My final day in Chernobyl (and Ukraine) started grey and drizzly. M had scheduled a tour for me inside the Chernobyl Power Plant, but it didn’t start until mid-morning, so we went exploring Chernobyl Town (for which the power plant was named). The town is Continue reading “Site 176: Chernobyl (Day 4)”
My third day in the exclusion zone started bright and sunny. Today we were headed to the Duga-1 radar array, also known as the Russian Woodpecker. It was built in 1976 as a way to detect any missles that might come over the horizon from the U.S. Now, satellite Continue reading “Site 175: Chernobyl (Day 3)”
Pripyat. If there is a by-word for what the world would look like if people disappeared suddenly, this town is it. Thirty-six hours after Reactor 4 exploded, the people of Pripyat were finally evacuated. This was a coordinated effort that had the entire population Continue reading “Site 174: Chernobyl (Day 2)”
I don’t know when I first thought about visiting Chernobyl – I think it’s been on my mind for years, probably from the first time I saw photos of the abandoned buildings in Pripyat. I remember when the accident was first announced to the world – Continue reading “Site 173: Chernobyl (Day 1)”
Another World Heritage Site in Kyiv in the Larva Monastery, also known as the Monastery of the Caves. This is a huge complex with its own cathedral, numerous churches, a belltower, and various other buildings. However, what it is really known Continue reading “Site 172: Kyiv’s Pechersk Lavra”
Before coming to Kiev I hadn’t really heard or read of any major cemeteries in the city (of course not – the much darker site of Chernobyl to the north would draw most visitors). But a quick Google search led to me Baikove, which is the city’s Continue reading “Site 171: Kyiv’s Baikove Cemetery”
stone and dust 