Tell us about other EE countries you travelled to; post pictures, opinions ... what you liked/disliked etc etc. :cheers:

I went to Albania this summer, Tirane, Gjirokaster, Saranda. I loved the cities the only thing that really bothered me was lack of care by the government with garbages, lights were a problem...but Albania is amazing in other terms..Here's a video from a beach the quality is not so great

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT7RrKt-t-k


I will post pictures and videos from nature as well in the future.

but Albania's food is known to be natural and tasty, everything about the food is great- this is mainly because we don't use any chemicals at ALL so all the food is natural, and probable the best in europe.
The people are laid back, will welcome you into a group with no problem, all really nice...
:cheers:
If you would like to have a strangely weird time and have some difficulties in your journey, but FUN and funny difficulties you go to Albania

this is mainly because we don't use any chemicals at ALL so all the food is natural, and probable the best in europe.

Lucky you. You should see what do they sell in our supermarkets, blah :(

Lucky you. You should see what do they sell in our supermarkets, blah :(

I see it in America, which is ten times as worse. One year if you EVER decide to go to Albania, go by "Llogara" and eat there...i ate there this summer baby cow (idk what it's called) and they gave me a plate of about 10 pieces of steak, and normally that fills you up but these were tender pieces you can tell they were 100 percent real...and even some pears which i bought, in llogara, from a farmer selling them in the corner of the streets, the pears were just smaller than my fist, not like the ones here that are like watermelons, and i ate about 10 pears cause of the taste and the crunch.

"If you wanna eat, go to Albania"
this slogan had become famous there by Europeans from EU who visited our country

That's one of the positive things about my country
negative- corruption which branches off into everything else

Corruption is common throughout the region I think. We have problems with it here too.

regarding EE countries ive only been to Croatia and Slovenia :lol: ill post some pics of Croatia later,gotta update em ;)

oh yea in Croatia ive been to Zagreb,Split,Trogir,Sisak,Petrinja,Karlovac,Umag,Poreč,Novigrad,Rovinj,Makarska and Vodice and in Slovenia ive been to Ljubljana,Maribor and Postojna :)

Well, my suggestion is that you write about an EE country that you visited and that is not your own!
I was in Bulgaria this spring, but I am Bulgarian so if I write about my trip I would say only good things.
The point is how other people see your EE country! :) :)

That WAS the idea. I thought was clear. Cheers for re re re minding everyone :cheers:

One travel guide (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=15014384&postcount=250) from a Macedonian who visited the small bulgarian town - Targovishte :cheers: Sorry that his comments are in bulgarian , but don't have now time to translate them.

i went to greece only for a week this summer in athens...some things had improved some had gotten worse from last time

More buildings than before, the city had become bigger, it still had its characteristic look with whites houses all over, transportation had improved, Albanian immigrants seemed to be a little more free in the streets to speak their language then before...bad things though- it took too long to get anywhere in the city with the tram, the drivers were unprofessional (one of them forgot to stop at a light, he almost rammed another tram, he went outside to buy a drink while he was driving the tram) there was way too many buildings and not enough trees, weather was unbearable, during the day there was no people in the streets, traffic was terrible and cars didn't obey laws at all...

i went to greece only for a week this summer in athens...some things had improved some had gotten worse from last time

More buildings than before, the city had become bigger, it still had its characteristic look with whites houses all over, transportation had improved, Albanian immigrants seemed to be a little more free in the streets to speak their language then before...bad things though- it took too long to get anywhere in the city with the tram, the drivers were unprofessional (one of them forgot to stop at a light, he almost rammed another tram, he went outside to buy a drink while he was driving the tram) there was way too many buildings and not enough trees, weather was unbearable, during the day there was no people in the streets, traffic was terrible and cars didn't obey laws at all...

lol looks like any other Balkan capital to me. :lol: :lol: :lol: I know what u mean. Ive studied there two years, the summer is unbearable. And btw who the hell advised u to take the tram? :nuts: With a camel you would have moved faster...

lol looks like any other Balkan capital to me. :lol: :lol: :lol: I know what u mean. Ive studied there two years, the summer is unbearable. And btw who the hell advised u to take the tram? :nuts: With a camel you would have moved faster...

O yea don't get me started on studies, my cousin went from Albania (gjirokaster) to athens polytechnic with a full scholarship, she's been there for 3 years and hasn't studied enough for a year yet. :nuts:
I didn't know what to take, we took the tram to go to a beach.
We also went to this amusement park, it was ok for the balkans it was nice...but for america it was like a kiddie park lol

i've been in Kiev once... not really good place to go if u r speeking russian and u don't know ukrainian at all.... at least that's how it was 5 years ago...

I visited Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro. No special feelings...

I badly want to visit Macedonia and Albania.

My parents had a nice week in Greece this summer. They very much liked it,the history,the culture,everything.
Because they were on a bus tour,there were night stops in Macedonia. that is the part they didnt like. the first impression in them about Macedonia was that they are very-very poor.

My parents had a nice week in Greece this summer. They very much liked it,the history,the culture,everything.
Because they were on a bus tour,there were night stops in Macedonia. that is the part they didnt like. the first impression in them about Macedonia was that they are very-very poor.

it's a wrong impression but well deserved. there is not one decent rest area along the highway to prove otherwise. the ones that exist have a poor hygene usually. and to add to the picture the newspapers have been tracking a new phenomenon from this year that the paytoll on the highway by Kumanovo (the first one U face when U enter the country) is swamped by gypsy beggers cause of the proximity of the town and the settlement they live in. They esepecially target foreign vechiles because foreigners don't know how to react and they get scared so the gipsies extract money easier. That's not a nice picture to see I can imagine. Apparently the police is chasing them away but they keep coming back.

anyways I've been to all of the ex-yugoslav countries + Greece countless times... I've also transited through Hungary once and had a beer in the border Bulgarian town of Kjustendil... but those two don't count. Impressions from the countries I visited are all positive and each time I went to one of those there has been visible progress from the previous time.

Since they only stopped for sleeping,they didnt really see the country itself.
And for the gypsies...approximate population in Hungary is like 5-10%,so 500-1000thousand. They are not new to us. But I suspect from your explanation is that our gypsies are "richer" than yours:)
I understand why you say "wrong". And I agree. I suspect a french would think the same of us.
Thats why I "copied" this topic to CE:)

I went to montenegro and croatia for a small break really good but damn is that road long from montenegro to split.

Since they only stopped for sleeping,they didnt really see the country itself.
And for the gypsies...approximate population in Hungary is like 5-10%,so 500-1000thousand. They are not new to us. But I suspect from your explanation is that our gypsies are "richer" than yours:)
I understand why you say "wrong". And I agree. I suspect a french would think the same of us.
Thats why I "copied" this topic to CE:)

I don't say we're rich but far from poor poor... From my transit through Hungary I didn't think we differ that much. The main problem with Macedonia is maintenance and hygene which gives away a worse picture than it is. But as I said it's well deserved, we ought to improve these things. For example till a few years ago I didn't see a difference driving through Macedonia and Serbia, it was much worse in Serbia actually on some sections. But since 2004 the Serbs did a lot with their part of coridor X, it's resurfaced most of the way, hygene is on a much better level, paytools are cleaner, the old rest areas are regulary maintained, many of the gas stations got renovated, lots of new nice gas stations with big rest areas emerged (OMV, MOL and Eko mostly)... In essence I know both countries are the same crap, but one would definately get a better first impression of Serbia from the things mentioned above.

As for the gypsies... They actually have it realtively good here, they are well integrated in comparising with their situation in other countries. However there is a percentage among them that lives that begger life and creates that bad picture and the authorities do very little to cope with that. Almost all major intersections in Skopje have a resident begger nowdays which gives away a very bad first impression. Now we have the Kumanovo paytoll phenomenon.

BTW there is literaly nothing to see along coridor X in Macedonia, other than the outscirts of Kumanovo and Veles from the distance U can't see any inhibited place along the way.

I went to Budapest a couple of weeks ago. I always said I'm gonna visit it later in my life because it's so close, but I had the opportunity to go now and I did, and now I know that I definitely have to go there again.

It's a great city, mainly because of how it's shaped around the Danube. It has some great examples of architecture (the parliament has to be one of my favorite buildings in the world) and plenty of stuff to visit (unfortunately I was there for only 5 days, which isn't enough to see everything - but i recommend the Terror House and the Holocaust Museum, besides other known objectives such as the Parliament, Castle Hill and the Citadel).

I also went to the Sziget festival for one night but I wasn't impressed. Judging by the bands that played at this year's festival, it seems that it has lost some of its popularity, now that there are many other festivals in this part of Europe. The thing I liked most was the diversity of the people, it's like the whole world (or at least Europe :)) was on that island.

Ok... back to Budapest... it's cleaner than Bucharest, but it's not the cleanest city I've seen. But don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining :D

If you haven't visited Budapest already, make sure to put it on your list.

(OMV, MOL and Eko mostly).
:banana: MOL is ours:)

As for the gypsies... They actually have it realtively good here, they are well integrated in comparising with their situation in other countries.
Ours mostly live in rural areas,because the free funds and help the gov gives them is not even enough for a 1room flat at the edge of any major city.

I definitely have to go there again.
Come,and have a good time! Glad you enjoyed our capitol!

but i recommend the Terror House and the Holocaust Museum, besides other known objectives such as the Parliament, Castle Hill and the Citadel).
I suggest trying the museum of transportation..that tells a lot about technologies used in the times of the monarchy..and of course,nowadays.

it has lost some of its popularity, now that there are many other festivals in this part of Europe. The thing I liked most was the diversity of the people, it's like the whole world (or at least Europe :)) was on that island.
In fact,it was record. 385000 visitors in 7 days. and you got it right! people from all across Europe come!

Ok... back to Budapest... it's cleaner than Bucharest, but it's not the cleanest city I've seen. But don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining :D
Complain at will! I know it is not so tidy,but after seeing Paris...I bet you would find Bucharest clean!

:banana: MOL is ours:)


I know :cheers:

I know :cheers:

I believe you will see some in Italy and Croatia soon.

I believe you will see some in Italy and Croatia soon.

didn't MOL aquire or wanted to aquire a stake (majority stake) of Croatian INA a while ago? what happened with that?

didn't MOL aquire or wanted to aquire a stake (majority stake) of Croatian INA a while ago? what happened with that?

