Adler Adventures (The Black Sea)

Heading towards the Black Sea, we entered a really nice part of Adler, with some cobblestone walkways,  and nice houses and apartments.

Cobblestone streets

 

We passed this nice looking (but modern) church with a golden "Onion Dome", which is the kind of architecture that comes to mind when you think of Russia.

Nice looking church

 

As we approached the beach, we came into an area that reminded me of what I imagine Coney Island boardwalks look like (on a much smaller scale),  since I've never been to Coney Island.  There were all sorts of kiddie rides and vendors.

Old tree at entrance to beach

 

And it wouldn't be Sochi without the palm trees!  It was a beautiful sunny day, and though I brought a fleece coat, I carried it most of the time and just walked around in a golf shirt.

Palm trees and kiddie rides!

 

Finally, the beach!  Got some very pretty shots here.  The sand is very dark (almost black).  There were actually some people bathing/swimming in the sea.

The Beach and the Sun!

 

The airport is quite close to the sea, so the planes come in very low.  They pass right over the bridge we came across on, at a very low (and loud) height.

Planes heading into Adler Airport (Sochi)

 

We found the remains of an old pier, that we could walk out onto an get some shots.  To get out to the end, you had to walk/hop across a seaweed covered rock base that was mostly covered with water.  If you timed the roll of the sea properly, you only had to step in about an inch of water.  But at other times it was 5-6" deep.  Timing is everything!  Here a picture of me standing at the end of the pier.

Me on the shores of the Black Sea!

 

After walking on the beach, we found another store with some higher end souvenirs and did some more shopping (but I'll show you that in a separate post).

Finding some solitude on pier!

 

Finally, one the way home, I caught this gentleman just enjoying the solitude at the end of a pier and thought it made for a pretty good photo!