FoREM Travel - Crimean War Tour
25 September to 4 October 2004

Twenty four members congregated in the confusing melee at the Czech Airlines desk at Heathrow at 0530 hours. We were greeted by Brendan, our favourite tour manager, and introduced to Richard our historical guide. The flight out, with a transfer in Prague, ran about an hour late and it rained most of the time. At Kiev we were shepherded into an old dilapidated bus and driven to a huge and impressive white building, the Kiev Railway Station. After delays in finding the right entrance, porters, baggage carts and our train, we boarded the night train under the watchful eyes of the intimidating conductresses who were all built like Olympic shot putters. We occupied one and a half carriages, two to a compartment. At eight we filled the dining car and had an enjoyable and hilarious dinner washed down with red champagne at £4.00 a bottle!

The party went on in individual compartments. The four gentlemen members travelling by themselves really got into the spirit. So much so that Vince attempted to gain entry to the cabin occupied by Pat and Doreen who saw him off. He had got his cabin number right but was in the wrong carriage!

Day Two - 26 Sep 06

We were in Simferopol Station a little bleary eyed and creased. We were met by Vladimir Vasishchev to be known as 'Valladio'. He was to be our eyes and ears, local tourist guide and translator throughout the tour. He had been a conscript in the Russian Army and had served in Siberia and now lives in Yalta. Alexthander Tumanova and his wife Diana were also there to greet us. They live in Sevastopol. He had been a Captain in the Russian Navy, serving in their North Sea Fleet.

After a very welcome breakfast and coffee in the morning sun in a pavement café, we were all led, one by one, to a small hatch in a wall to change US Dollars into Grivnas.

On to a slightly better bus and off through the sunshine to Kalamita Bay after an overly long visit to a local decaying and boring museum. At the coast, Richard drew a word picture of the landings started on the 14th September 1854. It was little wonder that it was known to our troops as 'Calamity Bay'.

Sketch map showing the routes taken by the British Army during the Crimean War (1854-56)

On the way to Alma we stopped at the Bulganak river where Lord Raglan bumped Prince Menshinov's Army. After a short engagement the Russians withdrew to the heights above Alma to stop the Allies. Crossing the rivers Bulganak and Alma, we stopped to picnic in the shade of a cherry orchard surrounded by vineyards on a slope overlooking the river.

On the battlefield, Richard described the events of the battle most vividly. It was here that the Brigade of Guards distinguished themselves taking 'Telegraph Hill'. With help from a bombardment from the fleet and confused orders from Menshinov, the Russians broke.

The Allied troops had 2600 casualties and over 600 Russian soldiers lay killed or wounded. It was to be two days before the Allied troops advanced on Sevastopol skirting to the east to avoid contact with the enormous 'Star' fort on the northern side of the harbour.

On the battlefield were two Russian and one Allied monuments. The conflicting dates on them were most confusing, until one remembered that the Russians did not adopt the Gregorian Calendar until 1914. From then on monuments dated using the Julian calendar were not so alien. At last we were to see our hotel in Sevastopol.

'Hotel Ukraine' overlooked South Bay and was smart and comfortable. Hot baths and a good evening meal were as much as most of us could cope with after such a long day.

Day Three - 27 Sep 04

We made the acquaintance of our new and better coach and two more interpreters, both to be known as Natasha. The younger of them, Natalya Seleznyova, is the senior English instructor at the Naval Academy, Sevastopol. We went by coach to the site of the ancient Greek city of Chersonesos, set on the edge of modern Sevastopol beside the blue, clear, sparkling Black Sea. The morning was spent wandering through the ruins of its streets, the theatre and basilicas. A fine large bronze bell hung at the cliff edge overlooking the harbour has to be struck by a stone before your wish is granted. Before we left the site we visited the 19th Century Russian Orthodox cathedral of St Vladimir, rebuilt after WW II.

On the way back to Sevastopol for lunch, we stopped to view the part-demolished German coastal gun emplacements and tunnels at Cape Kilerson. Next was lunch back in town at the 'Traktir 1854' restaurant where the waitresses, dressed in Russian summer naval uniforms, served us with tasty but indescribable traditional Ukrainian food and drink. An hour's free shopping time in the market and then we went on to Artillery Bay to catch the ferry to the North bank of the harbour. During the passage 'The Glory Obelisk', 'The Monument to the Sunken Ships' and the fortified harbour entrance were seen.

Once ashore the coach took us for a glimpse of 'The Star Fort' - scruffy affair with disfiguring block work built on top of the original walls and occupied by the Army. The next stop was the huge 'Communal Cemetery' with a vast pyramid shaped basilica at its centre. Here we paid our formal respects to the locally born members of the stricken nuclear submarine 'Kursk' and to Colonel Todleben, the foreign engineer who built and maintained the impromptu defences of Sevastopol in 1855. At the end of a long day in the blazing sun, we stopped at the 'Monument to the Martyrs 1941-1942' which depicts and celebrates the defences thrown up by engineers to defend the city.

