Flashback to the Yalta Conference: February 4, 1945

On this day in 1945, leaders of three allied countries ~ the United States, Soviet Union and Great Britain ~ met secretly in Yalta, Crimea to work through plans for wrapping up World War II. This was the second time Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin met during the war, their earlier meeting being in Tehran, Iran in late 1943.

(Click to enlarge.) September of 2008, I spent some time in Crimea and got to see Yalta for myself. And of course, a tour of Livadia Palace, site of the Yalta Conference, was a must. I was thinking about you, and You and YOU, of course, and took lots of photos. Care to come along for a look around?


Livadia Palace was built in 1911 as summer home for Russian Csar Nicolas II and his family. Follow this link to see pictures of the family area of the palace. Oh, by the way, in the distance, can you can catch a glimpse of the Black Sea?

Thanks to Russia Today for this video. Interesting, the Russian take on the relationship of the Big Three.

Time out to orient ourselves. Above is a map of Crimea. It was part of the USSR during the war, now part of Ukraine. And quite a prize, I must say. Yalta is located on the southern coast of Crimea, just north of the ship in the map above.

Let's take a giant step backward for a wider view. You see Crimea dangling down from Ukraine into the Black Sea. Now, I'm recyling this map from earlier traipsing around Ukraine, lines show my trips around Ukraine and also home-sweet-home in Rostov-on-Don. So, you get the idea. . .

So, meanwhile back at the . . .at the palace. . . Say, care to come on into the palace? What we'll see today is related mostly to the Yalta Conference. This is the main entrance to the palace, located on the north end of the building.

This was a big, heavy door. It open directly into the meeting room. Here's a peek in.

Here at the round table where the Big Three sat, surrounded by aides. The armchairs were for the leaders and the chair here in the lower right belonged to Stalin. He liked to sit facing the door so that he could keep an eye on the entrance. Sounds familiar. . .

Several photos of the conference were up and on display. Above is a meeting in progress with movie footage being shot.

Soviet officers plotting, plotting. And plotting some more.

The sailor from the USA, left, looks as though he'd rather be home. Guessing the other soldier is Soviet. Can't help but wonder if they could communicate the slightest bit. The sign behind them directs toward Livadia.

Big Three leaders each visible around the conference table. Stalin at left, smoking.

To the left of the conference room was a suite reserved for Roosevelt. He was in poor health during the meeting and so Stalin invited him to stay at the conference site. Churchill stayed at another palace, 20-some miles away. Guess we shouldn't be surprised that Roosevelt's room was carefully rigged with eavesdropping equipment. Translators worked feverishly through the night preparing transcripts of recordings to that Stalin could read through the notes during breakfast.

The desk set above is a gift to FDR from Stalin, as I recall. Well, for whatever reason, the items are still at Yalta.

White telephone in FDR's suite. Fun to imagine the ears listening to every conversation.

Churchill, FDR and Stalin smiling. This February meeting, 1945, was their second during the war. A third meeting was scheduled for that summer in Pottsdam, Germany. But of the three, only Joseph Stalin would be present. FDR would pass away in April, two months after Yalta Conference, and Winston Churchill would be voted out of office.

Anna Roosevelt, center, accompanied her father on this trip. On the left is the US Ambassador to Great Britain.

Sara Churchill, left, accompanied her father, Winston Churchill, and Anna Roosevelt, center.



This sign publicizes an upcoming exhibit about the Yalta Conference.

In this courtyard, the famous Big Three portrait was taken. I asked if it could be opened, but this is as close as we could get. Besides, there's that big, fierce watchdog guarding the place. ;)

Hope you have enjoyed this look at the Yalta Conference, February 4, 1945. How about you, dear blog reader. Have you by chance been to Yalta? Any special interest in the Yalta Conference? Please share!

Remembering the Romanovs in Happier Times

This week in history, Czar Nicholas II and his family were executed in Yekaterinburg, Russia where they were in exile. Last year, on the 90th anniversary of that dark day in 1918, I posted a story, Today in Russian History. . . But now let's take a look at happier times, a glimpse into the Romanovs' family life at their summer palace in Yalta.

Last September, I was in Crimea, that peninsula of Ukraine that dangles down into the Black Sea. And when the chance came to visit Yalta, once the Riveria of Russia, I said Da in a flash. I had always wanted to visit Livadia Palace, not only because of fascination with the royal family but also because of the Yalta Conference there 30 years later when Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt met. More about them later.

