Route map for One More Orbit, a successful attempt to break the world record in circumnavigating the globe via both poles. They did it in 46 hours, 39 minutes and 38 seconds
Wrocław, Poland
Just a very quick swing through Germany, Poland and Estonia this week, while still Finland-based and largely off duty through July. Wrocław, Poland (Breslau when it was German) seems to be largely off American tourism radar, and there appear to be few Americans here.
It’s just a straight four hour ride east from Dresden. Would be easy to include on any trip to the much more popular (for Americans) Berlin, Dresden and Prague.
This morning I climbed the bell tower of St. Elizabeth’s Church to show you these views of the Old Town and the Oder River:
Photos from this slow trip around the world, which started in April in Vietnam, are collected here.
Odessa, Ukraine
Lovely story, Odessa in Decay: Romantic, Tragic at Literary Hub.
Meanwhile, life has been quiet where we’re spending a couple months here at our mökki on the lake in Finland, but we’ll shake things up with a flight to TXL tomorrow. No firm plans until we return in a week. We’ll see what happens.
If You’re Really, Really Not Busy Today…
… you can watch people make pizza live in Pizza Mizza Novi Haj, a Pizzeria In Petržalka, across the Danube from Bratislava, Slovakia.
3QD Column Posted
New monthly travel column is up at 3 Quarks Daily. Read it here.
Eyes on Istanbul’s Rerun Election Today
And may the real winner win. Live news in English at TRT News, although be aware that it is a state broadcaster run by the Turkish government.
Update from the Financial Times:
Mr Imamoglu (the opposition candidate) increased his lead in the city of 10.5m voters from less than 14,000 votes in the initial vote to more than 700,000. Those figures were based on almost 98 per cent of ballot boxes, Anadolu said.
385 more photos from all over Turkey here at EarthPhotos.com.
Border Towns
As we continue around the world slowly, we’ve hit pause here in Finland to spend a lovely summer month or two on Lake Saimaa. Early this month we briefly visited Vyborg, Russia, and my monthly column tomorrow in 3 Quarks Daily will have the story. Here are a few photos:
Lappeenranta, Finland, about thirty miles away from Vyborg via the Saimaa Canal.
The underwhelming border between Finland and Russia on the canal.
A Saimaa Canal lock.
The round tower, Vyborg, Russia.
The Esplanade, Vyborg.
Graffiti, Vyborg.
Transfiguration Cathedral, Vyborg.
Transfiguration Cathedral, Vyborg.
Transfiguration Cathedral, Vyborg.
Esplanade Park, Vyborg.
Old Town, Vyborg.
Trolley Café, Vyborg.
The presidents of Finland and Russia, Lake Saimaa, Finland, August 2017.
Collected photos from this so far two month long, slow trip around the world post here.
