Eastern Europe
Exploring the Hidden Europe in 2004 and 2008-2011
In 2004, I visited all 25 countries in Eastern Europe. You'll find the blog entries from that trip here. In 2008-2011, I returned to see what had changed since that time. With these two visits, five years apart, I accumulated enough material for my 750-page book, The Hidden Europe: What Eastern Europeans Can Teach Us.
This blog now has many excerpts from The Hidden Europe. But who the hell reads anymore? Just look at the best photos from Eastern Europe!
This map reflects how I define Eastern Europe. Eastern Europeans love to deny that they're in Eastern Europe. I tackle how and why I define Eastern Europe the way I do in the Introduction of The Hidden Europe.
Europe is the safest continent you can travel in, which explains why it is also the most popular tourist destination in the world. However, even in tourism paradise things can go wrong. Here's what to consider.
Cycling safety
In the opening of The Hidden Europe: What Eastern Europeans Can Teach Us, I praise Finland for its biker-friendly environment (you can download the chapter for free and read it for yourself).
However, while I was right that Finland is wonderful for biker safety, it's the Central/Eastern European countries that are the best overall.
Biking across Europe is fun. I've even recommended biking across El Camino de Santiago in Spain. However, you still might want get insurance for your bike and health insurance too. And buy a really good lock because bike theft is rife.
Guest Post by Romeo Demes:
Croatia has firmly established itself as one of Europe’s premium tourist destinations. Its major attractions like Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Plitvice Lakes and Zadar have gained global tourist acclaim.
As a result, most visitors to Croatia travel to these attractions. However, these attractions are just the tip of the iceberg. Croatia has numerous jewels and hidden gems, many of which have been delighting curious adventurers for years.
If you are one of those who are willing to look beyond the standard travel brochures, then these hidden gems are the perfect destination for you. Some of the hidden gems are the following:
Galesnjak – The Island of Love
Popularly referred to as the “Lover’s Island”, Galesnjak is quietly emerging as one of Croatia’s top romantic destinations. This is because it is the most heart-shaped island in the world. This fact was first brought to the attention of the world by Google Earth images in 2009.
The island has since become popular stopover for couples on a romantic holiday. Therefore, if you are travelling with your better half, you may want to drop by there.
The island itself is small, uninhabited and mostly covered with trees and shrubs. It is surrounded by pristine waters of the Pasman channel, and has a few pebble beaches. The majority of the island is wild and untamed. You can have a picnic, enjoy a quiet romantic time or even camp through the night. Most people who visit the island set base at Pasman Island or in the historic town of Zadar.
Guest Post by Alex Pejak:
Eastern Europe is increasingly becoming more popular with travellers around the world. Where is Eastern Europe? It encompasses the area of Europe east of the Czech Republic and extends from southern Bulgaria to Russia's Borders with Asia and the Arctic.
Some of the easily accessible countries of East Europe include Serbia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, and many more. The countries of Eastern Europe are all ethnically, topographically, culturally and historically distinct. The one thing they do have in common is a past under the Soviet Union's realm of interest and control.
Eastern Europe has seen its share of war and atrocities after the breakup of the Soviet Union, with various new countries fighting to gain independence from socialist federal republics such as Yugoslavia.
Today, twenty odd years later, all of the countries of Eastern Europe have either been accepted into the European Union or are working towards gaining this status.
This has made the region more open and attractive to tourists, so here are the top five reasons you should visit Eastern Europe....
- 7 Places in Eastern Europe I Dream About
- Is Eastern Europe Safe for Travel?
- Magic of Novi Sad, Serbia
- 22 Places and Things to See in Hungary
- Top 10 Beaches of Eastern Europe
- Getting Around in Slovenia
- CBS KPIX Interview on Bay Sunday Show
- Balkan Culinary Marvels
- Backpacking solo in Eastern Europe: Things You Should Know
- 3 Otherworldly Caves in Slovenia
- Oddities in Turkincha, Bulgaria
- Ukraine
- Moldova
- Romania
- Bulgaria
- Turkey
- Greek food and language in Thessaloniki
- Reasonably Priced Hotels in Dubrovnik
- Solution to Europe's credit downgrades
- KQED Forum with Michael Krasny
Your comment will be deleted if:
- It doesn't add value. (So don't just say, "Nice post!")
- You use a fake name, like "Cheap Hotels."
- You embed a self-serving link in your comment.
