Payless

For a large part of the 20th century, the Black Sea was largely off-limits -- until the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989. In the years since, it has become an increasingly popular cruise destination.

One highlight of the voyage was the enrichment lecture program, covering topics from the history of the Russian czars and the Russian Revolution to Cold War spying and Chernobyl.

The unusual subtropical climate around the "Russian Riviera" city of Sochi, our first port of call, makes it a popular destination for the Russian elite. The post-Cold War boom in tourism has resulted in a sprawl of resort hotels and condominiums along its once-pristine coastline. Further inundation is expected when Sochi hosts the Winter Olympics in 2014.

A Russian visa is required to explore on one's own, but group visas are provided for those partaking in ship tours. We opted to take two of the Discovery's excursions, beginning with a morning visit to a tea chalet overlooking the town of Dagomys, then a more sobering tour to Josef Stalin's camouflaged dacha, called Green Grove.

The next two ports, Yalta and Sevastopol, while both Ukrainian, were like night and day. Picturesque Yalta, once playground of the czars and home to Chekhov and Tolstoy, boasts rugged beaches, Mediterranean-style architecture and a mountainous backdrop.

The first stop was the 1902-built Massandra Palace, originally Alexander III's summer home. We spent the remainder of the day at the even more impressive Livadia Palace, where Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt converged for the Yalta Summit in 1945.

Arriving the following morning in Sevastopol was akin to sailing into a fortress, with gray Russian and Ukrainian warships lined up in every direction.

In stark contrast to the tight security of the Communist era, tours are now offered to Sevastopol's navy yard and nuclear submarine depot. We opted for a slightly less ominous excursion to the ancient Greek archaeological site of Chersonesos.

Our last Black Sea port of call was Nesebur, near the Bulgarian port of Burgas. A Unesco World Heritage Site dubbed "The Dubrovnik of the Black Sea," it is home to quaint Byzantine cathedrals, restaurants and art galleries. After wandering its cobblestone streets, we settled in at a cafe overlooking the bay for some delicious Bulgarian yogurt.

The Discovery returns to the region this fall and again in spring 2010. Visit us.voyagesofdiscovery.com.