Aerial view of workers repairing fishing nets in preparation for a new round of fishing season on July 27, 2025 in Wenling, Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province of China. (Photo by Zhu Haiwei/Zhejiang Daily Press Group/VCG via Getty Images)

This handout photo taken on September 26, 2025 and released on September 27 by the Philippine Coast Guard shows coast guard personnel (background) evacuating a person at the height of Severe Tropical Storm Bualoi in San Agustin town, Romblon province. The Philippines evacuated hundreds of thousands of people and confirmed at least three deaths on Friday as it faced yet another tropical storm, days after it was battered by deadly Super Typhoon Ragasa. (Photo by Handout/Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)/AFP Photo)

A rescuer saves a resident from a flooded area in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, July 2, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

In this photo provided by the RSPCA/Australian Capital Territory, an overgrown sheep found in Australian scrubland is prepared to be shorn in Canberra, Australia, Thursday, September 3, 2015. The wild, castrated merino ram named Chris, yielded 40 kilograms (89 pounds) of wool – the equivalent of 30 sweaters – and sheded almost half his body weight. (Photo by RSPCA ACTvia AP Photo)

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.

Young girls dress up in traditional costumes and pose for a selfie at the opening ceremony of the Leishan Miao new year festival in the city of Kaili, Guizhou province, China on November 23, 2015. (Photo by Imaginechina/Rex Shutterstock)

The giant inflatable Rubber Duck installation by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman floats on the Parramatta River, as part of the 2014 Sydney Festival, in Western Sydney, January 10, 2014. The creation is five stories tall and five stories wide and has been seen floating in various cities around the world since 2007. (Photo by Jason Reed/Reuters)

Waves crash against the lighthouse at Newhaven, England, Monday March 28, 2016. Some flights at London's Gatwick and Heathrow airports have been diverted due to high winds battering much of Britain and western France. The high winds from a storm caused 87 cancellations and 43 diversions at Gatwick and Heathrow because flights had trouble landing safely. (Photo by Steve Parsons/PA Wire via AP Photo)