As we’re getting ready for our next big adventure, we say goodbye to Eastern Europe and look back at some of the amazing experiences it gave us.
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It’s happened again!
As always, time’s flown by and before you know it, we find ourselves packing our bags for our next big adventure.
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Eastern Europe Over
Over the past four months, we’ve backpacked from the far north of Estonia all the way down south to Bulgaria. We’ve seen the seasons as well as the people, the culture and the landscapes change.
There’s been distinct cultural differences in each country and region, but we can honestly say we’ve felt welcome everywhere we’ve been. We’ve met countless legendary locals, amazing Couchsurfing hosts and fun fellow travellers who we can’t wait to bump into again.
Remnants Of A Dark Past
Of all the places we’ve had the chance to visit, there are of course a few that stand out. Among those are Patarei Prison, a former Soviet prison in Tallinn that made us realise how little we knew about the Soviet Union. Two other eye-opening and unforgettable places were the Auschwitz concentration camp and the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. In very different ways, all three are etched in our memory as horrific examples of human suffering in the past.
The execution room in Patarei Prison
Red roses are still left at Auschwitz-Birkenau to commemorate the lost lives
A hospital waiting room in Pripyat, the ghost town of Chernobyl
In Bosnia, we saw how the more recent war of the 1990s has left behind deep wounds that are still trying to heal. We’ll probably never forget the first time we saw the mortar craters in the streets of Sarajevo or the many bombed buildings in Mostar. However, in Bosnia we also met some of the most positive and strong people in Eastern Europe.
The “Sarajevo Roses” mark the locations where people have been killed by mortar shells during the siege of the city
Just one of many ruins left behind after the war in Mostar
Drinking And Some Light BDSM
On a brighter note, we ended up spending our food budget on beers on more than one occasion. The by far weirdest night out was when Liam got whipped by the waitress in a BDSM bar in Ukraine. By the way, that was the same night we shot Putin in the head in a shooting range in another bar. Ah, good times!
Is this a face of pain or pleasure?
Then there was the night we checked out the cool ruin bars of Budapest and had way too much wine and the vile-tasting Hungarian version of Jagermeister called Unicum.
There’s no doubt about this one: this is a face of pain!
Stunning Autumn Hikes
As Autumn set in, we hiked through the Albanian Alps just in time to see the mountains glow in the most beautiful hues of red and orange. To top it off, we even got to experience life in remote traditional villages where we had the best homemade börek (typical savoury pie) in the Balkans.
This was literally the backyard of our guest house
… And All The Other Fun Stuff
We also have to mention the Soviet-era trains in Moldova which felt like traveling back in time to when plastic flowers and rugs on the floor were a thing.
As if the inside of the train wasn’t cool enough, check out the view from the window!
Much to Liam’s frustration (since he’s always the one who gets bit, ha) we’ve even had to bring out our bed bug guide a few times.
Liam carrying out a code red bed bug inspection
And The Food!
Oh, and in four months, we’ve eaten more dumplings, zapiekanka and chevapchichi than most people do in a year.
The prize for best dumplings goes to Latvia and their pierogis with bacon and onion inside – yum!
Getting ready to chow down on this delicious zapiekanka in Krakow
Ćevapi or ćevapčići is traditionally served with fresh bread and sour cream (although ketchup and mustard also do the trick)
Nothing Like We Thought
If there’s one thing we’ve learned during our time in Eastern Europe, it’s that Eastern Europe is not just Eastern Europe. It’s the Baltic countries, it’s Central Europe, it’s the Balkans and it’s every single country by itself.
All in all, this is an underrated, safe and great part of the world that’s only waiting to be explored.
Happy travels and be safe!
Liam & Mariana
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Want to know more about the best places to visit in Eastern Europe? Keep an eye on the website as we’ll be putting up more posts soon 🙂
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