(Walter's 1995 photos of Yalta Harbour and Black Sea at sunset)
There is something elemental about a
river
voyage, especially a boat trip to the sea. This is the way people have
travelled for thousands of years. Ours is also a trip back in time. It
starts with the rich history of Kiev, moves to the emotionally charged
Russian Mennonite time, includes fascinating Crimea and ends in Odessa
with its own complex ambiguities on the ancient shores of the Black
Sea.
Such a trip is mythic. It is an adventure with echoes of Odysseus on
his
wine-dark sea or of Huckleberry Finn, whose entertaining voyage down
the
Mississippi gave him important clues about humanity and himself. This
communal
trip down the Dnieper will be psychologically and spritually enriching
for us. It will put us in touch with our past, with each other and with
ourselves in ways we will likely find surprising and satisfying.
Marina & Walter Unger (1995)
Return to main cruise page