Say, care to join me for a tour of the palace? I think you'll enjoy the photos ~ although capturing images of glass-covered photos hanging on palace walls does have it's limitations. Still, we get the idea.


The Romanov family. You'll remember Czar Nicholas II, his wife Empress Alexandra, their four daughters and long-awaited son, Alexei, heir to the throne. (Click on photos to enlarge.)


Be it ever so humble, there's no place like. . .Livadia Palace. This overlooks the Black Sea, semi-visible in the distance.


Oh, time out while we get our bearings. . .

Here on the Crimean peninsula, Yalta (2) is the southeastern edge of the tip. You'll forgive me, will you not, for recycling my map of Crimea from other posts? Those various markings are places I visited last fall. . .


Back at the royal ranch, here we are on 2nd floor.

This is Czar Nicholas' study. They say that he had no personal secretary and handled it all himself. Wonder where he would set his computer? Or FAX machine? Or. . . iPhone? Wonder if young Aleksei ever played under his dad's desk, a la JFK, Jr?


Looking east toward the center of Yalta.



Son Aleksei with his tutor, studying Russian language.



Girls with a tutor. They studied French and English.


Daughter Anastasia minding her knitting. Kids doing handiwork - so useful.



Family dinner table. Nice china, crystal and silver. I think Martha Stewart would join me in nudging the goblets a bit over to the right. Then again, who am I to argue with the royal setter of tables? Say, have to wonder how those dishes held up in the dishwasher. Oh that's right, their dishwasher was the two-legged variety. So no worries about that gold filigree.


Here is the family Bible. Seeing this tugged at my heartstrings. They say that the Romanov family were devout believers. Out back of the palace is a little chapel with it's own gold cupola.



Welcome to the music room, with a panorama of the city.



Sheet music and long-play albums in the Music Room.



Downstairs in a quiet hallway, here are trophies from the czar's deer hunting.



And. . . here are some very special photos of the Romanov family.


The Romanov family lived at Livadia four times, the last in 1914. Surely some of their happiest, most carefree hours were spent there near the sea. As politics turned unpleasant and Czar Nicholas abdicated the throne in March of 1917, the family requested that they be permitted to live at Livadia as private citizens. But their request was denied and that summer they were evacuated to the Ural Mountains.

* * * * *

Fast forward to 1945 and things around Livadia looked a bit different.

Here's yours truly with the Big Three. They met here at Livadia Palace for the Yalta Conference in 1945 as World War II was wrapping up. Apparently after Nazi occupation during the war, this palace was not quite presentable for company. Our tour guide said that a train load of furnishings came from Moscow - or was it St Petersburg? - with everything needed for the conference including door knobs and light fixtures.

This is a place rich with history. A place were Russian history, Soviet history, US History and the history of the World War all intersect. I loved seeing room where Roosevelt stayed, just off the main meeting room here. He was in such poor health and died months later. So I have lots more photos of Livadia - mostly related to the Yalta Conference. And that's a topic for another blog post.

Wrapping up in Simferopol, Crimea

Amazing how time flies. Four weeks in Crimea and suddenly it's time to head back to Rostov. To the train station today for tickets. McDonald's and an ATM are nearby and so I invited two favorite 16-year-olds to accompany and provide personal security. Or something. First, to the Simferopol train station.


The station is lovely and better yet, it's user-friendly for train passengers as they arrive in Simferopol, known as the gateway to Crimea. Here's the station's clock tower, the symbol of the city, as seen through the McDonald's patio.



Got tickets, got cash and oh what a view. Here's the clock tower through one of the arches. White arches with bas relief embellishment - a term I might have just dreamed up - a bit different from the golden arches. More importantly, my body guards are there waving in the shadows.


Here they are again, against the bas relief of the walls. Nice to relax on this little excursion, knowing that these two are looking out for me, and will put themselves between me and harm's way. More or less.


We're heading over toward McDonald's now but oh, look - flags fluttering in the breeze. Time out for a picture. These girls know one of the hazards of accompanying a photographer-wanna-be anywhere is time out for photos.

Flags are so photogenic. Waiting for a breeze to catch them at their best is another story. Come on breeze, come on, come on.



Quite a few shots later, here's what we'll settle for:

From the left, the flag of Ukraine, then the flag of Crimea and. . .what's the flag on the right? Probably the flag of Simferopol.


Enough dilly-dallying. We've got a friend awaiting us over yonder.

Oh our dear Ronald McDonald with Julia, left and Oksana, who seems to be fielding a call, probably related to our safety and trip home.


