Photo Gallery

Crimean landscape on the road between Koktebel and Shebetovka in the background of the mountains of Karadag Nature Reserve.

Photo #304 taken on September 14, 2013

Sculpture of a woman-sphinx with a ball at the facade of Massandra Palace located on the Southern coast of Crimea
Front angle view of a sculpture of the woman-sphinx with a ball at Southern facade of Massandra Palace near Yalta, Crimea. The palace was built at the end of 19th century in the style of Louis XIII of France (French chateaux of the Renaissance) and belonged to Russian Emperor Alexander III.

Photo #060 taken on May 02, 2017

View of a boat with tourists entering the Blue Bay (Golubaya Buhta) in Novy Svet (New World), where located the famous Tsar beach in Suzdak district in Crimea. The sharp teeth of the cliffs of the mount Karaul-Oba (Tatar: Qaravul Oba, Russian: Karaulnaya) are in the background of the picture. This ancient 341-meter-high coral reef of the Jurassic period (341 m.) has rather a complicated specific structure: plateau-like area with rock walls, crevices, ridges, stone labyrinths are replaced by deep long saddles. The rocky ledges of Karaul-Oba massif is a State complex natural monument and reckoned among many unique natural wonders of Sudak’s surroundings.

Photo #095 taken on May 01, 2017

Decorative castle Swallow's Nest (Lastochkino Gnezdo) castle on a rock over the Black Sea in spring twilight. The small castle resembling a medieval knight's castle situated on the steep 40-metre (130 ft) high Aurora Cliff of Ai-Todor Cape in Gaspra near Great Yalta. The beautiful castle was constructed by design of the Russian architect Leonid Sherwood in Neo-Gothic style between 1911 and 1912. It became one of the most popular visitor attractions in Crimea and the symbol of Crimea's southern coastline.

Photo #731 taken on May 02, 2017

Overview beautiful sunset over Crimean Mountains from the peak of Sokol (Falcon) mountain (about 470 meters from a sea level) at Novy Svet, few kilometers from Sudak, the Sothern shore of Crimean Peninsula.

Photo #208 taken on August 11, 2019 during hiking tour on the peak of Sokol mountain with my dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther and Ricky (1st day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea within 6 Days”)

The sign in Russian “Livadiysky Dvorets 1911-2019” (Eng: Livadia Palace 1911-2019) made from snow-white pebbles in amazing park with palms in front of the former summer residence of the last Russian Emperor, Nicholas II Romanov, in Crimea. The palace was built outskirts of Yalta city in 1911 by the project of Russian architect Nikolay Krasnov.

Photo #036 taken on August 14, 2019 during the tour of Livadia Palace and Park with my dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther and Ricky on the 4th day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea within Six Days”.

The family portrait of Romanovs in the White Hall was presented to Livadia Palace by the Crimean Prosecutor Natalya Poklonskaya on July 12, 2016. Commissioned by the head of the prosecutor's office of Crimea, the historical portrait of Nicholas II with his wife and kids measuring 1.6 by 2 meters was painted within 2 months by Oksana Kairo, the Crimean artist from Yalta.

Photo #094 taken on August 14, 2019, during a tour of Livadia Palace with my dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther, and Ricky on the 4th day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea in 6 Days”.

View of Italian Courtyard with palms and fountain for walk and relation in Livadia Palace, the summer residence of Romanov family outskirts of Yalta, Crimea. Such patios for walks and relaxation were characteristic of Italian Renaissance architecture. It was created by the talent architect N.P. Krasnov in 1909-1911 and still attracts travelers from all over the world.
On February 9, 1945, the participants of the Crimean Conference took pictures in the center of the Italian courtyard. Here was made one of the most famous photographs of the "Big Three" - I.V. Stalin, F. Roosevelt and W. Churchill.

Photo #148 taken on August 14, 2019 during visiting Livadia Palace with my dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther and Ricky on the 4th day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea within Six Days”.

The beautiful richly decorated old icon of St. Nicholas, an icon of Our Lady with Child and one other icon framed flowers on the window sill. Interior of the Church of Christ's Resurrection near Baidarsky Pass at Foros settlement. The church was built in 1892 at the most Southern coast of Crimean Peninsula, in the middle between Yalta and Sevastopol.

Photo #716 taken on May 05, 2017

The decorative Neo-Gothic castle "Swallow's Nest" (Russian: Lastochkino Gnezdo) is the symbol of the south coast of Crimea located between Yalta and Alupka. The beautiful castle was constructed by design of the Russian architect Leonid Sherwood between 1911 and 1912 on money commissioned from the owner of this land, Baron von Steingel, a Baltic German noble who had made a fortune extracting oil in Baku, acquired the timber cottage and within a year had it replaced with the current building almost within a year.

