Yalta

Yalta is in the Crimean part of Ukraine - note the barren hills behind the city.

My first stop was Massandra Palace which was commissioned by Czar Alexander III and took 25 years to complete, however Nicholas preferred Livadia (which we went to next) and used this as a hunting lodge but the czars never lived in it! Lots of beautiful wood work inside. It was used by the KGB as a summer dachau during the Soviet regime.
When restoring they discovered part of the original frescoes.
And the rose garden was planted with 100s of different varieties.
Lavadia Palace which was built by Nicholas II.
Two cats at the entrance!
One of the chandeliers in the upper section.
This is where the Crimean Treaty was signed by Churchill, Roosevelt & Stalin at the end of the Second World War.
As depicted in this photo.