At first I was curious about traveling here after so many years of hearing about Chernobyl and the events that happened here in 1986. There are still many areas that are radioactive and will remain so for decades. Having seen the HBO Chernobyl series sparked my interest even more.

Still, one of the most interesting places that I visited in 2019 was Chernobyl and the neighboring city of Pripyat. There are organized tours from Kiev daily. We were told not to touch anything and to stay within the area where the group is moving, considered ‘safe areas.’

What surprised me was the large amounts of vegetation that has grown everywhere. There are also many stray dogs running around. We were advised not to feed them or get close.

What I was looking forward to seeing was the ferris wheel that had seen before in my research and much to my surprise was smaller than I had expected.

Radiation apparently works like throwing sand at something. Some spots have a grain and some areas don’t. The grains that do land are highly radioactive like an area below one of the ferris wheel’s cabin.

We also visited several schools. Some schools had large basketball courts and swimming pools.

In April of 1986, an explosion in Reactor 4 exposed the core and spread radioactive materials across many kilometers. Now the reactor is covered in a “sarcophagus.” We were able to get up close and surprisingly the level of radiation was low.

The highest level of radiation I measured was in the red forest, we did not stop and just passed by bus.

The tour also included eating a meal near the reactor in the cafeteria for employees.

We were checked for radiation several times during the tour.

In summary, the tour was interesting and would recommend it if you are interested in seeing part of history. It does make you reflect on the way we are treating the earth and what we are leaving our children.