Business secret,they say.But its pretty close. MOL is pretty aggressive nowadays. All began with Slovnaft,then strategical stations in Transylvania...now I read about oilfields in Russia,and buying of some minor italian network,and stakes in INA. OMW tried to bully them,but the austrians failed.

@ RawLee

Where is the money coming from for such an aggressive expansion?

I suggest trying the museum of transportation..that tells a lot about technologies used in the times of the monarchy..and of course,nowadays.

Damn it!! I missed that one! :D I also missed the subway museum at Deák tér :( ...not enough time. But I'll come back and stay for longer.


In fact,it was record. 385000 visitors in 7 days. and you got it right! people from all across Europe come!


I didn't have any doubts about the attendance. I was thinking of popularity in terms of the bands that played this year - previous years had better line-ups. It's harder for the organizers to get more big names because of the competition from the other festivals.


Complain at will! I know it is not so tidy,but after seeing Paris...I bet you would find Bucharest clean!

Oh and... lots of homeless people at night, but they weren't dangerous or anything. I'm sure we have plenty of homeless people as well, but I guess ours stay hidden :lol:

@ RawLee

Where is the money coming from for such an aggressive expansion?

Its an oil company:) and I suppose they are not only in the oil business,because I've read about a geothermal power plant they constructed. any from the stock market! This is one of the companies that are good investments. MOL alone pays like 10% of the industrial tax in Hungary(I dont have real value,but pretty high).

Damn it!! I missed that one! :D I also missed the subway museum at Deák tér :( ...not enough time. But I'll come back and stay for longer.
I've never seen the subway museum,but I've read it is pretty interesting

I was thinking of popularity in terms of the bands that played this year - previous years had better line
I know Pink,Chemical brothers and on day 0,LGT was there,but since I can hear it all where I live,I have no intention going there:)

Oh and... lots of homeless people at night, but they weren't dangerous or anything. I'm sure we have plenty of homeless people as well, but I guess ours stay hidden :lol:
dont try Nyugati underpass! Its not that there are lot of them..its rather that they concentrate at frequented areas.

Its an oil company:) and I suppose they are not only in the oil business,because I've read about a geothermal power plant they constructed. any from the stock market! This is one of the companies that are good investments. MOL alone pays like 10% of the industrial tax in Hungary(I dont have real value,but pretty high).

I understand it is a big oil company, but still am puzzled about all that money.

@ RawLee

Where is the money coming from for such an aggressive expansion?

subsidiary:


* Alfagas Kft.
* Hawasina LLC Oman Branch
* MK Mineralkontor GmbH
* MOL Pakistan Oil and Gas Co
* MOL Yemen Oil and Gas Ltd.
* Moltrade-Mineralimpex Rt.
* Roth-Heizöle GmbH
* TVK Rt.

* Geoinform Kft.
* Hexan Kft.
* MOL Caspian Oil and Gas Ltd.
* MOL Romania PP srl
* MOL Austria Handels GmbH
* MOL-Trans Kft.
* Slovnaft a.s.
* UBA Services Ltd.

* GES Geofizikai Szolgáltató Kft.
* INTERMOL d.o.o.
* MOL Földgázszállító Zrt.
* MOL Slovenija d.o.o.
* MOL-LUB Kft.
* Petrolszolg Kft.
* Terméktároló Rt.
* ZMB Ltd.

partnership:
INA

and sorry for the off-topic,I promise I stop!

I have been to Slovakia, Praha and Lwow in EE/ CE. To many things to say and i can not be bovered to write them sorry

Business secret,they say.But its pretty close. MOL is pretty aggressive nowadays. All began with Slovnaft,then strategical stations in Transylvania...now I read about oilfields in Russia,and buying of some minor italian network,and stakes in INA. OMW tried to bully them,but the austrians failed.

Actually Ina sold 25% stake way back, but it was worst descision made ever, at the time when INA sold its steak it was not as valuable as it is today, MOL mad 125% profit on its 25% stake in INA. The INA as a whole had annual turnover of 20 billion Kuna and market capitalization is in region of 25-30 billion Kuna last year.

The MOL is a big oil company for region but soon they'll be target of either BP, Mobil, Shell or even Agip. This is how things always go, INA is trying to get back its 25 stake it sold to the MOL, as MOL has not kept to the deal agreed when they purchased the INA stake, mainly in infrastructure and modernization of oil refineries in Rijeka and Sisak.

On another note, I made my first Cevapi, :) they came out nice, perfect, just as I remember:)

Such a simple dish to make, :) should do it more often :)

i went to montenegro over the summer. it was pretty nice but moving around from place to place is a hassle. the cities were clean and it was nicely made for tourists.

This summer I had the opportunity to visit Ljubljana, Zagreb, and Split and I am so glad I took it. As soon as I upload my pics, I'll post them and go into more detail about my trip, but for now all I can say is that it was fantastic. Not as crowded as Italy, a lot more affordable, lots more to see and do than I had imagined. Definitely will be coming back soon. :)

Complain at will! I know it is not so tidy, but after seeing Paris...I bet you would find Bucharest clean!

^^ BTW Even though there are a "billions" of stray dogs in Bucharest it seems that there is more dog-pooh on Paris's streets ...

^^ Agree . :) same applyes for Bordeaux - some streets over there are like mine fields each morning. Even though one of my favourite places in Europe is the Bay D'Arcachon near Bordeaux :)

I have been all around the Balkans with the exception of Albania and southern Greece...

Have traveled all around East and South Europe with still missing Portugal, Poland, the Baltics, Ukraine, Bellaruss and Russia in the collection.

From all the places i have been around if i have to make a top 3 that i want to visit over and over again it goes like this :

- Zlatna Praha
- Peljesac peninsula and Korcula espec.
- Istanbul

:cheers:

Experiences with EE :cheers:

I lived 1 year in Warsaw (2003) where I earned my Masters degree
I visited Budapest 40 times or more, Kosice (Slovakia), Krakow, Wroclaw (many other smaller Polish towns), Veliko Tarnovo several times, Sofia, Kiev, Moscow, both several times, Minsk, Belgrade many times last year and Montenegro, Chisinau.

And here is my top 5 EE cities

1) Moscow
2) Warsaw
3) Budapest
4) Kiev
5) Wroclaw

Veliko Tarnovo several times...

^^ Hey, i am curious to hear how did you feel in my home town :cheers:

^^ Hey, i am curious to hear how did you feel in my home town :cheers:

hey! I was stoping by on cruiseships:)

The architecture is crazy:nuts: in the good sense..those buildings built in rocks...reminded me Georgia..

I also went several times to one fency village nearby...where the rich people live..and some football players..can't remember the name now:ohno:

and a few Dacia taxis

^^ ^^
Arbanasi (www.arbanassi.org) (Арбанаси).
The "official" Web site is so-o-o-o-o cheap for a nice little village like Arbanassi!
The picture in the header instead of being something fresh looks like an area after forest fire!

^^ The fancy village is called Arbanassi :) It's the Tarnovo's Beverley Hills :lol: heh and the football players are Trifon Ivanov , Krasimir Balakov , Ilian Kiriakov ... all from the golden generation that took the 4th place on the world cup in USA'94 :) As for the Dacia taxis, they are still there , but the new fashion now is Skoda Octavia's taxis ;)

Anyway , you should sometimes come again for a weekend over here. Since 1st January 2007 there are many romanians coming to spend the weekend in Veliko Tarnovo , and i have heard only possitive impressions from them :cheers:

^^ The fancy village is called Arbanassi :) It's the Tarnovo's Beverley Hills :lol: heh and the football players are Trifon Ivanov , Krasimir Balakov , Ilian Kiriakov ... all from the golden generation that took the 4th place on the world cup in USA'94 :) As for the Dacia taxis, they are still there , but the new fashion now is Skoda Octavia's taxis ;)

Anyway , you should sometimes come again for a weekend over here. Since 1st January 2007 there are many romanians coming to spend the weekend in Veliko Tarnovo , and i have heard only possitive impressions from them :cheers:

That's right! Arbanassi...a superb place and a superb landscape...very quite.

Besides some football players I guess a lot of mobs live there too :)

^^ to be read from ... bottom to top http://kjohn.wordpress.com/tag/romania/

"Curtea de Arges Cathedral makes the oldest bulidings in St Augustine look like a McDonalds drive through."
:lol: :lol: :lol: A good old american way of describing something:lol: :lol: :lol:

Here is Czas na Żywiec (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/member.php?u=19154)'s report from his recent visit to Croatia: [Zagreb, Split, Hrvatska] - Pictures (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=521070)

Nice pictures. Zagreb looks very nice :cheers:

Smth interesting to follow … Money Race :cheers:
http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/4460/logocursabanilorqh6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Projects without borders
2007-09-18

Business Standard daily set off with the promise to provide its readers a new perspective on regional business and economy. The "Money Race" project is part of this strategy to provide first-hand, last-minute information on Central and Eastern Europe.
The "Money Race" is placing Romania and Bulgaria face to face after more than half a year after he European integration and evaluating where the two countries are in the competition for European financing, foreign capital and economic development. The project will develop for two weeks, starting today, and it differs from other editorial projects not only by content, but also by the thinking laying at its foundation.
Thus, Business Standard conceived the first trans-border editorial project, simultaneously unfolding in two neighboring countries. South of the Danube, our partner is Dnevnik daily, the most powerful business publication in Bulgaria, also member of German media group Handelsblatt. Furthermore, "Money Race" will have simultaneous editorial support all through its development from business TV station The Money Channel. It is a premiere project, thought to have a synchronized unfolding in both written and audiovisual media.
Besides, the strategy of group Realitatea-Catavencu (of which Business Standard and The Money Channel are part of) emphasizes the force that editorial integration of media in the same group can provide.
Therefore, the first "Money Race" week starts today, in an original manner, with an advertising series combining content and ads in the written media, online (www.standard.ro) and on TV. Starting September 24, a string of detailed analyses of the business and media environments from the two countries will follow. As soon as Romanian business extends in the region, such projects become investment guides.

^^ Good initiative. :cheers: Didn't get how we could keep in touch with it though.

Go Bulgaria! Go Romania!

Since 1st of January we have become somewhat of a best buddies :) When i go home to Veliko Tarnovo i see more and more romanian cars and people all across the streets and town. It's like we are not two different countries anymore. :cheers:

Didn't get how we could keep in touch with it though.

