Some pics of winter sea.

Crimean food as is. It is very, very tasety and yummy. And very fresh. The fish is just from the sea, the meat never was put to fridge.

 We also gathered mushrooms, this summer is rich for mushrooms and berries. But not all mushrooms are fine.

The mushroom I hold is toadstool, here it's called "the devil's mushroom". 

And this is not food, this is the cat that rests in the old postbox near my house. ;)

Blessed summer! :)))

Today we traveled to Shakh-Murzy lake. I've made much photoes, but I'd like to show you the mushrooms we gathered there.

Blessed Lytha!

 

Just a day on Klementyeva hill. Paraplans, shashlik, storm and magic nature.

Early summer in Koktebel. Just some pics and nothing more...

The last autumn day was so warm... We let our windows opened all previous night. And in the morning we went for a small walk - just a couple of kms from our house. Usually we go to the seashore, but now my husband proposed to go to the wild fields...

Here are the last houses of Feodosia. The town ends suddenly, and the wild prairie (or steppe) begins.

This day the sky was really magic, and it changed every moment...

The last warm day in November. The sky above the sea was so damp and calm, and the sea seemed so warm, but I didn't risk to swim... Now it is cold and windy. Winter comes...

Some days ago I've found a strange plant on the town street. I don't know what it is, but it looks so bright and unusual... Maybe somebody here can help me and say what is it? Here are some photoes:

This morning started with a splended post by Tammie Lee, with the pics of Great Grey Owl ! And I remembered that there are owls that live just in my town.

They occupied two crimean pines on the central boulevard, and they seem to feel good here. In the daytime they are almost motionless, so, it was not difficult to take the pics. Below you can see two more. By the way, I've counted 14 screech-owls on two trees! Rather good result for two trees and one town, don't you think? :)

Today morning I've bought something like this:

 

Pumpkin is sweet like honey. It was written so, rough and large, on a gray cardboard with the green marker. Here the market sellers like those ads. I tried the pumpkin, and it appered really sweet! I also added some apples and a lemon to my basket. The evening salad would be like that:

Deep October. Our street vernisage returned to its winter location.

Every autumn I visit Stary Krym, a small town near Feodosia. There is an armenian monastery not far from the town, called Surb-Hach (Holy Cross). It's situated in natural bowl, in the wood. I love this place, it's so quiet and calm. 

Fall time. October.

Sometimes I think that our town is the town of cats.

Cats are everywhere. They greet you near street caffees, they sleep on the counter of books stall and on the goods of utensil shop...

 

Mangup-Kale (part 2)

I was bewitched with this stone wall, that suddenly appeared among the trees.

As I could read on the nameplate, this defending wall was built appriximately in 1503. Later, in the last quater of 1500, it was reconstructed, so, now one can see two layers of masonry.

Having passed the first  line of the defend fortifications, I saw the Karaites cemetry. It occupies the space between the first and the second lines of the fortifications. 

Mangup-Kale (part 1)

Last weekend I traveled to one of the most beautiful and cryptic places of the Western Crimea - the Mangup-Kale Cave Town. I am really impressed!

We started our journey in Khodjy-Sala (Holy Village, turk), a small tatar settlement at the foot of Mangup plateau.

The single street of the village leads to a small man-made lake formed not so long ago, in 1983. Excavations discovered the ruins of medieval basilica surrounded with the remains of the village, but nevertheless the lake was formed, and the valuable archaeological finding appeared under the water. Now, after hot summer season, when the level of the lake drops, the top of the basilica appears above the water.

 The aim of my journey is Mangup plateau on the top of Baba-Dag (Father Mountain, turk). Baba-Dag is 600 m above sea level, and it seemes to be created as a natural fortress: steep slopes slotted by the deep narrow gorges, and generous springs of fresh water on the plateau make this place practically inaccessible for the enemies. Here is the reconstruction drawing of Mangup-Kale made in 2008:

From the foot of Baba-Dag we can see the Leaky Cape (left cape on the picture bellow). This is the final aim of my journey.

 Well, we've started the summer season. Empty Koktebel streets, emtpty stalls - it's the sign of early May.

 Lonely schooner at the berth and froggy mist above the cold water.

...And an empty pier looking in the outer sea...

 "Don't dive from the pier!" - looks like an invitation and forgiveness of the sins during all summer long...

And some more birds. Yesterday my husband noticed tufted ducks, it's unusual for our places.

And my favorite swans, of course. The young one:

And the grew-up beauty:

It's so cold this winter... I can't remember the year with so long and so cold times here. -20 during a whole mounth - it's too seriuos for the Crimea! 

The town birds are so cold and hungry... every morning they come and knock to the windows and ask for a piece of bread. My hasbound and I feed them everyday, and our neighbours do. When I see the people bringing bread to the seashore, for the ducks and sparrows, - I feel that human beings are not parasites.