ABKHAZIA
Read blog posts written following our Summer 2018 travels in Abkhazia…
In photos: Twenty-five examples of Soviet mosaics in the former USSR
Mosaics of the former USSR - the iconic works of art that are part of Soviet cultural heritage We’ve always admired Soviet-era mosaics when we come across them in the past but, lately, and in particular in Moldova and the breakaway de facto state of Transnistria,...
In photos: twenty-five examples of Soviet modernism in the former USSR
Photographs of some of the best examples of Soviet modernism in the former USSR, plus a brief explanation of this genre of architecture.
In photos: Abandoned swimming pools
Urban exploration at some of the world’s forsaken swimming pools Of all the derelict places we find, swimming pools have to be one of the most alluring. It’s not always that easy to visualise what an abandoned location would have been like before it became...
Abandoned Abkhazia: The Sanatorium of the Ministry of Defence of the USSR
After visiting the former Central Olympic Base of the USSR in the village of Eshera (also spelt Escher or Esher), our exploration of Abkhazia’s neglected and plundered structures continued with a visit to the nearby Sanatorium of the Ministry of Defence of the USSR....
In Photos: the Abkhazian town of Ochamchire
What to see whilst wandering around Ochamchire As we wandered around Ochamchire with a large DSLR camera slung over the shoulder, we sensed that something was not quite right, yet we couldn’t help but take photo after photo of this desperately poor town situated in...
Off-the-Beaten-Track Abkhazia: Pitsunda Resort
Exploring the resort town of Pitsunda on the Black Sea Coast During our stay in the small but rather pleasant Abkhazian capital, Sukhumi, we used to visit the same canteen for breakfast each morning. The (predominately) elderly (and friendly) waitresses all had...
Abandoned Abkhazia: Eshera Sports Complex
Exploring the ruins of the former Central Olympic Base of the USSR on the outskirts of Sukhumi There’s isn’t much left of what used to be the Eshera Sports Complex, the former Central Olympic Base of the USSR. Like so many buildings of note in Abkhazia, it was ravaged...
What we got up to in the Baltic States and the Caucasus
Not the typical tourist attractions: Alternative sightseeing on our travels In no particular order, our priorities on our recent 2½ month trip to the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and Armenia, Georgia and Abkhazia in the Caucasus were as follows:...
Our Worst Experience in a Decade of Travel: Getting Robbed in Abkhazia
On what was to be our last day in the breakaway country of Abkhazia, we were cornered by three guys while wandering around the old mining town of Tkvarcheli. They harassed us, threatened us with violence and, eventually, robbed us of about US$700 in cash. It was a...