Into the Black Sea

We sailed from Istanbul through the Bosphorus and into the Black Sea to commence our cruise on Seabourne Odyssey.

This ship is much more intimate than the Queen Mary 11 but our suite, the facilities, the service and the food are all absolutely stunning.  There are less than 450 passengers on board and the ship is full so before very long you get to meet and know a lot of people.

We watched the lovely scenery from our balcony as we sailed from Istanbul while we drank champagne and ate our welcome canapés.  We then adjourned to the welcome party on the patio deck where the drinks flowed.  We may need to meet up with “Friends of Bill W.” by the end of this cruise!

Our first port was Nessebar in Bulgaria.  Nessebar was founded in the 6^th century BC and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. A narrow gateway in the ancient fortress brought us to winding cobbled lanes leading to well preserved buildings and wooden houses from the 18^th century.

We visited old Byzantine churches, the Archaeology and Ethnographic museums.  It is such a tiny town we did all this on foot but in the afternoon, caught a bus down to the Black Sea Riviera. 

Sunny Beach was a total contrast to Nessebar – rows and rows of hotels and apartments, casinos and restaurants while the beach was rows and rows of deckchairs and umbrellas while people of all shapes and sizes enjoyed the 27 degrees temperature.

 Sunny Beach with high rise and crowds

 Gail at the City walls

 Pantoaratos Church with its Byzantine architecture

 

 

We returned to the comforts of the ship for more food and wine.