Monday 26 August 2013

The European Road Less Travelled part 2

As stated in my previous post, one of my favourite places to travel is East Central Europe. Aside from how beautiful the region is, all of the amazing sights to see and having the chance to experience cultures that are so quintessentially European in some ways yet so unique in many others, a big reason why I love the area is I have been obsessed with its history since I was in junior high. One of my passions is 20th century history and East Central Europe and Russia played a major part. Russia was the first communist country, World War I was started by the shooting of Franz Ferdinand of Austria when he was in Sarajevo, World War II started when Germany invaded Poland, the Holocaust and the concentration camps, and communism was imposed on Eastern Europe after the war. Depending on your generation you may remember the Berlin wall going up, for me I remember very clearly it being pulled down and people sitting on the wall shouting for freedom which marked the beginning of a new era in European history.  In Berlin today there are still reminders of that history. 
 Berlin wall
 Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin

The Cold War divided Europe and essentially cut off Eastern Europe from the rest of the world for over 40 years.  In more recent history, the wars in the former Yugoslavia during the 1990s, the last as recent as 2001 with the insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia, created a number of new countries over the course of the wars and involved genocide and other war crimes which are still vivid in many people’s minds.  Since that time, these countries have recovered at different paces and are now starting to be on some people’s travel radar. Croatia in particular is growing in popularity due to its beautiful beaches and stunning coastal areas. Just to see Dubrovnik is worth the trip with its old town that seems suspended in time; it is surrounded by walls with the Mediterranean on one side and the hills rising up on the other.  Restaurants hang over the cliffs and look out over amazing crystal clear blue water, there is cliff jumping and private rock beaches all over the place and the islands with their pristine sand beaches are a short boat ride away. There is little evidence of the war, although as I walked the city walls I did see bullet holes in the side of a building.

 Dubrovnik Harbour
View From Dubrovnik Walls
Because of its history, many parts of Eastern Europe are still not as touristy as Western Europe, making it a great place to escape crowds and get up close and personal with the history. Below are my top sights to see in the area (in no particular order), although there are still so many places I haven’t been the list will keep growing I’m sure.  Please post any of your favourite sights; I’m always looking for new places to visit.
1.       Auschwitz in Poland – It is haunting and well worth the visit.



2.       Moscow’s Red Square and the Kremlin – So many images on Western television from the second half of the 20th century were filmed in Red Square. I had chills the first time I went there and walked around it for the first time. For those who prefer older history, the Russian Tsars (including Ivan the Terrible) were married and crowned in the churches in the Kremlin.


3.       The Hermitage in St. Petersburg – It is one of the most amazing museums in the world and being able to walk inside the Winter Palace of the Russian Tsars is well worth a trip even if you don’t like museums.


4.       Walk the walls of Dubrovnik, Croatia – Beautiful views of the sea and old town.

5.       Prague’s castle district – The castle area is fabulous and it offers great views over the red roofs and bridges of Prague.

6.       Tallinn, Estonia – It is a gorgeous city and is like a fairytale.

 

7.       Cesky Krumlov – Spend a few nights in this beautiful town. The old town is fantastic and a great place to relax and unwind.

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