To the Black Sea - Constanta Page

Lots of pictures here, as not many people get to Romania. Our tour was the last out & I had opened our porthole (Julinette, our Cabin Steward always shuts them) to see people already going off for their tour at 07:32. This must have been the Bucharest trip. We left at 09:10 again & it was just a coach to the middle of this city & a lift on it back from the Casino. In between, in what felt like freezing cold because of the wind chill, we gradually walked down through the old city centre.

The walk itself was most interesting because of the variety of Art Nouveau & Art Deco buildings as well as 19thC ones, some in bad repair. We started at the Romulus & Remus bronze, being suckled by the wolf. The Art Museum was quite a confection.

This was beaten by the History Museum, which we went in & spent some time looking at the well-presented items.

Then, into the Roman Mosaic. This is apparently huge & only about 1/3rd is exposed. It needs watering, as it is hard to make out the pattern. The pictures here have been well Photoshopped to bring out as much detail as possible.

The Museum & Mosaic are in Ovid Square.

We went on to the Mosque, which is quite small but we did not have to take our shoes off, fortunately. It was built by King Carol I, who seems to have been a good egg, in 1910.

But the high point was the Orthodox Cathedral, also built recently (1882) but fully painted inside. Superstitious bollocks but very pretty with it. Outside are Roman ruins.

A little further on, by the sea, is the amazing Casino building, currently derelict but a business opportunity surely waiting to happen? Avis parked herself on a bench while I walked North to look at the marina, which is past the Sailors War Memorial with a very high number of names on it.

Despite the cold, the guide said it was a nice day, as it had not rained but the pavements in the marina area were flooded, so it must have recently. She seemed to be a mixture of every ethnicity in the region plus had worked in Holland. She sometimes had to fish for a word & we all chorused what it was. We were so cold, we had a cooked lunch. Normally, we stick to salads. I processed photos in the afternoon, as I felt it was too cold to go out again. Another mixed show in the evening, hosted by Bob. Then, I did more laundry.