In 2011, after 3 months of restoration work estimated to cost $150,000 USD, it was opened as museum. The Swallow's Nest is one of the most popular visitor attractions in the Crimea, becoming the symbol of the Crimea's southern coastline.

Photo #055 taken on September 12, 2013

Walking between rocks along the famous trail Golitsyn to the cape Kapchik and the mount Karaul-Oba (Karaulnaya), the ancient 341-meter-high coral reef of the Jurassic period., located near Novy Svet (New World) settlement.
Novy Svet (New World) settlement is the well-known resort in Sudak district, the South-eastern part of the Crimean Peninsula, Black Sea, Russian Federation, that boasts its beautiful landscapes, mountains, beaches and factory of sparkling vines established by Prince Lev Golitsyn in 1878.

Photo #160 taken on May 01, 2017

View from Baidarsky Pass on the Church of Christ's Resurrection raising on the Red Cliff (Krasnaya Skala) over the low clouds at Foros settlement on the Black Sea in a spring season. The magnificent church, that combines Rastrelliesque Baroque, Russian Revival, and Byzantine Revival styles, was built in 1892 by the project of Russian architect Nikolai Chagin on the abrupt 400-meter (1312 ft) cliff. Alexander Kuznetsov, the Moscow merchant and the Russian "tea king" who had his palace built on the seashore, commissioned Nikolai Chagin, the celebrated architect from Wilno, to built the church of Christ's Resurrection in memory of the miraculous rescue of Emperor Alexander III and his family in 1888 train crash in the Borki, on the way to St. Petersburg. The temple is notable for its luxurious exterior and picturesque interior.

Founded and named by medieval Greek merchants, Foros settlement was rediscovered in the late 19th century by Alexander Kuznetsov. It is located at the most Southern coast of Crimean Peninsula, in the middle between Yalta and Sevastopol.

Photo #593 taken on May 05, 2017

Quick stop on a road between Koktebel and Shebetovka overlooking the beautiful Crimean landscapes near Karadag Nature Reserve.

Photo #030 taken on August 24, 2015

Bust of Russian Emperor Alexander III (years of life 1845-1894) at the Massandra Palace in Crimea. During Alexander’s reign (1881-1894) the country was not involved in major wars, so that is why he was called by all people of Russia "The Peacemaker". He was a man of amazing fortitude, beauty, and harmony, courage and devotion to his Fatherland.

The grand opening ceremonial and consecration of the bust took place on the grounds of the former estate of Alexander III in Massandra on June 1st, 2017. The event was timed to such anniversaries as 175 years since the birth of the palace architect Maximilian Mesmacher, 135 years since the founding of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society and 25 years since the beginning of the work of the Massandra Palace as a museum.

Photo #027 taken on August 13, 2019 during visiting Massandra Palace with my Dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther and Ricky on the 3rd day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea in 6 Days”.

Overlooking the beach of settlement Novy Svet (New World) from Sokol Mountain at the height about 350 meters. The settlement is located about 6 km West from Sudak at picturesque Zelenaya Buhta (Green Bay). This tranquil bay with its crystal clear water is protected from wind on both sides by imposing mountains.

Photo #253 taken on August 31, 2015

Beautiful landscape at the peak of Mount Ai-Petri (St. Peter) with the view of the Figured Teeth, the 60-80 m high ridges formed during the weathering of heterogeneous reef limestones, and the coast of Black sea where located resort settlements Koreiz (down at the left) and Alupka (down at the right).

Vorontsov Palace and Park, one of the oldest and largest palaces in Crimea, situated in Alupka, at the foot of Ai-Petri Mountain.

Photo #070 taken on May 04, 2017

Crimean seascape with a nice seagull flying over Gurzuf Bay (town settlement near Yalta) under impressive white clouds over the Black sea.

Photo #103 taken on September 15, 2013

A small waterfall in the Grand Canyon filling the deep natural bath Kara-gol formed by Auzun-Uzen river (stream). The river flows at the bottom of the Canyon with multitude of blocks and boulders, forms over hundred of 2-3 meter deep erosive cauldrons and gullies that look like porcelain sinks. These are so called baths. Kara-gol is the largest natural font, located on the road from Yalta to the peak of Ai-Petri. Even in extreme heat, the water temperature in the font nicknamed “Bath of Youth” does not exceed 11-12 degrees. Kara-gol has an average diameter of about 5 meters, or rather, the bath is almost rectangular, 3 by 6 meters and a depth of 6 meters. From a ledge, 3 meters high, jets of a very pretty waterfall flow into it. The parameters of the "bath" completely allow those who wish to dive from a towering stone ledge without fear of injury. But the waterfall is just the appearance of filling the font. In fact, water enters the small mountain lake from a spring that does not dry during the hottest time, and is 150 meters higher from the ground.

