2013

This is the time to personalize your cruise experience—you can participate in any or all the activities scheduled onboard or do nothing more strenuous than lift an umbrella drink while reading a book poolside.

 

They say a visit to Yalta is good for your health, and it is only because the Russian aristocracy believed that, that the city became more than a backwater. In the mid 19th century, its mild climate was deemed beneficial for recovering from various ailments, and once the tsar bought property there, the race to wellness was on. The elite built neo-gothic chateaux, as did the tsar, whose Livadia Palace eventually hosted Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt for the Yalta Conference at the end of WWII. In the Soviet era dutiful comrades were rewarded with rest trips, though in somewhat less luxurious facilities.

 

Sevastopol's status as a strategic naval stronghold has contributed to its fascinating history, but has not been kind to the city itself. Under siege for 11 months during the Crimean War, the formerly glorious city was left in ruins. Reconstructed, it was then besieged again by Germans in WWII, reduced to rubble, and rebuilt once again. During Soviet times a closed city, Sevastopol opened to the outside world only in 1995, and not until 1997 did Russia and the Ukraine sign a peace and friendship treaty, ruling out Moscow's claims, and making Ukraine a sovereign nation.

 

Relatively new as European cities go, Odessa was founded in 1794 by Catherine the Great, and became an important commercial and cultural center, and the Black Sea's greatest seaport. Two famous sites claim the interests of most visitors: The neo-baroque Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater is considered one of the world's finest opera houses, with unique acoustics in its luxurious rococo hall, that allow even a whisper from the stage to be heard in every corner. The Odessa Steps were the set for an iconic scene in motion picture history, in a scene from the Battleship Potemkin, where hundreds of citizens were killed on the great stone steps.

 

Romania counts as one of the most diversely beautiful countries in Europe and the thriving city of Constanta – pronounced Constantza – not only counts the country’s largest seaport, but also as one of its loveliest seaside resorts. As the portal to Romania’s Dobruja region, the city offers a multitude of sights to see, things to do and destinations to explore, such as the glorious Danube Delta near Tulcea to the north.Situated towards the southern end of the Black Sea coast, Constanta was originally founded by the Greeks around 2,600 years ago and, according to Greek mythology, is even said to have been the very port that welcomed Jason, the Argonauts and the much-prized Golden Fleece on their return.

 

This ancient and rich city-museum is preserved intact on a peninsula separated from the mainland by a narrow isthmus. Buildings from all stages of its existence are evident, from Roman and medieval fortress walls, to 18th and 19th century wooden houses. It boasts an impressive number and variety of churches, constructed during Byzantine, Bulgarian, and Ottoman reigns, representing the rich architectural heritage of the Eastern Orthodox world. Contemporary Nessebar is a major seaside resort, with wide, golden beaches and lots of sun.

 

Istanbul is supremely exotic, warmly welcoming, and quite unique – after all, where else can you tour Europe and Asia on the very same afternoon? Must sees include Haghia Sophia, decorated in 30 million tiny mosaic tiles, the greatest church in Christendom for 1000 years, then a mosque and now a museum; and Topkapi, palace of sultans, complete with harem quarters. And of course shopping in the Grand Bazaar, a medieval version of a mall, for unusual gifts to take home, stopping along the way in a café for a cup of Turkish coffee or mint tea.