How I spent this summer
I apologize to those whose copyrights I violated with my story title, but for the two weeks that I spent with my family in the Crimea, there will be enough impressions for the whole summer!
There were so many impressions and details that even 100 pages would not be enough to describe. Therefore, I will be extremely concise in my annotations of the rest.
To begin with, my family, who sent me on a trip, is me, my wife, my 3-year-old mischievous son, 7-month-old daughter and unforgettable (18-year-old, of course) mother-in-law! We live in Vladimir, which is 170 km west of Moscow. And they made a trip to the Crimea by car. The car, by the way, is a Chinese Chery Fora (there is air conditioning), a sedan for 5 seats: behind 2 children in car seats and a mother-in-law (after all, the interior is spacious), I am driving and my wife Vika is the navigator on the right.
at the feet of the children and in the trunk of 480 liters, we managed to place 2 baby strollers (Valco Baby Snap and Maclaren), a folding baby crib for my daughter (unfolded 120x70x100 cm, folded 100x20x30 cm), a 30-liter travel refrigerator and a bunch of junk for 5 jam-packed ikea bags. When I took all this out of the house to the car, I was ready to tear my hair out in all places, not believing in the ability to put it all into the car. But after half an hour of shouting and shoving it turned out that it was even possible to let the mother-in-law play the harmonica on the road)))
We left at 1 am, we decided that we had to go to Rostov, 1200 km along the Moscow-Don M4 highway, and at night it was possible to drive at least a third of the way while the children were sleeping. Going forward, this plan absolutely worked. By 10 am, we had already covered 380 km of the road without much effort and at a low speed.
As a whole, I liked the M4 Moscow-Don highway. There were only 2 turning points: toll sections of the road and before reaching Rostov, a one-lane section near the village.
Losevo with a traffic jam for 16 km.
Toll road. I liked the asphalt, in Europe it can be rated at 4 plus, because sometimes there are roughnesses. on the segment from the south of the Tula region to almost Voronezh itself, there were 5 paid checkpoints. At the same time, I did not find any logic in the length of the road and the price: the first section was 150 kilometers for 50 rubles, the second section, 30-40 kilometers long, cost ...100 rubles. At the last checkpoint, they unexpectedly did not take money, they only demanded a ticket from the previous checkpoint. In total, for 4 checkpoints during the day you have to pay 260 rubles (50 + 100 + 50 + 60), at night they give a discount of up to 185 rubles (30 + 85 + 30 + 40). On this section, there were 2-3 lanes of a good road, the speed was allowed up to 110 km / h (I drove 120-130), cameras everywhere, places for stops with toilets. There were no gas stations for a long time, so in the Voronezh region the first Lukoil was packed to capacity. Although many gas stations followed (the same Rosneft, etc. ) with cheaper prices.
Refueling on this route generally goes one after another, then not for 200-300 km.
Lunch was in the Voronezh region, a very green and pleasant city, from home-made products. But I had a chance to have dinner already in Rostov. Along the way, the eyes were pleased with the beautiful expanses that opened up from the slopes of the road. The children behaved perfectly, periodic stops for 150-200 km suited them perfectly.
We drove to Rostov already in the dark, around 22:00. It turned out that there were already big traffic jams at the entrance, so the 15 km section cost us an hour. The second problem turned out to be that we initially did not know if we could get to Rostov in one "seat" and did not book an overnight stay. Therefore, having arrived in Rostov and having a quick dinner in an inexpensive but tasty cafe, at midnight it suddenly somehow suddenly and unexpectedly turned out that all the rooms and options for staying overnight did not work: everything was busy.
So I had to move from Rostov, stopping at all the hotels on the highway and seeing a hospitable sign on a blank door: "NO PLACES! ". As a result, a strategic decision was made: to go to Krasnodar, but while I was taxiing 140 on a good road, my wife found a good stop option on the phone before reaching the city in the village of Dinskaya. According to my calculations, I was supposed to arrive there around 2.10 in the morning, but unexpectedly, 45 kilometers to Krasnodar, the repair of the entire road began (right all 45 km to Krasnodar, or as I rightly called this place "the back of the world") and we arrived at the place in half past three in the morning. Bottom line: in one sitting at 26.5 hours we drove almost 1500 km. Back, by the way, it turned out absolutely the same breakthrough, but already in 19.5 hours.
In the morning (at noon) we got up, had breakfast and drove on to Krasnodar. It was required to connect MTS only for the Internet.
Here I will have the audacity to advertise MTS: both the employees of the salon and representatives of the All-Russian MTS call center claimed that in Crimea the Internet (as well as on my phone the “Everywhere at home” service) is the same as throughout Russia. Lies, MTS never caught that the Internet ended in a week (5 GB per month, 450 rubles), that my mobile ate a lot of money even on incoming calls (some WIN roaming network). Again nai ...deceived, I thought, once again about MTS.
