The Iron Curtain was a figurative and ideological wall — and eventually a physical one — that separated the Soviet Union from western Europe after World War II.
27.04.2024 - 18:23 / insider.com / Winter Olympics
Forty years ago, the Yugoslavian city of Sarajevo hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics. Many new structures were built, and the Games were seen as something of a reunion since many countries had boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow.
But six years later, the country would be thrown into turmoil during the Yugoslav Wars, which led to the fall of Yugoslavia. Sarajevo became the capital of a new country, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 1992, but the fighting didn't end until 2001.
During the fighting, Olympic venues became battlegrounds, as ski slopes were heavily mined and hotels were turned into prisons.
While Sarajevo's story is singular, it's not the only former Olympics host city where venues now resemble ghost towns. Olympics host countries famously pour billions of dollars into building new venues, which sometimes fall into disrepair after the crowds have gone home.
Paris, which is hosting this year's summer Olympics, is aiming to avoid this costly mistake: 95% of the venues are already underway or will use existing locations that only need minor updates, Reuters reported in March, citing a report by credit rating agency S&P Global.
Here's what the 1984 Sarajevo Olympic venues look like in 2024.
The Iron Curtain was a figurative and ideological wall — and eventually a physical one — that separated the Soviet Union from western Europe after World War II.
The Olympics are rooted in tradition, with the first official Summer Olympics staged in 1896 in Athens, Greece that drew athletes from 13 nations. Ever since then, the marathon has been a mainstay in Olympic programming.
E-gates at airports across the UK have returned to normal following a mass outage which caused disruption and huge queues for thousands of passengers.
It’s been a dazzling spectacle of the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, since Friday, May 11, across the night sky of the U.S., Canada and Europe, high-energy particles from the sun interacting with the earth's magnetic field to cause dazzling and mesmerizing geomagnetic storms.
Traveling in Greece is always an adventure — even for a local like me.
Packed bars with carousing revelers spilling onto clogged streets. Takeaway booze swigged by drunken tourists and students. Earsplitting volumes in once quiet residential neighborhoods long after midnight.
Cunard has operated 249 ships throughout its 184 years in operation, including the famous Queen Mary and Queen Mary 2. But it's been 14 years since the cruise line has launched a new vessel — until now.
It was a sunny afternoon in February at the height of the high season on the Caribbean island of Curaçao, but my partner, Aaren, and I were far from lounging on a white-sand beach, snorkeling over a coral reef or strolling among the Easter-egg-colored buildings of Willemstad, Curaçao’s capital and a UNESCO World Heritage site — typical activities for travelers to this former Dutch colony.
I'm a big fan of Mobile Passport Control and have been a loyal user for many years. It's my entry expediting program of choice when I return to the U.S. from overseas and want to avoid long lines at U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
You would think hot beverages would be unheard of in such a hot and humid country, but coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the Philippines. Nine out of 10 households have coffee in their pantries, and eight out of 10 adults in the country drink an average of 2.5 cups of coffee every day, according to the Philippine Coffee Board.
After an active couple of weeks for travel tech funding, it’s been a bit quieter lately. Only a handful of travel startups over the past two weeks have announced new fundraises, and they have all been relatively small.
Last month’s total solar eclipse proved why 2024 is one of the biggest years yet for astrotourism, and the night-sky fun is far from over. This May alone will see a flurry of activity, from a strong meteor shower under near-perfect moon conditions to multiple moon-and-planet meetups. For those in the northern hemisphere, May stargazing comes with another treat: warmer weather.