Constanza, Romania

After Bucharest, we boarded our riverboat and went to Romania's largest port on the Black Sea--Constanta.  We admired the harbor and then learned a bit about the history of this place.  Constanta actually dates from ancient Greek and Roman times when it was known as Tomis until it was renamed in honor of the Roman emperor Constantine.  In fact, the poet, Ovid, was exiled to Tomis/Constanta and died there.   Below is a photo of the waterfront between an abandoned casino and a small lighthouse.  That's the casino you can see in the distance.

We visited a museum dedicated to ancient Greek and Roman artifacts.  Below is a vase I thought was especially delicate and lovely.  There was also a large partially preserved mosaic there from that period.  

 Just outside the museum were several ancient tombstones like the one below.  SO much writing!

In front of each tombstone was the translation into Romanian and English.  Reading them took me right to another world.  Here is a sample.  Don't forget you can click on any photo to see it larger.