Dark Tourism

(20 Reviews)
100% Recommended

Gwynne Chafer

La Crosse, WI
Italy Extravagant Escapes

Visiting Italy is a feast for your senses … from the scent of lemons in Capri, to the delicious flavors of the many pastas and sauces which is known for, to viewing the crumbling ruins of the Roman Empire. Did you know that Italy has the most UNES...

A visit Ukraine with emphasis on visiting the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the abandoned town of Pripyat, was fascinating for me...especially as a photographer. The haunting images of forsaken apartments, schools, recreational areas; the infamous ferris wheel and bumper cars from the "May Day" Celebration that never came, have been etched into my mind forever. I cannot imagine the fear and apprehension the families of Pripyat felt the day they were told they had to leave everything they owned behind, including treasured pets. They were never able to return.


Wondering through desolate apartments, I came upon one with a ramshackle piano in the middle of the room...who played this? A young son or daughter? Walking through the school buildings, you cannot believe the tens of thousands of books scattered throughout every classroom and hallway, the educational posters left on the walls; similar to any school here in the United States.


Traveling to destinations like this is often called "Dark Tourism," and not for everyone. It is for me. I learn up close about events that have shaped the history of our world. Hopefully our world is able to learn from them.

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