Eastern Europe 9 Getting Started

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CLASSIC ROUTES

THE BIG FIVE Four WeeksBegin your trip in magical Prague(p256), spending several days absorbingthe city and nearby towns, such as beer-lovers mecca Plze(p286) and beauti-ful Kutn Hora (p278). Head into Poland to stunning Krakw(p561) with itsgobsmacking Old Town. This is a great base for visiting the beautiful TatraMountains (p574) and the harrowing trip to Owicim (Auschwitz; p570).From Poland head to Slovakia, where you can enjoy magnificent sceneryin theHigh Tatras(Vysok Tatry; p801) before pursuing more urban activi-

ties in delightfulBratislava

(p786). Next to stunningBudapest

(p356) whereyou can enjoy the vibrant city. From here visit the picturesque Hungariancountryside try the baroque city of Eger (p400) with its ancient castle andPcs (p391), stuffed full of relics from the Turkish occupation. Now plungeinto Romania. Use Cluj-Napoca (p653) as your base for visiting the medievalregion of Maramure (p663) and stunning Braov (p640) and try to get toTimioara (p659), Romanias coolest city, before heading on to imposingBucharest(p625), where you can drink in the monolithic architecture. End upon the Black Sea coast where you can join partying Romanians in summerat a beach resort around Constana(p675).

Itineraries

This is a great trip

for any first-time

visitor to Eastern

Europe, taking in

five of the most

popular and ac-

cessible countries

in the region.

It begins in the

Czech Republicand wends its way

through Poland,

Slovakia, Hungary

and Romania,

providing a fantas-

tic introduction to

a region in

transition.

S E AB L A C K

B A L T I C

S E A

AD

RIA

TI C

SEA

AzovSea of

RgaGulf of

Gulfof

Finland

Moscow

Bucharest

Budapest

Bratislava

Prague

St Petersburg

Timioara

Constana

Braov

Eger

Kutn HoraPlze

Pcs

Cluj-Napoca

Owicim

Krakw

Maramure

HERCEGOVINASERBIA

LATVIA

UKRAINE

BULGARIA

BELARUS

LITHUANIA

HUNGARY

CZECH REPUBLIC

POLAND

SLOVENIAROMANIA

KosovoMONTENEGRO

ALBANIA

MACEDONIA

BOSNIA &

CROATIA

MOLDOVA

SLOVAKIA

RUSSIA

RUSSIAESTONIA

Vysok Tatry

MountainsTatra

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S N A P S H O T S R e c e n t E v e n t s w ww .l on el yp la ne t. co m w ww .l on el yp la ne t. co m

Karadiand Ratko Mladi, remain at large in the Balkans and their captureis still a priority as their ethnic cleansing still casts a long shadow over theshattered nations of the former Yugoslavia.

A far more positive development was the final dismantling of the transnational compromise that was Yugoslavia, when Montenegro voted in a2006 referendum to leave its union with Serbia, thus creating two newly

independent countries. To many peoples surprise, Serbia shrugged andaccepted the decision stoically.

Not all development has been positive. The brain drain is an inescapablereality in countries that have recently joined the EU: Estonian IT specialistshave been absorbed by countries throughout the EU, while Poland has seena massive number of people leaving to work in the service and constructionindustries in the UK. Likewise, Latvia and Lithuania have seen huge numbersof young professionals relocate to Ireland. Further flows into the west areexpected when Germany and Austria relax their immigration rules for thenew members in the next few years.

Despite this exodus, theres palpable excitement in the air in EasternEurope today. Even where the political system remains miserable anddemocracy seems a long way off, theres a new spirit of hope. Belarusis case in point; since the mass antigovernment protests following therigged elections of 2006, and despite the failure of protestors to dislodgethe government, theres a very definite feeling that things cant go on likethis for much longer. As democracy and transparency become ever moreEastern European traits the future looks extremely bright for this oncebenighted region.

Did you know Belarus

has the highest numberof US green-card lottery

winners in the world?

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Eastern Europe 9 Getting Started

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