Crimea.
Crimea is a peninsula, which is situated in North part of Black Sea and it is a
region of Ukraine. Steppe covers the bigger part of Crimea territory in
the north and central areas. The Southeast coast and the south coast (it
has another name South Shore) have mountain landscapes. Highest mountain
has name Roman-Cosh. Its height is approximately 5000 ft.
Length of the mountain chain is about 100 miles. This chain
blocks cold north winds. That is why especial microclimate is on the
narrow band of South Shore like subtropics. There are many sanatoriums and
health resorts here. If you know, there are towns Yalta, Alushta, Gurzuf,
children’s international camp “Artek” and last USSR president’s
residence “Foros” on the South Shore. People go here from any
country that was in USSR previously. Russia and Ukraine are different
countries now. Therefore, we went to Crimea as territory of another
country. (As well as Canadians goes to USA).
I’ll try to tell you about my impressions about last summer
(1998) visit
to Crimea. We visited towns Sudak (southeast coast), Alushta (South Shore
of Crimea) and Evpatory (West Coast). We went there in July, Mike and I. Firstly, we arrived by train in town Pheodosia about 1p.m. There is
big seaport here. When we were going through Pheodosia by train we saw the
sea and big ships on it. Here we caught private taxi for $50 to Sudak.
(There is a big money for us –I have a good job and my total earn was
about $500 per month in that
time). We saw the sea on the
left side and mountains in front of us, when we drove along pleasant mountain
road. There were many vineyards near the
road. Sun Valley is situated near Sudak. They make very good wine
with the same name and other kinds of wine there. We arrived to Sudak about
4p.m.
Sudak is not a big town. It has several blocks of flats, several
many-storeyed sanatorium, which are situated in the parks . However, main part of town consists
from private one-floor houses with small yards. People who live in those
houses earn money to give lodging in rent places for visitors. Therefore,
in those yards some fruit trees and couple vines, and many small cabins.
We lived in such cabin. There was place only for two beds and the little
table. We paid $4 per day for rent. There was a shower in the yard. It was
a cabin with the big tank on its roof. Tank was filled with cold water and
then it was heated by sunbeams. There were minimum comforts but to go to
sea took only about 5 minutes.
In that day, we came to sea. Sea was black really, because wind was
very strong. It was storm that day. There were no many people at the
beaches. Big waves dropped on
the shore. It could not to swim for anybody. One drunken man decided to
roll on waves that time. He almost sank in the sea. Another man (I believe
he was good swimmer) swam to man who was trying to sink and pulled him a
little to shore. Luckless swimmer was saved! Later I had measured the deep
in that place. It was no more than 6ft.
Big waves, if you
know…
Such storm weather was several days after our arrival. Therefore, we
decided to go to excursions. There were many places in town where they
sold excursions. The cheapest one cost only $1 for one person and the most
expensive cost about $30. We bought two excursions – one to waterfall
“Jhur-Jhur” (murmuring) and another to the cave Mramornaya (Marble
cave) on different days, of course. There were bus excursions, each almost
by whole day.
We did not buy excursion in the local sightseeing – Ruins of
Genoa’s Fortress (XII –XIII centuries AD). Simply we came to its gate
and bought the guidebook and entering ticket.
Imagine, that fortress had yet stood about 200 years till time when Coulomb
had just discovered America! Those are ruins of ancient town where were
port, fortress, granaries, tanks with drink water, and houses of common
citizens in this city. There is a home of Consul as part of inside
fortress wall near mountain peak. Consul
was the governor of that town and he was elected only for one year.
Until that year, Consul will have to build one building
from his own money.
The walls of the fortress
and consul’s residence have remained in good state. By the way, the
hordes of Barbarians, Turkish Army and time could not break it walls at
many centuries. However, the small group of Ukrainian archaeologists made
this work in one summer! They were finding coins and other things
in the ground near wall. About 120 ft of wall was fallen after their work.
Weather changed to better one in several days. Wind became quiet and sea
became blue and transparent. We came to the beach. There were more than
ten organized beaches in Sudak. Some of its were free to enter and other
was paid ones. It cost from $0.5 to $1 to get there. Near the beaches was
embankment. There were some cafes and small restaurants on the embankment.
On the another side of embankment were sanatoriums in the pleasant parks.
There were flowers on the trees – in July! Anybody could goes through
those parks to beaches. And there was alley that run from center of
embankment to Sudak’s main street.
All beaches were sandy there. But there were many little stones –
pebbles just after border between sea water and sand . It
was very hard to step on its. And water was too cold after long storm.
Also I did not like another thing. There were not good place for you if you came to beach too late (after 8
a.m.) . Too many peoples were there.
