G’day all and welcome to the Midlife Crisis Odyssey Podcast, where not all who wander are lost, but some of us definitely are. The cemeteries of Gallipoli hold tens of thousands; each with their own story of tragedy that occurred here in this beautiful place. If you would like to see the post for this podcast, you can find it here If you liked this podcast, you may also like Strange Meeting, Poland; Evacuation, Ukraine Know someone who might like…
A big part of why I had traveled to Germany’s Baltic Coast was to visit the small village of Zirchow. And the entire reason I wanted to visit the small village of Zirchow was to go to Hangar 10, a museum which houses a unique collection of rare aircraft. Figuring out local public transport whilst traveling can be challenging, but I thought I had everything sorted for my short bus journey from Ahlbeck to Zirchow. Turns out I didn’t. I…
G’day all and welcome to the Midlife Crisis Odyssey Podcast, where not all who wander are lost, but some of us definitely are. After seeing the main areas of Birkenau Concentration Camp, and learning of the horrors that had occurred there, it was a relief to find a tranquil patch of nature. Whilst enjoying the quiet and the late afternoon sun, I had a strange meeting. If you would like to see the post for this podcast, you can find…
‘I ordered the immediate expansion of our western fortifications. I can assure you that since May 28, the most gigantic fortifications of all time have been under construction there.’ Adolf Hitler, Nazi Part rally in Nuremberg, 1938. I had traveled to the small town of Pirmasens in Rhineland-Palatinate to visit a Ukrainian friend of mine. She, like many other displaced Ukrainians, has found refuge in Germany whilst waiting for peace to return to her country. At the closest point, Pirmasens…
Dark Tourism in Nis, Part II I crossed the Nisava River, after which the Serbian city of Nis is named, and headed north through steady drizzle. Another kilometre and I reached my destination: the foreboding walls of the Red Cross Concentration Camp. I followed the tall concrete until I reached the entrance gate, and stepped inside. Looking up the long path that lead to the large, grey, block-like building, I shuddered involuntarily. The silent, deserted place was chilling. I walked…
I climbed the stairs out of the U Bahn (underground city rail network) and popped out into the cool, overcast afternoon. Soon I was part of the jostling crowd of tourists surging along towards the site of Checkpoint Charlie. I had been a bit crook so hadn’t left the hotel for a couple of days, and to be honest I felt a bit overwhelmed by all the poeple, noise and clamour. During the Cold War, Checkpoint Charlie was a throttled…
I was doing some research into things to do in and around Leipzig, Germany, and came across the Stasi Bunker Museum in the nearby town of Machern. This unique museum is only open on the last weekend of every month, which just happened to be when I was visiting. Thankful for this stroke of luck, I jumped on a Sunday train at Leipzig’s main railway station for the half-hour journey to Machern. Being mid-2022, Covid-19 seemed to have been largely…
Repurposing Tirana’s Nuclear Bunkers Part I Fearing attack from an external power, communist dictator Enver Hoxha built nearly 175,000 bunkers across Albania. These included enormous structures designed to accommodate the government during a nuclear or chemical weapons attack. Two of these bunkers are in Albania’s capital Tirana, and have been converted into fascinating museums and art galleries: BunkArt 1 and 2. The Interior Ministry Bunker that has now become BunkArt 2 is located in the middle of Tirana’s central business…
I spent my first week in Albania exploring the nation’s capital, Tirana. It was there I saw my first Albanian bunker, an incongruous concrete dome in a pedestrian walkway near the centre of the city. It was the first of many, in fact literally hundreds, of Albania’s bunkers that I would see during my time in the country. After its liberation from the Nazis in 1944, Albania was lead by a communist dictator named Enver Hoxha, who ruled until his…
Suspicion, Surveillance and Subjugation ‘State security is the sharp and dear weapon of our Party, because it protects the interests of the people and our socialist State against internal and external enemies.’ Enver Hoxha After World War Two, Albania was ruled by a communist dictatorship, lead by former wartime resistance fighter Enver Hoxha. After taking control, Hoxha wasted no time in building a terrifying state security apparatus that imprisoned the people of Albania within their nation’s borders, and sought to…