Eatern Europe: Final Thoughts

This was one of my favorite trips; I wasn't sure what to expect, which is what made it exciting. While not delving deep into the cultures and sticking to the major cities due to their accessibility, I felt welcomed as a visitor to each country.

Here are my thoughts on each of the cities.

Vienna - clean, efficient, and full of history. The Viennese were very kind and cheerful, from their "Grüß Gott" ("may God greet you") hellos to their helpful natures. For the less adventurous traveler, I think Vienna has a smaller language barrier than almost any country I have been to, save the Netherlands or maybe parts of Belgium. It wasn't stuffy at all, just very orderly. In fact, one of the first things I noticed was that pedestrians absolutely obey crossing signals. Even at tiny little intersections over one-land alleys and no traffic coming, the Viennese line up and wait for the light. Recommended? Yes, especially as a gateway city to any surrounding country.

Bratislava - for the very short visit I made here, Bratislava was neat, even though I didn't venture much outside the Old Town. If nothing else, a 30-cent ice cream cone and some Soviet-inspired architecture make this a worthwhile side trip from Vienna, or more exploration if you have time.

Prague - no wonder it's so popular. I'm not an architecture fiend, but the city is stunningly beautiful. It's also friendly and, swarmed with tourists of all types, has little language barrier, although its alphabet and difficult-to-pronounce words make it seem a bit more exotic. I would definitely recommend black-light theater and just wandering the small side streets aimlessly. The idea that service is sour and snobby just did not surface for me, not even once. A must-see place.

Kraków - Go now! It's tourist-friendly, but as it's part of a poorer country, it's a bit rough around the edges. But the sense that it is ramping up to be a huge destination is palpable throughout the city. Services are getting added, small hotels are springing up, and overall there's just a sense of excitement. On all but the shortest visits, Auschwitz is a must. The language barrier (if any) is not at all intimidating. In fact, of all the different day-to-day transactions that I had to carry out in another language, I had the easiest time in Poland. It's a young country -- I believe the median age is over ten years less than surrounding countries -- and the country feels young and full of energy.

More to come in the fuure.