Sevastopol, Ukraine

The Ukraine has its act together and is far more modernized and tourist-friendly than Sochi, Russia. It clearly demonstrated how a previously Russian city, now independent, could prosper and grow. There were organized tour companies and very eloquent and knowledgeable guides. Their spoken English was flawless. We had a fascinating tour of the city which focused on the city’s victories during the Crimean War. It seemed they wanted to forget their time as part of Russia, and focus on the historic development of the city. That was fine with us. Sevastopol’s strategic harbor has a major significance for the defense of the city from the ancient past to modern times. The harbor was once the home of the Russian Naval fleet. In the split from Russian, the most hotly contested issue was the disposition of the vessels. It took 7 years of negotiation to come to an agreement. It was finally decided that Russia would keep 80% of the vessels and Ukraine, 20%. The Russian ships have been moved and the remaining ships in Sevastopol are now part of the coast guard for the city. We visited a Russian Orthodox Church called St Vladimir’s and saw the graves of several famous sea captains from the Crimean War era. We also visited a wonderful Panoramic Museum depicting a famous battle and then actually went to the site. It was a good visit and we really felt that the Ukraine and its people had much to offer.