Photo #693 taken on May 04, 2017

View from the observation area at the peak of Mount Ai-Petri on the Figured Teeth, the 60-80 m high ridges formed during the weathering of heterogeneous reef limestones, in the background of resort settlements Koreiz and Gaspra (far away) at 1200 meters above sea level. In a summer season, a rickety suspension bridge is set to the rock with a cross with the sign “Bless and Save”.

Photo #148 taken on May 04, 2017

Under the huge branches of Sequoiadendron giganteum, evergreen coniferous tree of gigantic size in Massandra park. With branches resembling mammoth tusks, these sequoias also called Mammoth trees. The two giant trees were planted on the western facade of the Massandra Palace 130 years ago during the reconstruction of the residence of Emperor Alexander III according to the project of the famous architect Messmacher in the 1890s. In the present time, the trunk girth of the giant sequoias is about nine meters, and the height is about forty meters.

The first seeds of Sequoiadendron giganteum Nikitsky Botanical Garden (located in few kilometers from Massandra) received in 1840 from the former Russian colony Ross in California. Later, the giant sequoia dedron came to Europe from the South of Crimean peninsula.

Photo #005 taken on August 13, 2019 during visiting Massandra Palace with my dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther and Ricky on the 3rd day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea in 6 Days”.

Overview mountains and large vineyards at the southern shore of Crimean Peninsula near a village Uskut, Alushta district.

Photo #087 taken on August 09, 2019

View from Livadia park on the home church of Romanov’s family with a small old style belfry at the side of their palace, the royal summer residence in Crimea, framed by trees in a foggy spring day. The Christian Orthodox Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was constructed in 1864-66 by the project of Russian architect Ippolit Monighetti and connected with Livadia Palace.

Photo #084 taken on May 05, 2017

Ancient stone steps to the upper level of the Genoese fortress of Sudak consisting of Consular castle and four neighboring towers connected by walls. The fortress situated on an ancient coral reef – a conical mountain called Kyz-Kulle-Burun was built between 1371 and 1469 by Genoeses as a stronghold of Soldayya (Sudak) colony, about 55 km from ancient Caffa(Feodosiya).

Photo #255 taken on April 30, 2017

Overview white-stone Livadia Palace from the amazing park. The palace is a beautiful pearl and architectural monument of the Southern coast of Crimea located not far from Yalta city. It was the summer home of the last Russian Tsar, Nicholas II, constructed in 1911 by the design of Russian architect N.P. Krasnov.

Photo #051 taken on May 05, 2017

Interior view of the Christian Orthodox Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Home Church of Romanovs in Livadia. The church constructed in 1864-66 by the project of Russian architect Ippolit Monighetti and connected with Livadia Palace is decorated with elegant marble pillars and beautiful vaults painted in bright blue and gold colors with icons.

Photo #110 taken on May 05, 2017

Flowering standard pink rose-tree at the picturesque antique patio near the eastern facade of Massandra Palace in the background of the curved stonewall with fountains.

Photo #051 taken on August 13, 2019 during tour of Livadia Palace and Park with my dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther and Ricky on the 3rd day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea in 6 Days”.

The view on the edge of the ancient coral reef of the Jurassic period, the mount Karaul-Oba (Tatar: Qaravul Oba, Russian: Karaulnaya), from Cape Kapchik, located a few kilometers westwards from Novy Svet (New World) settlement, on the tourist path of Golitsyn. The Karaul-Oba massif with its mystic rocky ledges is the state complex natural monument. Almost from the very sea, sharp teeth of the cliffs are jutting out, that is a distinctive feature of the mountain. ‘Karaul-Oba’ means ‘Watch Mountain’ or ‘Guard Peak’ in Crimean Tatar. It is reckoned among many unique natural wonders of Sudak’s surroundings.

Photo #079 taken on May 01, 2017

The spring landscape of the upper plateau of Mount Ai-Petri overlooking the huge white balls of the radar complex on the top of the Bedene-Kır mountain. Bedene-Cyr in Turkic means Quail Mountain.

White patches of unmelted snow on the plateau at a height about 1,2 km above sea level are still visible on the plateau surface. The complex of radar stations (RLS) is located on the top of Bedene-Cyr (Quail ) Mountain and is classified as “secret”. It is the highest plateau's peak of 1334 meters above sea level.

