Caught in a snow storm on a mountain pass in Austria. The road iced up resulting in Roadie and another motorhome bumping together. All in slow motion so no major damage. First scratch in 70,000klm
Impressive Kranjska Gora (gorge) Slovenia
Lake Bled in the Julian Alps, Slovenia.
Dubrovnik, Croatia, sustained heavy
shelling in 1991-2 by the Yugoslav Army. Now along with Split and Opatija
(Rijeka) make up three beautiful spots in what was to us a rather barren and
harsh Dalmatian Coastline
Sarajevo, where the shooting in 1914 of
the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, plunged the
world into WW1. In 1992-95 Saraevo and the Bosniaks (Muslim Bosnians) were
under siege by the Bosnian Serbs resulting in the death of over 10,500
Bosniaks. A dark period in recent European history who I for one can well
remember
Montenegro has been one of our favorite countries this year. The mountains inland from the coast are rugged and beautiful
It’s just that being there early in
April meant the snow gave us some challenges resulting in us being turned back
on more than one occasion
On to Kosovo and the NEW BORN country. I
worked for the UN in Pristina in 2010 and had my photo taken in the same
position. Just more graffiti on it now
Lunch with past UN work colleagues Fred
and Afrim at Lake Batlava, Kosovo
Veliko Tarnovo the ancient capital of
Bulgaria. Bulgaria has a history of conflict and settlement like many European
countries. Thracian tombs, Ottoman forts, Roman ruins and communist monuments.
However we will also remember Bulgaria for its rich agricultural country and
roses where I believe 60% of the world’s rose oil is produced
Communist
rule from 1946 - 89 followed by crime, corruption and economic mismanagement
have resulted in a depressed economy. Past state owned housing blocks are now
in sad repair. Corporate Bodies seem not to function in place of past central
government management; the result is that common areas fall into disrepair
Romania,
what an interesting country. Rolling hills, magnificent agricultural land and
Bucharest just blew us away, such a beautifully presented city but all of this
underlies a difficult past .........
Ceausecu finally fell after a confrontation with demonstrators where hundreds lost their lives. He was caught and executed within 3 days in December 1989 ending a dark period in Romania's history. This white obelisk is a memorial to those who died on that day
Bulgaria's once State owned factories
now crumble into ruins after failing to be able to function in a free trade
market
Ceausecu's megalomaniacal rule of
Romania was seen as misguided, chaotic and tyrannical. This is his house built
to excesses of all proportions and reputed to be the second largest residence
in the world after the White House
Ceausecu finally fell after a confrontation with demonstrators where hundreds lost their lives. He was caught and executed within 3 days in December 1989 ending a dark period in Romania's history. This white obelisk is a memorial to those who died on that day
To us Transylvania is epitomised by
Peles Castle set in magnificent scenery, snow-capped mountains and forests.
When you first see it, it certainly has the wow factor!
Of course a visit to Transylvania must
include the story of Vlad Draculea the Impaler. A name gained from his favorite
practice of impaling his enemies. His life was the inspiration for the
character of Dracula by novelist Bram Stoker.
Moldova is well known for its wines and
a nice drop can be bought for $4 to $5 a bottle!! The Cricova Winery cellars
are located within 120 klm of tunnelling in an old limestone mining area. Well
worth a visit!
The Orheiul Vechi Monastry Complex was carved into limestone cliffs by Orthodox monks in the 13th century. We camped across the river and within 100m of dwellings that date back 800 years.
The monastery was reopened in 1996 after being shut down by the Soviets in 1944. Marina is buying candles from the priest to light and reflect upon.
The Dniestre River (Nistra) has for centuries formed a large part of the border between the territories of Moldova and Ukraine. A string of forts along the river were built during the 14-16th centuries. This one in Soroca is a fine example having only just been restored.
A touching sight in Kiev. In memory to all those who died during 2014
Another memorial to a tortured past. To the millions who died in Ukraine from starvation and deportation during Stalin's purges 1932 - 33
In Kiev it was good to meet up with
another work colleague from Kabul, Dave Larson and his little daughter Anika
A tour from Kiev to Chernobyl. The site
of the 1986 atomic reactor disaster. Now the area is a restricted zone with all
permanent residents having been evacuated shortly after the explosion.
This is the Number 4 reactor that
notoriously blew up on the 26th April 1986 spewing 9 tonnes of radioactive
material into the atmosphere. After a cleaning process and the removal of top
soil from around the area the radiation levels are ...... safe as shown by the Geiger
counter.
Various donor nations are funding a €1.5
billion cover or sarcophagus which when completed will be pulled over the blown
reactor to replace the decaying original cover
The
memorial to the 29 firemen who died from radiation within two weeks of fighting
the fire
The robots built to work the area after
the explosion still show an elevated radiation level
A population of 137,000 was evacuated
from the nearby city of Prypyat along with over 200 other small villages. All
that now remains is a ghost town of crumbling buildings being overtaken with
forest growth
School desks, books and other belongings
still lying in place after nearly 30 years
Within the restricted Chornobyl area the
Soviets had their state of the art, "Over the Horizon Radar". A huge
construction, 150m in height and 900m in length. All had to be abandoned in
1986 after the explosion
Amongst the abandoned buildings, all that
remains of the Soviet security force is a Red Soldier with a stern look
Having obtained a visa for Belarus we
were looking forward to what we might see. Belarus gained independence from the
USSR in 1991 and President Lukashenko has held onto power ever since 1994.
With a reputation for being a harsh
authoritarian, autocratic state, we weren't sure what we would find. However we
were surprised; everything from roads, buildings, towns and cities are spick
and span; the majority of agricultural production is still under
collectivisation but appears to be some of the most productive that we have
seen in Eastern Europe but yes underneath it's still a repressive state. We
decided that it's more Russian than the Russians! The hammer and sickle is
everywhere
Belarus has historical significance for
WWII. The secret 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Hitler and Stalin agreed
on how they would divide Europe after the war. Belarus and the Balkans was to
be under Russian control however in June 1941 Germany attacked Brest a city in
the SW to finally take and hold Belarus until 1944. This is the fort and main
gate from the bridge on the Polish border where the Germans broke through
We were there on May the 9th, the Soviet
Victory Day. A time to remember the 26 million Soviets who died during WWII
which was over half of the estimated total 50 million people who died during
the war
Taken on a tour of Minsk by Ashen and Eger we visited the observation deck on top of the library and convention centre. A city skyline of cranes and new development
Always
in Eastern Europe beautiful churches
Goodbye to our hosts who looked after us with absolute eastern hospitality
