BY   S O L O 

This week-end our city celebrates the anniversary of the oldest city's museum complex "The Historic Boulevard"

Now the Historic Boulevard is one of the biggest parks in the city and a popular place for rest and pastime among citizens and tourists. But in the beginning of the history of Sevastopol at the place of Boulevard was built the defense line of Russian army against the united armies of Great Britain and France during the Crimean campaign 1853-1856. At these hills stand three bastions, which protected the main strategic points of the city? The strong fights of the Russian defenders against the union armies took part here 2 centuries ago.

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BY  S O L O 

The Winter’s Last Attempt.

The last decade of March was marked in the all middle-European region as a back of real winter. It was not nice and fun; somewhere it was a real accident!

A huge amounts of snow has totally paralyzed the traffic, distant villages was cut off from electricity, snow slides in the mountains…

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S O L O

Congratulations to everybody!

 Today on the July 29^th Sevastopol celebrates the double holiday: Holiday of the Ukrainian Fleet and holiday of the Russian Navy.

The city of Sevastopol is a naval city from its foundation, it was a hero naval base at the World War II and in the USSR period; now it is a base for two national Navies – Russian and Ukrainian one. Thus the Fleet Day here is almost equal to the city birthday and we celebrate it with a proper range and enthusiasm. How is invited to the fest – everybody from local citizens to visitors from all parts of the Ukraine and from abroad. Tickets to Sevastopol for this day are usually bought up weeks before.

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S O L O

Our today week-end rout travel is: Cape Fiolent - St. George’s Monastery - Jasper Beach

Sure, the best time for this route is summer: sea-swimming at Fiolent is simply amazing!

To get to the point is quite easy: by autobus #3 from the bus stop at the “Balaklava Roadway, 5^th km” and from square “50^th Anniversary of the USSR” or by autobus #19 from square “50^th Anniversary of the USSR”. Get out at the bus stop “St. George’s Monastery” and follow the signs. Moreover, at summer time every 2 hours there is boat from Balaklava that brings the most lazy travelers right to the beach. But if you are a real traveler in your soul, you’ll pass this entire route on your own. And you will be rewarded with the unforgettable impressions!

Now we are at the bus stop “Monastery”. A dirt road is passing up, twisting among private cottages and finishing at the wide tableland. On the left you can see the St. George’s Monastery. For a long time it was in rather neglected conditions, but at the last years it is again restoring and re-building.

The first view-point is situated right at the top of the tableland more than 200m above the sea level. Perfect view: blue half-circle of the bay framed with emerald green trees. On the right the motley horn of the Cape Fiolent is piercing the sea. This Cape provides its name to the all region around it. Two rocks in the sea near it – The Orestes and The Pylades – are from black stone, but seems whitish because the deposit of salt on it. On the left you can see the golden cupola of the Monastery’s temple. And in the center of the bay, like a folded back of the huge animal, stands on the St. Appearing Rock. The big, 7 meters high, cross stands on the top of it.

Let me tell you some details about this place.

S O L O

Marching with the brass band.

In the middle of June Sevastopol celebrates its anniversary. This year it will be 229^th city’s birthday! It is quite natural, that for its long history the city gains a lot of different customs and traditions. But we are not going to stop at these achievements! We will continue to expand our habits and good practices. For example, this year at third time we have a very special festival for our citizens and guests, which arrived at the city’s birthday: "Sevastopol Military Tattoo" fest. This is a number of performances of the military bands from different countries.

 

Just imagine the picture: sea, lines of ships at the roadstead, and on the landing stage plays the military brass band. Handsome military men in the neat uniform, the winds, shining with golden light, and military marches, rhythmic and bravura - something inside hit you to spread your shoulders and go marching!

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S O L O

I say very often to my non-Sevastopol friends and familiars: it is impossible to live in Crimea and to be ignorant in vines. In our Crimean peninsula winemaking, its culture and specialties has a long history: more than 2 thousands years starting from first Greek colonists. That meant you simply couldn’t skip over acquaintance with this culture and wines.

Therefore during last 10-15 years I have studied carefully the main assortment of wine cellars in biggest Ukrainian (or Crimean) wineries – Inkerman, Massandra, Sun Valley. I have my own favorites in every of it. But there’s always something new to learn, I think, so let’s expanding our horizons!

During last years in Crimea small private wineries are developing. More and more companies entering wine market. And they products are interesting due to its originality. Wine specialists says: every wine is a product of its own area and technologies applied. In this way, every bottle of wine from different Crimean regions has a small discovery for its explorer. Would you like to be the one?

