Ukraine is obviously needing a little help in the tourism department. First, it has the bright idea to give tours of Chernobyl, and now the country is banking on a Hitler attraction to bring in the tourists.
Plans are in the works to turn Wehrwolf, Hitler's Eastern Front military headquarters near Vinnytsia, central Ukraine, into a museum. The facility is scheduled to open May 9, the anniversary of Victory Day over Nazism.]]>
Can you believe it? There is talk—no, more than just talk—about Ukraine opening up the Chernobyl nuclear power plant area to tourism as soon as January. Talk about dangerous tourism; the explosion that contributed to the deaths, deformities and radiation-related health problems of millions and millions of people may have occurred back in 1986, but that's still very recent in the memory of the people, not to mention that the site is still totally radioactive. (Here's a 1996 map showing levels ten years later).
When we were in school, we recall opening our textbook to a page on the Chernobyl explosion, and there was a haunting image of the plant. It piqued our curiosity greatly, and we'd be lying if we said we aren't at all intrigued at the possibility of visiting. On the other hand, it's pretty understood that Chernobyl is a no-go zone. ]]>
Call us champions of the underdog, but we’ve got an overall affinity for places that are often overlooked in the travel world. Some have had rough pasts or are a tad slow on the tourist track, but they just want a little love. Here’s the lowdown on five cities eager for the chance to win you over.
City 1 of 5: Kiev, Ukraine.
Why Go to Kiev: While most people head to Moscow for slice of Soviet cake, Kiev (pronounced Keev locally), is the little Eastern European engine that could. And while there’s an air of pride stemming from their 1991 independence from Russia, most people still speak Russian and the art of smiling is a challenge at best. But, despite the Ukraine’s complexity—expect to be crazy confused and turned around if you don’t read Cyrillic—it’s still a fun city filled with museums, verdant gardens and more. There’s even a budding entertainment scene that intrepid travelers will dig, and the drinking and dumplings are plentiful and awesome. ]]>
During yesterday evening's Miss Universe pageant two big things went down. One was the crowning of Miss Mexico, Jimena Navarrete, as the winner, only the second time in history for Mexico to take the title. The second notable thing came dural the "Final Question" period, when Miss Ukraine was asked about her stance on full-body scanners in airports.
MIss Ukraine, 23-year-old Anna Poslavskaya answered this question put to her by judge Jane Seymour: ""Many airports are using full-body scanners. How do you feel about going through a scanner that can actually see through your clothes?" ]]>
If you're already super-psyched about the big UEFA European Soccer Championship in 2012 in Poland and the Ukraine, we highly recommend holding off for a while on getting a jumpstart on your travel plans.
You see, if you plan it all out now, you could end up flying into Warsaw's congested Okecie airport rather than the brand-spanking-new airport they're just beginning now to build outside of Warsaw, in the town of Modlin. The $140 million dollar airport is being built specifically to ease the bottleneck of soccer fans arriving for the UEFA Championships, and will no doubt be fully kitted out in soccer regalia to get you in the spirit.
Related Stories:
· Poland To Build New Airport For 2012 European Soccer Championship [Today In The Sky]
· Sports Travel [Jaunted]
[Photo: wikipedia] ]]>