Read Dnevnik (http://www.dnevnik.bg/) starting Monday 24th.:cheers: For us, Romanians, it is Business Standard (http://www.standard.ro). And I think you can also follow it on the English section of Business Standard (http://www.standard.ro/sectiunea_5010/money_race). I'll follow it.

Turnovec, I see no reason not to be buddies.:cheers:

Turnovec, I see no reason not to be buddies.:cheers:

Me too :cheers:

Czech Republilk - nice climat of Pragha
Slovakia - lovely SPA
Germany - n/c
Italy - Bari . Matera , Altamura , Roma - Beauty Adriatic , rock cities beauty architecture what i didnt like is trashes on street and city streets were more worst then motorways in Poland
England - Birmingham most worst and sceary city i ever been , and Country Side
English wiliegs are most beautyful on the world , friendly people , and big culture on roads

This is my experiance form travels:)

Cheers for your WE travel experiences also :nuts: :cheers:

I've flown over Romania and Bulgaria. :D

my eastern european experiences

poland - german architecture , pale women , bad food
czech rep. - beautiful praha
hungary - good food , old charme budapest
croatia - nice coast and cities but boring place for holidays
serbia - trendy belgrade , good grill
bulgaria - beware of thieves and cheaters,

I was in Albania this summer but I had a really weird experience going into Macedonia. Me and my friends planned a weekend to go to Oher, so one Friday morning we drive to the Qafe Thana border. All my friends had their Albanian passports while I had a Canadian one. When we go there it was a pretty bad experience. The Albanian border guards were actually very polite compared to some other borders but the Macedonian ones were terrible. The Macedonian border guards were Macedonian but they spoke Albanian pretty well and no english. When I give them my Canadian passport they said where is the visa in a very rude way opening my passport like it was a piece of garbage. So I say to the guy hey I'm Canadian I don't need a Visa. And he says something like yeah you Canadians need visas to get in to Macedonia. And at that point I got really pissed off and i looked at a poster in the wall that said Australian and Canadian citizens needed visas. So I flipped out on the guy because it was ridiculous to not get into Macedonia. There was nothing I can do so I told my friends to go ahead find the hotel and I would go back to Tirana and get my Albanian passport. So I take a taxi to Tirana and back which was another 6 hours. So finally I get into Macedonia with an Albanian passport. Ohri was ok, kind of small but there were some nice pubs, nice girls.
I was also in Ulqin and Budva in Montenegro. That was a better experience even though I've been there many times. The boarder guards there were very friendly Albanians and very welcoming. Ulqin had some nice parties and Budva as well. There were a lot of hot girls in Budva.

Next summer i'm planning to go to Dubrovnik in Croatia and Sarajevo in Bosnia.

Albania was a blast :).

^
Wow, thank you for this valuable tip
Now I know not to visit Macedonia with my Canadian passport. Kind of strange, I got into SLovenia, Croatia, Bosnia with my Canadian passport but I guess for Macedonia, i will have to use a Serbian one.

Macedonia is afraid of illegal Canadian and Australian immigrants flow I guess

i've been in Kiev once... not really good place to go if u r speeking russian and u don't know ukrainian at all.... at least that's how it was 5 years ago...

Kiev has changed so much in 5 yrs, that you wouldn't recognize it now. But it also has become VERY expensive city to visit.

I have been to Poland many times: my favourite cities are Gdansk, Krakow and Wroclaw.

I hate Warsaw, I think the way it's being developed desn't give it any charm at all.

I was in Romania in Mamaia and Constanza. The beaches were far too overcrowded for me. But I liked the Carpathian Mountains, the nature is just amazing like in my native Ukrainian Carpathians :).

I was in Czech Republic as well: I remember Praha and lots of beer :)

My dream is to go travelling around Balkans now. I have many friends there, so will have to go around one day! :cheers:

^
Wow, thank you for this valuable tip
Now I know not to visit Macedonia with my Canadian passport. Kind of strange, I got into SLovenia, Croatia, Bosnia with my Canadian passport but I guess for Macedonia, i will have to use a Serbian one.


4. ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS

The following information on entry and exit requirements has been confirmed with the Macedonian authorities and, to the best of our knowledge, was valid on June 12, 2007. However, entry and exit requirements are subject to change.

It is the sole prerogative of each country to determine who is allowed to enter. All countries have special requirements for persons intending to reside for extended periods (usually more than 90 days) or who plan to work, study, or engage in non-tourist activities. To obtain information on specific entry requirements, contact the nearest diplomatic or consular office of the country or countries to be visited. Violations of entry and exit requirements may result in serious penalties.

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada’s Office of Protocol provides contact details for the Embassy of the Republic of Macedonia and its consulates, where you can obtain further information on entry and exit requirements.

A valid Canadian passport is required for Canadians intending to visit Macedonia. The passport should be valid for at least six months beyond the date of your expected departure from the country. Visas must be obtained prior to arrival in Macedonia in order to avoid delays and difficulties upon arrival.

Tourist Visa: Required
Business Visa: Required
Student Visa: Required

Canadians who enter Macedonia and stay in private accommodations must register with the police within three days of their arrival.

To avoid difficulties upon departure, travellers carrying foreign currency or expensive jewellery or electronic equipment should make a customs declaration upon arrival in Macedonia.

for the rudness there is no excuse. But laws are laws... if a visa needs to be obtained before coming to the country, that's how it is... Until a couple of years they knew to turn a blind eye for visas on citizens from wealthy countries but not anymore... it's not that hard to check the travel requirements for countries before visiting them.

Slovakia - Ski, zapekany ser, funny language, Tatry
Czech Republic - pepiki, funny language, well developed
Hungary - Holidays, Madziary, WTF with their language? :),bogracz, Balaton.
Ukraine - very poor,no road signs, good cheap food.

Lithuania - crazy drivers and a lof of free space :) nice nature :D

And everybody understand Polish language.

Lithuania - crazy drivers and a lof of free space :) nice nature :D

And everybody understand Polish language.

agree, as for me too much space, empty roads, no cities, country looks abounded.

Madziary
???
WTF with their language? :)

What do you mean?:)

Madziar in our language means Hungarian :)

???

What do you mean?:)

what do you mean, your language is crazy :) but I love you. :)

My remarks from:

Lithuania - empty roads, wooden villages
Latvia - apple LB :cheers: nice Riga no 2 lanes roads
Ukraine - poor villages, crazy drivers in Lvov, developing Kiev, nice prices
Czechia - nice Prague, small signs on the road nice market square in Olomouc, cheap beer, knedlicki, funniest language in the world
Slovakia - cheap beer, zasmazany syr, many gypies, ski, same like Czech language
Hungary - gulas, Tokaj, Hajdusoboslo, nice Budapest
Romania - bad, crowded roads, terrible square close to Gara du Nord in Bucharest, nice old buildings in Bucharest, dirty canal, Bavaria club :nuts:
Bulgaria - well developed seaside, nice atmosphere in the afternoon in Sofia
Serbia - great promenade in Belgrade and view from the castle on Sava, crowded bridge, nice restaurants on boats,
BiH (only northern part) - everything new, bad roads, beutiful girls on Doboj area and saturday crazy night
Croatia - fantastic and crazy expensive motorways
Slovenja - friendly people, great developped country

Czechia - funniest language in the world
Slovakia - same like Czech language

:) your language is funny too my friend. It just takes about 10 seconds of polish dabing on polsat and we cannot stop laughing:cheers: :cheers:

Does EE airports count as a travel experience?
Prague airport: very nice, police women have short skirts......

Does EE airports count as a travel experience?
Prague airport: very nice, police women have short skirts......

^^ You should have seen more of Prague ... not only the airport :) Don't know if there's any nicer city in EE ...

I've ben watching this ...

Michael Palin Interview
24 September 2007 - Michael Palin's boots were made for walking, and that's just what they've done.

The globe-trotting ex-Python has been Around The World In 80 Days, travelled Pole To Pole, trekked across the Sahara, the mountain regions of the Himalaya and has gone Full Circle.

His latest adventure, however, takes him to 20 countries in a corner of the world he's not yet discovered before - New Europe.

The ultimate Englishman abroad tells Sarah Ward why he's decided to explore this mysterious chunk of Europe that was once off-limits behind the Iron Curtain.

"I decided to do Europe because I'd done almost every other continent, except my own, and it's very important for me to go somewhere I don't know because it means my reactions are spontaneous," says Michael. "And I - like the viewers, hopefully - will be discovering it at the same time, and afresh.

"I know Western Europe fairly well, but Eastern Europe I'm quite the opposite because, during my lifetime, it was part of the Iron Curtain and behind the Iron Curtain and grey and unwelcoming - and no one had ever been there."

And so Michael decided to take a journey of discovery around his own "backyard" and show viewers that Eastern Europe is just as lively and vibrant as the West.

"It seemed a very exciting place, because so much history has been played out there in the last 100 years," says Michael, "and, indeed, in the last 10 years.

These places are really, really changing and a lot of them are released from being a part of the Soviet bloc and are discovering their own identity, their own culture, their own energy and their own invention. So I got rather keen when I thought this is what we might find."

The opening programme sees Michael hitch a ride on a boat down the coast to Albania. The captain of the boat is a part-time opera singer and treats Michael to a few songs along the way. However, the captain doesn't seem to be in much of a hurry to get to Albania...

"You have to be a bit flexible," explains Michael. "When you get hold of somebody, you'll hope they'll turn up the next day as they said they would and that they'll take you where you want to go.

In this case, the boat just took longer than we thought. But sometimes you can turn that to your advantage, and if we'd had a speed boat to take us down the coast in a few hours we wouldn't have got this nice feeling of being stuck on the Adriatic Sea not knowing what was going to happen.

And I wouldn't have had the nice meal and the mushroom risotto he cooked me, either!

"Sometimes, when things go wrong, you can benefit from that. And you can't expect everybody to instantly do what you want them to do and stop at exactly that time. You very often have to wing it - except in Germany, of course, where they're very efficient - they have a good sense of time."

Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Poland, Croatia, Lithuania, Estonia and Hungary are just some of the countries Michael embraces in this series, as he attempts to open up an undiscovered world.

Having travelled to Hungary, does Michael feel confident enough to re-write the Dirty Hungarian Phrasebook more accurately?

"Well, it certainly came back to haunt me," laughs Michael. "It hit me on the back of the head! It's obviously true that Hungarian is the language you can get wrong most easily in Europe - [John] Cleese must have known about that!

