Red Corner: Mother Russia

by Neil Woodburn on

If Mother Russia had always stood where she stands today, German soldiers would have taken one look at the sword-wielding, screaming Banshee, and high-tailed it back to the Fatherland for some nerve calming schnapps.

When the Mother Russia statue was unveiled in 1967 at the site of World War II’s most horrific battle site–Stalingrad–it was the tallest statue in the world at the time.

Standing 171 feet tall (20 feet more than the Statue of Liberty), the mammoth woman looms over an intense memorial dedicated to the 600,000 Russians who died here. She is ferocious, intimidating, and packs a 14-ton stainless steel sword that is 90 feet long. You will never see anything else quite like her.

No one does memorials quite like the Russians and the one here is no exception. Indeed, it is the granddaddy of all Russian memorials.

Although the name of the city has been changed to Volgograd after Stalin fell from favor, the entire area remains one gigantic memorial to the infamous battle in which both sides ordered their troops not to surrender.

The Soviets lost more people in the war than all other countries combined. To visit the memorial at Volgograd–the symbolic heart of this conflict–is to gain a sense of Russian patriotism and to see and feel firsthand the utmost somber regard in which the war is still deeply imbedded today in the Russian psyche.

Red Corner: Balancing Out Borat

by Neil Woodburn on

Having posted a fair amount about Kazakhstan’s most despised and erroneous ambassador, Borat, we here at Gadling realize it is important to maintain some editorial balance, and therefore feel obligated to direct you towards a more responsible representative which better portrays Kazakhstan and its fine people.

Actually, to be more precise, we’d like to ask that after catching Borat’s new film, Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, you seek out a small independent cinema and watch Nomad.

Nomad is an epic movie filmed with an international crew on the steppes of Kazakhstan. It tells the story of local tribes uniting to fight against foreign invaders in the 18th century and cost a reported $40 million to make–roughly Kazakhstan’s entire GDP. Oops, that was a bit of Borat popping out there. Sorry.

Go see it anyway and you’ll grow to better appreciate this sadly mocked country.

Red Corner: Touring Bohemia

by Neil Woodburn on

When it came time to come up with a name for the non-Slovak part of Czechoslovakia after the country split in 1993, Bohemia was one of the frontrunners since the Bohemian region made up most of the area in question. Unfortunately, the non-Slovak part also consisted of Moravia and the Moravians were not about to let their country be called Bohemia.

So, the compromise was the rather sterile sounding Czech Republic.

Bohemia still exists, however, and anyone who wants to indulge in the “Bohemian” lifestyle can still hop on a plane and do so. Although you may not have the opportunity to disappear into a smoke filled café with a copy of Sartre tucked under your arm and a swank beret and goatee adorning your noggin, you will come away with an amazing experience filled with castles, spa towns, beer, nature, and friendly people.

Bohemia spans the western part of the Czech Republic and encompasses such iconic locations as Prague, Cesky Krumlov, and Karlovy Vary. It is my favorite region of one of my favorite countries.

Thankfully The Independent has just printed a rather nice break-out of things to see and places to go in Bohemia. And they don’t use the terrible, yet irresistible “Czech it out” pun so prevalent in such writings and therefore I recommend checking it out.

Red Corner: Touring Korea’s DMZ

by Neil Woodburn on

The Cold War is mostly over with the exception of a few renegade stalwarts.

Witnessing this bygone era, however, can still be experienced at the border between North and South Korea where two massive armies have faced off against each other since the Korean War ended nearly half a century ago.

The Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ for short, is a 2,000 meter wide expanse of heavily fortified land bristling with barbed wire fences, antitank traps, guard towers, and a whole host of nasty military equipment.

And the good news is that parts of it can be toured by the public.

Rolf Potts, writing for Salon.com, journeyed there a few years ago and has posted a fascinating and still very relevant article about his adventures–adventures which couldn’t legally begin until he signed a release form containing the following warning: “The visit to the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom will entail entry into a hostile area and the possibility of death as a direct result of enemy action.”

After signing his life away, Potts enjoyed a slide show, a brief tour, the opportunity to step two feet into the North, a visit to The Bridge of No Return, and of course, a stop at the DMZ gift shop.

Potts’ humorous account is also peppered with little gems of embarrassing U.S. history and some wonderful insight as to what it’s like to live in South Korea.

I highly recommend taking a few minutes to peruse this fine piece of journalism.

Red Corner: Balkan Odyssey Tour

by Neil Woodburn on

We’re usually not in the habit of plugging group tours here at Gadling, however, I recently came across one highlighted in the LA Times which covers many of the same places I recently traveled during my Balkan Odyssey this last summer.

Kutrubes Travel is offering an 18-day trip through Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia/Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia & Herzegovina. While such a trip can certainly be done on your own, it isn’t Western Europe and travel through this part of the world still presents challenges.

The ease of group travel, however, is going to cost you. The trip runs $3,802 to $4,783 per person, and does not include airfare. I probably spent half this amount on my trip–although some of it unfortunately included hitchhiking, which is probably not on the itinerary.