Then we moved on the navigator towards the port of Kavkaz. Here already I made a mistake by not checking the path. As a result, the navigator gave us a pleasant surprise - Anapa and a detour of 80 kilometers along not the most high-speed highway, and even with traffic jams. Adding here lunch, stops and dinner, we drove up to the port of Kavkaz almost at 21 pm.
We already knew in advance what crazy queues for ferries to Crimea were. Already on the ferry, we talked with people who stood for almost 40 hours (!!! ) to get on the ferry.
I must say right away that we were beneficiaries and the total crossing time was 2 hours and 45 minutes. With children less than 1 year old, it was allowed to pass without a queue. As a result, we were driving at low speed on the opposite lane with the "emergency gang" turned on. The police officers absolutely calmly let us through, not forgetting to check the birth certificate. In addition to them, 5 times there were people's squads doing the same thing. A couple of times there were even minor problems: at first, one half-drunk man through the windshield saw in my wife a lady with a child who was driving in the morning, I had to prove the opposite. Later, they didn't want to let us in at all until we threatened to call the police. As a result, we reached the final "sump" where we stood in a general queue for the ferry.
Ticket prices: a passenger car (4.5 m) - 1680 rubles, an adult ticket - 160 rubles, children's tickets were zero, free of charge. Total 2160 rubles.
We spent the night in Kerch and set off in the morning. Kerch left the impression of a Russian provincial city with the most disgusting roads. The city is a bit bald, as are the suburbs, like the steppe. Then we moved to Feodosia. There is only one road here, but then the navigator offered two options: 150 km along the coastal serpentines or 210 km through Simferopol. The first way 5.5 hours, the second 5 hours. Naturally, we definitely decided to choose the first path: we wanted to see all the coast and resorts. We did not regret, although the way was tiring and long.
THEODOSIA. We did not stop by the city itself, the road led through the outskirts. The city is “bald”, there is little vegetation, there are dry lakes next to the sea. Some industrial buildings, warehouses and large containers with oil products stretch along the road. The road ran beside the sea and the beaches were somewhat reminiscent of the wild beaches of our south. Although, my wife assured me that last year they had a rest and there were better beaches in the city itself.
In general, Theodosia did not hook me)))
KOKTEBEL. A small town of thousands for 20-25 people was a pleasant surprise. The road went through the whole city and managed to see this resort. Everything is civilized, a pleasant central road, interesting, even slightly European-style architecture such as Montenegro or Slovenia. Something like a water park or a dolphinarium (oh, my memory lapses ... ). The hotels along the way completely left the desire to stay in them, the cafes - to have a bite, and the beaches - to swim. A solid four in my Bazhenov Rating. You can easily spend a day or two here if you have time.
ZANDER. The city is bigger, under 50 thousand, probably. I liked it. One part of the city is located in the foothills and is located vertically, the other, which is closer to the sea, is located horizontally. The first part leaves the feeling that you are in the Caucasus or in hilly Turkey. There are vineyards, and mountain forestry, and southern architecture.
The coastal part was not particularly visible, but it visually differed from the foothills in favor of the seaside resort: higher hotels, embankment, more roads.
MARINE. Hole, as I expressed my opinion to my ladies immediately upon entry. No, sorry, the word was different: cloaca. Yes, the feeling that I ended up in a small version of our Adler from 10 years ago: a shabby, dirty town with crowds of wild tourists in search of a cheap sea and lodging for the night. The beaches were bursting with "seals" that occupied every square meter under the sun. Some of them almost reached the roadway with their feet. Dirty, crowded, disgusting. Worst experience during the trip.
FISHING, MALORECHENSKOE, SOLNECHNOGORSKOE. Small villages that did not leave much of my opinion. The usual inexpensive options for a quiet and relaxing sea holiday for pensioners.
But the road to them and the subsequent long stretch almost to Alushta itself impressed me very pleasantly: very beautiful mountains, immersed in greenery, separately sticking out rocky areas, the height and the sea at the bottom left. More than once we stopped to capture this beauty as a keepsake.
ALUSHTA. The road through the whole city with a population of 40 thousand. The city also gave the impression of a civilized town with trolleybuses and buses, a good housing stock. Unfortunately, we couldn't see the beach, so I can't tell you anything more detailed. But still, I liked the city, the roads and infrastructure are at the level.
Further hills again. Then SMALL LIGHTHOUSE. The city passed on a tangent. For some reason, I remember that nature has changed dramatically. There are more cypresses. The next village, KIPARISNOE, was especially impressive. The name of the point speaks for itself: there were a lot of them. The road on both sides was accompanied by slender trunks of straight "antennas".
It feels like you are going through a tunnel. Again, a lot of pleasant impressions and emotions.