"When I was in Budapest, in Hungary, I decided to ask for a ticket on the underground in Hungarian. I went down there, and I had this phrase ready which I'd been practising and practising. I got my ticket and got on the train - I felt great!

"But somebody today said they were showing this to a Hungarian and, in fact, I hadn't asked for a ticket I'd asked for an ice cube," he laughs.

Michael has a lot of memorable moments from this latest trip - too many to mention, in fact.

"There were a number of moments that felt terrific, you know, that great feeling of 'I'm so glad to be here'," shares Michael. "One was in northern Romania.

We had a very good shoot up there in the mountains and it was away from everything - there were small villages, old-fashioned traditions and beautiful wooden churches. In one of these little villages, there was a lumberjack camp where they take lumberjacks up the valley."

As Michael relates the story, a certain Monty Python sketch instantly springs to mind. The Lumberjack Song is one of the best-known and most popular sketches by the Python gang. It was written by Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Fred Tomlinson and appeared in the ninth episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Michael smiles warmly at me as he kindly listens to my rather lame rendition of the song and then continues with his story.

"On Mondays, these Romanian lumberjacks go up the valley and chop trees up there. We filmed on the train that takes them up on Monday morning. It's not glamorous, and they're not the sort of lumberjacks who wear plaid shirts.

These are people who are really bottom of the pile and haven't got many other jobs to do, and they start drinking the brandy as soon as they get on the train.

"But it was just the most beautiful valley to go up, and this rocking little train is just there for the lumberjacks. The sun was coming up and it was going to be a beautiful day, a cold day, and the sun was creeping through one side of the valley.

Finally, the sun moved on to our side and we got up to the upper slope and I just thought: 'this is wonderful!' I was with these crazy guys who were all completely drunk, playing cards and about to chop trees down! It was just Python completely!"

Monty Python's Flying Circus topped a recent poll by UK TV Gold to be named the most influential TV comedy of all time - beating Only Fools And Horses. Did Michael ever think at the time it would have such longevity, or still be so popular many years later?

"No! Absolutely not! When you do the programme, especially then, when there's such a lot of invention going on - Spike Milligan was around, and The Goodies and Not The Nine O'Clock News was coming up - we thought that Python would soon be eclipsed by something else which would be better.

It's odd, as it didn't work like that. It held its own and I am amazed at how nine- and 10-year-olds now are discovering it. It's jumped two generations almost. So we like to hear that - it's very, very nice!

"The Python days were fun - on the whole,"

Michael says, with a twinkle in his eye. "The performing and the writing were really working well together, it was absolutely terrific - it was just the best. And they were a wonderful group of people to perform with - it was just instinctive. They were great days."

So, is there a part of the world left Michael has a burning desire to experience?

"There are one or two places like Brazil - which is very high on my list - and there are parts of southern Russia and western China - the area just north of where we went on Himalaya. I wouldn't mind seeing that again.

'd love to go to Japan again, too. But I feel I've seen a lot now; I don't feel I've desperately got to fill in every gap in the atlas.

"I like people, basically, when I travel. That's the sort of raw material of most of the programmes, especially this Europe one - a lot people to meet and a lot more lives to learn about."

Being away from home and from his family for such long periods of time, however, it isn't any wonder that Michael sometimes feels homesick.

"We filmed this series in sections - we didn't do it all in one journey. But the total time on the road was about 22-and-a-half weeks - so just over five months.

"It's always great to get home though," he smiles. "I was more homesick when I used to travel when I was much younger, because I had the children.

And if you have kids who are so young that they don't know why you're leaving - that's the worst. But, by the time I did these journeys, they were mostly grown up and they were so busy living their own lives they weren't really interested in what I was doing!

"And my wife is extremely good at carrying on with life when I'm not there - she's just brilliant. She never seems to complain. In fact, she complains when I'm back!

But now we've got little Archie, our first grandson, I miss him when I go away - it's so soppy, isn't it?! He's absolutely wonderful and was born just before I started filming the series. I couldn't imagine going away to the far ends of the Earth with him around."

Interview: Sarah Ward is a Programme Information Desk Editor at the BBC

Michael Palin's New Europe - Sunday's - 9.00pm BBC ONE

Smth interesting to follow … Money Race :cheers:
http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/4460/logocursabanilorqh6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



Btw, no sign of this in Dnevnik :ohno: :bash:

^^
Read Dnevnik (http://www.dnevnik.bg/) starting Monday 24th.:cheers: For us, Romanians, it is Business Standard (http://www.standard.ro). And I think you can also follow it on the English section of Business Standard (http://www.standard.ro/sectiunea_5010/money_race). I'll follow it.

Turnovec, I see no reason not to be buddies.:cheers:

:) Thanks, I saw couple of articles in English. I am just bothered Dnevnik doesn't have it. We have so little articles about our countries, it's criminal to not participate. Anyways, thank God there's an English version because my French+ Bulgarian doesn't help too much with Romanian :lol:

hehe, thanks for linking my Croatia thread.

if anyone is interested, here's my Ljubljana thread - http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=521259

coming soon, Krakow and Tatra region

^^Nice! :)

The Last Laugh
http://www.thestar.com/Travel/article/255377
In the Merry Cemetery, grave markers celebrate life with beautiful images and gentle wit

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/7497/sapkh1.png (http://imageshack.us)

SAPANTA, ROMANIA–Who says that death can't have its lighter side? Certainly not Dumitru Pop. For about 30 years now, he's been taking away some of the sting and adding a little zing to the dreaded inevitable.

Behind the Church of the Assumption in this small town of 5,000 (living) souls in northern Romania there's a unique cemetery, known as the Cimitirul Vesel – the Merry Cemetery.
It's called that with good reason: Each grave is marked, not with an austere, cold stone, but with a lively, beautifully carved wooden cross, painted in the radiant blue of heaven and decorated with a painting and an original poem that disclose a little something about the life and character of the plot's eternal inhabitant.
Some of the verses are wickedly funny, others are more whimsical. Some are heartbreaking, telling of lives tragically cut short by accidents or illnesses.
Pop creates each of these little masterpieces, carrying on a tradition begun in the 1930s by his mentor Ion Stan Patras, who carved the crosses until his death in 1977.
When someone in the village dies, the family comes to Pop and asks him to create a cross, which he hand-carves from oak in the small workshop behind his house, just around the corner from the church.
Pop alone decides what the picture will portray and what the verse will say.
The poems aren't irreverent – they don't mock the grave or its tenant – but some of them do seem, well, a touch indiscreet, telling witty stories of infidelities, indiscretions and a fondness for alcohol.

You'd think that some of the relatives might be miffed, but not so, Pop says.

"It's the real life of a person. If he likes to drink, you say that; if he likes to work, you say that ... there's no hiding in a small town," Pop says, adding that no one has ever complained to him.
"The families actually want the true life of the person to be represented on the cross."
The verses are generally written in the first person, and as you read them, you almost get the feeling that you're having a little conversation with the other side.
You certainly sense that, in some small way, you've come to know the person. Take this one, for example:

"Here I rest.

Stefan is my name.

As long as I lived, I liked to drink.

When my wife left me,

I drank because I was sad.

Then I drank more

to make me happy.

So, it wasn't so bad

that my wife left me,

Because I got to drink

with my friends.

I drank a lot,

and now, I'm still thirsty.

So you who come

to my resting place,

Leave a little wine here."

Even if you can't read Romanian, the simple paintings on the cross tell unmistakable tales of their own.
There's one where a priest sits looking enviously at a group of men carousing at a nearby table; in another, a teacher works at his desk while casting a furtive glance at a woman sitting across the room.
Many just show scenes from everyday life: men working in the fields, women working in the home; or reflect the things the deceased held dear: family, friends, animals, booze.
Even Romania's dour Communist rulers wanted in on the fun.
One former party boss's grave shows him sitting at a table holding up the red hammer-and-sickle symbol.
The inscription reads: "As long as I lived, I loved the Party and all my life I tried to help the people." Hmmm.
Pop says he creates about 20 to 30 crosses per year – depending on ... well, you know.
In the meantime, he, like most people in rural Romania, does some small-scale farming.
He also makes hand-carved furniture and decorative pieces, most of which flaunt his incisive wit.
One three-panelled piece begins with a young couple embracing in the first bloom of love.
The second panel shows the man drinking while the woman sits alone in a corner.
In the final panel, the man sits, with an empty bottle, looking over his shoulder at his wife in the next room with another man.
The cemetery contains about 700 graves and even though it's an extremely popular place – with both the dead and the quick (it's one of Romania's most popular tourist sites) – there's still plenty of room for future occupants, one of whom will be Pop himself.
He's got his plot reserved and is in the process of making sure that the tradition doesn't die off just because he did.
He's training several apprentices to take over.
"But they can't be just anybody," he says.
"They have three jobs to do ... they have to be sculptors, painters and poets, all in one."
Walking through the cemetery as the sun sets, I come upon a memorial to the man who started the whole thing, Ion Stan Patras.
The message carved on it says that he began making the crosses because he loved people and he still wanted to have people come and visit him, even after he died.
He certainly seems to have accomplished that.
One thing's for sure, I can't remember ever smiling so much in a cemetery.

:) your language is funny too my friend. It just takes about 10 seconds of polish dabing on polsat and we cannot stop laughing:cheers: :cheers:

excuse him, he's a northern Pole so the way he speaks is quite different. :p Poles from the south see Slovak as the closest langauge to theirs. I can understand you guys 90 - 95% with no problems so we don't laugh hehe. :cheers:

I've never been to EE. The closest I have been, however, is to Greenpoint which is a little slice of EE here in N.Y.C. Too bad I never learned Polish. Grandma never shared her polish culture with anyone...

The countriy that i'd like to visit most would be Romania. Comme on, Dracula rocks!

Hi!

Here are some mine experiences and reflections about EE countries I've visited:

Czech Republic

Nice, and peacefull country, public spaces in cities are well taken care of, beautiful Prague (overcrouded though), delicious beer and the way people drink it - with passion. "Nehnevej se żeno ma - kde je pivo - tam sem ja" :)
Still, in some situations I didn't feel comfortable being Polish - in a pub, or a shop - probably some negative image of a Pole in Czechia? I don't know, but still I'd love to visit your country again, and I'll surely do it in the future!

Slovakia

Seemed to me even more peacefull than Czech Rep. - some villages and towns look as if they were abandoned!
The places I've visited were all clean, and taken care of. People were friendly and helpful. All this + beautiful nature makes me feel very warm about Slovakia, seems like a good place to spend holidays, especially when you want to have some rest.

