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Kazakhstan: road trips and Russians
Russians It is night-time on the endless Kazakh steppe, and the guests at a remote homestay are warming themselves around a bonfire. They roast marshmallows on sticks as the light from the flames illuminates their faces. Most are Russian. “I have a mortgage on a flat, and a nice car, back in Moscow. But I…
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Baku
The ancient Greeks believed that Prometheus stole fire from the gods, leading Zeus to nail him to a mountain in the Caucasus as punishment. Roman historians referenced a ‘Land of Fire’ in the same region. For centuries, the people of this area practised Zoroastrianism, constructing temples around flames that leapt out of the ground. Today,…
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Skopje
What had you achieved by the age of 30? Even many great historical figures had limited resumes upon reaching this relatively tender age. All that Julius Caesar had accomplished was to be kidnapped by pirates. Genghis Khan’s curriculum vitae was similarly embarrassing: a major falling out with, and defeat in battle by, a childhood friend.…
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Tirana
A country that breaks ties with the USSR because it deems that the Soviets are not deeply enough committed to the communist cause must be extreme. Such was the case with Communist Albania in 1961. Later, after their 1978 break with Communist China, Albania was completely isolated, an international pariah. Some refer to Albania pre-1991…
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Sarajevo
“I’m 38 and I still don’t like the sound of fireworks. Or thunder.” In 1984 Sarajevo was on top of the world. As host for the 1984 Winter Olympics, the world’s media, dignitaries and sports stars such as figure skaters Torvill and Dean descended on the city, which accommodated them in style. The Games were…
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Belgrade
“He can’t be reversing on the motorway.” He – the bus driver – had missed the exit, shortly before the Serbian border. The bus was now parked on a Croatian motorway, cars zipping by in the faster lanes. There was no hard shoulder. The bus conductor peered out the window and muttered something indecipherable to…
About Me
We face challenging times. Why not learn from one and other?
If there are momentous events in a given country that have occurred within living memory, I want to learn more. What better history is there than living history?
About the author: from the UK. Circumnavigating the globe. Aiming to talk to people on the way, and learn from them.
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“Do not say a little in many words but a great deal in few.” – Pythagoras
Somewhere Must Be Doing It Better 