BLACK SEA ADVENTURE with Bill Handel: Sevastopol, Sochi,Trabzon

This article is a continuation of our Black Sea Cruise in July, 2008, on the Regent Seven Seas Navigator. If you are a history buff, particularly World War II and Russian history, the Ukraine is definitely a place you want to visit. Yalta, which earned its place in the history books as the site of the famous Crimean Conference which ended World War II, was wonderful: Bill Handel and Tom Dobbertin, both history enthusiasts, were enthralled with all the pictures and exhibits from the actual conference.

Our next port, Sevastopol, formerly known as Sebastopol, is located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimean, formerly the most important base for the Soviet empire’s Black Sea fleet. Today, it is a Ukrainian naval base and is mutually used by the Ukrainian and Russian navies. It was recently in the news due to the conflict in Georgia.

Sevastopol is known as the “hero city,” so called for its roles in both the Crimean War and World War II. Like almost all the cities on the Black Sea coast, it is located on the site of an ancient Greek colony, Chersonesus, and numerous archaeological fragments of the city have survived. Our first stop on our tour was the ancient city of Chersonesus, founded by the Greeks in 422 B.C.

It always amazes me when going to archeological sites that you can tell so much from so little. Our guide, Theis, was wonderful and in his glory as he pointed out the ruins of the Greek theater, Roman temples, elaborate columns of marble and beautiful mosaics.

We also visited the Archeological Museum with displays of pottery, ceramics, coins and ornaments salvaged from the excavation. Also near the ruins was the recently restored St. Vladimir Cathedral dating back to the 19th century.

We next headed into the city to the Panorama Museum. This historic museum opened in 1905 on the 50th anniversary of the defense of Sevastopol during the Crimean War (1855). I have never, in all my travels, seen anything quite like this museum.

In addition to numerous documents, photos and army relics, the museum houses a magnificent canvas (by Russian battle artist Franz Roubaud,) 377 feet long and 46 feet high, depicting the first main assault of Sevastopol on June 18, 1955 It is so real, it is unbelievable; its circular canvas merges into a 9,630 square-foot relief model. You literally can’t see where the canvas stops and actual objects begin. Amazing.
Unfortunately, because of our choice of tours, we had no time to walk around the modern city of Sevastopol. After World War II Sevastopol was entirely rebuilt and reflects the Russian architecture of the time. Due to its military past, most streets in the city are named after Russian and Soviet military persons.

Sometime during the night we left the Ukraine and docked in Sochi the following morning.

Sochi is a Russian resort city on the Black Sea and has the distinction of being both a summer resort destination with numerous beaches and spas

as well as a popular ski destination in the winter in the Caucasus Mountains. In fact, Sochi will host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. The city of Sochi is quite lovely with numerous parks and lush green hills that overlook the pebble-strewn beaches that dot the coastline.

Because of its beauty, Joseph Stalin chose this area for his summer dacha (home.)
Set among towering California pine trees (according to our guide) and well hidden from prying eyes and possible artillery attacks from the sea, sits the imposing summer residence of Joseph Stalin.


The dacha, built in 1937, remains nearly as it was during Stalin’s time and even has a life-sized wax figure of him behind his desk.
Today, the dacha is used as a hotel for important state visitors and diplomatic receptions.

As we headed for Trabzon, a Black Sea port in Turkey, I realized our cruise was nearly over. Just a few more ports and we would be in Athens, Greece, the end of the cruise.

Trabzon dates back to Byzantine times and was once the capital of the empire founded in 1204 by Alexius Comnene, a grandson of a Byzantine emperor.

Today, Trabzon is a modern city with lots of churches, museums and shopping.


Taking advantage of the location and wonderful climate, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Turkish Republic, had a country home perched high on a hill overlooking the city. However, the highlight for me was the trip up to the Sumela Monastery.

Officially known in Turkish as the Meryem Ana Manastiri, the monastery looks as if it “has been taken from heaven and pasted on the side of a mountain.”

According to our guide, no one has been able to answer the question of how man built such a huge monastery on the side of a mountain with the technology of the 6th century.