Hungary

I've been there only once, a couple of years ago, during summer holidays.
I've got some positive feelings about Budapest, especially about its public transportation system - HEV, Metro and trams (Villamos?) - all of them were very punctual.
The swimming pool complex at Margareth Island was really cool.
The language seemed to be totally incomprehensible to me, but I didn't have any communication problems with Hungarians, they all seemed to be very cheerful and helpful.

Bulgaria

I've visited it twice - in 2005 and this summer.

Maybe first, the negative aspects:

It's very dirty, and rubbish is simply everywhere! I just couldn't believe it sometimes, how on earth you can neglect your beutiful beaches (tonnes of ciggarets in the sand).
Big hotel building chaos - in some places it looked as if there were no authorities who could allow or forbid building a hotel. It seemed to be a bit disorganized.
The buses didn't seem to be linked with the time scheudle in any way :) they just arrived and departed whenever they wanted to :)

What I found interesting and different from my region is that almost every man was wearing tonnes of golden bracelets, and other jewellery on them. Even in the swimming pools! Really odd :)

And now positive aspects

Bulgaria has a great location - the weather was just perfect, hot and sunny - just as I'd imagined it would be. Beautiful seaside, beautiful landscapes.
Bulgarian food is what I will remember till the end of my life - it was just so unbelievably tasty! People seemed to be very chilled out, always smiling, and with a very positive attitude towards Poles.
I've visited 2 aquaparks at the seaside, and I can say that I've never been to a better one before. All that positive climate makes me think of Bulgaria as of one of my next holiday trips, that' definitely a place to visit!

Cheers!:cheers:

What I found interesting and different from my region is that almost every man was wearing tonnes of golden bracelets, and other jewellery on them. Even in the swimming pools! Really odd :)


Where did you see so many gypsies, even in the swimming pool? Really odd. :)

Where did you see so many gypsies, even in the swimming pool? Really odd. :)

I didn't say they were gypsies, they were Bulgarians. Gypsies didn't have anything, except the will of getting some money out from me...

^^ ^^
I've never seen a Bulgarian to wear a ton of gold, even a gram of gold! Are you sure you were in Bulgaria or the gold wearing people were Bulgarians?

Where did you see so many gypsies, even in the swimming pool? Really odd. :)

The hotel probably catered to foreigners and "wealthy" Bulgarians. As we know, our new money is all about show off. That's why they are called new money. They like their "bling"; simply disgusting. I never wore gold and never will.

Giving is a second though, these "well-to-do" guys must not have had that much gold, otherwise they would have drowned in the pool. :lol:

^^ ^^
I've never seen a Bulgarian to wear a ton of gold, even a gram of gold! Are you sure you were in Bulgaria or the gold wearing people were Bulgarians?

Delyan, when was the last time you were in BG? Mutras always wear gold!! It goes well with the mafia look.

I didn't say they were gypsies, they were Bulgarians. Gypsies didn't have anything, except the will of getting some money out from me...

The wealthier gypsies(whom the poorer ones give their money because of customs),usually wear golden stuff. Thats how they show their "rank"(at least,here).

^^ ^^
I've never seen a Bulgarian to wear a ton of gold, even a gram of gold! Are you sure you were in Bulgaria or the gold wearing people were Bulgarians?

I wear some gold, heh :) And I'm neither a gypo, nor a mutra :)

Delyan, when was the last time you were in BG? Mutras always wear gold!! It goes well with the mafia look.
Mutras, gypsies, what's the difference?:)

I wear some gold, heh :) And I'm neither a gypo, nor a mutra :)
How many tons? :)

Eheh, just I few grams I think. I cannot compare with the mutras and gypos :)

BTW even mutras have changed. I don't think most of them wear tons of gold. They still like expensive cars though. Black ones preferred..

I didn't say they were gypsies, they were Bulgarians. Gypsies didn't have anything, except the will of getting some money out from me...
I am pretty sure that you probably met Misho Shamara (Мишо Шамара) and his entourage in the swimming pool. They are from Varna......

http://nc.cult.bg/nname/uploaded_images/shamara-741208.jpg
^^
source: http://nc.cult.bg/nname/2007/06/1.html

^^ Nope, Misho Plesnikov is currently selling Hamburgers...err pardon, killing guys and stealing cars in the USA :)

BTW even mutras have changed. I don't think most of them wear tons of gold. They still like expensive cars though. Black ones preferred..

No, they just don't put it on top of their shirts to be less obtrusive, but once they are in the pool, they can't hide it. :)

I am pretty sure that you probably met Misho Shamara (Мишо Шамара) and his entourage in the swimming pool. They are from Varna......


Misho Shamara resides in NY. He can't go back to BG because their is a warrant against him.

Hungary

I've been there only once, a couple of years ago, during summer holidays.
I've got some positive feelings about Budapest, especially about its public transportation system - HEV, Metro and trams (Villamos?) - all of them were very punctual.
The swimming pool complex at Margareth Island was really cool.
The language seemed to be totally incomprehensible to me, but I didn't have any communication problems with Hungarians, they all seemed to be very cheerful and helpful.

No negative things?wow!Thank you!:banana:
BTW,yes,its "villamos".

I've got some positive feelings about Budapest, especially about its public transportation system - HEV, Metro and trams (Villamos?) - all of them were very punctual.


Well, the public transport system must be really wrong where you live if you like the one at Budapest so much :D Or you did not use it during rush-hour.

Misho Shamara resides in NY. He can't go back to BG because their is a warrant against him.

I can't believe that :) I can't imagine him doing anything illegal...besides brainwashing the kids with his bullshits :)

Hi!

Bulgaria

I've visited it twice - in 2005 and this summer.

Maybe first, the negative aspects:

It's very dirty, and rubbish is simply everywhere! I just couldn't believe it sometimes, how on earth you can neglect your beutiful beaches (tonnes of ciggarets in the sand).
Big hotel building chaos - in some places it looked as if there were no authorities who could allow or forbid building a hotel. It seemed to be a bit disorganized.
The buses didn't seem to be linked with the time scheudle in any way :) they just arrived and departed whenever they wanted to :)

What I found interesting and different from my region is that almost every man was wearing tonnes of golden bracelets, and other jewellery on them. Even in the swimming pools! Really odd :)

And now positive aspects

Bulgaria has a great location - the weather was just perfect, hot and sunny - just as I'd imagined it would be. Beautiful seaside, beautiful landscapes.
Bulgarian food is what I will remember till the end of my life - it was just so unbelievably tasty! People seemed to be very chilled out, always smiling, and with a very positive attitude towards Poles.
I've visited 2 aquaparks at the seaside, and I can say that I've never been to a better one before. All that positive climate makes me think of Bulgaria as of one of my next holiday trips, that' definitely a place to visit!

Cheers!:cheers:

The positive and negative comments you made are quite true(especially the one about the lack of authorities who could allow or forbid building a hotel) ...

I am wondering did you notice any change between 2005 and this summer ?

:cheers:

I am pretty sure that you probably met Misho Shamara (Мишо Шамара) and his entourage in the swimming pool. They are from Varna......

http://nc.cult.bg/nname/uploaded_images/shamara-741208.jpg
^^
source: http://nc.cult.bg/nname/2007/06/1.html
Is it me or this guy doesn't have eyes? He also seems to "taste" the air with his cigare the same way snakes do with their tongue... but I'm sure he's a fascinating and cultured character, much like some guys over here, in RO.:crazy:

Yes, he is fascinating and cultured like all other gangsta rappers :)

Is it me or this guy doesn't have eyes? He also seems to "taste" the air with his cigare the same way snakes do with their tongue... but I'm sure he's a fascinating and cultured character, much like some guys over here, in RO.:crazy:

I'm sure he's that kind of guy who runs to his mom when he pierces himself with a needle(just as every show-off "I'm-the-big-guy" guys).:)

The hotel probably catered to foreigners and "wealthy" Bulgarians. As we know, our new money is all about show off. That's why they are called new money. They like their "bling"; simply disgusting. I never wore gold and never will.

It was an aquapark pool, so I think it doesn't determine, what sort of people it was.

I didn't really mean anything wrong about people wearing "blings" - it was just something new to me, seeing so many men wearing jewellery, it's just something you won't see in my country, that's all :)


Well, the public transport system must be really wrong where you live if you like the one at Budapest so much :D Or you did not use it during rush-hour.

I don't remember what time of the day it was, but as I said I was in Budapest during holidays, perhaps there are less people travelling by public transport those days.
Anyway, you shouldn't complain that much. Budapest's rail system seems to be really well developed, not to mention its 4th metro line being u/c, while Warsaw hasn't finished its 1st line yet. Even though it's being built since 1983 :)

Cheers! :cheers: or maybe I should say egeszsegedre? :D

I'm sure he's that kind of guy who runs to his mom when he pierces himself with a needle(just as every show-off "I'm-the-big-guy" guys).:)

^^ Actually his partner Vanko1 from the years Misho was famous got jailed for running some prostitutes business ... now Vanko1 is in jail and dreams about returning as the second 2pac , while Misho Shamara sells hamburgers somewhere in NY ... pretty good gansta rap story , isn't it :lol: :lol: :lol: Hit'em up!

Hey, don't insult the guy! He's a gangsta and he is frightening!

Look at him! Beware!!!

o44jy4hVj6Q

paszczakoss, did they resembled these guys?:lol:
http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/7770/55105265ow0.jpg

The positive and negative comments you made are quite true(especially the one about the lack of authorities who could allow or forbid building a hotel) ...

I am wondering did you notice any change between 2005 and this summer ?

:cheers:

The first change I noticed was that the prices went up a bit :)
I was at the seaside, You know, which is aimed mainly at tourists, so what I noticed, is that many new hotels are being built, or have been built while I was away :). The whole tourist business is booming, and you can clearly see it even when you arrive in Bulgaria for the first time. I can see big potential in your seaside, hope you don't spoil it:)

:cheers:

Hey, don't insult the guy! He's a gangsta and he is frightening!

Look at him! Beware!!!