There were also many sellers who made their ways among the bodies of
holiday-makers and made loud advertising for their goods. They brought
just on the beach very
taste things – rolls with fruit filling, wafer pipes with
boiled concentrated sweet milk and Greek nuts, “Pakhlava”- kind of
honey cookies (biscuits) and season fruits. Every morning till 12 a.m. the
Ukrainian Army’s helicopter flied high above beaches and dropped out 7
parachutists each time. They flied above beaches and sat behind the
mountain. Ukrainian soldiers had their training there.
Two days on the beach filling with people were enough for us. And we
became the hike travelers. Of course, we went in the early morning to
beach, had a sunbath there and sea bath too (if water was not too cold for
us). Then we waited for the beach became full and went away. Firstly we
hiked along the mountain road to settlement Novy Svet (New World in
English). By the way, it seems that New World is European name of America.
There was about 5 miles to go to Novy Svet along the road. Main part of
road was situated along the slop of mountain Sokol (Falcon).
They say that the beach in the Novy Svet is one of the best beaches
on the southeast coast of Crimea. The settlement itself is not large.
There are several many-storey houses (block of flats) and one or two
sanatoriums. There is the wine-making factory here. Prince L. Golitsin
founded it in the 1878. Only from Novy Svet’s vineyards, wine “Black
Doctor” gets. We bought couple bottles of Crimean Champagne “Novy Svet”.
We drank one from they at the New Year party. It was very good, better
than “Soviet Champagne”. (Of course, we knew that “Champagne” is
only French trademark. But that name is signed on the bottles’ labels.)
There is the shop from vine-making factory in the settlement, near bus
stop. You can buy many kinds of vine that made on the factory there. Also
you can buy excursion to the factory, see how they made and store vine and
even taste different kinds of vine. Somebody after that tasting cannot go
home by their own foots.
There is nature Reserve Park in the Novy Svet too. It consist from
mountain groves and two bays – Blue and Dark-Blue ones. To enter here
cost $1 for the person. Bank of the Blue bay has name “Tsar’s beach”
("Tsar" in Russian means "king"). They say that place was lovely one for rest
of the family of the last tsar (king) of Russian Empire. There was the
path on the cliff over the sea to the "Through Grotto" before earthquake.
Now only very brave people go along that path. “Through Grotto” is a
really through. It begins at the west slope and ends at the west slope of
mountain. Near the Dark-Blue bay is situated Shaliapin’s Grotto. It
looks as a little concert hall. Famous Russian bass Shaliapin had sung
here many years ago (before 17th year's Revolution). Both bays
have nice wild stony beaches. We even caught the crab in the Dark-Blue
bay!
Then we came back through the beech forest to the bus. We slept in the
bus almost all way to Sudak because we were very tired.
Well, Crimea is a very beautiful and unique place, but now it
suffers with serious economic problems. Tourists have to pay money for
enter in many places of interesting. And such places are very many here!
But natives say that a main authority in Kiev takes almost all of that
money. So, ordinary pension for old people in Crimea was about $40 that
time, and rent for 2-room flat was about $15 per month. Prices were
approximately the same as in our region. Maybe only fruits and vegetables
were cheaper.
Many tourists visited Crimea when the Soviet Union existed. But now,
since Ukraine became independent state, only 20-30% from previous numerous
of tourists go to Crimea. We sow the sanatorium near Sudak, which was
abandoned several years ago. Cause of this is very simple. Ukrainian
authorities asked too much money for rent from Russian owners of that
sanatorium. Those owners couldn’t pay and abandoned those building.
There were only walls and roof stayed from those building. And the small
beach too. I suppose that very much money is losing because of greediness.
There are the rose plantations near Sudak. Here they gather rose petals
in the spring. Then rose oil gets from those petals. It is needed 1000kg
of petals to get 1kg of rose oil. And 1kg of rose oil costs the same as
1kg of gold! This product is exported to French. There it is used as a
component of French perfumery. In general, in the beginning of July those
roses have no leaves on their trunks – here is very hot and no rains in
June-August. But that summer when we were here there were unusually many
rains and grass was yet green.
Also they make different essential volatile oils from different plants.
You may buy such oils in Crimea. You may buy wine in the bottles or from tanks in your
own dish in the settlements where winemaking
plants are situated. This wine is young dry one. It has a little alcohol in it and
has a very good light taste. We drank it a little almost each day we lived
in Sudak. And Crimean Champagne we got to our home. We drank it on New
Year Party. It was very taste.
Firstly
we went to Mramornaia (Marble) cave. We wake up early and came to tourist
bus. That time we went another road than when we did to waterfall. Most
part of the way passed through the steppe Crimea. When we went by bus,
guide lady told us about place, where we were going. She told about
villages, which lie near the road, about gardens and fields, which passed
back beyond the window, about history of those places. We passed town
Belogorsk (White Mountains) and Crimean capital Simferopol. At last
we came to the foot of Chatyrdag (From Tartaric – Tent-Mountain). Here
bus became to climb on the mountain along the mountain road-serpentine.
