Message #10431

[Sofia39]

During my trip through Russia I intend to hit all the major places in Leo Tolstoy's works - Siberian exile, society in Moscow & St. Petersburg, war in the Caucasus, etc. He's my favorite author and his works inspire me, so of course I'm also planning to spend some time in Yasnaya Polyana at his estate, and visit the train station where he died.

Through Europe, it's World War II history: Versailles (WWI, but highly related!), the Ardennes, Volgograd/Stalingrad, the Dneiper, most everywhere in the Ukraine, Normandy, Berlin & Dresden, to name a few. I would also love to follow the North Africa campaign, but that may not be so easy! I really want to hike through many of these areas, not just see buildings and monuments.

I also start planning for a trip by researching UNESCO World Heritage Sites. I don't limit myself to them, but they're a great way to get interested in seeing a country, and it just grows from there.

Anyone else have pilgrimages, patterns or themes to share?