:lol: The only thing I'm afraid about him is the language he speaks:)
check this "gangsta"
xDk2jOK7OTo
He is the wannabe star,Ogli G...I think you will guess his origin;)

The first change I noticed was that the prices went up a bit :)
I was at the seaside, You know, which is aimed mainly at tourists, so what I noticed, is that many new hotels are being built, or have been built while I was away :). The whole tourist business is booming, and you can clearly see it even when you arrive in Bulgaria for the first time. I can see big potential in your seaside, hope you don't spoil it:)

:cheers:

I hope we won't spoil it too.

Next time make sure you stroll around in the interior and not only stick around the crowded sea coast. You might find some cleaner and nicer places there :cheers:

Gangsta rappers of the world, unite :)

Anyway, our gangsta guy was kinda advanced capitalist. He had a record label (how original :) ), a hip-hop clothing company...and of course all those immature gangsta bodiguards ahah

qaLEdAHFB0c

:lol: The only thing I'm afraid about him is the language he speaks:)
check this "gangsta"

He is the wannabe star,Ogli G...I thing you will guess his origin;)

Magyarok lanya = Hungarian Girl?

Magyarok lanya = Hungarian Girl?

hungarians' girl..but I have no idea what he wants to say...hungarian "rap" is as pointless as a (geometrical)plane without points.

paszczakoss, did they resembled these guys?:lol:
http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/7770/55105265ow0.jpg

:bow: :cry: :lol: :lol: :cry:

Aren't they marvelous?! :D

paszczakoss, did they resembled these guys?:lol:
http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/7770/55105265ow0.jpg

They are more like some characters from a Kusturica movie ... Grga Pitic's company or something :lol: :lol: :lol: :happy: :rofl:

paszczakoss, did they resembled these guys?:lol:
http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/7770/55105265ow0.jpg

:wtf: Is this for real?

:wtf: Is this for real?

:lol: Never saw this picture?!? Oh, it's already in the mythology of the Balkans. :D People argue if they are Bulgarian, Serbian or Russian but the legend is so old already.. everyone forgot. We're left only to taste the magic of the moment and the charm of the personages :lol:

:lol: Never saw this picture?!? Oh, it's already in the mythology of the Balkans. :D People argue if they are Bulgarian, Serbian or Russian but the legend is so old already.. everyone forgot. We're left only to taste the magic of the moment and the charm of the personages :lol:

What if they are hungarians or romanians?:)

I can't believe that :) I can't imagine him doing anything illegal...besides brainwashing the kids with his bullshits :)

A friend of mine hung out with the guy for some time and I know it from her. She said that Misho in reality has nothing to do with who he portrays to be. I don't know who's right.

Handsome guys, eheh :)

What if they are hungarians or romanians?:)

Doesn't matter. That's the strength of myths, everyone can imagine them as he wishes. Ah bless them, I rarely laugh so hard on a single picture :lol:

Doesn't matter. That's the strength of myths, everyone can imagine them as he wishes. Ah bless them, I rarely laugh so hard on a single picture :lol:

I dont want them to be us,I just asked:)

I smell Romanian gypsies. :lol: I don't know why... looking at their mugs, I think they're either Romanian or Serbian.

The guy with the crucifix rules! I also admire him for his sculpted body. :lol:

Could be Bulgarian too.

These are typical pimps, drug dealers, former communists, racketeers, murderers, etc. from the underworld.....
With other words, lowest of the lowest scumbags.
Oh, yeah, they get "popped" from time to time and as you can imagine nobody misses them.

on topic:

I visited Istanbul in march 2007. Great people, great city, bad kebab :)
Here are pics (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=454284)

Guys, this here is a very interesting read. Its a travel guide that covers Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, Lithuania, Latvia, Kosovo, Hungary, Czech Republic...this guy basically travelled all over Eastern Europe.

Romania gets a lot of praise here;)
http://www.francistapon.com/europe/index.htm

^
The author is a moron:yes:

He's kind of lukewarm to Bosnia too:lol: But its an intersting read.

Have you come across it before or did you read it just now?

Just now. "Thanks" :D

I liked the way he wrote. Great site.

Lol my favorite line about Albania

(He's reflecting on the different stereotypes)
Murder or injure for trivial reasons: I purposely bumped into people and farted in public and no one shot me.

Half of this is a complete crap.

He exaggerates way too much in some parts.

It's interesting that these so called "travel critics" hardly write anything positive about Albania... i found the article insulting and ridiculously exagerated.
What sucks about it is that this guy and other "travel critics" before him whenever they visit Albania, by some accident they avoid the tourist attractions in the country. Albania is always underrated and underappreciated for its wealth of natural beauty and historical attractions.

This guy is a complete moron... the "white cap" comments show how ignorant he really is. Skull caps are a gheg tradition common only in Kosovo. We dont wear them in Albania and they're used only in cultural events as part of the folkloric dress code.

I would recommend this loonie critic to visit places like:

Theth

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1151/1429967390_8a6dcb896b.jpg

Berat

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1218/1470226804_8babac5828.jpg

Butrint

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1166/1470770634_0354569be3.jpg

Southern Coast (which he wasnt able to visit)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2262/1677899442_ba08daaa71.jpg

... and many many others

^^That Theth place looks really mind blowing! Like from Lord of the Rings.

Region of Theth is one of the most beautiful mountain regions of Europe. It's so remote, most albanians have probably never seen it or know about it.

http://www.shqiperia.com/galeria/d/19585-2/Ne_Theth.jpg

The nature all around it is beautiful. River stream runs through large rocks and there's also a large waterfall.

http://www.summitpost.org/images/original/96826.JPG

Half of this is a complete crap.

^^ Agree :) But this passage was quite good i think ;) - "Veliko Târnovo is the best town I saw in Bulgaria. Try to check it out during their summer light and sound shows."

Region of Theth is one of the most beautiful mountain regions of Europe. It's so remote, most albanians have probably never seen it or know about it.

http://www.shqiperia.com/galeria/d/19585-2/Ne_Theth.jpg

The nature all around it is beautiful. River stream runs through large rocks and there's also a large waterfall.

http://www.summitpost.org/images/original/96826.JPG

It's fantastic!:cheers:

Well, I didnt get the feeling he was overly enthusiastic about either one of the Balkan countries except Croatia and Romania. None of them made enough impact to get on his "top ten" list atleast.

It's interesting that these so called "travel critics" hardly write anything positive about Albania... i found the article insulting and ridiculously exagerated.
What sucks about it is that this guy and other "travel critics" before him whenever they visit Albania, by some accident they avoid the tourist attractions in the country. Albania is always underrated and underappreciated for its wealth of natural beauty and historical attractions.

This guy is a complete moron... the "white cap" comments show how ignorant he really is. Skull caps are a gheg tradition common only in Kosovo. We dont wear them in Albania and they're used only in cultural events as part of the folkloric dress code.



No worries guys … it's just a matter of time for people to discover Albania. We had (still have) the same problem just few years back. People were afraid to go to Romania because they may get shot or knifed for 1 Euro or some nonsense like that. But really when they actually go there, they feel safer than in their own countries (ie UK or USA – people I spoke to). Its just the stereotypes based not on personal experiences but heard or read stories :bash: ... this will change around for Albania also; its just a matter of time :cheers:

BTW let's take this morning for instance: I was going to work as usual by train; after few stops a bunch of gipsies (men and women) jumped in; they’re dressed and act very … gipsy-like - talk loudly in their language (I don’t understand), move and push about and around the train etc.; and from time to time you can hear the word … Romania :gunz: :horse:. An that’s it: the decent Englishman sitting opposite has suddenly a very strong and “well researched” opinion about Romania: they’re gipsies, women dress in long coloured skirts, they cause troubles, its probably a dangerous place to go, no go area etc etc etc. Its so easy isn’t it?! :ohno:

The irony is that the person sitting opposite him, as well behaved and dressed as him (has a nicer tie though :nuts:), as intrigued as him, as English-looking as him … is a “gipsy” too: it’s me … :lol: :cheers: Will he ever know this ?!

Romania caught in a transitional time warp
By Julie Ovenell-Carter
http://www.straight.com/article-129315/romania-caught-in-a-transitional-time-warp

http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/8665/68750917ua9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

High above the medieval town of Sighisoara, in a Transylvanian graveyard, Emma Wagner and I are having a conversation about the virtue of patience. Actually, I am doing most of the talking, given that Emma has been dead for almost a century. But she is, for obvious reasons, a good listener, and it turns out I have a lot to say.

I am killing time 300 kilometres north of Romania’s capital, Bucharest, waiting for the night train that will carry me west to Budapest in neighbouring Hungary. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sighisoara would normally be an atmospheric place to while away a long wait, but I have arrived in the middle of an autumn rainstorm. A grey veil shrouds the fairy-tale façades, and muddy-brown rivers stream through winding, cobbled alleys. In the central plaza, mushroomlike café umbrellas drip forlornly and mangy dogs sniff around the gutters.

Lured by the promise of 500-year-old frescoes, I sought refuge in the sturdy church perched on a wooded hill above the town, challenged the long, steep staircase—and found the doors locked. So now, my thin coat soaked and socks bleeding colour onto my feet, I am sheltering under a tree in the adjacent Saxon cemetery, inspired to forbearance by Emma and the generations of Romanians who lie at my feet.

On the two-hour drive from charming Sibiu to Sighisoara, the bus driver cursed the slightest delay. He took his foot off the accelerator grudgingly, only to avoid hitting road-construction crews, colourfully clad gypsies selling copper stills at the side of the road, and farmers merging horse-drawn carts onto the highway. He was, like the country itself, eager to move ahead but frustrated by crumbling infrastructure and archaic social and economic systems—the legacy of a political past shaped by foreign invaders, military dictators, and the notorious rule of Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu.

For many who grew up under communism—the generations that learned to speak Russian but never an opinion—the high-speed train of change that has crashed through their prosaic Soviet-era apartments is unsettling and even alarming. But for entrepreneurs such as Razvan Balint, a 43-year-old tour operator in Bucharest, the transformation can’t happen fast enough.

“When it comes to tourism, we are killing ourselves,” says the ambitious father of two teenage boys. “There has been no PR, no branding. Budapest has more tourists in a year than the entire country of Romania. When you ask people what they know of Romania, they will say, ‘We heard about the orphanages,’ but that was 17 years ago! It is different here now.”

And it is. Last January, Romania joined the European Union and money was suddenly available to begin upgrading the country’s failing infrastructure. The cost of living jumped dramatically. Salaries started climbing and unemployment fell. Mercedes and Audis now line the curb outside the Hilton in Bucharest, and a modest apartment goes for almost $375,000, seven times more than just three years ago.

