Chernobyl in Eastern Ukraine is one of the most infamous places on Earth. It used to be a normal, ordinary town, no different from thousands of others in the Soviet Union. It was quiet, peaceful, had its own theater, cinema and amusement park. People lived their life according to a daily routine until the 26th of April, 1986. In the middle of the night, a disastrous explosion shook Chernobyl. Reactor number 4 failed and ejected radioactive particles high up into the atmosphere. With the clouds and wind, the fallout was subsequently spread all over Europe, reaching as far as Scandinavia. Chernobyl and the surrounding area were evacuated virtually overnight. Only recently more and more people have started to return to their old homes. Three decades after the disaster, I visited Chernobyl and in this post I'll show you the way it is now.

Crimea, together with Russia and Ukraine was completely absent from the attention of the media up until the recent conflict. Recently, it has appeared in western news but, unfortunately, only for the wrong reasons. It's always gloomy and grey with the post-communist, heavy architecture. However, the truth is that looking at the beautiful coast surrounded by golden cliffs and blue waters of the Black Sea, you might get the feeling that you're somewhere in the Mediterranean. For sure not how you would have imagined it! The beaches in Yalta are full of sun seekers, the town itself is so vibrant and colorful and the situation at the peninsula is stable and safe now. Not too mention its greatest attraction - the Swallow's Nest Castle.