WN Se WALTZ a PEARL , PEARL COINEA — ONRIEAGurzuy YALTA The south coast of the Crimea is an exquisitely beauti- ful spot. Its gorgeous mountain scenery, luxuriant gardens and parklands and excellent sea bathing draw thousands fof tourists to the sunny south coast every year. ‘Travelling over the south coast of the Crimea is an ‘extremely pleasurable experience. ‘The first few kilometers of the road from Sevastopol to Yalta (85 km.) pass through some historical places sociated with memories of the Sevastopol campaign of 1854-1855. Soon after leaving the town one can obtain a view of the English, French and Italian cemeteries nestl- ing amid the lush vérdure, an obelisk erected in memory of those who fell in the Battle of Balaklava and a chapel ‘marking the spot where a Sardinian battery had stood. Farther the road runs through a narrow gorge, climbs forest-clad slopes and descends once amore into the broad Baidar Valley, in the center of which lles the large Tatar village of Baidary (34 km.) with its fruit gardens and plantations of fragrant Crimean tobacco. Beyond the village the open valley stretches away to the horizon and following the road one comes again upon hilly countryside, mounting steadily until the Baidar Gate (527 meters above gen level], hewed out in the cliff, is reached, Here a magnificent view Is revealed to the travel- ler. Deep down to the right lies the shimmering azure of the boundless sea, away to the left stretches the Yailaridge, while in front a wonderful vista of the whole southern coast of the Crimea unfolds itself to the eye. A little way down there is a restaurant where the traveller can halt for a rest and partake of refreshments, Upon passing the Baidar Gate the road runs through cool tunnel and descends in a succession of sharp curves to the seashore, On the way one passes mountain villages, orchards, and vineyards; in the distance looms Koshka Gora (Cat Mountain) with the white dome of the Astronomical Observatory; passing the dark ruins of the ancient Biyuk Isar fortress the road emerges on the health resort of Novy Simeiz nestling picturesquely at the foot of the mountain with its spacious park adjoining one of the finest beaches on the coast. Its beautiful palace- sanatoriums provide excellent treatment for pulmonary, nervous and osseous complaints. This is a model health resort, one of the best in the Crimea, The visitor's at- tention will ‘be attracted by the striking rocks bearing the names of the Monk, the Diva and the Swan jutting out of the water on the beach, After Simeiz the winding road brings the traveller to another resort of the south coast—Alupka, lying at the foot of the majestic Ai-Petri mountain, The Alupka park with its gigantic cedars and fir trees, its groves of richly flowering magnolias and stately cypress trees is unforget- tably beautiful. Here is an interesting museum, the former Vorontsov palace, built in the Gothie-Moorish style from the plans of Edward Blore, an English architect, and joined together by iron and lead instead of cement, which The Passenger Port The Oriental Museum proved lo be a saving feature during the recent earthquake. A sweeping marble staircase adorned with threo pairs of marble lions leads down to the sea. The sleeping lion (the lower one on the left-hand side) carved by the famous Italian seulptor Bonnani is particularly interesting. The museum contains Russian, French and Dutch paintings, engravings, bronze statuettes, porcelain and china objects, rare pieces of furniture and old carpets of great artistic and historical value. The Ubrary of the museum, whieh has about twenty thousand volumes, contains some very rare books. The road beyond unbroken chain of vineyards and tobacco plan lowed ay the health resorts of Miskhor Gaspra, buried amid the rich foliage of gardens and parks. By the seashore stand the Ai-Todor lighthouse whose teams ean be seen at sea from a distance of 50 kilometers and the Swallow Nest villa, a beautiful building clinging Alupka is fringed by an almost ations, fal: Korelz and to the very edge of a sheer cliff. Its balcony overhanging the sea commands a wonderful view of the south coast Farther are two fine new sanatoriums—Kurpaty and Golden Beach, The Dyulber palace at Miskhor is architecturally an object. It ig remarkable for ils great size and the striking contrast which its white walls present against the vivid green of the surrounding landscape. The domes, the fla: roofs, Arabic ornamentation and wood-latticed windows of the palace are characteristic of Moslem art. interestingFarther on the road passes the former royal estates of Oreanda and Livadia. The romantic landscape of Oreanda with the varied. green tones of its eypresses, oaks and Taurels against a background of rugged crags instantly charms the traveller. Here at every step is the charm of variety: there the shimmering effulgence of the hot southern sun in the azure sea, here the mountains rear- ing their heads into the sky, yawning abysses and rushing waterfalls, soon to be followed by the emerald-green Jaywns of Livadia ‘The park of Livadia is an enchanting retreat. ‘The grounds ate generously filled witly Nower beds, hot-houses and evergreen plants. Through the gaps of the tall eypresses fone ‘ean glimpse the chaste lines of the former palace of Nicholas I, built in the style of the Italian Renaissance Many of the rooms are richly panelled with wood. From the windows there are some excellent views of the s and the shore. To-day this palace houses the Stalin S: natorium which accommodates 750 persons every month Beyond Livadia the road dips gently towards Yalta, gleaming below with the white of its villas and palaces. The town lies in a bowl-shaped hollow of the hills which slope down to the beautifully curving beach of a semi cular bay. The high mountain range of the Yaila rising to f height of 1,250 meters encloses Yalta from three sides and affords a secure protection against the cold winds. Clusters of eypress groves invade the mountain slopes, imparting a charming picturesqueness to the locality. In the spring the waterfall of Uchan-Su in the environs of Yalta (9 km.) hurls its waters in a veil of flying mist from a height of 100 meters. In the evenings and mornings the countryside is alive with richly changing colours. At night tho hillsides are dotted with innumerable electric lights which twinkle and beckon bewitchingly when viewed from Ai-Petr, On the sea front, where the main life of the town is centred, are two Tntourist hotels—the Leningrad and Oreanda, After having taken a rest in one of these hotels, tho tourist sels out to view the town and its environs. Yalta is a splendid health-resort and seaport town with an exceptionally mild climate and an abundance of sun- shine. The mean annual temperature is 56° Fabr., while the annoal number of sunny hours averages 2,600. The town naturally became the favourite retreat in the years hefore the Revolution, of the wealthy, the aristocracy, government officials and the merchant class, In those days these people came here more for pleasure than for treatment. No sanatoriums existed, and there was only one boarding establishment, After the Revolution Yalta became f@ health resort of the working people. It has been ex- tensively rebuilt and renovated and has changed beyond recognition, Numerous new buildings have been erected in the town, an elegant passenger port has been built, a huge cold storage plant, a bread factory and a film factory have been put up, the electric station has been enlarged, the streets and the sea front have been planted with trees, a fan palm nursery has been eslablished and several excellent new resort establishments have been built, notably the one at Dolossy, the medical workers’ sanatoriums, etc. ‘The construction of health resort establishments both in Yalta and throughout the south coast of the Crimea is progressing on an increasing scale. In addition to sanato- riums and rest homes hhouses are being built for the staff, parks of culture and rest are being laid out, villa grounds and roadways are being widened and improved. Large sans. ‘toriums and rest homes are having thelr own food supply centers in the way of state farms Hundreds of millions of rubles have been invested by the Soviet Government in improvements and equipment for the Grimean resorts. The general plan of reconstruction fof the Crimea now being carried out will make this in the near future the world’s beauty spot ‘The sanatoriums of the Crimea possess new medical equip: ment which allow treatment in accordance with the last A view of Simeiz