Kiev to Constantinople

The Dnieper River is a 1,000 kilometre panorama of gentle, rolling hills and the plains of rural Ukraine unfold broken by the glimpses of the domes of village churches. In Kiev the visitor is dwarfed by the Golden Gates and Byzantine mosaics adorn the walls and ceilings of St Sophia. In Odessa stand on the sea-front and gaze in wonder at the Potemkin steps which spread down from Primorsky Boulevard, as featured in Eisenstein’s famous film, ‘Battleship Potemkin’. The Crimea is a unique, cultural preserve displaying renowned historical landmarks, museums and architectural ensembles. Since the fall of the House of Romanov Yalta remains the preferred Black Sea resort for Russians and Ukrainians, as evidenced by Gorbachev’s dacha and numerous ‘sanatoriums’. Major landmarks include the cliffside Swallow’s Nest castle, symbol of the Crimea and Livadia Palace, summer residence of the last Russian Tsar. At the 1945 conference Roosevelt stayed in Livadia Palace and Churchill in the palace at Alupka, which was built in Tudor style like an English private residence. The great palace at Bakhshisary, once the Tartar capital of the Crimean Khanate, displays Oriental and Ottoman splendour with a Harem and the ‘Fountain of Tears’, commemorating an abducted Polish princess, inspiration for the ballet by Zakharov and a poem by Pushkin.

New for 2009 is a visit to Constanta, an important Black Sea port for the Greeks, Romans and Genoese and a famous resort since the 19th century.

Nearby Histria ‘Fortress’ displays well-preserved Greek and Roman remains. Nesseber, known for its Byzantine churches, is both a resort and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Byzantine and Ottoman inspiration has enriched our culture in many ways: from coffee, croissants, divans, slippers, silks, turbans, tiles and carpets to tents, harems and the language of flowers – all deriving from that legendary city known in turn as Byzantium, Constantinople and Istanbul.

Exclusive VJV Event - Ottoman Dinner
A drink in a typical Ottoman house followed by a candlelit dinner in the vaulted dining room of an ancient 6th-century cistern.