Where to go in Serbia

Places I saw and recommend in Serbia: Belgrade, along with the villages and countryside in the south.

The big boys of Belgrade

When the train jolted to a stop, I woke up in Belgrade. Surveying the city map, I was surprised to see that Belgrade didn’t rename its Kennedy Boulevard after the US bombed the city. That’s remarkable, considering that Croatia quickly changed several key street names after its independence. Maybe Serbians aren’t as nationalistic as some think.

Starting from the Trg Republike (Republic Square), I walked down Knez Mihailova (Prince Michael), a pedestrian street filled with fancy stores, big men, and beautiful women whose legs never seem to end. Although Belgrade has many splendid buildings, what’s even more impressive is the number of giants walking around. Serbian men are enormous, which explains why they produce an army of world-class athletes. Meanwhile, watching Serbian women is like observing a ballet of supermodels. I hadn’t seen so many high heels and head-turning babes since the Baltic.

Where to go in Croatia

Places I saw and recommend in Croatia: Dubrovnik, Plitvice National Park, Šibenik, Hvar, Korčula, Split, and Zadar.

Croatia's Dalmatian coast is one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world. It’s far from the stereotypical grayness and blocky Soviet architecture that still dominates some parts of Eastern Europe. Because of its beauty, it’s natural that it’s the first place in the Hidden Europe that is no longer so hidden. Nevertheless, it’s remarkable how many people have still not explored it.

Where to go in Slovenia 

Places I saw and recommend in Slovenia: The Julian Alps (Triglav), the Soča River, its two best caves (Škocjan and Postojna), Ljubljana, the seaside (Piran/Izola/Koper).

Ljubljana: the lovely capital of Slovenia

Ljubljana (pronounced lyoo-blyah-nah) doesn't feel like a European capital. With only 272,000 residents, it's one of Europe's smallest capitals. Its downtown center is so compact that after walking a few blocks you're done. Although it's tiny compared to other capitals, the lovely Ljubljana lives up to its name. In Slovenian, ljubljena means beloved. Slovenians promote a similar play on words in English as they often write their country's name as Slovenia.

If Slovenia’s core is Ljubljana, and Ljubljana’s core is Prešernov Trg (Prešeren Square), then the core of Prešeren Square is truly the heart of the nation. So what’s at the core of Prešeren Square, symbolizing the very soul of Slovenia? A statue of an alcoholic.

Prešeren Square gets its name from Slovenia’s most famous drunk, who also wrote some profound poetry. Prešeren’s larger-than-life greenish statue looks longingly across the beautiful square at the home of the rich girl he wanted to hook up with. After years of trying to win her, he gave up, married another girl, had three children, had several affairs, drank like a fish, tried to commit suicide twice, and died confessing his unfulfilled love—he was 48. Decades after he died of liver disease, Slovenians dusted off his poems and said, “Hey, that loser actually wrote some pretty good shit!”

Today, Prešeren is Slovenia’s greatest poet. The Prešeren Award is Slovenia’s highest reward for artistic achievement. He’s on their two-euro coin. The day he died is a national holiday. His clever and epic poems united Slovenians after centuries of foreign rule. Most Slovenians can recite parts of his poems, especially “Zdravljica” (“Toast”), which the Austria-Hungary Empire banned. Today, it’s Slovenia’s national anthem.

Springing forth from Prešeren Square is the iconic and pedestrian-only Tromostovje (Triple Bridge), which spans the Ljubljanica River. The medieval Ljubljanski Grad (Ljubljana Castle) overlooks the city on a forested hill. 

I spent the 2009 holidays in Ljubljana, Slovenia's cute capital.

Where to go in Hungary

Places I saw and recommend in Hungary: Budapest (especially the Széchenyi Medicinal Bath), Eger, Szeged, and Kecskemét.

Buda is posher than Pest. Buda has the impressive Castle Hill, luxurious housing, and grand buildings. It was the seat of royalty and the site of an ancient fortress. Today, tourists go there to enjoy the breathtaking view of the Danube River’s many bridges, the sharp spires of the Parliament, and the city lights of Pest. Although not as regal as Buda, Pest is where most of the action is. To get there, walk down the medieval cobblestones and cross Eastern Europe’s most beautiful bridge: Széchenyi Iánchíd (Chain Bridge). Or ride Europe’s second oldest underground subway.

Where to go in Slovakia

Places I saw and recommend in Slovakia: High Tatras, Bratislava, and Košice.

Bratislava

Bratislava is the best border town in the world. That's not saying much, since most border towns are as attractive as a fat, hairy man in a Speedo.

However, Bratislava is grand—it's one of the four elegant European capitals on the Danube River (the others are Vienna, Budapest, and Belgrade). From its outskirts, you can easily bike to Austria or Hungary.

Slovakia is such a mountainous country that Bratislava feels out of place, resting on a large, flat plain. Moreover, its rich, sophisticated architecture contrasts sharply with Slovakia's rustic mountain towns.

