Drag king Riss Obolensky performs as drag king Norman Creebs during the Opening Cabaret at The London Clown Festival in London, Britain, on July 8, 2024. (Photo by Hollie Adams/Reuters)

Only the most intrepid urban explorers cross the tattered ruins of the old Iron Curtain to endure the excessive bureaucracy, military paranoia and freezing winds of the East to hunt for the ghosts of an empire. Rebecca Litchfield is one who couldn’t resist the haunting allure of the ruins of the Soviet Union.

A visiitor bungee jumps during an outdoor festival to celebrate German Unity Day on the 21st anniversary of German reunification on October 3, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. German Unity Day is a national holiday and marks the day West Germany and East Germany were reunited in 1990 following the collapse of the Iron Curtain. (Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images)

Zulu maidens dance during the memorial service for King Goodwill Zwelithini in Nongoma, South Africa, March 18, 2021. King Goodwill Zwelithini died on March 12, 2021 in the eastern city of Durban, aged 72, after weeks of treatment for a diabetes-related illness. (Photo by Phill Magakoe/Pool via Reuters)

A ballet dancer stretches backstage during Nacho Duato's “The Nutcracker” at the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia November 21, 2015. For theatregoers in St Petersburg, Nacho Duato's “The Nutcracker” demonstrates the global appeal of a Christmas classic. When the curtain rises at the Mikhailovsky Theatre, among the oldest opera and ballet houses in Russia, it's the culmination of hundreds of hours of toil and sweat by dancers, costume makers, set designers and musicians playing the famous score by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. (Photo by Grigory Dukor/Reuters)

A camel is seen in front of the pyramids, which is one of the seven wonders of the world that was visited by 14.9 million tourists last year in Giza, Egypt on February 21, 2024. The pyramids were named after the tombs of fathers, sons and grandsons, including the largest pyramid Cheops (King Khufu), the middle pyramid Khafre (King Khafre) and the small pyramid Menkaure (King Menkaure). (Photo by Utku Ucrak/Anadolu via Getty Images)

A soldier reacts after falling off a horse as members of the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, arrive at Green Park for a gun salute celebrating the King's birthday in London on November 14, 2022. King Charles III is celebrating his first birthday as monarch as he turns 74. (Photo by Daniel Leal/AFP Photo)

Hollywood actress Malin Akerman helps King Digital Entertainment set the Guinness World Record for the World's Largest Hammock to celebrate the launch of its new game Paradise Bay on Wednesday, September 2, 2015, in Jersey City, N.J. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision for King World Entertainment/AP Images)