I have spent much of my life first 17 years of life dreaming about the boulevards of Provence and street cafes of Paris. I ended up instead as an exchange student in an industrial town in the coal and steel region of in Lorraine, France. But that didn’t daunt my love of travel.

I’ve returned to Europe a couple dozen times since, returning nearly every year to add a new country or destination to my list. In the spring of 2023 I hit a personal goal: to visit every sovereign country in Europe. The last one on the list was Portugal (via the island of Madeira).

Now that I’ve hit the 4 corners, I’m trying to fill in the blanks. I’ve never been much of a London-Paris-Rome kind of guy, and would much rather find himself amidst the natives of an end-of-the road Dutch village or roaming through the border regions of Slovenia. With Paris, though, I generally make an exception.

Join me and my friend and photographer, Vanja, as we explore the culture, history, cuisine, as we fill in some of the blanks in Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia and beyond.

Varaždin, Croatia

Varaždin is a relatively small city with a population around 46,946, spread over 13.21 sq miles in Northern Croatia, close to the Drava River. It’s about an hour’s drive north of the capital city of Zagreb and best known for its baroque and rococo architecture, music and food. Its size was a perfect match for my off-the-beaten-path theme

Varaždin City Museum

Varaždin City Museum was founded around 1925 in the premises of the fortress called ‘The Old Town.’ The basic items of the first permanent exhibition were the objects given to the Museum by Varaždin families.

Budapest, Hungary

Straddling the Danube River, Budapest is Hungary’s illustrious capital. It is a treasure trove of history, culture, and natural beauty. Renowned for its remarkable architecture, relaxing thermal baths, and flavorful cuisine.

Hungarian dishes often include fruits, such as plums and apricots, cooked with meat or in piquant sauces/stuffings for game, roasts and other cuts. Various kinds of noodles, dumplings, potatoes, and rice are commonly served as a side dish. Hungarian dry sausages (kolbász) and winter salami are also widely eaten. And then there is Goulash, or as Hungarians call it, gulyás, means “herdsman.”  Its origins date back to the 9th century Magyar shepherds as a simple meat and onion stew prepared in heavy iron kettles known as bogracs.  The national drink of Hungary is Pálinka, a very strong traditional spirit made of many different types of fruit.

In the 15th century, invading Ottoman Turks introduced a new spice to Hungary, paprika.  While the rest of Europe remained lukewarm towards this red chili pepper from the New World, Hungary embraced it and paprika has since become a defining element of Hungarian cuisine. Made from peppers that are locally harvested and then sorted, toasted, and blended to create different varieties. The Hungarian paprika marketed in the US  is usually the édesnemes variety, which is “noble” sweet, slightly pungent and bright red.  

Ptuj, Slovenia

We detoured to Ptuj and Ehrenhausen, then back to Varazdin.

Ptuj, the oldest recorded city in Slovenia, has been inhabited since the late Stone Age and developed from a Roman military fort.

Attractions include, the Ptuj Castle, home to the Ptuj Ormoz Regional Museum which features everything from instruments and arms to traditional masks and striking tapestries; the Dominican and Minorite Monasteries; and the Orpheus Monument, a well-preserved Roman tombstone.

Ehrenhausen, Austria

The mausoleum in Ehrenhausen might be the most significant mark that the Eggenbergs left in the city. They are several buildings where you can spot the family’s coat of arms. Most importantly, Ehrenhausen is also the site of the Eggenberg’s main fortress. The 16th century building was one of Austria’s numerous fortifications that secured the South and the East of the country against the Turks. Beyond mausoleum and fortress, don’t miss out on the parish church, a typically Austrian mix of styles. The charming market square invites visitors to stroll around and explore the village.

Back to Varaždin in time for dinner

Varaždinsko zelje is an autochthonous variety of cabbage traditionally grown in Varaždin County. The most important property of this cabbage variety is that it can withstand cold winter weather.
It has a bitter and sharp flavor and pungent smell. Because its leaves are durable and elastic, it is traditionally used in recipes that require longer cooking time, such as cabbage soup or braised cabbage with bacon or beef.

Brno, Slovakia

Brno is a stately city and lies in the Moravia region. It is the country’s second largest city and serves as the traditional capital of Moravia. It feels very cosmopolitan after sleepier and more rural Slovakia.

Despite the ravages of past wars, many of Brno’s historic buildings have survived, including the churches of St. Thomas and St. James and the Gothic church of the Augustinian monastery. Tugendhat House (1930), designed by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992. The old town’s narrow streets are surrounded by an array of grand boulevards.

Prague, Czech Republic

Greetings from Czechia! We used to say ‘Czech Republic’ but it is now preferred we use the proper name Czechia. That’s ok by me.

