Constanta

Passing from Bulgaria to Romania we passed through the Danube-Black Sea Canal. Begun at the behest of Stalin in the 1940s, the Romanians began the canal using 60,000 or more political prisoners as forced labor. The project was abandoned, then revisited in the 1970s when more mechanized equipment was available.

A large monument commemorates the laborers who died in the project, especially those who succumbed when forced labor conditions were harsh.

Constanta, Romania is the largest seaport on the Black Sea, and we got a grand tour of it today when we left the Danube Canal and navigated through the port to our berth. We are docked just across from the Romanian Navy. We didn't realized their navy was as large as this! The ships included a sailing vessel used for training naval cadets.

We docked late morning and after lunch got on buses for a city tour. The city is a bit more modern than those in Bulgaria, but the evidence of the communist past remains.

The walking portion of the tour was through the old city center, beginning with a folk art museum. This primarily featured textiles, but with a few icons and other artifacts.

The city center is clearly geared to tourism from boats such as ours, with lots of shops and restaurants with signs in English. The fusion between Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman cultures is evident, especially when there is a mosque next door to a huge Orthodox church.

We weren't able to visit the mosque, but the church was quite beautiful in the ornate, Orthodox style.

Our walking tour continued to the promenade overlooking the Black Sea. It is also the location of a grand casino, but for the entertainment of the populace and for the enrichment of the local government. The communists allowed the building to fall into disrepair, but it has recently been restored and has resumed its original function.

The bus took us to a public beach where we could actually touch the Black Sea. Some group members were more enthusiastic about this than we were, wading out into the water.

In the evening, we were invited to dine at the Captain's Table. Our captain is a very nice man and clearly very respected by his crew, but he speaks very little English. Fortunately, the program directors were seated with us so that the conversation was easier.

It was a huge meal, ending with flaming Baked Alaska on parade. We returned to our room very stuffed.