From Kraków’s socialist utopia and Wieliczka’s salt-mine Disneyland to Katowice’s brutalist concrete, Wrocław’s hidden corners, and Czechia´s wild rock formations. Off the beaten track – before heading back to Swizzyland.
Poland is booming. Or isn’t it? Beyond the headlines, we find sleepy towns, socialist relics, forgotten industrial landscapes, and a country caught between old habits and new ambitions.
Abandoned military bases, atomic cities, Stalinist towns, Russian-speaking enclaves – and a few surprises along the way. Often a different world.
At first glance, Estonia looks modern and polished. Look closer: Soviet blocks, abandoned ruins, shiny new developments – a country of contrasts where the Soviet past is still hard to miss.
Polished facades. Soviet decay. Secret bunkers. Abandoned military towns. Welcome to Latvia — beyond the postcard.
Beautiful old towns, weird Soviet leftovers, abandoned places, strange sights, some beaches, and a few moments where we wonder, “What the hell are we looking at?”
Poland – lost places, remnants of WW II, most of them freely accessible. Ugly concrete constructions turned into street art. And a few pretty dark chapters of history. Probably not the odd tourist path.
A trip thru northern Poland, from Germany to Lithuania – Poznan, Torun, Gdansk, and Masuria.
Finally, we’re on the road again. Now to the Baltics. The trip thru Germany, kitschy towns, the importance of beer, and a dormitory built to survive an atomic bomb.
Our last days on Aotearoa’s North Island. From New Plymouth to Auckland. Then on for a 2-day stopover in Singapore before heading back to Swizzyland.