Sochi, Russia
by Mara Baudais
I had walked for two hours—alone with the sounds of an approaching storm.
Thunder, then lightning flashed above the forest. Light rain fell, then more. My group, all passengers from my ship that had docked at Sochi, had quickly scampered ahead at the first crack of thunder. Somehow, suddenly it had happened…I was on my own, on increasingly slippery granite, limestone steps, roots and uneven chunks of clay.
I had both a knee and ankle support on an already compromised left leg. As well, I was still recuperating from a very bad case of bronchitis and rib inflammation started by two wasp stings. However, I had resolved to take this tour unless I was bed-ridden, not knowing how difficult this trail was really going to be. I was eager to set foot in Russia since I had Russian great- grandparents who had emigrated to Canada.
It had become impossible for me to keep up with this very mobile group. At first I found it quite amusing to see the guide on the steps with her wobbly spiked red heels. After the third trip to see if I was still alive, she never returned to me again. That was not quite so funny! I was alone somewhere in this Reserve with a storm brewing and the dusk increasing.
Half way, (according to a Russian sign) I knew there was nothing else to do but go forward. I had to shuffle my feet to keep upright as it was so slippery, other times hanging onto guard rails. I looked for moss, leaves and gravel for traction. I climbed innumerable rock steps, my breathing heavy, my chest and ribs aching. My fever returned. With every uneven step my ankle and knee were jarred. I was conscious of not falling. I had no choice but to keep going.
Then, it appeared–what I had come to see–a corridor of ancient limestone and shale, ten million years old, right angling into the next section. They appeared as elongated dominoes thrust from the Black Sea floor through eons of upheaval as the mountains formed. Pieces of fossilized plant and crustacean life had found their resting place far from the sea bed.
I gently touched the fossils, lingering as long as I could with thunder, lightning and gentle rain as my companions. I fingered the ancient layers, marvelling that at one point in prehistory these same crustaceans below my fingers were once part of a sea. I tried to capture the eternity they held. I now knew being alone was a gift with which to experience this ancient place and I was so grateful for this solitary time.
I remember that moment. There was a closer flash of lightning, an ominous loud roll of thunder. Deepening twilight was quickly creeping towards me soon to cover treacherous steps. The moist smell of decaying vegetation and spores from ferns enveloped me.
I passed a cat, white with orange stripes, curled into a mossy tree root. It had found its home. I still needed to find mine. I came face to face with a wire fence at the end of a path. I retraced my steps for about five minutes, getting back on the main path. I did not want to think about making such a mistake again in the dark.
I carried on, into darkness now. Surely it couldn’t be much further. Where was the rest of the group? I passed a lone statute of a leopard as if leaping. My steps quickened. Why was this statue here? I later learnt that this area is home to the Persian Snow Leopard, an endangered species.
A few more minutes of walking I came to a mountain hut lit by a porch lantern. My group was sipping tea and looking at simple souvenirs, mainly icons of saints. I bought one in thanks for my safety. I was the only one who bought one. Then, one of the group handed me a cup of steaming tea and said, “Wow, you must have had quite an adventure out there on your own!” I smiled and said, “Yes, an adventure of a lifetime! I wouldn’t have missed one step of it!”
The city of Sochi sits at the eastern end of the Black Sea at Russia’s furthest area south. It is known as the ‘Summer Capital of Russia’ and also the ‘Black Sea Pearl’. Four million visitors arrive annually. In a subtropical area, it has been a favourite resort since the Tzars. The Caucasian Biosphere Reserve, north of Sochi, is part of the Caucasus Mountains, with 3000 km2 of unique and diverse flora and fauna.
Human habitation goes back 500,000 years and there are undisturbed remnants of 150 prehistoric villages. The area was a prince’s hunting reserve called ‘Kuban Chase’ in the l880s. In 1906 the area was returned to settlers. In 1924 the area was referred to as the Kavkazskiy Reserve. In 1999 it became a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site, 120 km east to west and 50 km north to south.
