Archive for Category: "Eastern Europe"
The Old Believers of Lake Peipsi: Uncovering the Secretive Culture
With a history that has seen its share of tears, perhaps it is not surprising that onions are the chief crop of the people known as Old Believers who live along the western shores of Lake Peipsi in Estonia. Members of this once-closed community peeled back layers of their lineage here for Meg Pier, sharing [...]
Beyond Tourism: Navigating Contemporary Prague
While Prague is quintessential “old world” charm, it’s also a 21st century city awash in contemporary art and design. Dena Rochwerger-Braun investigates how the juxtaposition of old and new creates a different feel for repeat visitors each time they visit Prague. Every visitor to Prague must wander the streets and drink in her beauty, visit [...]
Former Soviet Republics Plagued By Plane Crashes: New Russian Crash Kills 44
Forty-four people died on Monday when a RusAir passenger jet crashed while trying to land in Petrozavodsk, a Russian city 400 miles outside of Moscow. Most passengers, including four American citizens, were killed on impact but eight people were pulled from wreckage including a mother and her two children. Five remain in critical condition. The [...]
Japan Nuclear Disaster Sparks Rise In Chernobyl Tours
In light of the ongoing disaster at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant in Japan, the meltdown in Chernobyl has taken on a new meaning as curious tourists participate in government-sanctioned tours of the nuclear disaster zone. In January, nearly 25 years after the world’s worst nuclear disaster, the Ukranian government opened up the sealed [...]
Suicide Bomber Detonates Device in Russia’s Busiest Airport
A terrorist attack in Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport has killed at least 35 people and injured 130 more after a suicide bomber detonated a homemade bomb in a busy area near international arrivals. The blast released an explosion equivalent to seven kilograms of TNT. It was particularly lethal because the bomb was stuffed with metal objects [...]
Russian Fires Force Moscow Flight Diversions
Plumes of smoke from drought-related wildfires forced flight restrictions at Moscow airports on Friday. As dense smoke pushed Moscow air pollution to five times normal levels, 140 flights were grounded or diverted because of low visibility. Visibility at airports in the capital was reported to be as little 1,148 feet this morning, forcing aviation officials [...]
Croatia Travel: Croatian Island Day Trips from Dubrovnik
Say “Croatia” to most people, and they’ll tell you to visit Dubrovnik. In the summer months, the city gets crowded – and some say overcrowded – with tourists, but what they don’t realize is that just outside of Dubrovnik is the real reason to go. You just need to hop on a boat. Lea [...]
Cruising the Danube River, Part 1: Budapest & Bratislava
This is part one of a four-part series by Karen Elowitt, who recently took a cruise on the Danube River. She spent eight days traveling between Budapest, Hungary, and Passau, Germany with Uniworld Cruises. In her dispatches she chronicles the cities she stopped in, the festive Christmas markets, and the pros and cons of [...]
