Just to add to a few of Andi's comments - in Sochi if you are accompanied by a tour guide you don't need a visa, just if you want to wander on your own. The downtown, seaport area of Sochi, is a nice place for a stroll, but you need to get away from the center to see anything. We all enjoyed the mountaintop panarama stop, certainly never expecting to be able to pet and hold a lion cub! I was amazed by how green and scenic the whole area is, mainly forested with sparsely settled valleys and tall mountains as a backdrop to the almost turquoise sea. Traffic was a nightmare, though, which limits what you can see in a reasonable amount of time. They have a lot of logistics to work on before they host the Olympics since the venue is about 1 1/2 hours from Sochi proper.

The monastery in Trabzon is a don't miss - you could do that on your own, potentially, but it is quite a distance from the port - about an hour driving. Trabzon is not a port on the tourist/cruise ship circuit and I don't think too many people, and probably no taxi drivers, speak English. Our guide for the Regent excursion was flown in from Istanbul, as were the guides in the other buses most likely. He was terrific and had many interesting stories to tell about his life, Turkish history and politics, the conflict between Islamists and secularists, etc.


We are ready for a sea day today for sure having been on the go for two weeks!