Set on Eastern Europe

[Jen05]

That sounds like an AMAZING trip! I've heard great things about Slovakia and Croatia and would love to see Turkey. All the best planning! Now I have another dream trip to think about!

[Brookers13]

yes this sounds like a fabulous trip!

[chelseafc05]

Originally posted by ajb3000+Jan 8 2006, 01:57 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ajb3000 @ Jan 8 2006, 01:57 AM)</div>

ive pretty much finished listin and researchin the places inside each country i want to visit, all im doin now is waistin time till its time to go....
ive decided not to go to ukraine and belarus being australian we still need visa's and its too much of a pain in the ass and cost to much, compared to that of gettin a visa for moldova,romania and macedonia
for accomadation ive just been lookin at the rccomended ones on this website and the lp guide book there all listed at shown on the maps in the book. the places off the beaten track that dont seem to have any hostels apparently you can just go to a local travel agent and theyll find a cheap apartment or somthin for you for a small fee which i spose would be worth it..


<!--QuoteBegin-xanthuos@Jan 8 2006, 02:16 AM
Looks like an awesome plan Dan...if fate is good to me, perhaps we can meet up for a few beers along the way if I pull off my long trip.

[snapback]97227[/snapback]

yeah for sure man

[lilwings]

*insert jealously here*

Sounds great! You'll have to keep us posted about it. Albania, Macedonia, and Kosovo is amazing. I loved the mountains of Kosovo... it was so beautiful there. I would have loved to have spent time as a civilian, travelling around the local areas more.

In the area around the former Balkan republic, just be mindful of where you are and who's around you. It's still a little dangerous at nights due to a poor civilian population, but it's not nearly as dangerous as it used to be. Also, this might sound silly, but watch out when you're hiking in the mountains... land mines and unexploded ordinance is still a problem.

PS. Spend a couple days in Bulgaria, it's worth it!

[chelseafc05]

thanxs

grrrrrrrrrrr according to this website www.mae.ro i can enter romania with a visa without an letter of invitation.. but on the romanian canberra embassy website http://canberra.mae.ro/index.php?lang=en&id=3321 it says with my visa application i need " Proof of accommodation in Romania (reservation for tourist services or letter of invitation)" wat the hells goin on?

[chelseafc05]

perhaps the latter is if i was flying direct from australia to romania and if i was to apply for a visa in advanced? as opposed to getting it at a embassy or consulate of a neighbouring country?

[Esterina]

Daniel, this link, direct from Romania, is surely the best source : Romania.org. According to this, you need a visa without an invitation letter.

[ajb3000]

I'd do what the Romanian embassy in Australia tell you to do. Plus, getting everything sorted in advance means one less thing to worry about when on the road, you don't want to end up being turned away at the border.

[tumblezweedz]

Lived in Lithuania for two years (left last June, so can't help you on the ground) but I've got tons of info on the country, sights, sites, places to eat, festivals etc so hit me with any questions you've got. We also spent a fair bit of time travelling the surrounding countries, and I especially love Poland. Give yourself PLENTY of time. 9 days in Lithuania is actually a pretty good amount, a lot of people came to visit us for four to seven days, and we really couldn't give them a fair look around - there's a ton to see for such a small country.

Our best discovery in Eastern Europe was the "In Your Pocket" guides. There's a website, www.inyourpocket.com which gives some info online, but the pocket guides have a lot more info, and really everything you need for a short stay in a place. The restaurant reviews are funny, often scathing and usually accurate! They don't have a lot of info on hostels, but there are often some good budget B&Bs or private rooms listed which are not a lot more expensive than the hostels and are often in better locations.

Outside of the capitals, you'll find super cheap accommodations and food, but you'll probably have to go through a local tourist info office to book them, and more than likely the hosts won't speak English. Pointy-talkie works well though. Somewhere along the way, try booking a week in the countryside (the Baltic beaches tend to be packed, especially in August - and way overpriced), to get a sense of life as it used to be lived: in western Europe about 100 years ago, in eastern Europe, about 20. In Lithuania, you can get to the smallest little hamlet by bus, though the bus stop may be a couple of km from the village. If you're driving, the roads are okay, the sign posting is surprisingly good (thank you EU membership benefits) but driving can be a bit hairy especially in the cities. And if you get pulled over by the cops, a small administrative fee (don't show them the inside of your wallet, just tell them you have 30 or 40 Litai (about 10 - 15 USD)) and they will likely send you on your way sans ticket. If you choose to take the moral high ground, expect to appear in court and pay about 50 - 100 Lt.