Photo #331 taken on May 04, 2017

View on the famous Golitsyn trail and rocky beach with small cave near settlement Novy Svet (New World) near the cape Kapchik.

Novy Svet (New World) settlement is the well-known resort in Sudak district, the South-eastern part of the Crimean Peninsula, Black Sea, Russian Federation, that boasts its beautiful landscapes, mountains, beaches and factory of sparkling vines established by Prince Lev Golitsyn in 1878.

Photo #150 taken on May 01, 2017

View from Golitsyn trail at the rocky seashore near Novy Svet (New World) settlement on the Cape Kapchik that resembles a head with long neck of a huge dinosaur drinking water from the Black Sea, in the old times, called the Russian Sea.

Photo #162 taken on May 01, 2017

Looking on the splendid park with fountain, sculptures, and columns from a window on the second floor at the south-western side of Massandra Palace. This beautiful park was developed in a French style during the reconstruction of the palace, the summer residence of Alexander III in Crimea, by the project of Messmacher in the 1890s. Behind the fountain are growing two giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron Giganteum), the highest mammoth trees in Crimea. They were planted 130 years ago, so in the present time, the trunk girth of these trees is about nine meters, and the height is about forty meters.

Photo #136 taken on August 13, 2019 during the tour of Massandra Palace with my dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther and Ricky on the 3rd day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea in 6 Days”.

Looking up through the branches of a Sequoiadendron giganteum in Massandra park. Its branches resembling mammoth tusks, that is why this type of sequoias called Mammoth tree. This giant tree was planted at the western facade of the Massandra Palace 130 years ago during the reconstruction of the residence of Emperor Alexander III according to the project of the famous architect Messmacher in the 1890s. In the present time, the trunk girth of the sequoiadendron is about nine meters, and the height is about forty meters.

Photo #172 taken on August 13, 2019 during visiting Massandra Palace with my dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther and Ricky on the 3rd day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea in 6 Days”.

My picture in the background of Gurzuf bay, the pier “Dacha Chekhova” (Chekhov’s Dacha) and rocks where it is located the summer house (dacha) of the famous Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. In 1900 Chekhov purchased here a small tatar saklya (house) with a small piece of the shore where he wrote his famous plays “Three Sisters” and “Cherry Orchard”.

Photo #164 taken on September 10, 2013 from a restaurant terrace of restaurant “Salambo” where opens a panoramic view over the entire bay of Gurzuf.

Angle bottom view of a chandelier (Greek: panikadilo) hanging from cupola (dome) of the Church of Christ's Resurrection in Foros. The beautiful cupola and vaults of the church decorated with Byzantine ornamentation.

Photo #708 taken on May 05, 2017

Beautiful colorful red and yellow tulips in a flowerbed of a fountain area at Livadia Palace in the springtime.

Photo #063 taken on May 05, 2017

Quick stop on a serpentine road in mountains to overview a valley near the famous Crimean Mountain Demerdzhi in Alushta covered with clouds and fog.

Photo #406 taken on May 06, 2017

Magnificient interior of the Church of Christ's Resurrection in Foros with the view from the middle of the church on the carved oak iconostasis (icon screen) with the gilded the Beautiful Gates (Holy Doors) in the center and shining church chandelier (Greek: Panikadilo) hanging from its cupola (dome). The walls of the church decorated with Byzantine ornamentation.

Photo #692 taken on May 05, 2017

View from the highest point of Ai-Petri mountain, the peak in the Crimean Mountains with the famous figured teeth, on the aerial cableway with a cute yellow car on the way down from the plateau (height about 1200 meters). The bay of Yalta city located on the site of an ancient Greek colony is in the background of the picture.

Photo #209 taken on May 04, 2017

Overview Yalta Bay, Yalta city and its surroundings on the shore of Black Sea from Silver Arbor, the amazing observation spot located on the way to the peak of Mount Ai-Petri. Below the arbor is a waterfall Uchan-Su and magnificent centuries-old pine forest at the foot of the hill Pendikyul. The locks of love left by just married couples on the small fence protecting this observation deck. The Silver Arbor is an ecological and educational object located the Pendikul mountain at the height of 848 meters above sea level. The arbor was established in 1894 in honor of builders of the road Yalta - Ai-Petri - Bakhchisarai.

Photo #035 taken on May 04, 2017

Illuminated at nighttime the Church of Christ's Resurrection stands under moonlight on 400-metre (1312 ft) cliff near Baidarsky Pass in Foros settlement, the southernmost resort in the Crimea.

Photo #727 taken on September 12, 2013