Sevastopol - Where to begin?

It’s 9:30 PM Friday and I’m in the lobby of the Hotel Sebastopol in Sevastopol, Ukraine. This is a city that until very recently was closed to the outside world, even the people of the Ukraine, because it was a secret naval base of the USSR navy. Today it still hosts the navy of the USSR and the navy of the Ukraine Republic. This is the only place in town that I can get internet access. In a lot of ways this country has not as yet caught up to modernity. But it is unique and wonderful in its own way.

To back up a bit, yesterday we finished a great day in Odessa with a ballet performance at the lovely Odessa Opera house. The show was most enjoyable. The program was a tribute to Rudolph Nureyev with live orchestra. The final pax de duex with two male dancers made the program and I’m sure Nureyev would have approved.

Overnight we sailed to Sevastopol. We arrived in the early afternoon and went on a tour or an unusual TarTar palace about an hour outside of town. Then Dan and I walked into town in search of an internet access point. We stopped at the reconstructed cathedral. The candles, incense, and live chant were entrancing. I hope the photograph cponveys a liottle of the unique and beautiful setting.

Tomorrow we have a full day of touring nearby. Internet access continues to be challenging but I hope to be able to sty in touch as we make our way North to Kiev during the next 10 days.