28th September. We stopped this morning at Jalta, a very small village, containing 500 inhabitants, and a handsome church founded by the Prince Woronzoff. It is built in pure Gothic style, and stands upon a hill outside of the village. The country is again delightful here, and beautiful hills and mountains, partly covered with fine woods, partly rising in steep precipices, extend close to the sea-shore.
The steamer stayed twenty-four hours at Jalta. I took advantage of the time to make an excursion to Alupka, one of the estates of Prince Woronzoff, famous for a castle which is considered one of the curiosities of the Crimea. The road to it passed over low ranges of hills close to the sea through a true natural park, which had here and there been embellished by the help of art. The most elegant castles and country-houses belonging to the Russian nobles are seated between woods and groves, gardens and vineyards, in open spaces on hills and declivities. The whole prospect is so charming, that it appears as if prosperity, happiness, and peace, only reigned here.
The first villa which attracted me was that of Count Leo Potocki. The building is extremely tasteful. The gardens were laid out with art and sumptuousness. The situation is delightful, with an extensive view of the sea and neighbourhood.
A second magnificent building, which, however, is more remarkable for magnitude than beauty of construction, lies near the sea-shore. It resembles an ordinary square house with several stories; and, as I was informed, was built as a country bathing-place of the emperor, but had not yet been made use of. This castle is called Oriander.
Far handsomer than this palace was the charming country-house of Prince Mirzewsky. It is seated on a hill, in the centre of a magnificent park, and affords a delightful view of the mountains and sea. The principal front is Gothic.
The villa of Prince Gallizin is built entirely in the Gothic style. The pointed windows, and two towers of which, decorated with a cross, give to it the appearance of a church, and the beholder involuntarily looks for the town to which this gorgeous building belongs.
This place lies nearly at the extremity of the fine country. From here the trees are replaced by dwarf bushes, and finally by brambles; the velvety-green turf is succeeded by stony ground, and steep rocks rise behind, at the foot of which lie a quantity of fallen fragments.
Even here very pretty seats are to be seen; but they are entirely artificial, and want the charm of nature.
After travelling about thirteen wersti, the road winds round a stony hill, and the castle of Prince Woronzoff comes in sight in its entire extent. The appearance of it is not by any means so fine as I had imagined. The castle is built entirely of stone, of the same colour as the neighbouring rocks. If a large park surrounded the castle, it would stand out more prominently, and the beauty and magnificence of its architecture would be better shown. There is, indeed, a well laid out garden, but it is yet new and not very extensive. The head gardener, Herr Kebach (a German), is a master in his art; he well knows how to manage the naked barren land, so that it will bear not only the ordinary trees, plants, and flowers, but even the choicest exotic plants.
The castle is built in the Gothic style, and is full of towers, pinnacles, and buttresses, such as are seen in similar well preserved buildings of olden time. The principal front is turned towards the sea. Two lions, in Carrara marble, artistically sculptured, lie in comfortable ease at the top of the majestic flight of steps which lead from the castle far down to the sea-shore.