Off to E Europe

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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 7:36 pm

^^^^ Well, the so-called Second Republic, i.e. Austria after WWII, has been neutral its entire life.

However, Austria's neutrality (since 1955) was not exactly voluntary. It was the price they payed for not being split up into a communist East and a democratic West like Germany was.

Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 11:32 am

Quote:

it has been neutral it's entire life...by that why it could be center...sorry just trying to salvage my horrible geography

considering my ancestors come from Switzerland..

Meant Switzerland...

Thanks anyway Kleindoofy Very Happy

(Sorry for the mini necro)

Master Baiter Joined: 20 Aug 2005 Posts: 187

I just spent a half hour putting my list together before realizing this was a necro'd thread!

Hungary - Budapest, Visegrad, and Pecs
Croatia - the Dalamatian Coast, esp. Dubrovnik and Korchula
Slovenia - Ljubljana and Bled
Montenegro - Kotor and Budva (and the bus trip from Montenegro to Sarajevo was the most fascinating of my life)
Sarajevo, Bosnia (Mostar is supposed to be nice too)
Bulgaria- mountains around the Rila Monastery, Veliko Turnovo
Poland - after seeing Krakow and Auschwitz, check out the mountain town of Zakopane, then continue to the Slovakian side of the Tatra mountains
Slovakia - Levocha
Macedonia - Lake Ochrid
Prague is beautiful but better not to visit in August if you can avoid it.

Actually, Hungary, Czech, Slovakia were traditionally considered Central Europe, but came to be considered "Eastern" when the iron curtain fell. "Eastern" Europe was generally made up of those areas that were part of the Russian or Ottoman empires, and tended to be Orthodox rather than Roman Catholic (with some exceptions such as Catholic Lithuania).

Also, travellers should not be afraid of language barriers, unless you want to wind up following around hoards of tour groups. and missing all those interesting places (such as Eastern Poland and Western Hungary) where few people speak English. That's what phrase books are for.

Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 4:58 pm

Yeah, Prague's a stunning place, very Baroque. Alas it's beginning to/been overrun with English Stag parties. So's much of the rest of the new Eastern E.U. cities. Talinn is the first to spring to mind. Something to do with cheap booze and even cheaper ladies I suspect.

I'd recommend, if you're in Prague long enough, to take a choo-choo journey South(IIRC) to the Budvar brewery. You get to see a bit of the countryside then with a bloody massive beer factory at the end of your wearysome journey. Good times!!

B-S

Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 9:28 pm

Rule of Thumb: If EasyJet goes there, the lager lads will follow.

Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 11:46 pm

Yes, and tragically, they are about to start flying to Bucharest.