The Reserve is at the west edge of the Caucasus backed by the Black Sea. This sea played an enormous part in the unique geology of the area—with karst limestone formations—of many forms. The glaciated landscape ranges from 250 to 3000 metres in height. There is a diversity of ecosystems containing sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks. Ancient geological formations range from crystalline rocks, ancient glacial forms, caves, limestone ranges of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Precambrian to Paleozoic periods are represented by mountain peaks, valleys, 130 high altitude lakes, mountain bogs, 60 remnant glaciers and moraines. There are 130 caves, one being 15 km, the longest in all of Russia. Landscapes are generally Mediterranean mountain forest and meadow.
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nhabiting this area are 384 species of vertebrates. There are 60 mammal species including wolf, bear, lynx, wild boar, deer, chamois and reintroduced European bison which are globally endangered. There are 246 species of birds, some endangered as well as l5 species of reptiles, 7 of amphibians, 12 kinds of fishes and 2500 recorded insect species from a projected total of 5000.
This area has been home to the Persian Snow Leopard, another threatened species. It was chosen as one of the mascots for the 2014 Olympic Games. In 2009, a Persian Snow Leopard Reintroduction Centre was established. Two male leopards from Turkmenistan and two females from Persia are in the Centre and their offspring will be released into the Reserve. In 2012 a pair of leopards from Portugal’s zoo was also brought to the Reserve and in 2013 they had a litter, the first Persian Snow Leopard cubs born in Russia in 50 years. They will be released when independent.
Only wild animals graze here and huge areas of undisturbed forests are unique in Europe covering 60% of the Reserve. There are beech, oak, maple, hornbeam, chestnut, Nordmann Fir, (thought to be the tallest European tree) a unique form of English Yew, pine, spruce and European Box. One third of the total plant life is found only here. Ten percent of the plant life is a relic of an ancient time period.
The yew-box tree-grove through which most visitors hike, the sub-tropical part, contain plants preserved without change for many millennium. More than 200 kinds of herbal and 70 kinds of wood plants live here.
If You Go:
♦ Sochi National Park
♦ Visa: Not necessary by cruise ship or ferry; otherwise visa is necessary, which takes several months.
♦ By Air: Moscow and St. Petersburg as well as flights from Vienna and Istanbul.
♦ By Water: Ferry from Trabzon, Turkey, 3.5 hours,May to Oct. twice a week; from Batumi, Georgia, 4.5 hours, daily.
♦ By Train: 2.5 hours from Moscow.
♦ By Car: Through Ukraine and Turkey, 1660 km from Moscow.
Private Arrival Transfer: Sochi Airport to Sochi Arrival Hotel
A Must Watch:
Caucasus-Caucasian Biosphere Reserve with Sergey Karpukhin’s Photography. Fabulous photography and music.
All photographs by Mara Baudais:
Snow Leopard statue
Knarled growths of old trees
First part of the path
To the right of photo, descending onto lower path
Beautiful but dangerous area of steps and pathway
Stratified limestone
Forest and ferns
About the author:
Mara Baudais writes creative non-fiction, travel articles, philosophical essays, memoirs and poetry. These are mainly based on traveling and/or a deeply insightful experience. Besides extensively traveling in Europe, she has visited North Africa, Thailand, Israel, Turkey, China, Inner Mongolia, Tibet, Sri Lanka post-tsunami, Guatemala, Canada (coast to coast), local areas of the B.C. coast and the Yukon. Recently was a six month trip from Great Britain to the eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea countries. The most recent trip was to Russia with a river cruise, Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sergiev Posad, a medieval pilgrimage town.
Beziers is ancient. It has been settled since neolithic times, predating the arrival even of the wide ranging Celts. The Phoenicians are credited as being the first settlers and the city itself takes its inception as 575 BC, only 25 years younger than ancient Marseille. The Romans re founded the city in 36 or 35 BC as a settlement for retired veterans renaming it Colonia Julia Baeterrae Septimanorum. Even the Islamic Moors had a short reign as rulers here from 720 to 752.
