Jill & Sal's Excellent Adventure!!: Nowhere.Near.Berlin!

(Disclaimer: This entry was written yesterday, August 4th before we got to Venice! We are now leaving Venice and heading to Verona and Genoa via rental car – please enjoy!)

So, not even 1 month into our 3 month adventure, another chapter of the trip has come to a close. This morning we are leaving Ljubljana, Slovenia and heading to Venice, which officially ends the Eastern Europe part of our trip. A few months ago while doing our trip planning, Jill and I had sketched out a plan for the ‘Europe month’ of our trip, and decided on doing mostly major destinations in Western Europe: Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Belgium, Munich, Berlin, and Italy were at the top of our list. At some point in the planning process we changed direction and decided that if we’re going to do this trip right we need to go to new and exciting places. Yes, Eastern Europe would be the way to go. Unfortunately that meant cutting some great and familiar places (Amsterdam, Belgie, and Munchen especially), and missing out on seeing some good friends (my old friends/colleagues from Amsterdam, my Mom’s friend Sandra in Munich, a few of Jill’s good friends from college, etc.) but it had to be done!

While we had made this decision to do about 2 weeks in Eastern Europe, and were excited about it, we were in part still a little nervous. I can personally say that I had several preconceived notions about the region, most of which were completely debunked. While this is still so fresh in my mind, I want to share my thoughts on our time here – because I am excited about this region and because I don’t want my friends and family to stay away from the region due to their (our) outdated and incorrect views. Below are a few myths that were debunked for me on this trip:

Reagan is huge in the Pest ;) But really, he did a lot for their freedom!

Split's palace ruins from Emperor Diocletian

Myth #1: Eastern Europe is DANGEROUS – We were prepared to have to constantly watch our backs in Eastern Europe. Poverty-stricken? Angry? Anti-American? These were some of the judgments I was subconsciously making about Eastern Europeans before we even arrived. And while some of this still holds true to some extent in some places (i.e. watch out for scammers in Budapest, as we were warned even by the residents to do so!) for the most part it was completely false. We did not feel unsafe or uncomfortable in Eastern Europe – not anywhere. The people were respectful and thoughtful, the cities were well lit and lively, and most surprising of all almost everyone working in stores, cafes, etc. speaks English. This was so true that at several points Jill and I felt disappointed – “Is there nowhere left in Europe to have a real adventure!?” But after a few seconds of pondering that question in nostalgic disappointment we were thrust back into the time at hand – the beauty, comfort, safety, and modernity of the cities, juxtaposed with amazing 300-, 500-, 1000-year old architecture (2000 years old in Split, Croatia!!), the amazingly complex and rich histories of these cities, countries, and the entire region.

Myth #2: Eastern Europe is GRAY – We weren’t expecting much greenery in the cities or modern architecture, we were mostly in it for the experience of ‘feeling’ the places and getting the experience of the ‘Eastern’ feel. Wow, we were way off in our expectations! From beautiful Gothic buildings of Prague, to the castles and hills of Budapest, to the quaint and charming old city of Bratislava, to the incredibly striking ancient cities of coastal Croatia, we were constantly blown away by these places – charming, beautiful, vibrant, fun, safe cities. Our latest and last Eastern Europe city, Ljubljana [pronounce the j’s like i’s: lee-you-blee-yah-nah], capital city of Slovenia, was no exception. From the moment that our amazing host, Hish, took us to the streets we were awe-struck by the feel of the place. Charming old square. Romantic , turquoise river running through the city, lined with weeping willows. Gorgeous views of the Alps, and the castle overlooking the city. Vibrant nightlife, with dozens of non-pretentious bars lining the river. Free, live jazz filling the evening air. This is Eastern Europe in 2011.

The "Blue Church" of St. Elizabeth, in Bratislava

Myth #3: Eastern Europe is CHEAP – Ok. Now for the disappointment of Eastern Europe. One of the reasons that we chose this region was to help control our budget for Europe. Jill and I have been painstakingly tracking our expenses as we go, projecting costs throughout the 3 months, breaking costs into categories, and ensuring that we are not overspending. While the majority of our trip will be spent in less expensive countries – Egypt, India, SE Asia – we knew that Europe could make or break our budget if we weren’t careful. Hence us thinking that a few nights in Prague and Croatia would be significantly cheaper than, say, Amsterdam and Munich. Umm, not so much. A little cheaper, perhaps, but the gap has definitely narrowed. It turns out that ‘that exchange rate’ isn’t quite as good as some movies would have us believe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbcH_qYkeTc In Eurotrip’s defense, Bratislava was probably the least expensive city that we visited – but by inexpensive I mean that you can get a ‘big beer’ (pint) in a restaurant for under 2 bucks. Prague was also fairly cheap outside of the old town – but in the tourist areas? Forget it. You might as well be in London for the prices they charge.

Myth #4: Eastern Europe is cold and/or unwelcoming to foreigners – This myth was only partially debunked. We did run into our fair share of mild anti-foreigner sentiment, for example waiters who didn’t seem very pleased to be waiting on us (granted they don’t work for tips!). But in general this sentiment was not nearly as strong as expected, and we consistently felt welcomed and accepted. ALL of the places we visited were very tourist-friendly. One of the first things we noticed in Prague was that a lot of the signage and advertising is in English. Most of the restaurants we went to throughout the region had English menus, something you won’t even find in some Western European countries, for example. The sporadic bits of anti-foreigner/tourist sentiment were completely overshadowed by the many warm and friendly people that we met. We stayed in budget housing/apartments owned by locals in almost every city we stayed in, and were greeted with vibrant conversation and lavish hospitality at virtually every stop.

Sal enjoying crystal clear water in Dubrovnik, Croatia!!

Well those are the 4 myths about the region that I really wanted to share my thoughts on. Just a few other random thoughts before I close out this blog entry:

-Croatia and Slovenia are amazing! Great cities, fascinating history, and beautiful nature – everywhere you look there is crystal-clear turquoise water – rivers, lakes, the Adriatic Sea. Clearest water I’ve ever seen. Awesome mountains too! Wow.

-FORGET PARIS! If you have always dreamed of seeing the Eiffel tower in person and going to the Louvre (which is, admittedly, incredible) then by all means go to Paris. But if you are looking for a romantic and beautiful and clean and interesting city with that real grand ‘European feel’, go to Prague! It’s the city Paris advertises itself to be! (disclaimer: this is Sal’s opinion; Jill quite liked Paris, but likes Prague much more)

Jill couldn't escape the mimes on stilts in Prague's Old Town Square

-We didn’t run into any trouble anywhere in Europe, but we did hear some horror stories about tourists getting scammed big time in Budapest. We heard the same story from a few different people, of friends being lured into bars/clubs by ‘interesting’ locals (i.e. women hitting on men and leading them to a bar), ordering a few drinks, and being handed a $1000+ bar tab – and you need to pay the tab OR ELSE. Scary.

-While Budapest has a reputation of being a place of scammers, that’s definitely not the whole story. Budapest is an amazing city, and most of the people we met (such as our host, Edit [Eee-dit]) were delightful. We wished we had another day or 2 in Budapest to explore more of the city, and especially the cave ‘labyrinth’ under Buda Castle (the cave, by the way, has free wifi. Who woulda thunk it?)!

Budapest views from Buda

We’re writing this blog entry while sitting in a 9-person van, on our way to Italy for 8 days to finish the Europe part of our trip. First stop: VENICE and we’re using hotel points to stay at the Westin. Jill and I are both VERY excited for a night/day of luxury.

Ciao!