to sample a few vintages

 

               Balaklava the small but well protected port next to Sevastopol was also the Russian nuclear submarine base during Soviet times. Now closed and turned into a museum we had a fascinating tour into the past highly sensitive facility. Built to withstand a nuclear attack, 20 tonne doors help to protect the base

             Sea canals lead into the mountain and 120 metres underground where the nuclear subs were serviced and protected

              The arming room where nuclear missiles were armed prior to loading aboard the subs

             Sevastopol, another must see spot for me. In recent history this has been the port for the Soviet Black Sea Fleet. On the breakup of the USSR, Ukraine gave notice to Russia that by 2017 the fleet will have to terminate its presence creating much anguish between pro-Russian and pro-western elements in Ukraine

          
                    Trolley buses run for 85 klms between Simferopol and Yalta making the longest route in the world     

                  Now this is a historical site. The Charge of the Light Brigade took place in the valley below. Again the strategic position of the Crimea led to the Crimean war during 1854-56. This time the British, French and Turks hoped to gain control of the Northern Black Sea to stop Russian expansion during the weakening of the Ottoman Empire. Balaklava was the British port and supply base for the siege of Sevastopol which lasted for 349 days. A Russian attempt to break the British lines of supply from Balaklava to Sevastopol resulted in a British counterattack and the ill-fated charge of the light brigade. Unfortunately the charge went up the wrong valley right into the Russian guns resulting in perhaps the most renowned battle in military history. It’s interesting to note that many sailors and soldiers died from not only the war but from cold and disease resulting in British women knitting full hooded woolen hats which have become known as balaklavas. How about that! This was also the location where Florence Nightingale ran her field hospital during the Crimean War

              
               The Khan’s Palace with its minarets is a great example of Turkish habitation of the Crimea

 

                  Chufut-kale is a honeycomb of caves and structures where people have taken refuge for centuries past. First settled in the 6^th century by Christians and after various occupations was settled by Turkish Jews until the mid-nineteenth century

                 Wheel ruts in the rock testify to the amount of traffic that passed over these ancient fortress roads

                On a half hour Paris to Dakar type Russian jeep ride to Chufut-Kale we took in some spectacular scenery