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.

Catholic pilgrim Matilde Madalena de Jesus crawls on a rocky trail carrying a bottle of water on her head during the annual pilgrimage of the dead (Romaria dos Finados), in the city of Juazeiro do Norte, Ceara state, in Brazil October 31, 2016. (Photo by Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)

This undated image provided by World View shows World View capsule and balloon spacecraft that will rise to 100,000 feet above Earth for passengers to see the curvature of the planet and the blackness of space. Space tourism companies are employing designs including winged vehicles, vertical rockets with capsules and high-altitude balloons. While developers envision ultimately taking people to orbiting habitats, the moon or beyond, the immediate future involves short flights into or near the lowest reaches of space without going into orbit. (Photo by World View via AP Photo)

Nine-year-old Barry Miller appears none too impressed with the movements of an African Rock Python which is exploring his scalp. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images). 27th August 1961

Tourists take pictures of straw figurines of traditional deities Shennong (R) and Zhang Wulang (L back) during China's National Day Holiday, in Xinhua county, Hunan province, October 4, 2015. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

A Colombian soldier hugs his girlfriend during the graduation ceremony of soldiers in Nilo, Colombia, February 17, 2017. The soldiers will be deployed to occupy territories formerly controlled by FARC rebels. (Photo by Jaime Saldarriaga/Reuters)

Dancers perform a routine at the Renault display at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing, Tuesday, April 26, 2016. (Photo by Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo)

Irene Bowker, 88 years old at the Punk Rebellion festival at The Winter Gardens, talks to a woman with a tatooed head and mohican haircut in Blackpool, Lancashire, UK on August 6, 2015. A clash cultures at the famous seaside town of Blackpool as punks attending the annual Rebellion festival at the Winter Gardens come shoulder to shoulder with traditional holidaymakers. (Photo by MediaWorldImages/Alamy Stock Photo)