Yalta Trip

Here's another Ukraine slideshow.  This time it's our trip to Yalta earlier in the week to sightsee with the American work team and see them off in Simferopol.  Campbell stayed with Tanya for a few days to allow us a little vacation.

First some semi-interesting things about Yalta

• While not very far from Kerch and also a coastal city, Yalta has a sub-tropical climate; meaning that unlike the rest of Crimea, it almost never gets below freezing.  This is created by the sheltering affect of the mountains that ring the city.
• The Swallow's Nest castle is a symbol of Crimea and probably the most famous structure in all of Ukraine.  As you will see in the video it sits precariously on the edge of cliff thanks to an earthquake dropping its backyard into the sea.
• Yalta was the secondary capital of Czarist Russia, with the beautiful White Lavadia Palace as a little Emperor's cottage (the slideshow contains many photos of the palace).
• The Nikita Botanical gardens contain plants from all over the world - from bamboo to redwoods - and is one of the most relaxing places I've been.

We stayed in a sort of bed and breakfast in the "old city," a very expensive and very European area.  The place was wonderful but the same cannot be said for the neighbors.  The view was great (shown at the beginning of the slideshow) and owner was kind and accommodating.  Plus at $40 USD per person in the most expensive city in Crimea, you couldn't beat the price.