Sevastopol

Another very nice port city in the Ukraine.  Apparently it was a closed city until the late 1990’s, meaning no-one but naval staff and families were allowed into the area.  The city has only recently become the trendy place to visit for Ukrainians, and ships too apparently.

Sevastopol seems proud of its military and naval heritage and there are loads of monuments celebrating the cities heroes and history, such as Stalin granting Sevastopol the title “Hero City” in 1945 after it held out against the Germans in 1942.

We spent the morning walking around.  First thing I noticed is that the city lacks shop windows, (of course I would, I’m female), so we couldn’t really tell what was being sold.  Apparently this is “chic”.   We didn’t see any street or market stalls either. There didn’t seem to be many bars or restaurants, but that could be because, like shops, they’re not advertising.  There were loads n loads of banks and cash machines though and of course, a cathedral.

                              

The last thing we visited was The Panorama.  This was very much worth our time.  An amazing piece of art and design which demonstrates a little of Sevastopol’s history beautifully.  Very graphic and realistic, it is quite stunning and thanks to two tour guides, (one in front and one behind) I learnt a little regarding a siege in 1854-1855, and why some of the city memorials.

We were back on ship by 1pm and agreed there was no reason for us to go out again.  I think if we visit in future, research is needed beforehand and we should be ready to book a taxi somewhere.   I am sure Ukraine has plenty to show us, just not necessarily in Sevastopol. 

Next stop Yalta, another Ukrainian port.