The hike up was challenging but worth the steep climb just to see the magnificent frescos.

If you ever have an opportunity to visit Trabzon, and your knees can stand the climb, the Orthodox Monastery complex of Sumela is a must.

Join me as we travel to the Greek Island of Lesvos, do a little ouzo tasting and end our cruise in the beautiful city of Athens.

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BLACK SEA ADVENTURE with Bill Handel: Istanbul Carpet Shopping

No trip to Turkey would be complete without sitting through the spiel of a Turkish carpet salesman trying to sell you an authentic Turkish carpet. Add Bill Handel to the mix and its pure entertainment.

This past June I spent four days in Istanbul prior to boarding Regent’s Seven Seas Navigator for a ten-day cruise through the Black Sea.   Istanbul is a fabulous city. We, Bill and Marjorie Handel plus 35 of his friends and fans, visited several palaces, mosques, museums and markets during our four-day stay in Istanbul. On our second day in the city, Marjorie decided she “needed” a new carpet for the family room in the “Persian Palace.”

Finding carpet shops in Istanbul is easy;  there’s one on every street corner. But if you’re not familiar with Turkish carpets, how do you know what you’re buying?  We talked to our guide and the hotel concierge and were referred to a store near the Grand Bazaar.

Just like in my tour book, we were welcomed by the store’s owner, Sinan, and shown into a large, elegant showroom.  We were offered a drink and asked about our trip to Turkey. He then asked where we were from and with a broad smile declared he has a brother living in Los Angeles and a cousin in Orange County (just like in the book!)
After our drinks were refreshed he then got down to business and asked if Marjorie and Bill had a preference in colors, size, patterns, etc. He then proceeded to give us crash course in Turkish Carpets 101:  how carpets are made, the number of knots per square centimeter, old carpets vs. new carpets, natural dyes vs. chemical dyes, silk vs. wool, etc, etc.   My head was spinning.

Then the show begins.  Out come the carpets. With great flourish carpets are unfurled before our eyes.  Soon the floor is covered with a wide selection of carpets with rich shades of gold, blue and black in a variety of sizes.   With a snap the carpets are turned and the colors change. Wow is all I can say.   The “show” continues, measurements aretaken, phone calls are made.  Finally two carpets are selected and now the fun really begins.

Kay and Tim Dobbertin joined in the search for just the right carpet for their home. Too many choices!
Price. Bargaining is a tradition in Turkey. It’s part of the culture.    Americans bargain for houses and cars;  Turks bargain for everything, especially valuable items like carpets, antiques, artwork, etc.   Round one was about to begin.  Refreshments were offered.  Our glasses of apple tea were refilled.

As I said, the price of a Turkish carpet depends on several factors.  The number of knots per square centimeter is important, with more knots signifying a higher quality, and therefore a higher price.   According to Sinan, the carpet Bill and Marjorie were eying had several hundred knots per square centimeter---a very good carpet.
Other factors that determine the price are age and demand. Usually the older a Turkish carpet is the greater the demand.  This was a new carpet made by a family living in a small village near Antakya (Antioch) on the southern coast of Turkey.

The material used is probably the most significant factor determining the price of a Turkish rug. A pure silk carpet is by far the most expensive, followed by wool or a mixture of silk and wool and cotton. The carpet Bill and Marjorie liked was silk and wool.   Given the size of the carpet, approximately 11 feet by 16 feet, had the carpet been pure silk it could easily have cost $50,000. Bill was thrilled the carpet was not pure silk.

Also significant is the pattern and the types of dyes used on the carpet. The carpet they liked was all natural dyes in beautiful shades of gold, blue and black with a fairly intricate pattern---a truly beautiful carpet.

Now the bargaining becomes intense.   Round two begins.  The type of payment is important--cash gets a big discount, a credit card adds to the cost.  Taking the carpet with you at the time of purchase does save on the shipping cost, but is often impractical if you’re on tour or the carpet is large. My handy guidebook cautions customers against shipping carpets for several reasons including dishonest or deceitful dealers.  Those delivering the carpet will often try to sell you other carpets or your name gets on a list and door-to-door carpet salesman show up at your door every few months. This is why buying your carpet from a reputable dealer is so important, they have a reputation to uphold and depend on referrals for a major part of their business.

