A planned cruise down the Dnieper from Kiev to the Black Sea was was cancelled when Russia annexed the Crimea in 2014 so we took the chance to spend a few days in Kiev as soon as we could. Continue reading
Places
A Day In Chernobyl
On the television today was coverage of the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster. I remember reading about this in the Evening Standard while on the tube in London on the evening it happened. In those days you didn’t know about things instantly by twitter and it was breaking news in the early evening. It got me thinking about whether I would ever view the village as a tourist site and of course I wouldn’t. However I did want to go to Chernobyl, the site of a disaster on an even greater scale. Continue reading
The Museums of Chisinau
Museums are a great way to spend a day while dodging rain storms.
Ten Hours in Transnistria
Transnistria – a break away republic formed in 1990 on a small strip of land between the Dniester river and the Ukraine, is strange. Trouble is its not that much stranger than Moldova where we were staying but its a tourist must so it had to be done.
A Few Days In Chisinau
Chisinau is not a tourist city and our hotel wasn’t really designed for tourists which is probably why we enjoyed its weirdness so much.
A Walk Around Mumbai
Walking round a new city is always the best way to find out how it works.
Two sides of Mumbai
A walk along the Arabian sea coast in Mumbai takes you from the slum of Colaba past Nariman Point business area and the whole length of Marine Drive to Chowpatty beach at the far end.
Lunch in Mumbai
Mumbai has a unique lunch service enabled by one of its greatest assets – Its extensive railway system.
A Trip to Dhobi Ghat
Getting to Dhobi Ghat means travelling on an Indian local train. This is an experience in itself, they are unbelievably crowded and the doors are never closed so people hang out of them. Many travellers are killed every year.
A Stay at a Kibbutz Hotel
While staying at a Kibbutz hotel on the shores of the Sea of Galilee we were shown around the permanent residents area. Kibbutz means group in Hebrew so a kibbutz is a democratic group with communal ownership of property. As someone old enough to have been a student at the time everyone was keen to spend time at a kibbutz they seem to have changed quite a lot over the last 50 years.