Founded in 907, Bratislava boomed under Austrian rule, and today it has about half a million residents.

After strolling through the pedestrian zone and admiring the Hodžovo nám (Center Square), you can check out the Bratislavký Hrad (Bratislava's castle) on the west side of the Danube.

Bratislava with some photoshopping. 

This text is an excerpt from The Hidden Europe: What Eastern Europeans Can Teach Us. Listen to the podcast on Slovakia and read my 2004 blog post on Slovakia about stupidities in Slovakia.

Where to go in Czechia

Places I saw and recommend in Czech Republic: Prague, České Budějovice, Český Krumlov, Olomouc, and Brno.

The Czech Republic should be called Czechia

Many countries have long, flamboyant names. One the worst offenders is The United States of America. What a mouthful! Fortunately, we have shorter versions (USA or America).

Other countries with long-winded names have a short alternative: The People’s Republic of China (China or PRC), The Russian Federation (Russia), and The Republic of Moldova (Moldova).

Unfortunately, the Czech Republic hasn’t popularized a catchy word to call itself. In an effort to promote one, we’ll use the best candidate: Czechia.

That way, when someone asks, “Where are you going?” or “What country makes the best beer?” you can say, Czechia, instead of the Czech Republic.

Where to go in Eastern Germany

Places I saw and recommend in eastern Germany: Berlin and Dresden.

Exploring Frankfurt an der Oder

After our conversation, I thanked Veit [a stern/formal East German] and stepped away to pack my things. However, before I could leave the McDonald’s, he approached me and said, “Bad veather today. I show you around. I have car. Come.”

What a transformation! He had started so cold and unfriendly, now he’s offering to take me on a tour of the town! When we got into his car, I noticed it was an Opel. That’s a General Motors brand. “You’re German and you’re driving an American car?” I blurted out before being able to censor my thoughts.

“Ja, but zis is a joint venture between GM and Germany,” he said, as if that excused him of his transgression.

Where to go in Poland

Places I saw and recommend in Poland: Kraków (including side trips to Oświęcim-Auschwitz and the Wieliczka Salt Mine), Gdańsk, Poznań, Wrocław, and the High Tatras Mountain Range.

Gdansk, Poland

It was February 19, 2009 and I was freezing my ass off. It was 10 p.m. in the Gdańsk train station and I was scanning all the bundled people trying to recognize my 24-year-old couchsurfing host, Emilia Łoś. I had seen her smiling photo on her couchsurfing profile, but people don't always look like their photos, especially when they're wearing 17 layers.

Suddenly, Emilia appeared with a big, warm smile and she gave me a hug. I'm not sure if she hugged me because she felt comfortable with me or because she was also freezing. Despite all her clothes, it was obvious that she was skinny, so it's probably because she was cold. Emilia exuded simplicity: her clothes were plain, her soft brown eyes had no makeup, and her straight brown hair was short enough to be manageable, yet feminine. She had a gray birthmark on her right cheek that was easy to get accustomed to. Her most obvious feature, however, was her positive spirit. She giggled and bounced around in a pleasant and endearing way. By the time we arrived to her apartment, I had already concluded, "It's impossible not to love Emilia."

Where to go in Belarus

Places I saw and recommend in Belarus: Minsk, Brest, and the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.

Entering the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

My Belarusian friends knew that I wanted to inhale radioactive air. Therefore, the next day Mikhail, Dimitri’s father, offered to drive Irina and me into the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Although the Chernobyl reactor was in Ukraine, it was just 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the Belarus border. Since most of the radioactive plume blew onto Belarus, most of the contaminated Zone is in Belarus. The military was guarding all the entrances. Nobody could enter unless you had family ties in the zone. In 2004, it was illegal for any foreigner to enter the zone (Ukraine opened their side of the zone to tourists in 2011). Therefore, Mikhail was taking a big risk in trying to sneak me in.

As we approached the checkpoint, Mikhail told me not to open my mouth. He will tell the guard that we’re visiting relatives. Since he lives just 40 kilometers from the zone, it’s a believable story. The guard examined Mikhail’s documents. Then he looked at me. I stopped breathing.

The guard barked out a question in Russian. I had no clue what he was asking. My lips began to part, as I thought about something to say in Russian.

Those who know me and/or have read Hike Your Own Hike might expect that my latest book, The Hidden Europe, is packed with Eastern European outdoor adventure stories.

It's not.

Although I love the outdoors and I did have many outdoor adventures in Eastern Europe, it's not the main focus of the book. In fact, such tales make up 5% of the book.

What's the other 95%? 

It's filled with stories about the history, people, language, food, and drinking habits of Eastern Europeans. It examines how they see themselves and how they see their neighbors and the world. It captures the culture of 25 Eastern European countries in 25 chapters. It's a travelogue that ends each chapter with some of the best practices of each country. The Hidden Europe is more about people than nature.

But what if you just want to find where all the adventurous, outdoorsy parts of the book are? What if you just want to read about me nearly dying on a mountain or overturning a canoe? Here are your Cliff Notes . . . .