Three hours after walking into the showroom, Marjorie and Bill were the proud owners of a beautiful Turkish carpet.  

Everyone left happy!

The Handels' carpet was delivered last week (shipping took approximately six weeks.)  The gentlemen delivering the carpet (the owner’s son and their US sales rep) were very helpful.  They moved furniture, rolled up the old carpet and unrolled the new carpet. They complimented Marjorie and Bill’s choice of carpet, but did comment that the other carpets in the room didn’t quite “go” with the new carpet.  They had just come from a large show at the Pacific Design Center and just happened to have over 100 carpets still in their van.  Would they like to see them?  When I called to see how the carpet looked Bill was just writing a check for two more carpets--just like in the book!

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BLACK SEA ADVENTURE with Bill Handel: Istanbul

The Black Sea--the destination alone sounds ominous and a bit mysterious. Only recently has the area opened up to tourism and we were all very excited when Regent Seven Sea Cruises added the Black Sea to their cruise destinations. The itinerary is fabulous --Istanbul to Athens with stops in Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, the Ukraine and Greece. I have been wanting to travel to the Ukraine for several years (my grandfather was from Odessa,) so when radio talk show host Bill Handel asked me to host a Black Sea Cruise in July, 2008, I was very excited. Marjorie Handel and I (Bill’s wife and my dearest friend) have been traveling together for many years (more than I’m willing say,) and this is one destination none of us had ever visited. Bill, Marjorie and I had been to Istanbul and Athens before, but the rest of the ports were all new for us.
For the next few weeks I’ll share our adventures as we shop for Turkish carpets in Istanbul (an adventure in itself with Bill Handel,) visit ancient Nessebur and learn more about Bulgarian village life, tour the site of the 1945 Yalta Conference where British prime minister Winston Churchill, US president Franklin Roosevelt and Soviet leader Josef Stalin met and decided the fate of postwar Europe, and climb up to the 6th century Sumela Monastery set high on the side of a mountain in Trabzon, Turkey.

Since 2005 (my last trip to Turkey), the increase in the number of women wearing head coverings (hijabis) or wearing full-length robes such as burkas or abayas, has increased dramatically. I questioned one of our male guides, who was wearing a short sleeve shirt in the 90-degree weather, and his answer was simple, “many of the younger generation are finding solace in their Muslim roots and choose to dress accordingly.” When I questioned him further he was very emphatic when telling me that no one was forcing the women to wear the head coverings, or even the burkas or abayas; that was their choice. He then shared with me that both his mother and sister wear hijabs, much to the dismay of his father.

Our Black Sea trip started in Istanbul. We arrived late in the afternoon and checked into the Four Seasons at Sultanahmet in the heart of the old city. Once a Turkish prison, the hotel is small (only 65 rooms) and is in a great location--around the corner from the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace and a short walk to the Grand Bazaar (yea!!!) Marjorie and I couldn’t wait to get to the Grand Bazaar and see all the wonderful trinkets from gold and silver jewelry to carpets and leather goods. There is absolutely nothing like the Grand Bazaar; it’s actually a labyrinth of streets covered and lined with thousands of small shops.
The bazaar dates back to 1453 and many booths have been in families for generations. The bazaar has a sort of party atmosphere. Buying something takes patience, since haggling or bargaining is part of the game. Unfortunately, the Grand Bazaar closes early on Saturday and is closed on Sunday. Hard as it was, we contained ourselves and joined the group for some sightseeing.

