Sevastopol, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukraine

"Hero-City, Sevastopol"

It was my first time in this city, which is home to Russia's Black Sea fleet (navy)....begging the question: Crimea- is it Russian or Ukrainian? I saw pro-Russia graffiti but people carry Ukrainian passports....while speaking Russian.

We found a place to stay in Sevastopol through the usual route: not hotels.com, but rather a phone call from D's cousin's wife's mother to her friend's neighbor. Ah, Ukraine. You just have to be here or it doesn't make sense.

but we got to stay in this living room for $10 a day and made a new friend.

we stayed on the top floor!

Sevastopol was blustery and wintry (I know, duh!). We spent a lot of time doing our favorite activities: walking around and eating.

I tried to convince D to walk around Victory Park (Парк Победы) but he wasn't game. Instead we sat on a bench near this monument, ate a snack, and found a really nice man to ask for directions to Khersones.

Crazy about Ukraine's recommended Sevastopol spot:
the ancient Greek city of Khersones.

The ruins surround St. Vladimir's Cathedral.

Ah, the Black Sea. In January.

The sand is made of tiny shells!

I think this was a copy but you can still view the originals in a protected area

More Black Sea. In January. Take that, Alaska!

Can you believe how clear the water is?

This beach was made out of smooth pebbles and sea glass. I was kind of hoping to find an ancient coin hidden among the stones, but no luck.

Everyone's favorite spot for a picture.

St. Vladimir's Cathedral again.

You can go inside and tour if you'd like!

By the way, Khersones is one of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine. I hope you get the chance to visit this amazing place!

Because of its military history, there are lots of war memorials and monuments placed throughout Sevastopol.

We made numerous attempts to visit a mysterious place called "The Panorama", involving a crazy steep walk up a crazy steep hill, but the stars never aligned. (It turns out D has been trying to visit this place his entire life, but every time he tries, The Panorama is closed or something something something...) Instead we settled for a ride on a nearby Ferris wheel and a ten-dollar visit to a terrarium.

Behold, Sevastopol!