My favorite part of a trip anywhere is Sunday and worship and getting to know brothers and sisters of like precious faith. Zhenya preaches for the Simferopol church of Christ, a church plant out of Donetsk that he and Elena helped start six years ago.

The church rents a room at the Palace of Culture. And here we are last Sunday.


We like to sing and among the singers is a group of teens from a local orphanage. They and their caretaker come to worship each Sunday.


Zhenya has such love for this little church. He and Elena have such love for orphans such as those in the front row. Guess that's why they adopted five teens last summer.


This evening, a absolute highlight was using SKYPE for the first time. We talked with Jay, our buddy from Atlanta. Do you SKYPE? You probably have done it for years. But not me, not this bunch. This is new and novel to us. Guess we're SKYPE-etteers. Eventually we'll be honest-to-goodness SKYPE-ers. But for now, we're just easing into the scene.

Here we are, Sunday 9:00 pm Ukraine time and 2:00 pm Eastern Time in Atlanta. We loved talking with Jay.


What an interesting experience. Got to admit that I've been intimated by SKYPE. Granted, I downloaded the program and set up the account. No sweat there. Zhenya dug around and found a microphone, that was a major step. But then to actually connect somehow, that's a step I've never taken myself.

I really must try that in Rostov. Have some things to work out with my internet provider first. Access tends to be slow and the more megabytes received, the more expensive. But thanks to this little nudge from Jay, I just might take the next steps.

How about you, dear readers, do you SKYPE? Please tell us all about it! Did you just jump right in and use it - or where you resistant, anxious, hesitant?

Whirlwind Trip to Yalta and Black Sea

Oh, what a sight: The Black Sea as seen from Yalta, Crimea at sea level.

Looking straight south toward Turkey. Do you see Turkey across the waves? Me neither. It probably has something to do with the curvature of the earth. Not to worry. Let's just enjoy the smooth rocks, the sparkling waters.


But first, a quick geography review. Where in the world are we?

We are in Crimea, the part of Ukraine that dangles into the Black Sea, the red arrow. Of course I'm based in Rostov-on-Don - and sometimes, whenever possible, 90 days out of 180, that's where I am - and that's the yellow arrow up there. But for the moment, we're in Crimea. Okay so we're settled on general location.


Flash back to the Black Sea: Here it is through poplar trees lining the path at a very nice resort that had been frequented by The Party elite over the years. Never been accused of being Party Elite, but we're allowed to stroll around for a bit.


Where exactly are we more specifically? Let's zoom on in closer.

My travel companions and I are on a whirlwind trip from Simferopol (1) the capital of Crimea, south to Yalta (2) and then back via Sevastopol. Care to come along for a few sights along the way?



Starting into the mountains, heading south toward Yalta. Or maybe we took a wrong turn and ended up in New Hampshire.


We. . . we. . . we: Who exactly is this editorial plurality?

Meet my traveling companions. Above from right are Zhenya and Elena, my dear host family here in Simferopol. They're the brave souls who have opened their home to five foster teens in addition to their own daughter. Far left is Ron, visiting from Missouri and in Ukraine for a couple of weeks. He has made many missions-related trips to Ukraine. We decided to escape the house while the kids were in school. So here we are, escapees.


More mountains as we head south toward Yalta. Notice the jagged rocks, the wires and tram lines. All part of the view.



Back to the sea through the poplar trees: The folks above might be descendants of The Party faithful. Wishing perhaps they could turn back the clocks to the glory days, long gone. Imagine they're thinking back to childhood days at this very resort, remembering when they got to stay here free-of-charge because of parents' position in The Party. Imagine they're distraught about the cash they're handing over for staying at such a place. And I have two words for those folks up there leaning over the rail. Don't jump!



Up closer, lovely. No sand here though, just rocks. They're smooth rocks but try walking on that barefoot. Lovely, nyet.


At the beach, we happened upon a gypsy. She seemed nice enough and even posed for a picture.

We asked her to sing a gypsy song from her homeland far away. Imagine our surprise when she warbled through Yankee Doodle for us, free of charge. In the end, we give her a few coins just to get her to quit the singing.


Moving right along. . .


We left Yalta and the gypsy woman, heading west and through magnificent rocky cliffs and landscapes. Take my word for it - we wanted to get photos. But that requires persuading the driver to stop the vehicle and. . .well, we did stop once to get the view above.

How about you dear blog readers - ever been to Crimea? When and where? If perhaps your family tree includes Party Faithful, please spill the beans. We want the scoop.