God tur
Hi we have just been on an interesting trip together with a friend visiting:
Auschwitz http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz_ ... ation_camp
Northern Ukraine
Chernobyl power plant http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_ ... ower_Plant
Museum of strategic missile forces http://www.rvsn.com.ua/en/
I am driving a XL600V Transalp and my friend is driving a CB500. We try to travel light and are limited in time by our families at home. Therefore we have tried to cover the most interesting sights and kilometres within our time limit to 10 days.
Driving quickly through Germany and western Poland. Arriving at Auschwitz, heading for northern Ukraine to Chernobyl via Kyiv. Down south to Museum of strategic missile forces and then returning home. Approximate 4700 km and 9 days.
Surprised by those, in some places, miserable polish roads. We had expected the roads to be in brilliant conditions until Ukraine and in most places they were. But the off-ramp on this highway came as a surprise and could have been an even greater surprise if it was raining
The extermination camp of Auschwitz is hard to understand. The horror of what happened during several years without anybody able or willing to stop it, is terrifying. Auschwitz is not a pretty sight but an important lesson about humanity. They have done a lot of work at the camp trying to personify the tragedy.
Crematorium – the larger crematoriums was destroyed by the SS in 1944 in the attempt to hide some of the atrocities.
The camp is divided into sections, each with its own purpose. The wooden barracks was used as a quarantine camp – only the chimneys and some reconstructed barracks are still standing.
At first it sounds strange that the camp authorities were concerned about the health of the prisoners, but infections and other diseases did not care about a uniform.
The smaller permanent camp was mason buildings.
Living quarters in a reconstructed barrack – the barracks was a standard military stable capable of holding 52 horses – it was modified to hold about 400 prisoners.
Jewish couple having there photo taken with the Jew star which they were forced to wear in Nazi Germany.
Leaving Auschwitz we meet what I guess is a typically Polish waste mountain being covered with sand and hereby lowering the smell and removing the problem (from sight).
To our surprise the roads of northern Ukraine were great for the first 25km or so – but then they quickly deteriorated in places to gravel roads before returning to good conditions.
The traffic on this northern route was quite low and we drove more or less the whole way to Kyiv before we met any motorcycles. From the interest we got from the local people, a couple of motorcycles were a rare view.
From the road we can quickly see that Ukraine is a country heavily dependent on nuclear power. This is the Rivne nuclear power plant first put into operation in 1981. This power plant was enlarged in order to close down the Chernobyl reactors in 1996 and 2000. It has 2 400MWe and 2 1000MWe reactors.
In northern Ukraine farming conditions are at a stand still. There is plenty of available agricultural land but using these techniques only small areas are being put into production. It is idyllic to look at but not very productive for the farmer.
Great price on 76 octane [Clap] (11,3 UAH = 1 EUR)
The Honda Transalp in the right conditions
Going for a trip to Chernobyl. There is a check point at 30km and at 10km. It would be possible to get around it but in this place everything is a bit tense.
Wheels of the cars leaving the area are being checked for radiation. It found not clean then they are washed until below radiation level. The tarmac is not radioactive but the soil, plants and dust is.
In the town of Chernobyl about 3000 people are living in the old houses. Since the ground is contaminated new pipes are laid above the ground arching over roads.
At the time of the Chernobyl accident 1986 construction of reactors 5 and 6 were taking place. This is the cooling tower where the construction came to a sudden stop at the night of the accident.
The construction site of the unfinished reactor 5 and 6.
The town of Pripyat with its fun park.
It is interesting to notice that the engine of the Ferris wheel has been removed. It was taken by looters and sold to someone who didn’t know or cared about the radioactivity.
Posters from before the accident.
Nothing has been maintained in this place and today it looks like building inside a forest and not trees inside a town. Even in building trees have been able to make rooks like this terrace on 8’th floor. The city is deteriorating fast and before long nature has taken over. If you want to be able to see this place, it might be a good idea to do it within the next decade or so.
In hindsight this proud symbol of nuclear energy can seems like a poor joke.
The gas masks are not part of the Chernobyl accident. It is children’s gas masks and they are located on the floor of a school. They were kept at the school to protect the children from western attacks with chemical weapons. It is sticking to think that we have been living with that fear from our neighbouring countries and teaching our children the same fear.
Again evidence of looting. The valuable cobber core of these cables has been removed leaving behind the plastic covers.
Class room of school
Teaching material.
They were not without humour. This drawing is from 1981.
Conducting radiation check on the way out of Chernobyl.
Pipes going into reactor number 4. Here it is obvious that they have tried to keep looters away since most things inside the complex are highly radioactive.
This is the two of us in front of reactor 4.
Great job of painting the fire stairs – you don’t want to spent hours finishing the job.
Tribal dress in Kyiv
After Kyiv we trawled south 300km to Museum of strategic missile forces (http://www.rvsn.com.ua/en/). We didn’t expect much of this place but it turned out to be a fantastic museum. They have an all functioning missile command centre suspended in a cylinder below ground covered by layers of concrete and steel. The missile silos are covered but the command centre is open and can be entered. If you suffer from claustrophobia it is not a place to enter
SS-18 Satan intercontinental ballistic nuclear missile able to carry 10 live nuclear ware heads. This is what we feared during the cold war.
The doors into the command centre
The control centre is standing on spring and not touching the side of the silo. This is done in order to limit the impact from a nuclear hit by an enemy missile. This is a construction where no expense has been spared. They must have spent a fortune building this and yet a fortune to dismantle the place.
Inside the control centre conditions of the 10 missiles under command can be monitored.
This is from where the missiles would have been launched.
This was the end of out short trip from here we hurried home to continue our normal life
Hope you enjoyed reading.
Martin Zacho and Kristian Budde.
