No, it’s not a strip club… Brest Fortress is famous for its defense against the Nazis which took place from the 22nd to the 30th of June, 1941. One of the first battles of Operation Barbarossa, it was a vicious fight. The Brest Fortress, defended by the Red Army against the Wehrmacht, held out longer … Continue reading
When the Ottomans arrived in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the sultan immediately ordered a dervish tekija (house/monastery) to be built next to the source of the river Buna – one of the largest water sources in Europe with a flow greater than that at the source of the Danube. This tekija was built in the 1500s for the … Continue reading
I’m going to go light on names, places and other details in this post because I don’t want to get anyone in trouble – least of all me! This visit took place while Andy, Nigel and I were in Peshawar waiting for permission to transit the Khyber Pass. An offer to visit an old Afghan … Continue reading
One war per country is usually enough, but in 1993 Bosnia had two on the go. Around Sarajevo and in the north and east, the Bosnian government was fighting the Serbs, who had pushed hundreds of thousands of Muslims out of their homes, killing tens of thousands in the process. The Serbs wanted to cut … Continue reading
As I mentioned in the last post, a significant part of Pakistan is verdant agricultural land. Here is a continuation of that theme around Peshawar: These guys were selling strawberries along the road. A frequent sight (and the strawberries were really good): Now, of course, it isn’t all rolling hills and manicured fields as this … Continue reading
Most people don’t associate Pakistan with rivers and lush farmland. However, a large swath of territory around Peshawar is exactly that. One river village (that I unfortunately don’t know the name of) left a particularly favorable impression on me: It turned out that I was the first Westerner these girls had ever seen: So, naturally, … Continue reading
The Mound of Glory is a memorial complex, located 21 km from Minsk, Belarus on the Moscow Highway that is intended to honor Soviet soldiers who fought during World War II. It was established in 1969 on the 25th anniversary of the “liberation” of Belarus from the Nazis during Operation Bagration (1944) by bringing in … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 