Author	Message
Sam Member Europe	# Posted: 5 Apr 2004 11:38:44 This is a thread to promote the Balkan and the rest of eastern Europe. Here we can discuss those countries, because they have some image problems that aren't based on the current state of those countries. I've been to Slovenia and Croatia and they are too pretty too ignore. Most people think of west-European countries like England, Italy and France when we're talking about Europe, but, especially when talking about holidays/backpacking, we shouldn't forget the rest of the countries. Greece already gets the attention it needs with it's history and the upcoming olympics, but the countries north of Greece, don't get enough, in my opinion. Smuggling drugs into Jamaica is like smuggling SlimFast into Ethiopia.

Sam Member Europe	# Posted: 5 Apr 2004 12:07:36 Croatia has an absolutely amazing coastline. It can easily compete with some of Italy and Greece's coastlines and even has a whole bunch of Italians escaping the tourism they suffer in their own country. Further in-land there is a wonderful National Park called Plitvice (here's their website). This park is based around a serie of lakes and waterfalls connecting them. There are several routes taking your through the park over and past the many lakes and waterfalls. The shortest route takes approximately one and a half hour, if I remember correctly, and goes from the top of the series of the lakes, straight down, skips a couple of falls and includes a train ride up to the top. Here's a photo of one of the waterfalls (and actually this isn't one of the prettiest either, in my opinion, which says enough): Smuggling drugs into Jamaica is like smuggling SlimFast into Ethiopia.
JaMeZ Moderator Amsterdam	# Posted: 6 Apr 2004 09:41:24 I've also been in Croatia and Slovenia. I couldn't agree with you more, Sam. The landscape is amazing, but also the cities like Zagreb are also definitely worth visiting! Not to forget, in those countries everything is really really cheap too, including all booze & ciggies !! 8) "It is no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase 'As pretty as an Airport' appear." - Douglas Adams
garrontelep Member California	# Posted: 24 Apr 2004 19:50:35 as far as eastern europe goes, i highly reccomend checking out the baltic states. i spent time in riga, latvia. it has a beautiful, historic old town and a few great museums. a few kilometres away by train (ticket costs less than a euro) is the Salspils memorial on the place of a nazi concentration camp. it has huge stone statues in tribut to the people that died there. and it has great nightlife, many clubs full of young people, and MANY MANY excellent restaruants. and, of course, it's all very very affordable. as a bonus, if you stay soemwhere with a TV, you can watch american or german movies dubbed into latvian. but, the don't erase the original language track, so you hear it in in english, then in latvian. oh, and a single person does all the translations, whether it be a woman, kid, or whatever speaking. yea. go latvia. -garron
tasarisil Member cant remember	# Posted: 11 May 2004 19:55:01 Has anybody been to romania bulgaria turkey? I heard there were border hassles on the bulgarian border...Also, is there a network anywhere online of solo travelers looking for other people going in the same direction? (Turkey seems daunting alone)
JaMeZ Moderator Amsterdam	# Posted: 11 May 2004 20:13:25 Hey Tasarisil, Nope, haven't been there (yet). Maybe anyone else on this forum? Have never heard of any border hassles either, no word about it on the Lonely Planet worldguide either: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/europe/bulgaria/facts.htm About the network for finding a travel partner, there are quite a few around. I like the idea of setting up a special forum on WorldBackpackers.net for requests such as those, so I'll see to that in the nearby future. Nevertheless, travel partner or not, I'm pretty sure that you'll meet plenty of people on the road who are also visiting Turkey, as the country has been getting more and more tourism over the past years. Hope this helps. James. (And welcome to the forum by the way!) "It is no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase 'As pretty as an Airport' appear." - Douglas Adams
davidka Member	# Posted: 27 May 2005 02:34:46 · Edited by: Admin If you gon to VARNA in Bulgaria you can stay for cheap in the only one camping in town for 5 euros per night. Nice place with a view over the bay <snip> [Edited by Admin: no promotional URLs please. Forum Rules]