With difficulty, amid the winding streets of the old city where we actually came upon a sign pointing in two separate directions to the cathedral, we eventually found ourselves in a shaded square staring high up at the steeple of Saint Nazaire. To say it is awe inspiring is saying the least. It oozed poignancy; I half expected the stone to speak or ghosts to stare down from its heights.
The Albigensian Crusade was initiated by Pope Innocent III, a most ironic title at best, in 1208, against a growing religious splinter group known as the Cathars ( from the Greek Katharos meaning pure). The crusade was to persist until the last of the Cathar “parfaits” was burned at the stake in 1321. What the crusade missed the Inquisition finished. The Cathars, who have been referred to as the Buddhists of Christianity, held there were two gods at play in the world and the world of man was created by the evil god, the satanic god, and the only way to escape was to live a pure life and after several incarnations one would exit the vicious cycle. As part of the purity were such requirements as vegetarianism and celibacy. Of highest esteem were the “parfaits”, those who were most achieved in their quest for heaven.
On July 21, 1209 the crusaders appeared at the doorstep of the city and sent word the Catholics could leave and be spared the fate of the resident Cathars. In a remarkable display of loyalty the Catholics chose to stay with their friends and neighbours. The forces of the Crusaders quickly overran the defences and fell upon the inhabitants like wolves. None, neither man woman nor child, Catholic or Cathar, were spared.
Clambering down we emerged at the square below the heavenly directed spire. An emblazoned plaque sits as a silent reminder of the dark deeds of so many years ago. To be remembered. That is good.
The cheery pedestrian ways, squares and cafe’s brought us back to the present and the witnessing of the fact life goes on. And under the Sun of southern France colour and liveliness are even more rampant. Beziers is like its urban kin throughout southern France. It is beautiful and a treat to explore.
If you enjoyed the liberalism, museums and art galleries of Amsterdam, why not continue on less than an hour’s train ride away in the far less touristy yet decidedly more international ‘city of peace and justice,’ Den Haag (‘The Hague’)? As well as these kinds of attractions, Den Haag’s human rights law courts – the International Criminal Court, International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia, and International Court of Justice – offer free, extraordinary experiences that can’t be had anywhere else in the world. Den Haag is also home to the 
Most people visiting Den Haag visit the Peace Palace. Currently celebrating its 100th anniversary, the Peace Palace established Den Haag as an international centre for human rights. At the visitors centre, Tuesday – Friday, 10 – 5pm (4pm in winter), you can enjoy a free short film and interactive exhibition about all that is housed here: the International Court of Justice (United Nations court that settles legal disputes between the 192 United Nations member states), the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the Peace Palace Library and the Hague Academy for International Law (visit takes 30-45 mins). On weekends, you can tour the palace and its courtrooms for €8.50. Book tickets 
Over in another area of Den Haag, the International Criminal Court – which places on trial alleged perpetrators of crimes against humanity – also offers free tours: Tuesday to Friday, 10am – 12. Incredibly inspiring, the tour gave me an amazing insight into the lengths the court goes to, to enable victims of human rights abuses to testify: from organising visa-free travel to Den Haag, to teaching victims about computers and court rooms, giving them psychological counselling, and allowing them all the time they need to share their experiences with the court. BOOKING IS REQUIRED 1 MONTH ahead (2 months for groups of 5+) by emailing in the form found here. You can also watch cases. No need to book – just remember your passport. Check the 
I watched a case, actually two – not at the International Criminal Court but at the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the first international war crimes tribunal since WWII. If you’ve travelled to Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia or Kosovo, you’ll be very aware of the 1990s conflicts that went on within these regions. Or perhaps you remember the horrific images in the news? Serbian soldiers holding the Bosnian city of Sarajevo under siege for almost 4 years, of refugees fleeing their newly declared nation of Kosovo, of mass slaughter upon mass slaughter. Perhaps while Europe suffered another genocide, you were in a classroom learning about Nazi Germany or in a movie theatre watching the newly released Schlinder’s List? The ICTY is today’s Nuremburg Trials.
