Thirsty Thursdays: Top 5 Bars in Lviv, Ukraine

The fact that Lviv Ukraine is brimmed full of wacky themed bars is enough to make any keen pub go-er enjoy this thriving nationalistic city with some style and panache. And let me tell you, it ain’t no glammed up pretentious place either. Italians, leave your Ferraris behind; mainland Brits, forget trying to be a…

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Backpacking in Ukraine: Touring the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone Tour Part 3 – Backpacking in Chernobyl Town

Backpacking in Ukraine: Chernobyl Exclusion Zone Tour Part 3 – “Backpacking” in Chernobyl Town

As with most of my journeys, I go to places without a huge amount of advance research. I find it clouds my method of thought and gives me an opinion of what to expect before I arrive. Sometimes, we go with the flow. I headed to Chernobyl with a clear head and the memory of…

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Getting Handcuffed and Spanked in the home of Masochism in Lviv, Ukraine

Thirsty Thursdays: Getting Handcuffed and Spanked in the home of Masochism in Lviv, Ukraine

When you are out travelling the world you never know where you will end up next. Every new city or town I arrive in, I do little research. It’s only when you get to these places that you get extra ideas. A couple of my blog followers, Laura and Kyle alerted me of Cafe Masoch…

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Backpacking in Ukraine: Chernobyl Exclusion Zone Tour Part 2 - Arrival at the CEZ at Dityatki Checkpoint

Backpacking in Ukraine: Chernobyl Exclusion Zone Tour Part 2 – Arrival at the CEZ at Dityatki Checkpoint

Following my trip out of Kiev to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, and being based in the Tiu Kreschatik Hostel, we arrived at the CEZ entrance. The area beyond this checkpoint is out of bounds for tourists and ordinary people. You need a pass and you need to be there as part of a guided and…

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Backpacking in Ukraine: Chernobyl Exclusion Zone Tour Part 1 – Chicane Kiev

When backpacking in Ukraine, I organised a day tour of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone covers an area of  1,000 square miles and straddles the official land borders of Belarus and Ukraine. When I backpacked to the city of Bobruisck in Belarus in 2007, I remember reading about how close I was…

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Backpacking in Ukraine: Staying at the Tiu Khreshchatyk Hostel in Kiev

Backpacking in Ukraine: Staying at the Tiu Kreschatik Hostel in Kiev

My journey east took me by train from the gorgeous city of Lviv to the bustling Ukrainian capital city, Kiev. It was here that I was able to backpack round the sights of the city, learn more about Ukrainian culture and tour the Chernobyl Exclusion zone (some 29 years after the disaster in the area).…

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Day Tour of Auschwitz in Poland Part 1: Touring Auschwitz I

Day Tour of German Concentration Camps with Mosquito Hostel in Krakow, Poland: Part 1 – Touring Auschwitz I

“Arbeit Macht Frei” – Nazi German motto, taken from Lorenz Diefenbach. Before I get down to the business of writing about my tour to Auschwitz, it’s important to note that some people, including followers of my blog do not agree with visits to places this sensitive. While I understand the nature and the horrific aspect…

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