Finally, at 17:00 we reach the final destination of our journey: GURZUF. To be honest, I didn't know we were going there. Because I didn't bother to ask my wife beforehand! Because I have never heard of such a resort! Because I, even having an A in geography and an inquisitive person, have never even heard of such a town! Finally, to my shame, I did not know that the world-famous Artek pioneer camp was located there! )))
We lived there for 5 days. I will not go into details, there have already been a lot of them, I will also say briefly. The city has a total of 9000 people of the local population. It is also very civilized (it seems that it is civilized everywhere in the Crimea on the coasts! ), we also stopped at the apartments of the Familia residential complex. I must say right away that it is focused on wealthy people, an apartment of 80 meters costs 4800 per day.
Swimming pool, underground parking, air conditioning, observation wall on the sea. Gurzuf is located in a vertical plane, in order to reach the beaches or the embankment, you need to go down seriously and then return to a steep climb. The embankment is good, long, there are always a lot of people, the people as a whole are of average income, I didn’t particularly see savages. There were many Ukrainians. Many cafes, prices are the same as the average for Russia, the average price tag is 500 rubles per person for dinner. I learned that Artek is a complex of 10 camps of various types (cypress, sea, rock, etc. ). It was not possible to get into the camp itself.
After living for 5 days, we realized that it’s good in Gurzuf, but we need to move somewhere cheaper, but closer to Yalta. As a result, they moved ...to Yalta.
YALTA. Magnificent city! Everything, that says it all, you can not continue! ))) The mother-in-law suggested that 500 thousand people live there, the wife - 200 thousand. I took 70 thousand from the bulldozer, knowing the general demographic figures for the Crimea.
The city is very beautiful, especially in the waterfront area. Let's just say that it is here that the whole life of the city revolves. Here are the main streets, shops, boutiques, restaurants, attractions. No, there are also many interesting things in other parts of the city: Chekhov's house-museum, an Armenian church, a Catholic church (this one, however, is on the embankment), parks, museums, a unique zoo and suburban historical places such as the Swallow's Nest or Nikolai's Livadia Palace-Residence II. Right from the embankment there is a cable car to a small mountain, from where a gorgeous view of the whole city opens. As it turned out later, there is another one - near the Yalta-Intourist hotel, but I didn’t see it from a distance whether it worked or not. Later, my wife told me about a completely different cable car, to Mount Ai-Petri, more than 2 km long. Alas, there was not enough time to get there.
But we managed to "kill" one day at the water park: in Simeiz there was a good water park (there are 5 or 6 of them in Crimea), the only one with sea water. Adult ticket 1000 rubles, children (over 90 cm tall) 650 rubles. I must say right away that the verticality of the park is large, there are a lot of climbs, the park itself is not bad for children, an adult (probably I am extreme) has nothing to be especially happy about except for 1-2 slides. Each slide is professionally staffed, but because of their control, there are long queues everywhere. In general, not bad, I liked it. We ate right there.
I would especially like to tell you about the Yalta embankment. It's a separate world, especially in the evening. This used to be the Arbat. Every 50 meters, singers, musicians, magicians, Peruvian Indians perform here, the movement of the people is incredible! Crowds of people are walking, dancing, taking pictures, life is gushing out in full swing. Tons of entertainment.
Here you can ride on a boat, and on sedentary bicycles, and various shooting ranges, skill contests, almost mini-discos, where the guys combine dance training with making a living. In one place, the embankment rests on the city beach and turns deep into the city along the canal. It continues for another kilometer. Artists already dominate here. Dozens of pencil and brush masters exhibit hundreds of paintings of different styles and colors. Someone is ready to draw a cartoon for 100 rubles, someone a portrait for 500 or 1000. On the Arbat, prices are, of course, many times higher. There are also a lot of cafes and civilian canteens, prices are different, dinner is from 300 to 1000 per person. Every evening we walked along the promenade, everyone was very pleased, especially the children.
The beaches in Yalta can be divided into 2 parts: the city limits (along the embankment and the city beach) and also the city, but a zone called Massandra beaches.
In fact, the same thing, nearby, only on Massandra beaches there are more paid services, prices are higher, although the cafe is cheaper here. The beaches are pebbly, but the pebbles are very large, the legs do not hurt. The water is clean, even at a depth of 5-8 meters you can see the bottom. There were a lot of people, there were a lot of Ukrainians. Were from Odessa, Kherson. Why did their sea not suit them? Mystery )))
One rainy day, it was decided not to lose him (and initially wanted) to go to Sevastopol. I’ll note right away that it was the path from Yalta to Sevastopol that made the most indelible impression on me. I have never seen such beautiful nature anywhere! Of course, many will start arguing, but it's useless))) Magnificent foothills on the right and the sea on the left, rocks made of stone, starting from mountains drowning in greenery and descending directly to the surface of the sea. The most beautiful point is Laspi bay. I can't describe it in words, it's indescribable. You just need to admire.
