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.

Four-year-old Solaris Arias (right) jumps through water spraying from an open fire hydrant in Providence, Rhode Island, on June 20, 2012. Much of the state remained under a heat advisory Tuesday afternoon because of the steamy air mass that has moved into the region resulting in temperatures in the 90s. (Photo by Steven Senne/AP Photo)

Though schools around the globe have different start dates, calendars and traditions, the first day of a new term is an exciting time filled with the prospects of gaining more knowledge, making new friends and building community. Here: Schoolchildren attend their first lesson on Knowledge Day in the town of Turov, Zhytkavichy District, Gomel Region, Belarus on September 1, 2017. Knowledge Day marks the beginning of a new school year in Belarus and is celebrated on September 1. (Photo by Viktor Drachev/TASS via Getty Images)

A Geoffroy's Monk Saki is seen at the Parque de Las Leyendas zoo in Lima, Peru, February 14, 2018. (Photo by Guadalupe Pardo/Reuters)

Artist Leiomy performs at the Sissy Ball in Sydney, Australia on February 24, 2018. The Sissy Ball is a celebration of voguing – a style of modern dance, a form of self-expression, and a powerful movement that has become a representation for the sociopolitical struggles of the LGBTQI+ community. (Photo by Ken Leanfore/Red Bull Music)

A man walks past a neon soaked street scene mural titled “Belfast – Blurry Eyed” by Dan Kitchener, also known as DANK on March 1, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

The buildings of the banking district are seen through thousands of rain drops on a glass railing in central Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, January 11, 2017. (Photo by Michael Probst/AP Photo)

A young man wears a mask on the right side of his head as he stands on a bridge with the European Central Bank at left in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, October 29, 2020. (Photo by Michael Probst/AP Photo)