Woke up on a train chugging though green countryside and the hint of a large body of water in the air. The next leg of our journey would take us to Sevastopol, a fair sized city situated in the Crimean peninsula on the Black Sea.
For the next few days we’d have good tour guides, a ton of sights jam packed with history and fairly lackluster food. Anything that might’ve been left to be desired in the meal department would be made up by the visuals and company.
Sevastopol Hero City Obelisk framing a harbor that leads out to the Black Sea. Quite remarkable water quality. Too cold for swimming, but seemingly perfect for fishing.
Cyrillic everywhere. It’s like a game of code that messes with your head if you’re not familiar with it. For the most part of the trip, I felt as if I understood dyslexia completely. (The sign above says UKRAINE.)
The Panorama Museum on the Siege of Sevastopol was impressive. Housed in a circular building with a scene from the war, you stood on a platform in the center of a canvas to view the battle in 360°.
Our excellent itinerary from Mr. Pratt described it thus:
“Originally displayed in 1905, the panorama – this would have been the equivalent of Avatar in the 19th century – is essentially an enhanced painting of the defense of Sevastopol in 1854‐55. Although partially destroyed in World War II, Soviet painters restored the display, which went on display in this new museum in 1970.”
Thing is, like most of Eastern Europe, to take photos cost extra and I knew I couldn’t capture the scene, so instead I offer this sudoku and phone still life from the museum security post. (above)
Here’s a glimpse, but it really doesn’t do it justice.
