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.

Vanessa Silva, 38, feeds macaws that fly to her apartment window every day looking for food, in Caracas, Venezuela, on November 24, 2014. A group of gold-and-royal blue birds poked their heads through Silva’s window, as if saying “I’m here, is anyone home?” “I’d seen them flying when I was down on the street, and I thought ‘Oh how pretty,’” the 38-year-old said, a macaw eating out of her hand. (Photo by Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)

A selection of hand-made leis, traditional Hawaiian necklaces made of flowers and worn mostly on special occasions, fill a cooler at Lin's Lei Shop in the Chinatown district of Honolulu, Hawaii December 22, 2015. Hawaii, whose economy depends heavily on tourism, sees a brief lull in visitors each year in January and February. But in addition to the usual tourist destinations, the state shows a unique overlay of mainland U.S. culture atop tropical beauty year-round. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

A reveler and a child street vendor pose for a photo during the Banda de Ipanema Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, January 31, 2015. Rio's over-the-top Carnival is the highlight of the year for many local residents. Hundreds of thousands of merrymakers are beginning to take to the streets in open-air “blocos” parties. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo)

A rose chafer in Oxfordshire, UK on July 8, 2024. The beetles are often seen on flowers in the garden and are sometimes maligned for munching their way through these plants. However, they are an important detritivore as they feed on dead and decaying matter and recycle its nutrients, which makes a helpful addition to any compost. (Photo by Geoffrey Swaine/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Guests attend the Hollywood Forever 2023 Dia De Los Muertos Celebration at Hollywood Forever on October 28, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)

A person takes a photograph of a 60-foot-long balloon of Kim Kardashian to promote SKIMS Swimwear in Times Square in New York City, U.S., March 4, 2025. (Photo by Adam Gray/Reuters)

English-Albanian singer Dua Lipa poses with a pup in the first decade of March 2025. (Photo by dualipa/Instagram)