Lublin got kinda hot lately after serving as the backdrop for the Oscar-nominated movie A Real Pain. Since it was just a few hours away — and I’d already been almost everywhere else in Poland — I decided to go and see if it was worth a visit. The city’s rich Jewish legacy made it a per...

I started this blog in 2009, back when reading was still a thing. It began in Russian, but now I’m happy to finally share some of my latest posts in English as well. Photography has been my hobby since ’08, when I took my first loan and got a brand-new Canon 450D with 12 mpx of raw power (and ...

Slovenia was a pure coinsidense that turned out to be the greatest discovery of the year. Had zero expectations, got massively surprised. It is as neat as Denmark, as stunning as Switzerland, as chill and delicious as the rest of the Balkans. The trip was random — scored a dirt-cheap flight to...

Won’t pretend I’ve experienced much of Malta. Spent three full days there, strolled around the capital city of Valletta a bit, read some random stuff about its history and culture — hardly enough to draw any conclusions. But I’d happily revisit the first chance I get, and that’s more than I can s...

These days, there’s nothing more unsettling than waking up as a citizen of Russia. I won’t pretend to understand how hard it is for the Ukrainian people, but at least they have a clear conscience. They didn’t start this war — we did, eight years ago. Maybe some of us opposed it, but none of us st...

The year was, without a doubt, an absolute mess — but it sure left a pile of memories. I’m dumping them all here so that years later, I can rummage through the stale contents while wiping a nostalgic tear off my graying mustache. Personally, I have nothing to complain about: years of digital n...

The Second World War ended 75 years ago. This terrible history must never be forgotten. But we also shouldn’t get stuck in it. Today, I’ll share 75 photos and tell a few stories from my trips through the country that lost and won at the same time. Let’s visit Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Nurembe...

Today’s itinerary: the good and the bad of Paris, walks through Lyon and Strasbourg, day trips to Dijon, Colmar, and Annecy. As always — plenty of vibrant photos and personal stories. The Bad Paris My first visit to Paris in 2014 went south right from the start. The biggest mistake? The 18th ...

Back in 2013, I traveled through six Italian cities: Rome, Florence, Genoa, Bologna, Verona, and Venice. I was hoping to continue the tour that summer, but now—just like the rest of the planet—I’m stuck at home, scrolling through old photos and remembering stories. Feel free to join in. Not ma...

Before the planet was locked down for quarantine, I used to visit Czechia with the frequency of a bad dream. I managed to live in Prague, caught all the seasons, and toured almost every interesting city. I brought back tons of photos and stories to take you on a virtual tour of the homeland of be...

In 2018, after spending three months in Prague, we firmly decided to move to Europe. The painless option presented itself — friends told us about relocating to Poland without huge investments and without the hassle of job hunting. We waited out the summer back home, then packed up in the fall and...