In Lithuania, plan on several days in Vilnius, a day trip to Trakai, a visit to Rumsiskes , near Kaunas if you're interested in how people lived in the past, the Hill of Crosses near Siauliai (have lunch or spend the night at the Devil's Windmill nearby) and if you can get out to the coast, Nida is spectacular, while Palanga is where the beautiful people will be scantily clad night and day - on the beaches or in the clubs. But accommodations are a bear to find, and as I mentioned, prices are inflated.

Blah blah blah, I could go on forever, but I'll wind it up. Hit the Baltics in the high summer months, the weather is cooler than southeastern Europe, and it's not nearly as crowded, and with the long long days, you can sightsee all day, and still enjoy dinner at a sidewalk cafe, and strolling down the boulevard eating an ice cream with the locals.

[luke rhinehart]

If you are in riga for a few nights you simply have to visit a club called ''nobody writes to the colonel'' Its awesome and the women, by christ they outnumber us manfolk by 2:1. But if you're into the cultural thing then the opera is a very picturesque building from the outside. Also go to the skyline bar......what amazing views of riga.

Anyway if you fancy meeting up at any point im always up for a cheap ryan air flight to eastern europe, and the nature of my job is such that i get holidays all the time (i'm a college teacher you see). Let us know where you will be at the end of March and who knows, maybe we will meet up for a beer........

good luck geezer

[chelseafc05]

thanx guys

booked my flight today leavin feb 27 returnin october 18.......thats like 2 months more then i was originally planin on stayin..... feels good after ya booked ya tickets

[beergal]

Thats a hell of a long trip around Central and Eastern Europe your going to have such a blast i love it there! So tell us what countries have you decided on going to...if I can let you know anything about Hungary I will.

As Tumbleweedz said the "in your pocket" guides proved invaluable for when i went to Lithuania and Latvia

[chelseafc05]

yeah should be good... the countries im goin to are:

germany(munich ..only to start)
czech republic
slovakia
hungary
slovenia
croatia
bosnia& hercegovnia
serbia & montenegro
kosovo
albania
macedonia
bulgaria
turkey(istanbul)
romania
moldova
poland
lithuania
latvia
estonia
then back through most of germany to finish with

total 220 days

[tumblezweedz]

Wow, what an amazing trip, and great that you're giving yourself time to really stick around and explore. Another bonus, you'll cross both "seasons", in any of the former Soviet bloc countries, they have incredible music/ballet/theatre/opera facilities - even if you've never seen a play in your life, at least go to the philharmonic somewhere, the concerts are incredible, and you can get tix for CHEAP. If you happen to be in Vilnius during the ballet season, my husband (who loathes ballet) will even recommend "Russian Hamlet" - it's the story of Czar Peter (not the Great, the son of Catherine) and while he was not particularly impressed during the first act, the second was really quite amazing. And the programme is in English, too, so you can figure out what the heck's going on.

Anywhere in the Baltics, music is huge all year round, and there will be a song festival in one of them this summer - if you can get tix, it's a cultural experience you won't have anywhere else. In Vilnius, jazz is king, but you can also see tons of rock and occasional alt. bands, and lots of restaurants/bars have live music on the weekends.

Again, "in your pockets" are a great English source of info. I should get a commission or something from them, for all the horn-blowing I do, but really, the inyourpocket guides are one of the best values for the money that we've found. There are several guides that would cover places you want to go - Riga, various in Lithuania (there are at least 3), Tallinn, Krakow, Gdansk, Wroclaw, Warsaw in Poland, Prague, Budapest I've used, and there's one for Bratislava that we couldn't find in country (but we weren't there long). There are probably others that cover other places, those are just the ones I know for sure.

[DoctorJ]

Sounds like a great trip.

Looks like there's a small chance our trips might cross paths in Prague, Budapest or Zagreb looking at the order you're going in.

Keep an eye out for a couple of rowdy Aussies

[chelseafc05]

thanx for all the info tumbleweedz ill keep an eye out for the "in
your pocket guides"

docterj might see ya soon.....