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The Heavenly Beauty of Crimea 

By John Robles 

From the Southern Coast of Crimea looking out over the Black Sea the line of the horizon is most often looked at from above as the inhabited areas are almost all several hundred feet above sea level and in most places it is not easy to reach the sea, this is also true for the Western Regions of Crimea as well. Unlike the Sea of Azov which I truly love as well, most of the beaches are covered in rounded pebbles and rocks, as is true with most of the Russian areas of the Black Sea.

With its pristine unspoiled nature, rocky cliffs, lush vegetation and open skies the views in Crimea can be absolutely breathtaking, especially over the calm clear waters of the Black Sea. The horizon line which at once appears so close yet at the same time so far is usually blurred into the sky giving the sensation that it truly marks the boundary of the end of the world. The blurred horizon adds a touch of the abstract to the world, as if the borders of our reality are intangible and elusive. Those who love the sea may understand better than most what I am trying to communicate but no matter, the feeling is truly magnificent and yet humbling in a subtle and deeply moving way.

My favorite and most beloved activity during my time in Crimea has become watching the sun set and sometimes even watching it rise. At sunset the pastel skies filled with subtle shades of blues, greys, oranges and pinks as the day draws to a close make one wonder how the evil that exists just over the horizon is possible in a world where such heavenly beauty exists.

Yalta Crimea Swallow's Nest

Every sunset is like a masterpiece where one can almost see the master with his brushes pouring out his heart and inspiration in a monumental effort to express the beauty and the depths of his soul knowing that his work will soon be gone forever into the night as the next painter, a more brutal chap, turns the canvas into shades of black speckled with starlight.

After the beauty and subtlety of the sunset the painter of the night seems a brutal callous lad whose only task is throwing droplets of diamond like light on the canvas of the night sky or just covering the whole thing up with clouds and wandering off to sleep, except for once or twice a month when he brings out the moon or when tossing a comet into the mix.

Crimea Yalta Sunset

Perhaps the transitionary periods of sunset and sunrise and spring and autumn are my favorites because in the visible changes to nature and the world around us we can see and feel the hand of the creator, the hand of the universe and the inconsequentialness of our own fragile and temporary existences.

During childhood I used to spend hours staring at the night skies when the stars were visible. Perhaps after 20 years in Moscow where a beautiful sunset is only seen a handful of times a year and where stars are almost not visible at all during the night, my priorities have changed. However I do remember sitting and looking at the night sky when I lived as a youngster in Puerto Rico and the stars were visible down to the horizon. I remember feeling the cold and empty eons of space and coming to the conclusion that it is not possible that we, in our struggling planet, can possibly be alone in the universe. But I digress this is an article about beautiful Crimea and not my childhood.

Spring is slow in coming to Crimea and the sub-tropical climate immediately reminds one of Northern California or Italy. The transition from the relatively mild winter to summer is unlike the frozen awakening of the earth in Moscow and to the north. In Moscow some years one day there is snow and ice on the ground and the next day it is all gone with nothing but puddles and uncovered garbage as evidence that winter had even existed. No long Springs to enjoy just a transition from winter into the short, cool and sometimes even dreary northern summer.

During Spring the nights can be quiet chilly so be sure to bring proper clothing. Sometimes at night the temperatures can drop to 10 Celsius while in the day they can reach the mid-20s. The strong winds can sometimes be bone chilling but windy days are not that frequent and what I have found to my pleasure in the areas around Yalta and in the South there is a minimal amount of rainfall and the air is dry and clear. Crimea, and especially the coastal regions, is a great place to recover from illnesses or just to relax and breathe fresh air like you will never find in Moscow or the Moscow Region.     

If you have made the decision to visit Crimea or any part of the Crimean Peninsula, something which I would advise anyone with the means to do, stayed tuned here for practical advice and information that I hope will make your visit enjoyable, pleasant and one filled with positive and wonderful memories. 

Visit Crimea, Russian Federation and take away memories to last a lifetime!

Thanks for reading and if you need more information on travel to Crimea or have any questions please feel free to write contact me jar2@list.ru Also please think about making a donation we receive absolutely no outside funding and have no salary or pay for anything on jar2. We exist right now only on your donations. Thanks again.

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