Beech forests lie on the left and right side of road. These beeches grow
on slopes of mountain. Chatyrdag is a nature reserve park now. On the half
of way from foot to top of mountain we came to gate of nature-reserve.
Small forest guard’s cottage stood here. There are big pictures on it
wall. Everybody could see it from road. Painter, who was guest at
that cottage, painted some pictures of forest’s life. Also there were
little cafe where you could drink fresh cow and she-goat’s milk and some
local dishes. And a very big black pig lived into the enclosure here! I
never sow such great pig.
After
gate we pass another slope on which grown beeches and Crimean pines and
came to open plateau. Strong wind was at plateau. And you can see a
horizon very far from plateau. Surface of plateau was stony and covered
dry grass. But also there were flowers here! I suppose that was kind of
flowers that need a very little quantity of water to live. There was
single trees or groups of ones here and there. Than our bus stopped at the big
asphalt ground. Paths to Mramornaia and Emine-Bair-Hosar caves were
beginning from that ground. All bus had to stay here. People must go to
cave’s enters on foot.
We
came by road to enter of Mramornaia (marble) cave from bus stop. Wind
didn’t blow near enter, because trees grew there. Enter was under roof
and had metal door that defended microclimate of cave from outer climate.
There
were cafe, ticket-office and several kiosks with different goods – from
meal and drink to postcards and T-shirts. To enter the cave one must buys
ticket, pays for each photo- or video camera. If you have forgotten to take
warm clothes you may get it for hire (of course, you must pay for it).
There was big turn to enter the cave usually and that time we waited for
about 3 hours! Certainly, that cave was worthy of all those suffers. It
was a recently discovered cave! Marble cave was founded only in 1986! We
heard a story from guide how it was.
Plateau
of Chatyrdag was (and now is) a nature (landscape) reserve park and it
is forbidden all kinds of activity there. Once the poacher was overtaken by the
park’s servicers. Of course, he had escape from they but they was
beginning to come up with him. Suddenly he observed the recent hole under
the tree. And he jumped here! He was luck that he could get off from cave
after several hours. Then he stopped to poach and became to show that cave
for “wild” tourist (for cash, of course). He made his business until
the Crimean speleologists had learned about it. They took this cave under
their care and they are keeping it today. Though they take money for visit in
cave, all of they are poor people with a little earn. But all of they like their profession very much. They said that will take care
that
cave and defend it from any interference, because the cave is another
world and it is very delicate and may be broken in several years (or
months!). The big part of the earned money they spend to set new routes in
the cave, cave’s maintenance and its learning. Sometimes even in the
well-known cave it is possible to find new corridor. Marble cave has
enough length of routes – about 1,5 km (if I remember exactly). They say
that it one of the 10 greatest caves in the world.
We
enter through the door in the cave and go downstairs. Guide says that
sightseer who goes last must close the door in order to save cave’s
microclimate. 10 meters down and we had seen several paths that run in
different directions. The speleologists made this paths along the routs
and set there the lamps which give light. Even the electrical light can
damage the stalactites and stalagmites – the microbes (some kind of
mould) begin grow on its surface. From that, surface becomes more soft and
has a green color instead it natural one. Therefore light is turned off after
group leaves place it have just seen. Here you can believe that stones are
living too but they life is very slowly if it is compared with our one.
Millions years ago here was a bottom of the ancient sea and billions sea
animals born and died here. They fallen down on the bottom of sea and
created the layer of lime-stone. That layer was growing by long time and then,
after bottom rose over sea, it became the Crimean mountains. Then water
began its work. It found its way to sea through the mountains after great
rains and firstly made a little caverns in the body of mountain. Then
those caverns became more and more. Imagine the great streams running in
fool dark through the body of mountain. So pity that nobody could see that
phenomena. When time of great rains finished water became to percolate in
the caves from top surface and dissolve the lime-stone. Then this solution
flowed along the walls and dropped from ceiling and now we can see the
stalactites and stalagmites. Every each of those natural formations looks
like the art creature. Words have no force to describe that world.
The
Obvalny (landslide) hall of Mramornaia cave remembered to us very much. It
is huge and its height is about ninety foots. On its “floor” you
can the “stone chaos” – many very large stones lay here and there. I
suppose that is the track of the earthquakes. Mramornaia cave’s stretch
has several miles long (with all corridors, of course). Most part of routs
have not yet any convenience for tourists and only speleologists can go
along they. This cave impress by its size and great halls.
It is well that both caves are saved by enthusiasts. Another caves near
they (those were discovered in the last centuries) are simple the holes in
the mountain with the tracks of human activity as rubbish, “graffiti”,
etc. You cannot find here such beauties as in the saved caves.
Next part - Crimea 99 "memoirs"