The bar-shop “Wine cellar” yesterday provided us possibility to be explorers. I hardly could call the yesterday event “wine sampling”, it more looked like very intimate get-together of the very special affinity-group.

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Solo

An old Crimean legend says:

‘Have you ever been in Crimea? Everything you can find here: you can find sea, you can find mountains, you can find steppe. Ascend the mountain, look around and regret about those, who have never been here. It is so beautiful around. Behind the mountain the sea and the sky are together, both of them are blue, even hard to say what has the deepest blue. The man from Crimea can travel a lot of lands but at the end he says: the best place of the world is Crimea. This is our land. A good place to live, no need to die…’

I am completely agreed with this legend. Agree and ready to vote for it, to sign for it and will always repeat it. In order to make my repeats not too much monotonous I will include in it short stories about different places of our unique Crimea.

Story #1. Ilias-Kaya Mountain.

In case you are a local Sevastopol citizen, trip to Ilias-Kaya Mountain can be some kind of week-end hike-tour for you. Really, it is not too far, and the route is not requires special tourist skills from you.

Preliminary part of this trip can by made in scheduled bus or in own car by “Sevastopol-Yalta” road right to the turn to Laspi Bay. A good orienteer is a roadside café “Myth”.

Now imagine, that we are just descend from the rout-bus and looking around. If we turn to the sea, on the right will be blue Laspi Bay, framed with green pine forests, and Cape Kush-Kaya at the horizon. Mountain ridge of Baydarskaya Yayla arising behind us. It looks so sublime and inaccessible! And on the left it is a good view of Ilias-Kaya massif. Covered with morning dove-colored mist it looks very similar to a gigantic frog on the green hummock. Behind this frog arises predatory shark’s fin. This fin is our destiny point: top of Ilias-Kaya Mountain (681 meter)… O, please, don’t panic! It is not too far and too high. The devil is not so black, as painted. And you never know what you can do till you try!

Author and photographer - Yevgeniya Solovjova as known as Solo :)

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Solo

9th  of May - is a very special date for Sevastopol. And the reason is not only the old navy history of the city, which is now the base for two fleets: Russian and Ukrainian. Main reason is the traditions of Sevastopol as the hero-city - one of 12 hero-cities at the former Soviet Union.  In the  Great  Patriotic  war  Sevastopol garrison  together  with  civil  population during  250  days  kept heroic defense of the city against  superior numbers and better-equipped German  fascists  forces. And the 9th of May, 1944 became the day of liberation the city from fascists' occupation - one year before the Red Victory Banner was raised over the Reichstag.

More than 60 years had passed after the end of war, and only a few participants and witnesses of that events are still alive. But all citizens of Sevastopol revere heroic defenders' memory and keep patriotic traditions.  Every year on the 9th of May thousands people gathered to the center of the city to greet veterans of the war and military veterans at the great Victory Parade. At this day you can meet here Sevastopol's citizens with their families and children and very lot of visitors from neighbor Crimean cities, from Russia and Ukraine and even from far abroad.

March is opened by victory warriors of the great patriotic war. Yes, unfortunately their number is decreasing every year. But free places in the marching columns are filling with their descendants, holding portraits of hero forefathers. And everybody feel the invisible presence of these soldiers, who gone to eternity. This presence will stay till the memory about their feat is alive.

Red  velvet  of  banners  in the wind, clanging of awards at the medal ribbons,  applauses  and  greetings  and  a  lot  of  flowers  in  the outstretched  children's hands. 9th of May - is not a holiday, it is a lesson for young citizens. This lesson teaches to be worthy the proud name of Sevastopol citizen. And they study this lesson well.

Author and photographer - Yevgeniya Solovjova as known as Solo :)

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Solo

Dragon Magic

Practically all natives in Sevastopol know, where is situated the most romantic bridge of our city. It is on the Primorsky Boulevard and it has an unofficial name “Lovers’ Bridge”. The second unofficial name for this installation is “Dragons’ Bridge”. Each side of it has a bás-relief where two dragons attack the city’s coat of arms.

Also the most of natives know the fact, that this menacing quadruple – is the only dragons in the architecture of Sevastopol. The only dragons for the whole of the city! Now you can imagine how unique this construction is. And dragons themselves are not ordinary creatures. They are fairy, magic and very bright! And no wonder that when Sevastopol’s dragons waked up in one sunny spring day, this event was celebrated with a magic performance under the bridge. Huge bubbles play rainbow colors under the sun. They look so bright, colorful, and so fickle and transient, the same as magic in the real world

 
Author and photographer - Yevgeniya Solovjova as known as Solo :)