Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Dial E for Easy
For quick directions on how to call Eastern Europe, see the “Telephone” listing
in the “Fast Facts” section of each country chapter.
Tips
bars, and discos. Ask for a room that has
been most recently renovated or redeco-
rated.
If you aren't happy with your room
when you arrive, ask for another one.
Most lodgings will be willing to accom-
modate you.
In resort areas, particularly in seaside
locations in Croatia, Slovenia, and along
the Black Sea coast, ask the following
questions before you book a room:
• What's the view like? Cost-conscious
travelers may be willing to pay less for
a back room facing the parking lot,
especially if they don't plan to spend
much time in their room.
• Does the room have air-conditioning
or ceiling fans? Do the windows open?
If they do, and the nighttime enter-
tainment takes place alfresco, you
may want to find out when showtime
is over.
• What's included in the price? Your
room may be moderately priced, but
if you're charged for beach chairs,
towels, sports equipment, and other
amenities, you could end up spend-
ing more than you bargained for.
• How far is the room from the beach
and other amenities? If it's far, is there
transportation to and from the beach,
and is it free?
16 Tips on Dining
Eastern European food is often maligned
by Westerners who imagine that they will
be dining exclusively on bread, potatoes,
meat, and cabbage during a stay in East-
ern Europe. Yes, the food in this region
can be heavy, especially in places like Rus-
sia and Romania where the temperature
can fall to arctic levels and stay there for a
long time. But Eastern European food can
be surprisingly light and sophisticated,
like the delicate truffle dishes in Istria
(Croatia) and other regional specialties.
When looking for a restaurant, avoid
places that display menus translated into
seven languages. These are bound to offer
diluted versions of wonderful regional foods
or awful interpretations of “foreign” dishes.
Instead, look for small mom-and-pop
places filled with locals having a good
time. Alternatively, you can make quite a
good meal from local bakeries and mar-
kets where everything from caviar to
laundry detergent is sold.
Dining is relatively inexpensive wher-
ever you go in Eastern Europe. You'll find
wonderful fish, Italian-style fare, and
local wine in Slovenia and Croatia's
coastal cities, spicy goulash stews in Hun-
gary, and excellent beer in Poland and the
Czech Republic. If you're lucky, you'll
also be able to sample a few homemade
liqueurs, usually potent brews made from
plums, cherries, or other fruits.
One thing is for sure: You won't go
hungry in this land where eating is a social
event, a sport, and a way to celebrate life.
17 Recommended Books, Films & Music
For an interesting perspective on how
Eastern Europe has changed since the
Berlin Wall came down, try
The Burdens
of Freedom: Eastern Europe since 1989
by
Padraic Kenney (Fernwood Publishing,
2006). This is part contemporary politics,
