Sick of stopping in during the Lockdown? Fancy visiting a place which used to attract interest from all over the world? One of Blackburn’s travel agents could have just the kind of trip you really need to give you a glow and radiate happiness.
At first I thought it was a joke when I looked in their window and saw an advert for four days in Chernobyl next August. Some of us of a certain age remember the name of this place with horror. It made Fukushima look like a drop in the ocean. The Americans we’re lucky to get away with their own near miss at Three Mile Island. But there was no escape for the Soviets when Reactor 4 overheated at Chernobyl.
Since that year of 1986, those Cold War days have been and gone. The hatchet has been buried and new intercontinental destinations for tourism are always being explored. Many people from those days will still have trepidations about going to this place. No doubt travel agents will say people shouldn’t overreact. Unfortunately this kind of description will probably still bring tinges of horror to many of us who remember it happening.
If you decide to go to Chernobyl, in present day Ukraine, there may be a few surprises in store for you. Sunglasses used to be in great demand over there for many years and those on sale have extra thick lenses. You may also hear the clicking of Geiger counters everywhere. There is even talk of a Disneyland being built there. Unfortunately their six foot Mouse is a real one. They also have a duck. It’s nowhere to be seen but signs in Ukrainian say Duck and Cover.
Chernobyl’s residents are known for their friendliness. But western tourists are warned not to say certain things otherwise there may be a fallout. This latter word must never be used. Also when paying compliments to people, never mention their radiant smiles, otherwise they may have a meltdown.
With lockdown restrictions including certain travel abroad, perhaps we could see holidays of a similar nature in Britain. After all, we have plenty of nuclear installations in this country. Punk Rock fans could have weekenders at Sellafield. There could even be a bit of Heavy Metal thrown in too.
Perhaps holidays in Chernobyl are becoming a new trend – known as Dark Tourism. After all, there seems to be a fascination with the Titanic. Hiroshima receives two million visitors a year and a similar number visit Auschwitz. Maybe we could find something in Blackburn from our dark past to bring in the punters.