Learning the art of traditional Ukrainian egg painting (known as Pysanky) was not on my list of things to do on this trip. But when Oksana from Active Ukraine (who I found through Twitter!) said one of their guides, Olesia, could do a free class for me, I jumped at the opportunity. What better way […]
The Art of Pysanky (or, How I Learned to Paint an Egg) Read More »
I visited the Jewish Cemetery in Warsaw in late December. The gray day and piles of leaves covering the ground, combined with the fact that I was the only person there, gave it an eerie feel. The cemetery is home to over 250,000 graves but large sections have been sorely neglected, as you can see
Saturday Scenes: Jewish Cemetery in Warsaw Read More »
Planning makes me happy. Before I left on this trip, I wrote about the perils of being a planner. I wrote about how I would try to be more spontaneous on this trip. How I would try to not plan so much. Although it may not be apparent to all of you, I am actually
Making Plans Makes Me Happy Read More »
The most fascinating thing for me about visiting Chernobyl was the 90 minute documentary we watched in the van on the way to what is known as the 30 kilometer exclusion zone. It isn’t that the rest of the day-long visit wasn’t interesting – it certainly was. But it didn’t feel as eerie or moving
A Trip to Chernobyl Read More »
I try to be tough about the cold. I grew up in Minnesota and spent the last ten years living in the Windy City. People may debate how Chicago got that name but I can certainly attest to the fact that it is indeed quite windy – especially in the winter. When listening
Freezing My Butt Off in Ukraine Read More »
Welcome to Saturday Scenes, a new weekly feature on Katie Going Global in which I will share one of my favorite travel photos that just didn’t quite make it into a post for one reason or another – either from my current travels or earlier trips. I hope you enjoy! First up – Vladivostok. I
Saturday Scenes: Vladivostok Bridge Read More »
As I mentioned in my post about arriving in Minsk, I was kind of dreading Belarus. It’s not that I wasn’t looking forward to exploring and learning more about a country completely unfamiliar to me. On the contrary, I was excited and intrigued to visit a place that most Westerners don’t even have on their
How Belarus Defied My Expectations Read More »
Minsk surprised me. Brest disappointed me. Grodno really won me over. It started with my hotel – the Hotel Slavia, just blocks from the main square and a short walk from the bus station. Unlike the monstrous Soviet-era hotels I called home in Minsk and Brest, the Hotel Slavia felt more like a
Grodno: The Cutest Town in Belarus Read More »
We are into the second month of the BootsnAll Indie Travel Challenge! The prompt for Week 5 is all about traveling in Asia: If you’ve traveled in Asia, what’s your favorite destination? Share a story of one of your best experiences in Asia, or tell us about a place you love. If you’ve never been
Indie Travel Challenge 2012: Week 5 – Asia Travel Read More »
I have never visited a place so inaccurately described in guidebooks as Brest. Everything I read indicated that Brest would be the most Western feeling of the cities I would visit in Belarus: It is is very much the case…that Western influences predominate here. (Bradt) There is a calm and relaxed side that
The One Redeeming Thing About Brest Read More »
