On tonights episode of No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain they travel to Ukraine where they tour Chernobyl and hit popular restaurants and attractions throughout the country. We thought we would prep you for the episode by showing you some pictures and videos as well as explaining what actually happened at Chernobyl to cause the haunting scenes seen below. In the episode they also look at modern Ukraine seeing how its changed and how its stayed the same since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
On April 26th, 1986 the Chernobyl power plant had catastrophic failure which caused the reactor to catch on fire and explode sending a large cloud of radioactive fallout that decimated the surrounding area as well as caused problems for much of Western Europe. After the explosion happened the nearby city of Pripyat was not immediately evacuated and most of the population of the Soviet Union was not notified until two days later on the 28th. The quick evacuations caused nearly everything in the town of Pripyat to be left as it was and no one has returned since the evacuations in 1986. The quick abandonment left everything from Ferris wheels to clothes and children’s toys as they were on that day in 1986 as you can see in some of the photos and videos below.
In the episode, Anthony Bourdain joins his ex-soviet sidekick Zamir as they go throughout Ukraine to places such as Chernobyl as well as a large, previously secret Soviet submarine base in Balaklava that has now turned into a large tourist attraction and Khan’s Palace in Bakhchisaray. On the food side of things they grab some seafood at Tatyanin Mys, some Middle Eastern food at Salachick, and last but not least grab a bite to eat at the Ukranian version of McDonald’s in Kiev called McFoxy.
Check out some of the photos below of what Pripyat, Ukraine looks like today after the Chernobyl meltdown as well as the chilling video below that which gives you a video tour of the modern day nuclear ghost town.
Photos Of Chernobyl Today:
Chernobyl Gas Mask by Doll – Credit: Getty Images
Chernobyl During Winter – Credit: Keith Adams
Pripyat Ukraine Overlooking Chernobyl – Credit: Jason Minshull
Ferris Wheel Near Chernobyl in Pripyat Ukraine – Credit: Getty Images
Chilling Video of Pipyat, Ukraine, Abandoned After Chernobyl Meltdown:
The No Reservations Ukraine episode featuring Chernobyl airs tonight (August 15th) at 9pm EST on the Travel Channel. Check your local listings to see where and when it airs in your area. There are also companies that give tours of Chernobyl and Pripyat with Solo East seeming to be the most popular on TripAdvisor, the price is listed on their website at about $150 a person for the tour with discounts for more people.
Crazy that the place is stuck in time. It’s both mysterious and tragic.