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.

Lucie Clayton instructs pupils in the art of correct posture by balancing a glass and book on their heads at her finishing school in Old Cavendish Street, London. (Photo by William Vanderson/Fox Photos/Getty Images). 25th November 1936

Animals destined for the stage of Radio City Music Hall in New York on November 13, 1986 are led to the stage door by their co-stars, the Rockettes dancers. A variety of animals, including camels, sheep and donkeys, will star in an annual Christmas production. (Photo by G. Paul Burnett/AP Photo)

Workers carry sacks of coffee beans at a warehouse at the Nogales farm in Jinotega, Nicaragua January 7, 2016. Soaring temperatures in Central America due to climate change are forcing farmers to pull up coffee trees and replace them with cocoa, spurring a revival in the cultivation of a crop once so essential to the region's economy. (Photo by Oswaldo Rivas/Reuters)

Girls enjoy nice weather at a park in front of the Pothonggang Department Store in central Pyongyang October 11, 2015. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

Pedestrians are falling after a gust of wind in Munich southern Germany, Tuesday, March 31, 2015. One of the strongest storm fronts in years hit Germany on Tuesday, as Storm “Niklas” uncovered roofs, toppled scaffolding and caused severe disruption to rail services. (Photo by Sven Hoppe/AP Photo/DPA)

A retired man (L) looks toward two girls wearing miniskirts, July 13, 1969 in Nice, France. (Photo by AFP Photo)

Galagos, more commonly known as bush babies, are tiny African primates with remarkable jumping abilities. Thanks to the elastic energy stored in the tendons of their lower legs, small-eared galagos can jump 6 feet straight up in the air. (Photo by Traer Scott/Chronicle Books)