Infamous war criminals such as Radovan Karadžic attract visitors, but for the little-known, I was pretty much it. After passing through security, I was escorted to a small room with a large window into a court room. Watching a live court case of this magnitude was fascinating: two men charged with genocide, a policeman either side; an American lawyer; a British judge; two additional judges; a witness; the British judge instructing the witness to refrain from looking at the accused every time he began to speak; simultaneous language translation into English, French and Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian; the American lawyer defining the word ‘payment’ as a catch-all term in English as opposed to its more specific meanings in Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian.
Leaving the ICTY, I notice the World Forum Convention Centre next door and decide to check it out. Glad I did. The interior is very, very interesting! There’s a world map carpet, zebra toilets, a basement themed by the world’s oceans, a ground floor themed by the world’s continents, a first floor themed by the world’s rivers, and a second floor themed by the world’s mountains. Den Haag has a lot of novel surprises like that. Effort seems to be put into making things that extra bit fun, revealing another way the city cultivates all that is good about humanity. You can see it everywhere: in the bike and pedestrian culture, in the bustling historical squares full of cafes and bars, in the parks and forested areas (outnumbering those of any other Dutch city), and in the culturally diverse shops and events. There are so many things to do that I haven’t even mentioned. Visit the 
Although the sea seems to stop a long way from the mountains, I realised they meet nearly every day; and that it is an ancient tale painted differently each time. Sometimes the sky expresses itself with bold snow; leaving a picture that demands your attention. Other times it impresses with light brush strokes of ephemeral rain; hiding the boundary between wet and dry land. If you look closely, it often seems to use two hands to do both of the above at the same time. Set against Bergen’s northern mountains, I noticed precipitation falling as snow and rain at the same time for the first time.
A combination of the visual splendour and memories of past hobo travels inspired me to walk to the Vandrerhjem Montana hostel half way up Mount Ulriken, where I’d booked five nights accommodation.
Passing the lake-looking Store Lungegardsvann; which is in fact the sea reaching around Bergen’s centre like a curling outstretched arm and big clenched hand; I walked up past parks decorated with Edvard Greig and Ole Bull statues to the colourful Logen theatre house.
Bergen’s distinctive docklands buildings are built on the original site of the city, dating from the 11th century. Its strategic location helped Bergen become Norway’s capital and the largest city in Scandinavia during the Middle Ages. It was a member of the Hanseatic League trading confederation, and there is a museum commemorating merchant life from 1360-1754 in the red, green and yellow wooden buildings on the eastern edge of Bryggen.
“Fair Verona” is brimming with historical and artistic treasures, such as the magnificent Arena, whose sands where once stained with the blood of gladiators, but now hosts one of the most spectacular opera festivals in the world.
The tunnel-like entrance to the courtyard is covered in graffiti and lovers traditionally leave their names, snippets of poetry or messages of love on panels that cover the walls, if they can find space, creating a fascinating collage dedicated to love.
Behind the statue, the railings are covered in padlocks forming a chain created by lovers from all around the world. Couples write their names on padlocks, which can be bought from the handy gift shop, or bring their own, to write their names on and bind their love forever. This gimmick, which the cynical criticize as being solely a source of commercial profit, nevertheless creates a unique piece of living art, which is constantly changing. According to popular belief couples who leave messages on Juliet’s Wall, in any shape or form, will find eternal love.
Although Juliet and her Romeo may never have existed, the places associated with Shakespeare’s tragic heroine have become a memorial to romantic love, a testimony to the hopes and dreams of those looking for love and a symbol of belief in eternal fidelity.
