Our expectations, for this section of the itinerary, were low. Firstly, we weren't looking forward to the long crossing of the Black Sea, because we feared that it might be quite rough. Secondly, we had visited the city of Constanta more than 11 years before, as part of a river cruise from Vienna and we weren't too impressed by the place then. Our misgivings were unfounded. The Black Sea crossing was calm, sunny and very relaxing and we enjoyed a lovely afternoon exploring the city of Constanta independently.

It was lovely to see a very familiar ship, the Island Sky, docked just across from where we were about to dock. In 2011 we sailed around the Baltic on this ship and we have another cruise already booked for July 2015! It got even better when Bruce discovered that the cruise director from our earlier voyage was currently on the ship. We decided that it might be nice to try and see him... more later!

Once again, we decided to skip the organised tour today. Although it included some sights in the city centre that we wanted to return to, it also included a trip out to the Murfatlar vineyard, with its folkloric show and wine tasting, both of which we had experienced in 2003 and had no desire to repeat! We had a quick bite to eat and then set off on foot. The walk from the port into town was slightly longer (and slightly duller) than anticipated, but there were some interesting sights along the way. Looking back, it was quite fun to get a photo of our two favourite ships in one photo.

The local blood bank?

"Welcome to Constanta" (at the port entrance)

Constanta's casino building is arguably the city's most famous landmark. It is an imposing building, built more than 130 years ago, but has definitely seen better decades. One guide book says that it "watches the Black Sea", which might possibly have been better translated as "guards the Black Sea". Either way, it sounds about right, because it does have a commanding position.

The cathedral, built between 1883 and 1885, is situated in the historic area of the city, close to the seafront boulevard and the casino.

Work on the original interior painting of the church was started in 1888, three years after completion of construction. The task was given to Demetrescu Mirea, a famous painter of the time. Instead of traditional Byzantine painting, Mirea preferred a more realistic style, assigning the saints personalities and bearing the faces of people from everyday life in Constanta. This triggered a scandal and shocked the Orthodox Church. They refused to consecrate the cathedral and requested emergency changes to the paintings. After nearly a decade, during which time the church did not function, the Ministry of Culture approved the consecration of the shrine in 1895 with all of the existing paintings. Sadly, none of the original paintings remain, because the church was destroyed in the second world war and was rebuilt in 1951 with quite a different artistic style.

The city centre was strangely quiet and largely deserted. Perhaps this is normal for a Sunday afternoon, because our recollection from our last visit in 2003, was of a very busy city with cars everywhere!

The Greek Church "Metamorphosis" is a small sanctuary located in the historic area of the city, close to the modern beach. Building was completed in 1867 when this region, Dobrogea, was part of the Ottoman Empire and it became the first Christian place of worship in Constanta. It was built with the consent of the Sultan Mehmet Han Bin Abdul Aziz, who responded positively to a request by the Greek community to build a place of worship in the area, on condition that it should not be higher than any mosque in the city and that it was built at a distance from the Turkish district.

Until 1948, Greek priests officiated, but with the departure of the last greek priest this task was taken over by Romanian priests. In 1974, financial difficulties forced the Greek committee, which managed the church, to transfer jurisdiction to the Romanian Orthodox Church. Although it is no longer a formal place of worship for Greeks, there is an annual celebration, the feast of Saint Fanourios, on 27th August for the city's ethnic Greeks. The building is now a historical and cultural monument.

The National History and Archaeology Museum of Constanta is one of the richest museums in Romania and the second largest in the country, after the National History Museum in Bucharest.

The collection consists of over 430,000 objects dating from the Paleolithic to modern times. Included are Greek, Romanian, Byzantine and medieval objects (stone, bronze and iron tools and weapons), ceramics, antique architectural elements (columns, capitals, pediments, scenery, etc..), ancient sculptures, glass vases, bronze statues, jewelry, coins (the collection includes silver, bronze and gold coins, some of them unique), icons, documents, maps, models, photographs, telegrams, magazines, objects of some personalities of the early twentieth century, furniture and other objects of great historical significance.

The Roman Mosaic building is located close to the Museum of National History and Archaeology and was discovered in 1959 when other work was being done in Ovidiu Square. Further research discovered that the monument was built in the fourth century and gradually spread until around the sixth century, when it stopped. In its glory times the edifice represented the largest building of its kind in the whole Roman Empire and served as a link between the port and the ancient city. Originally, the building spanned three of the four terraces of the Tomis harbour waterfront. The first terrace was located at the current Ovidiu Square and connected with one of the ancient city's public markets. Some huts and an impressive hall with a mosaic pavement occupied the next terrace of the building. The mosaic hall represents the actual place of meeting of the merchants and officials of that time. The last terrace was situated on the ancient harbor quays. The building was equipped with a rainwater drainage system. With the fall of the Tomis fortress in the sixth century, the building was not maintained and degraded. However, being made of good quality mosaic the floor has been preserved very well. Of a total area of 2000 square metres of mosaic pavement, only an area of about 850 square metres is preserved.

Carol I Mosque, named after King Carol I, is located in the Ovidiu Square area. Construction started in 1910 and was completed in 1913. The building contains a unique mixture of Egyptian, Byzantine and Romanian architectural styles. The 47 metre high minaret dominates the area. There are 140 steps up to the terrace at the top of the minaret, with a seemingly endless spiral staircase (which Bruce can confirm!), from where there is lovely view of the city and the harbour.

The mosque has many heritage objects, among which is the Abdul Hamid carpet, one of the oldest oriental rugs in Europe. The carpet, which has an area of 144 square meters and weighs about 500 kilograms, was donated by the sultan of the island of Ada Kaleh (a piece of land located in the middle of the Danube, 3 kilometers downstream from Orsova). The island sank in 1970 (following the Iron Gates dam project), and the carpet was donated to the mosque of Constanta.

Another quote from the guide book: "The touristic harbour of Tomis is one of Constanta's most famous locations for both tourists and locals. Whatever the season, it is the place of choice for people who want to admire the sea or just walk on the seafront and where luxury yachts and sailing boats rest. Waterfront terraces and numerous chic restaurants serving fish dishes can be enjoyed".

After another lovely late afternoon tea on board, Bruce decided to disembark once again and go into the terminal building to make use of the free wi-fi. Within minutes of sitting down, who should walk in but Jannie, cruise director from the Island Sky. They spent half an hour chatting and exchanging stories since last meeting three years before.