What a fabulous city. It’s the only city in the world on two continents (Europe and Asia) and the mix of cultures gives the city a vibrant and mysterious aura that most tourists find both intriguing and exciting. Due to its strategic location on the Bosporus between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara, Istanbul has always been a major commercial center. In ancient times it was part of the Silk Road trade route and stood at the crossroads between Europe and Asia. Today, it is Turkey’s largest city and still serves as the country’s financial and commercial center. From its varied past, Istanbul has an extraordinary collection of palaces, mosques and markets from every period in history. It also has major traffic jams and like most ancient cities, suffers from narrow streets not built for modern technology, air pollution and more and more high-rise buildings to house the ever-increasing population. It all comes together to make Istanbul one of the most unique and exciting cities I’ve visited anywhere in the world.
We started our sightseeing with a visit to Dolmabahce Palace, the official residence of several Ottoman Sultans in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The palace was built on the shores of the Bosphorus in 1856, for the Ottoman Sultan, Abdulmecid I, and reflected strong Western influences that were beginning to have a presence in the Ottoman Empire. Today, Dolmabahce is a museum and features exquisite artifacts such as Heeke and Isparta carpets, porcelain vases, chandeliers of European crystal and a priceless collection of paintings.
Next on our list of “must see places” was Topkapi Palace. Built by the Ottoman Turk Mehmet II after his conquest of Constantinople in 1453, Topkapi was the administrative palace and home of the Ottoman Dynasty for over five centuries.

The palace is huge and incorporates a series of pavilions contained by four enormous courtyards. To see the entire complex would take a full day. If time is limited, the Treasury, featuring the 86-carat Spoonmaker’s diamond, a seven-pound emerald, the Topkapi dagger, a gift designed for the Shah of Persia in 1741, and a case containing the bones from the hand of John the Baptist is an absolute must. Other buildings to see are the Harem, a labyrinth of exquisite rooms where the sultan’s wives and concubines lived, the kitchen, with its display of fine Chinese porcelain and ceramics, and the arms rooms filled with weaponry from the Ottoman dynasty. An unusual highlight for us “westerners” is the religious Moslem Museum with a young man in a glassbooth continually chanting from the Koran. Among the artifacts here, are hairs, teeth, and articles of clothing ostensibly belonging to the Prophet Mohammed.

Hagia Sophia, the “Church of Holy Wisdom,” is a masterpiece of Byzantine architecture and considered by many to be the eighth wonder of the world. It is certainly among the world’s greatest architectural achievements. More than 1,400 years old, this immense building was built over two earlier churches and inaugurated by Emperor Justinian in 537 AD. In the 15th century the Ottomans converted it into a mosque.

Across from Hagia Sophia is the Mosque of Sultan Ahmet, better known as the Blue Mosque because of the more than 21,000 azure tiles that adorn the walls and ceiling. Built by Sultan Ahmet I in the early part of the 16th century, the Blue Mosque, with its six minarets, is one of the most recognized and famous religious buildings in the world.
In the area between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia is the Hippodrome, the scene of chariot races and political riots in Byzantine times and of horseback-riding games and archery contests during the Ottoman era. Today, it is a park and the only remains are three monumental obelisks, one dating back to 479 BC, and a fountain.

The Underground Cistern, only a short walk from the hotel near the Blue Mosque, is a massive cavern of beautiful arches and support columns built by the Romans in 532AD and used for centuries as the city’s main source of water storage.
After the conquest of the city by the Ottoman Turks, the cistern was forgotten and was only rediscovered in 1545. Today, it has a rather cool and mystical ambiance and you can stroll along the colonnades.

We spent the better part of three days exploring Istanbul. We visited the mosques and palaces, we walked along the cobbled streets lined with outdoor cafes, shops, peddlers selling pistachios and shiny brass shoeshine stalls. We were impressed by the vast number of carpet sellers enticing tourists into their shops in French, English, German and a dozen other languages. We visited the Spice Bazaar with its exotic aromas



and the Grand Bazaar where shopkeepers hawk their wares and enjoy “bargaining” over a cup of apple tea. We listened to the call of the Muezzin summoning the faithful to prayer five times daily and watched as the sun gave a spectacular show as it set over the Bosphorus. We loved Istanbul.
Join me next week as Bill and Marjorie Handel go carpet shopping and learn the ins and out of buying a Turkish carpet.

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