Day Four - 28 Sep 04

First we stood on the Karani Heights, overlooking Balaklava, to view the supply route from the port to Sevastopol used during the Crimean War. Here also is the impressive monument to the 'Great Patriotic War'. Our visit to Balaklava was the cause of considerable surprise to us, to our guide and to our tour manager. In the last two years it has been transformed into a smart, flourishing Mediterranean style yacht haven with paved promenades. A marina full of gleaming white gin palaces is overlooked by chic pavement cafés and elegant souvenir stalls.

We climbed to view the narrow rocky entrance to the harbour and glimpsed the underwater entrance to the now defunct nuclear submarine base on the opposite shore. Above us, where the ruins of two Genoese forts can be seen, was the site of Florence Nightingale's Field Hospital above the filthy harbour in the cool sea breezes.

After lunch in the Forest Restaurant on the Sapaune Heights, we drove back to Sevastopol to embark on two launches at the impressive steps of the 'Grafskaya Pristan (Count Quay)' for an unforgettable tour of the whole of the harbour.

We sailed close to and photographed the Russian Black Sea Fleet and the Ukranian Navy. In one hour we saw at least twice as many ships as there are in service in the British Navy. Remarkable, when one remembers that the whole city was closed to all but the Russian Navy until 1996. Monuments and statues, all on a grand scale, line the shores and at the harbour mouth, Fort Constantine, a two-story horse-shoe shaped structure bristling with cannon, guards the entrance.

To end the day, some of us walked back to the hotel so that we could visit the 'Poprovskiy Cathedral', the nearby large statue of Lenin and 'The Temple of the Winds', the only building to survive the siege in the Crimean War.

Day Five - 29 Sep 04

We were back to the Sapaune Heights to visit the diorama 'Attack on the Sapaune Mountain 7 May 1944', 'The Glory Obelisk' with its eternal flame and 'The Georgiy Victorious Chapel'. From the parapet, Richard brought to life the Battle of Balaklava from Lord Raglan's point of view. It was here that he stood and from here that he sent the fateful order to The Light Brigade to rescue the guns being taken by the Russians from Redoubts One, Two, Three and Four.

Back to the Forest Restaurant for another al fresco lunch!

The afternoon was spent exploring the battlefield from every angle. We followed the line of the famous charge along the North Valley, stood where the Russian guns were at the end of the valley and then where the Cossacks were massed. Later we looked from the Causeway Heights towards Kadikoi where the 93rd Highlanders and the walking wounded from Balaklava, commanded by the gallant Sir Colin Campbell, took part in that famous skirmish which gave rise to 'The Thin Red Line'.

A panoramic view of the 'Charge of the Light Brigade' as it would have been seen by the Russians on Fedioukine Heights.


The 'Charge of the Light Brigade' battlefield as seen in 2004. This photograph is taken from Kamara and is a view across the southern valley facing Northwest. No 1 Redoubt "Canrobert's Hill" is on the left and the Woronzoff Road can be seen coming in from the right in the foreground.

Later we stood at the edge of a vineyard at Kadikoi at the very place where Sir Colin Campbell instructed "There is no retreat from here men! You must die where you stand!"

It was from here that The Heavy Brigade under the command of General Scarlett charged the Russian cavalry and put them to rout. For this gallant action he received the thanks of Lord Ragland. "Well done Scarlett!"

The Russians never took Balaklava.

To relax we were taken to the local winery 'Zolotaya Balka Crimea' for a wine tasting. An hilarious affair, as we were all given six glasses of wine and six glasses of champagne to drink not taste! Even our translator was reduced to giggles! There was a lot of clinking in the coach on the way back to the hotel.

Brendan had organised the hotel staff to give a special birthday dinner for Mike Watson. All of our Ukrainian friends turned up plus a beautiful young blonde lady, who was also called Natasha. The legendary good looks of Ukrainian women have to be seen to be believed. Fred, the youngest member of our party and an eligible bachelor to boot, had the enviable job of escort.

Mike received many small gifts from us that had been purchased in the market the previous day. The wine flowed and a good time was had by all.

Brendhan presented me with a Ukrainian flag to fly from my newly acquired flagpole.

Day Six - 30 Sep 04

We spent the day in town covering the Siege of Sevastopol. First to 'The Malakoff' the biggest and most formidable of all the redoubts. It was taken by the French. Our visit to 'The White Tower' was supervised and controlled by a charming heavyweight guide wielding a baton.

We had lunch in a restaurant near to the Dolphinarium in Artillery Bay.

Having visited 'The Redan' and 'Flagtaff' bastions, where we were much less effective than our French allies, we moved on to experience 'The Panorama'. An impressive classical round building houses 'Defence of Sevastopol 1854 -1855', a painting measuring 15m x 115m. The artist F.A Rubo, with the help of twenty students, produced the work in Munich between 1901 and 1904. It was installed and opened to the public on the 14th May 1915. On 25th June 1942, it caught fire during bombing. Two thirds of the painting was saved and shipped to Novorossijsk on the destroyer Taskent, the last ship to escape from the besieged city.