SEVASTOPOL. Major port city.
The city can be conditionally divided into a stunted central part (mostly 3-storey buildings of the "Stalinok" type) and the sleeping Gagarinsky district with a large number of skyscrapers. The city is a bit bald, although there are many parks and squares in the center. Everything is very civil. Very reminiscent of Peter. Sorry, gentlemen, St. Petersburg. This impression of similarity is especially enhanced on the embankment: the feeling that you have landed on the embankment of the northern capital: the far shore resembles Vasilievsky Island, the fenced bay resembles the Moika. The embankment itself is made in a similar architectural ensemble. There are even trams. Prices at the level of Yalta. In general, I also liked it, it's a pity that one day is not enough to understand this city more.
Finally, our days are coming to an end. This trip would be completely incomplete if we did not stop by another city - Simferopol. Capital of Crimea, business hub.
This was also supported by the fact that I categorically did not want to drive along mountain serpentines, understanding the tediousness and duration of the journey. As time has shown, I was right: the flat nature of the roads saved at least 1 hour of travel.
SIMFEROPOL. Alas, the road passed around the city. However, even the outskirts of the city pleased with the feeling of a large, serious city. For the first time, political posters evoked the idea that there is politics in Crimea too))) There are a lot of cars, wide streets, well-thought-out infrastructure. In general, the second largest city-capital of Crimea was in no way inferior to Sevastopol. The road several times led out of the borders and again entered the city. There was a lot of traffic considering it was a Saturday.
Further, the path lay to Feodosia along the plains. Here I did not remember the settlements at all, the feeling of the bald steppe and small villages like villages in the Krasnodar Territory.
The nature here is different than on the coast: there are many open plains, poplars, little vegetation. There are few rivers and lakes, as well as everywhere in the Crimea.
The return crossing was supposed to take 1 hour, but by the grace of some connector ....fucking, who left the package on the ferry, we stood for 2 hours and eventually boarded the next ferry. People in the general queue, they say, have been waiting for 7 hours already. As it became known, the crossing of buses and passenger trains was canceled, and finally, the logistics of transportation from different sides of the Kerch Strait were established. Commendable.
Then we arrived in Krasnodar by the shortest route by midnight, spent the night in the Latochkino Gnezdo hotel-apartments for only one and a half thousand (the boorish watchman tried to oblige the mother-in-law in an uncompromising manner, but we refused on principle, especially since in There were almost 2 additional sets in the room). Then at 8-30 departure from Krasnodar.
HELPFUL INFORMATION. Lots of cameras on the way, don't speed too much. Gas stations go in places, there are more of them in the Voronezh region, the average price of 92 gasoline is 32 rubles. Yes, the Driver's Choice Award - RUSOIL gas station, 29.20, excellent gasoline! In Kerch, gasoline is the most expensive, 37-38 rubles, Yalta and Sevastopol 36, suburbs 35. Choose network gas stations: Lukoil (the colors of their style), TNK, Sovremennik (it seems), etc. I advise you to go around. Losevo in the Rostov region, look for a detour scheme, we personally used Yandex traffic jams, they immediately showed a bypass road, a 15 km detour saved more than an hour in this eternal traffic jam. If you find a detour of Krasnodar - drive through this "ass of the world"! Save your tickets at the toll checkpoints of the M4 highway - at least once this will save you a fee. Vkontakte has a group "Port Kavkaz Port Crimea 2014", there is a lot of useful and fresh information about the current state on the road to Crimea and Crimea itself.
Do not contact housing intermediaries, go straight to the embankments of your cities, go through the residential sector near the embankment and choose the accommodation you like - it will be much cheaper. Connect sim cards not in Russia, but in the Crimea itself, Russian operators do not have their own assets there, and the existing cellular operators are mostly Ukrainian. If you want to save on food - go to the markets, it's cheaper there. I will separately advertise Yalta or Kerch sour cream! It's more like butter! ))) Delicious! Crimean watermelons are so-so, 20-22 rubles / kg, peaches this year do not shine with crops, and therefore are expensive. Visit the water park if you are with children, there are many of them in Crimea. Prices from 800 to 1200 for an adult and half for children. Do not be too lazy to go to the cafe and look at the prices - you can find very good prices and cuisine. Otherwise, you can overpay a lot. A separate request to tip on the waterfront! People are trying.
It hurts a lot that our tourists take pictures with mimes, but leave them nothing at all! This is already a beast! Otherwise, gentlemen, have a pleasant stay and a lot of impressions! Crimea is not only the sea, it is also ...no, not "easily digestible meat"! This is nature, architecture, culture of the people, history! Good luck!