The Black Sea: Yalta & Odessa aboard MSC Lirica

On our last cruise to the Eastern Med, we were tempted with a future crusie offer. For ?10 we bought a voucher that would entitle us to ?300 on board spending with our next purchase.

We have now been provided with not so much an opportunity as an excuse to visit The Black Sea. This has always been on our short list.

20th May 2012 - The deed is done. We managed to wangle an extra 15% reduction on the primo price with our MSC Club status and on-line booking discount. We sail aboard our old friend the MSC Lirica where we spent a wonderful 11 days sailing to the Arabian Gulf with Francesco and the gang from the animation team.

The route starts from Genoa then calls at Rome, Istanbul, Yalta, Odessa, Athens and Sorrento before returning to Genoa.

A few places will look familiar to you and some may even feel 'samey'. One thing I try to guarentee in these blogs is that they are not 'samey'!!

Although we have featured Istabul and Genoa in previous blogs we still have a few surprises up our sleeve.

"It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end."
Ernest Hemmingway

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Trip Length: 11 days
Blog Entries: 7
Photos: 192
Words: 16731

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Blog Entries

Date	Blog Title	Location
April 27th 2013	A trapped Nerve in Nervi!!	Europe » Italy » Liguria
April 28th 2013	Civvit, Civitta, chiv... the port of Rome!!	Europe » Italy » Lazio » Civitavecchia
May 1st 2013	Labouring in Istanbul - it's a riot!!	Middle East » Turkey » Marmara » Istanbul
May 2nd 2013	When the Lights go down in Yalta!!	Europe » Ukraine » Krim » Yalta
May 3rd 2013	Ode to Odessa	Europe » Ukraine » Odessa
May 5th 2013	Assault on Athens (at Easter too!)	Europe » Greece » Attica » Piraeus
May 7th 2013	The Biggest Aspidistra in Capri	Europe » Italy » Campania » Capri