Day Seven - 1 Oct 04

Checked out of the hotel and visited the 'Museum of the Black Sea Fleet' where Richard is the only non-Russian to be accepted as a guide. Our guide was a very chic and delightful lady in a spangled red dress and very pointed red shoes. She spoke immaculate English and kept us all in order. It is a fascinating museum packed with interesting artefacts. At Inkerman, Richard, who really cares about the soldiers who fought and died, gave a graphic account of the complicated battle waged in swirling fog. We visited the sad overgrown and derelict monument to the battles and found the Royal Sappers and Miners memorial plaque hidden behind weeds.

During lunch at 'The Forest Restaurant' we watched bridal parties making their way to 'The Diorama'. The custom is for brides to dedicate their flowers at one of the many memorials. Richard wandered off to join one of the wedding picnics. We saw many more bridal parties on our journey to Yalta.

Before we left for Yalta we visited the site of the last battle at 'Tchernaya Retchka'. After an account of the engagement, we walked down to the Tchernaya River.

The journey to Yalta via Foros and Alupka was spectacular-high cliffs, sparkling blue sea, mountains and forests. Transferring to minibuses and being driven down steep winding lanes to the coast, we reached our stylish newly built five story hotel 'The Levant'. Large well furnished comfortable rooms but, oddly, no lift! Twenty minutes walk along a broad promenade was the heart of Yalta, an affluent Mediterranean style resort not unlike Biarritz.

Day Eight - 2 Oct 04

Boarding a first class luxury coach, we set off on a busy sightseeing day, which started with a visit to the 'Alupka Palace Museum', a mansion built in a style which is a blend of Gothic and Scottish Baronial, for the governor-general of Russian Crimea, Vorontsov, in the late 19th Century. The architect, Eric Blore, is better known as the creator of Sir Walter Scott's house at Abbotsford. The elevations, especially the seaward one, and the gardens were much more interesting than the interior.

Next was Chekov's house in the suburb of Autka. It was in this charming 'white dacha' that he entertained Russia's intellectuals such as Gorky, Rakhmaninov, Chaliapin and Stanislavsky and wrote 'The Seagull', 'Uncle Vanya', 'The Cherry Orchard ' and 'Three Sisters'.

Back in Yalta for a walk in the sun along the prom with crowds of weekenders to a confusing but enjoyable self service lunch in café that had the air of an upbeat works canteen.

On the coach again for the beautiful 'Livadia Palace' - this white renaissance mansion was built in 1911 as the family summer residence of Tsar Nikolai II. The Romanovs spent only four summers here before their arrests.

The palace is better known as the venue for the Yalta Conference held in February 1945. The American delegation was housed here and special provisions were made for the invalid Roosevelt. Churchill stayed at the Alupka Palace and Stalin at Yusupovsky.

The wine flowed at the farewell and thank you dinner that evening. The entire team was there including Valladio's wife whom we had not met before- speeches and much laughter, with the hotel staff joining in to reinforce the delights of the Crimea. In accordance with tradition Kelso Yuill recited two limericks that he had composed for the occasion

Day Nine - 3 Oct 04

With our baggage stowed on our comfortable coach, we started on the long journey home. After half an hour along the beautiful coastal road to Gaspra, we were transferred eight by eight to a minibus to be driven down to the 'Swallow's Nest', a mini Gothic castle perched on the edge of a cliff, for a very fashionable lunch. This folly, now an Italian seafood restaurant, was built in 1912 by the German oil baron Shteingel as a gift to his mistress. Damaged by an earthquake in 1927, it was in ruins until it was rebuilt in 1970.

Now through the mountains to Bakchisarai to meet the Crimean Tatars-this 15th Century town was the capital of the Crimean khanate. The Khan's Palace, largely intact, was explored and the harem, mosque, gardens and numerous fountains were visited. Following in the Tatar vein, a hearty meal of mutton and baklava was taken at the nearby Markuc restaurant.

On to Simpferopol to catch the night train-Valladio came with us to Kiev but reluctant goodbyes had to be said to our Ukrainian friends Natasha, Alexthander and Diana.

Day Ten - 4 Oct 04

Safely in Kiev, having had a boxed breakfast brought to our compartments by Valladio, we detrained and, after a ninety minute break for some shopping in Maidan Nezalezhnosti, were whisked off to the airport. Kiev, a city which was to feature on television later during the 'Orange Revolution', is a wonderful place full of golden domes and grand buildings all of monumental proportions. How many people know that Kiev was founded by the Viking princess Olga and that its patron saint is St Andrew?

Two unremarkable flights brought us home from this very well conducted and memorable tour.

The group comprised Pat Bracher, Fiona and Richard Brown, Beryl Claydon, Doreen and Vic Freeman, Robin Jordan, John Kitchen, Judith and Tony Mornement, Bill Pears, Dorothy Walker, Norman Freeman, Rosemary and James Puntan, June and Fred Robinson, Vince Senatore, Rhona Sturrock, Jane and Mike Watson, Neville White and Anne and Kelso Yuill.

Author and photographer: Vic Freeman, FoREM

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