Category Archives: Around the World

Back to school

You probably haven’t noticed that it was a bit quiet around here for two weeks because I don’t post regularly enough, but André and I have been on vacation during the last two weeks of my school holidays. We went to the southwestern part of England during the first half of August and were very lucky with the weather – we only had rain on two days but never got wet while hiking.

We hiked several parts of the coastal path that surrounds most (all?) of England and did one or two other hikes as well. I was fascinated by the public footpaths and bridleways that anyone can use. We walked through fields with cows, sheep or horses and even crossed several private gardens, where one feels a bit like an intruder, but if there were people present they just said hi and didn’t seem to be bothered by random hikers at all.

I might write a bit more about our trip if I can find the time; however, I’ve been back in school since Monday, and the first few days have been very hectic. We’ll see if it gets better after the first couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, here are a few photos (as usual, click for bigger version).

Obligatory shot of Stonehenge.

Durdle Door near Lulworth Cove on the Dorset coast.

It’s the enigmatic frog! (Found in a wooded area of Exmoor.)

This is Dartmouth after sunset, as seen across the Dart from the town centre. We attended a wedding there.

Wouldn’t you like to ride in a car like this to your wedding?

Chernobyl

It’s been a little over 21 years now since the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl blew up. I wrote about it on the 20th anniversary and a few years earlier, but the MetaFilter thread Chernobyl – 20 years later has some new (at least to me) links on the topic.

My Journey to Chernobyl: 20 Years After the Disaster is an article with photos by Mark Resnicoff, who traveled to the contamination zone in June 2006. There also is a discussion about his essay.

Chernobyl Legacy by Paul Fusco:

On April 26th, 1986, Chernobyl’s Reactor No. 4 unleashed a thoroughly modern plague that emptied cities, condemned entire regions, and seeped invisibly into the bodies of those exposed to its destructive presence.

Photographer Paul Fusco faces the dark legacy of Chernobyl, focusing on the horrifying human consequences of the event that is now 20 years in the past. Fusco’s work forces us to remember an important nightmare that we would forget at the peril of our morality and our future.

It takes a while for the site to load, but it’s worth the wait. At least look at and listen to “Chernobyl legacy” from the menu.

Karol Lasia has a collection of black-and-white photos from the area. Lasia was born in 1986 and traveled to Chernobyl and Pripyat in the summer of 2006.