The historic part of the city—the last architecturally significant neighbourhood left after Ceausescu’s rabid destruction of old Bucharest—is being aggressively reclaimed for tourism; everywhere, glorious Beaux Arts buildings are under repair. And according to local rumour, even Disney has its eye on Romania—in particular Bran Castle, home of Count Dracula.

But practically speaking, Romania is still in a time warp, caught between one century and the next, and it will be years before the transition is complete. The average monthly salary is still well under $500. In restaurants, the food is largely brown, bland, and expensive, the lighting often fluorescent. In stores, the limited merchandise is plain and frequently poorly made. Décor is decidedly downscale, and service verges on surly. For tourists, it can be difficult to communicate, use a credit card, find a bathroom, travel independently—even purchase souvenirs. Refreshingly, Romania has not yet become a caricature of itself.

Like the country itself, the train station at Sighisoara is still not entirely accommodating of tourists. From the parking lot, it resembles a prison bunker, illuminated by the eerie blue-white glow of overhead spotlights. At the ticket booth, a dishevelled old drunk lists past the short queue, flinging invective at the waiting passengers.

It’s a long walk through dimly lit, mildly claustrophobic corridors and up several steep flights of stairs to the bleak train platform, where there’s nowhere to sit except the edge of my suitcase. A garbled announcement explains something in Romanian. The departure time comes and goes with no train in sight.

It’s near midnight when the train arrives, 40 minutes late. By plane, it’s about an hour from Bucharest to Budapest; by train, it’s 12. On the night train, there is little to see in the way of scenery because it is so dark outside. But lying in the top bunk of a sleeping compartment, rocked into a comfortable half-sleep, I have the luxury of time to play back images from the last few days and transfer them into my long-term memory. I’m dreaming about the beautiful bride I saw in old Bucharest, remembering her princess parasol and Mona Lisa smile, when there is a sharp knock at the door. My watch glows: 3:10 a.m.

In the bunk below mine, a young New Yorker named Irma is oblivious to the summons. While I sat in the rain in a graveyard yesterday, she stayed indoors and sampled plum brandy. She has fallen into a black hole of sleep, and for the second time in 24 hours I find myself talking to the dead. I reach for my coat and passport and roll off the edge of my bunk to greet the border guards.

The fellow at the door is young and polite, and goes to great lengths to maintain eye contact and avoid seeing anything except that my face matches my photo. In the corridor, another guard shines a bright flashlight into the overhead roof panels. Outside, still more guards are shining lights under the train.

Eventually, with all passports stamped and any non-paying passengers ousted, the train shunts forward a few metres, out of Romania but not yet into Hungary. I slide the window blind up a fraction, and peer out at a desolate place of concrete and graffiti. I close it and climb back into the bunk.

In a little while, we will rouse ourselves once again to hand passports over to Hungarian guards. And then we will drift a few more hours and wake to a bagged breakfast of fruit, juice, chocolate-filled pastries, and self-heating canned coffee. We will share photos of our husbands and children, and wish we hadn’t drunk so much plum brandy, and brush our teeth twice before we meet Budapest.

But for now we will wait, biding our time in this no man’s land between countries, between centuries, wondering about the adventure to come.

Access: The writer travelled as a guest of the Romanian National Tourism Office. For general tourist information, see www.romaniatourism.com/ and www.gotohungary.com/. No visa is required for Canadians travelling to Romania or Hungary. Eurail (www.eurail.com/ ) has a number of pricing options for train travel between Bucharest and the rest of Europe

Michael Palin's tour of Eastern European countries divided into 6 parts. Unfortunately not all episodes are completely available on youtube, but still plenty to watch. Enjoy!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/palin/

1 - War and Peace
Countries visited: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Albania
In Medjugoree Michael encounters a visionary who first started having visitations from the Virgin Mary 25 years ago. In Dubrovnik he meets with lute maestro Edin Karamazov who made the recent 'Songs from the Labyrinth' album with Sting. Michael ends this visit with a sheep sacrifice which heralds an afternoon of music and hospitality typically Balkan.


Bosnia-Herzegovina
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Serbia
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2 - Eastern Delight

Countries visited: Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey
Michael makes a remarkable visit to Göreme, where the rocks have been carved to form homes and some of the most remarkable churches of the early Christian era. Leaving the Cappodocia region by balloon, he sails east towards the borders of the New Europe, which if Turkey were to join the European Union would include Iran, Iraq and Syria.


missing :(


3 - Wild East

Countries visited: Trans-Dniester, Romania
Michael travels from Transdniester, a breakaway state from the Republic of Moldova, to the Vaser Valley in Romania, where he joins 80 lumberjacks as they board a wood-fired steam train. He finally ends up at Bran Castle in Transylvania, the ancestral home of Vlad the Impaler and alleged home of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Whole episode :)

1 of 6
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4 - Danube to Dnieper

Countries visited: Hungary, Ukraine
Michael travels by road, rail and river through Hungary and the Ukraine, ending in the Black Sea resort of Yalta. Along the way he visits Budapest's 'House of Terror', a National Park in Hortobagy, an area which Attila the Hun was reputed to have rampaged across, and ends up meeting a Leeds market trader who married the Ukranian prime minister's daughter.

missing :(


5 - Baltic Summer

Countries visited: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia
Michael travels from Tallinn in the north, through Latvia, to Lithuania in the south, sailing into the Baltic from the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, formerly East Prussia. In Estonia he visits a pyramid house and samples the medicinal properties of leeches. In Latvia he visits one of the most secretive places of the Communist-era, the astronomical telescope.

Lithuania
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6 - From Pole to Pole

Country visited: Poland
Arriving in Gdansk via canal, Michael meets former electrician Lech Walesa who formed 'Solidarity', Poland's first independent trade union, which led to the demise of communism in that country. Heading to Warsaw he visits the Palace of Culture, Stalin's controversial gift to Varsovians. Michael then makes his own personal pilgrimage to Auschwitz.

Whole episode :)

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7 - Journey's End

Countries visited: Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany
High in the Tatra mountains of Slovakia, Michael skins a pig, and learns how to make sausages. He then departs to Brno to visit Tibor Turba's famous mime school, where he is asked to mime a cockerel. Travelling in a DC3, used during the Berlin airlift, he visits the island of Rugen, built by Hitler for his KDF ('Strength through Joy') programme.


Slovakia
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Cheers paku! :cheers:

^^interesting

:cheers: edit

I have been to Sziget festival ( Budapest) and to Exit (Novi Sad) Great cities great people. And because they were festivals I meet people from all over the balkans. And what surprised me was that we all thout alike. Very very few differencies.

Young generation nowadays is more or less the same all over EE if not all Europe ...

Trust me I felt verry diffrent then the french and the english. I related to italians obviously and to people from former comunist countries.

Slovakia
is well presented = singing, killing pigs + sausages and drinking home made plumb spirit

Slovakia
is well presented = singing, killing pigs + sausages and drinking home made plumb spirit

^^ Sounds like any place on the Balkans to me :lol:

they are still Slavs

Slovakia
is well presented = singing, killing pigs + sausages and drinking home made plumb spirit

:lol: Check this out (sound) ... from 8.35" till end
fYFsdaqNsjs

Hahaha fantastic :D

Btw, look at this ;)

kSqRCU0sXsw

paszczakoss, did they resembled these guys?:lol:
http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/7770/55105265ow0.jpg

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHHA

O M F G


HAHAHAHAAH :lol:

where was that pic taken?

I have watched Palin´s episode about BiH and it was almost all about war! i hate that!!

^^ palin sux big time, i found it 2 bias

they were talking about land mines, showing records from the war!!! come on it has been 12 years already!!!

^^ We still have almost in every review something about an umbrella and it has been 30 (!!) years already. The conclusion is, some people are not that bright really ;)

^ What umbrella?

^ What umbrella?

We like to kill people with poisonous umbrellas. When you take a boat tour up and down the Thames in London, the guide tells you the story of how Bulgarians kill people with umbrellas on the London bridges. I got a lot of looks from my American friends. :lol:

^^It's cool! Cause people will know not to fuck with us!

Here's a quote from a famous movie about a Bulgarian mobster named Tony Montanov:

"You wanna play rough? OK we'll play rough. Let me show you my little friend. My little umbrella." :guns1:

^ What umbrella?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgi_Markov

i have never heard about this umbrella. but practical stuff comes very handy.

^^It's cool! Cause people will know not to fuck with us!

Here's a quote from a famous movie about a Bulgarian mobster named Tony Montanov:

"You wanna play rough? OK we'll play rough. Let me show you my little friend. My little umbrella." :guns1:

Ghahahahhahaha :D

Just after he put his head into a big pile of Bulgarian amphetamines. You know, Bulgaria is a big producer of amphetamines since a long time ago :)

And after killing a number of Albanian mafiosos, he shouts " DIE! HOW DID YOU LIKE THAT! YOU FUCKING WANKER! YOU NEED A FUCKING ARMY TO HANG ME! COME ON! I'LL TAKE YOU TO THE FUCKING HELL!"

Classics!

8R1_DRwd4os

Prince of Wales private visits to the Saxon Villages of Transilvania, Romania

http://www.mihaieminescutrust.org/content/nd_standard.asp?n=114
http://www.mihaieminescutrust.org/content/nd_project.asp?n=139

wgNo1JO5cp4

:cheers:

k0naKF2ccDU

Where is that ^^? My sort of place. Totalna ludnicaa

edit

Where is that ^^? My sort of place. Totalna ludnicaa

Zrce, Pag island

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/8513/krakowpj2.jpg

i love it

http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Hungary/Budapest/blog-102927.html

"Western propaganda" :nuts: - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3422300.ece

"Western propaganda" :nuts: - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3422300.ece

Thats more of a political article than a travel article.

Rafting along the Nera River in Romania
http://www.balkantravellers.com/en/read/article/383

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Enjoy life Bosnia and Herzegovina!!!!

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http://farm1.static.flickr.com/243/524659202_a7ac9f13a7_b.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/154/381646852_59000d82b8_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1233/1041497153_4a2ed1c3df_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1214/704500421_74f262d5f6_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2298/2184453554_3500bb7b94_b.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/76/199709307_20aca248b7_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2353/2333022049_baef7b91b7_b.jpg

Guys, this thread is about your OWN EE travel experiences.

