T here are some remnants of history down by the port. Small sections of the old city wall remain, with a brick arch that would have been the entry point for merchants and seamen. T he port has expanded, and oil stains unwittingly add weight to the name Black Sea . T he town's beaches are clean and the water reasonably clear, but it is the parks that disturb the relaxing visitor. L itter and plastic bags clutter the flower beds and much of the grasslands.
Water fountains are empty and the concrete floor cracked, buckled and unattended.
The train south to Mangalia is a sorry window on man's disposable attitude to the environment. A big wind in the wrong direction and all of this plastic will have a one way ticket to the ocean. T here are some unspoiled areas that a few Romanian families drive out to for the day, but I doubt if they take their litter and beer bottles home. N eptun, just before Mangalia, is a complex of very similar communist-era hotels. For long sandy beaches, continue on to the more trendy Mangalia.