Sofia the Belle of the Balkans (http://www.picturesofbulgaria.com/news/sofia_the_belle_of_the_balkans.html) By Barry Zwick, LA Times, 11 Jun 2005

I wonder what this guy will say if he pays a new visit 3 years later ...

^^ He’ll think of Vienna as a run-down Sofia :cheers:

^^ :lol: :lol:

At least i don't think he will find Sofia anymore as the most walkable city he have found in more than 30 years of foreign travel. :nuts:

It is about our travel experiences
here are some of mine:

Poland (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=612506)
Macedonia (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=393462)
Bratislava (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=418723)
Istra (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=408948)
Albania (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=393925)

sadly only in serbian, but with lot of photos.

The only place I go in Eastern Europe is Croatia/Hrvatska

Highly recommended!:)

^^ You don't travel much then eh?

Macedonia (Mavrovo, Skopje, Okhrid)
Montenegro (Podgorica, Herzegnovi, Sveti Stefan, Bar)
Kosovo (Prishtine)
Croatia (Dubrovnik, Split)
BiH (Medjugorje, Mostar, Sarajevo)


OK: beautiful historical heritage, caracter and tradition similarity
KO: slow people, communist ugliness everywhere

^^ You don't travel much then eh?
Hey, at least he gets out of Split.:lol:

I really hate when Brits write about Bulgaria ...how can those people be so limited ... I dunno if it is from the foggy weather or something..

I really hate when Brits write about Bulgaria ...how can those people be so limited ... I dunno if it is from the foggy weather or something..

Fog blurs your vision; simple as that!

Macedonia (Mavrovo, Skopje, Okhrid)
Montenegro (Podgorica, Herzegnovi, Sveti Stefan, Bar)
Kosovo (Prishtine)
Croatia (Dubrovnik, Split)
BiH (Medjugorje, Mostar, Sarajevo)


OK: beautiful historical heritage, caracter and tradition similarity
KO: slow people, communist ugliness everywhere
Slow ppl? meaning?
communist ugliness, what o u mean?

Slow ppl? meaning?
communist ugliness, what o u mean?

Probably slow people = "lazy" mentality among people, and communist ugliness = communist architecture

Probably slow people = "lazy" mentality among people, and communist ugliness = communist architecture

Excactly!

and u know exactly how that ppl are lazy?

Here are my experiences:

Slovenia - no comment. The place is gorgeous. Beautiful mountains. A lot of Western Ruropean influence. Don't think the country has much in common with Eastern Europe.

Croatia - very nice seaside. However, a bit too boring if you compare it to Bulgaria or Turkey, for example. Night life was almost non-existent. I heard Makarska is the place to be for night life but I never went there...Overall, I would definitely recommend a vacation in Croatia if you already have a family and just need to take it easy.

Greece - very nice seaside but a bit boring as well. Great food. Great roads and agriculture. I hope Bulgaria takes as much advantage of the EU as Greece has.

Bosnia - quite interesting, primarily due to the remainings of the war (you can still see them everywhere). However, if the war had not happened, I don't think foreigners would know much about the country. Commute was really hard - roads were almost non-existent in some parts of the country. Bosnians seemed really proud of their food but I did not find it that special. People were very nice. Probably the only ex-yugos that seem to like Bulgarians. Sarajevo seems like the place to be.

Republika Srpska - not much going on in terms of economics but feels a little nicer than the federation. Cities are smaller, cleaner, and generally better maintained. Don't get me wrong - Sarajevo is nice but Herzegovina towns are a lot more appealing (maybe for a tourist).

Serbia - crazy! :)

Turkey - no comment. It is hard to get a Bulgarian (European :) )) to admit that Turkey is nice - even if it is. :)

Here are my experiences:

Slovenia - no comment. The place is gorgeous. Beautiful mountains. A lot of Western Ruropean influence. Don't think the country has much in common with Eastern Europe.

Croatia - very nice seaside. However, a bit too boring if you compare it to Bulgaria or Turkey, for example. Night life was almost non-existent. I heard Makarska is the place to be for night life but I never went there...Overall, I would definitely recommend a vacation in Croatia if you already have a family and just need to take it easy.

Greece - very nice seaside but a bit boring as well. Great food. Great roads and agriculture. I hope Bulgaria takes as much advantage of the EU as Greece has.

Bosnia - quite interesting, primarily due to the remainings of the war (you can still see them everywhere). However, if the war had not happened, I don't think foreigners would know much about the country. Commute was really hard - roads were almost non-existent in some parts of the country. Bosnians seemed really proud of their food but I did not find it that special. People were very nice. Probably the only ex-yugos that seem to like Bulgarians. Sarajevo seems like the place to be.

Republika Srpska - not much going on in terms of economics but feels a little nicer than the federation. Cities are smaller, cleaner, and generally better maintained. Don't get me wrong - Sarajevo is nice but Herzegovina towns are a lot more appealing (maybe for a tourist).

Serbia - crazy! :)

Turkey - no comment. It is hard to get a Bulgarian (European :) )) to admit that Turkey is nice - even if it is. :)
BS. How can u say what are the economy trends only by driving trough?
Non-existing road? where is that?
I think that this what u said for turkey is also for Serbia and Bosnia.

BS. How can u say what are the economy trends only by driving trough?
Non-existing road? where is that?
I think that this what u said for turkey is also for Serbia and Bosnia.

Wow, BL feelings are hurt.

Has anyone been at Sunny Beach in Bulgaria? :)

Wow, BL feelings are hurt.
And tribe saga is continunig.
and my feelings are not hurt at all, just i wanted to say that the thing that he writes is pure BS and prejudice.

And tribe saga is continunig. I have aspected this that all bulgaria will now stend up and fight for their countrymate and his convictions :bash:
and my feelings are not hurt at all, just i wanted to say that the thing that he writes is pure BS and prejudice.

So, you contrast the prejudice with... the pre-formulated logic?!

Eachone perceive the world with his eyes!

A feeling isn't right or wrong (or BS)! Just... it is!

People abstract the infos in order to elaborate!

^^still he didn´t answer the questons. what road? and how can he see trend?

What?!

Last visited countries by our group
Bulgaria 2007
Ukraine 2008

Bulgaria´s experience

-Burgas- better airport than Bratislava´s shity one :)
-cool taximen (hey dude, I was working in Slovakia, I love Slovakia, I love Bratislava, Kosice, Nitra and whole the country, It´s my most favourite country... so so so, to Primorsko what about 70 euros each, fair price no? :D)
-crazy conductors in Burgas city traffic
-creepy communistic Burgas full of commieblocks, yellow taxis, dirty roads and as an attraction surrounded by three different lakes
-amazing ride on "museum´s exhibit" bus much more comfortable than nowadays neoplan, novoplan or mercedes to Primorsko for 2 levas
-Primorsko-tourist village without soul and atmosphere, clean and tidy, full of fucking czechs and slovaks :)
-great caverna, tsa tsa, shumensko beer and rakija hard drink (one of the best I have ever drink)
-beautiful sexy and not slovak style complicated girls
-fantastic national folklore and interesting history (you really recognize that you are in one of the oldest country in Europe, however of many commie buildings around you)
-crazy see beach remained probably bought by Slovaks or Czechs (sometimes polish brother missed the road to it´s own territory :D)
-dissapointing Ropotamo National Park with cigarettes on the beach and probably prohobitided hotels in it´s territory
-beautiful and commercial Nessebar
-beautiful and not commercial Sozopol
-Sunny Beach probably the only place where you have to find a free place in the water (highly recommended to avoid)
-Sozopol´s new part full of chaotic constructions everywhere
-and generally very kind and helpfull people always prepared to make a business with you
-every single person well informed about czecho-slovak splitting
-many thieves
Bulgaria will await our return, as we decided to visit it´s innerland. Blagodarja Bulgarija! ;)

Ukraine´s experience

-dirty and creepy Uzhorod full of gipsies, thieves and a bit of "short time rich" people
-great old women ready to give help anytime trained also as professional hoteliers
-very "touching" toilet papers
-great people ready give the last and to help anytime (whole Ukraine)
-road sign showing Bratislava (even in Kosice there is not such a roadsign)
-renovated historical town with gangs of dogs governing that city (Italians sitting beside us, feeled like in their home:D :D)
-probably the most dangerous method of renovation I have ever seen :)
-prices of beers written on the bill with pencils (4 times higher)
-great obolon beer
-restaurant with 3 meals offer
-probably the most beautiful train station I have ever seen (czech and slovak one are shitholes comparing to this one)
-probably the most patient train ticket customers I have experienced
-probably the most arrogant and impolite ticket sellers I have experienced (usually carring on flowers when a customer was asking)
-more comfortable 4 places for sleeping in wagons and very bad quality of rail roads
-98% of the "politicaly" fragile parts of the country hided behind trees
-beautiful Odessa full of jeeps with dark windows, ladas with not dark windows and 100% higher prices than average
-Lenin´s statue standing opposite to McDonald´s (yep globalization works:))
-Potemkin´s stairs overruned by tourists
-beautiful Primorsky bulevard and very tastefull shashlik with two "obo beers" on it
-the quickiest melting ice-cream I have ever taste
-different speed limits in Krymea (village 120km/h, outside village 150-180 km/h)
-funny jumping on roads to Feodosia
-great familiary based Russians, interested in long walks, evening discussions and intelectual debates over russian poets and writers
-bus with 45 stops in the town with 10 000 habitants
-bus with capacity of 25 people filled with 50 people inside (in aproximately 38 degrees:D)
-dirty black see with amazing view on industrial part of Feodosia
-beautiful international Jalta
-experience of life in the longest trolley tram of the world and jumping about 30 minutes after leaving it :)
-wonderfull western looking Kyjev with a lot of sights, best preserved socrealism and people with a bad sense for directions (yep dude that´s to the west, I am really sure...show me the map..)
-turkish style toilets with digitalized tourniguets
-every single person well informed about czecho-slovak splitting
-humiliating approach of slovak beautiful (yeah, two blondes with long legs:)) schengen border controll to Ukrainians
Ďakuju Ukrajina,Spasiba Ukrajina!

next time to Ukraine -Lvov city

This year we would like to taste either Poland, Lietuva, Latvia, Estonia or Moldova
any recommendations, tips, warnings etc? Thank you :)

Make sure that you never have to worry about power failure, when you on the road, carried by the universal power adapter so that you can from any place. Although the power is usually not a problem for notebook computers, it can for other equipment, so this is a good idea to make sure you have the power.