Prague, capital city of the Czech Republic, is bisected by the Vltava River. Nicknamed “the City of a Hundred Spires,” it’s known for its Old Town Square, the heart of its historic core. It is nothing less than a Disneyland Fairy Tale city!.

The beer acquires its characteristic aroma of malt grains and a balanced caramel taste through triple mashing. The soft Pilsen artisan water lends it a unique, delicate taste, while the Žatec hops gives it a velvety bitterness. And the malt itself finishes the beer in a golden color.

Beer drinking is ingrained in Czech culture, society and history. So much so, that the beer industry is considered a part of the national heritage.

Zakopane is Poland

Zakopane is Poland’s main alpine destination and a major tourist center. It’s a festive place, teeming with happy visitors.

When we set off this morning, we had no idea we would find ourselves in Poland later that day. That was certainly not on the itinerary. But the gorgeous Slovak Tatra mountains pulled us in and we just kept going north. And suddenly we were in the equally stunning but much more lively Polish side of the high Tatras.

Žilina, Slovakia

Žilina is a city in north-western Slovakia, around 120 miles from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the fourth largest city of Slovakia with a population of approximately 80,000. The name is derived from Slavic/Slovak word žila – a “(river) vein. :Žilina means “a place with many watercourses.”

So, no Ukraine today. But the scenery in the extreme east of Slovakia and the Carpathian Mountains made for a nice excursion anyway.

The post Exploring the Balkans and Central Europe appeared first on Traveling Archive.

I’m a biased traveler. Having fallen in love with Europe on my first trip to Italy with my father as a 14 year old, it is to this continent that my travel plans always seem to lead. I return to somewhere in Europe now every May to see old friends and favorite cities. But with each trip, I have a firm goal: to fit in at least one new country every year.

With 2016 being my 28th trip to Europe, I’m getting close to the bottom of my list of unvisited countries. And this brings me inevitably to Moldova.

Poor Moldova. Largely unknown, way out of the way and saddled with a dowdy unglamorous name, it’s Europe’s least visited and poorest country. On the International Monetary Fund’s ranking of GDP per capita, Moldova ranks a lowly 138th out of 186 countries, right between Nicaragua and India. Yes, India. And even I, the Europhile traveler have ignored it until now.

Moldova is an unlikely little country. About the size of Maryland, its three-million people are tucked in a landlocked wedge of land between Romania and Ukraine; not exactly on the London, Paris, Rome circuit. The territory is a slice of land the Russians pried away from their many wars of territorial conquest from the Turks and then added it to Mother Russia. Largely Romanian speaking, it probably should have ended up as part of Romania, but under the Soviet Union it achieved full republic status.

Moldova didn’t have much to offer Russia other than their fantastic wines, but that was fine for Moldova as part the biggest empire on Earth. But when the Soviet Union fell apart, Moldova found itself one of the least likely and most hapless sovereign states in the world. With two civil wars, much civil unrest, a complete collapse of the economy, Moldova still stands 25-years later. With Romania and the European Union trying to pull them to the West, and Russia holding their energy bill and pulling them towards the East, they are in a state of constant conflict and schizophrenia.

But with all that said, I really enjoyed my little four-day visit there this May. I experienced four-days of fantastic food, warm people, hassle-free travel and some of the cheapest prices I have ever seen in all my travels. I jetted in to their nice new airport on Lufthansa from Munich and paid a staggeringly low $5.00 for my taxi ride to the capital. I bet you can’t name the capital of Moldova. That’s right, it’s Chişinău (formerly Kishinev under the Russians), but even geography pros have trouble with that one.

I stayed at the Cosmos Hotel. During the times of the Soviet Union, the capital of every Republic had a monstrously ugly hotel for foreign visitors on Intourist package tours. The Cosmos was just that place. And like nearly everything else in Moldova, it looks like nothing had been done to it since 1980. And yet, despite the dreadful décor and Stalinist era ambiance, my room was perfectly clean and comfortable, the staff (like everyone else in Moldova) was extremely kind and helpful. And four nights with a balcony and breakfast for a total of $120.00 was astonishingly cheap.

Leading from the hotel is Chisinau’s main avenue on or near which its major attractions are all found: the national parliament, the vibrant market, their little arch de triomphe, the national museum, the orthodox cathedral, a bank, the post office, a café. I must have walked that street from my hotel 13 times in four days: not that it was so interesting, but because there wasn’t so much else to do.

But I wasn’t unhappy to find myself there. Every meal (served with polenta – their national staple and with wine – their national treasure) was better than most meals I ever find in America and rarely cost more than $5.00. People smiled at me kindly. I liked that. And despite an undeniable amount of grittiness, the plethora of lovely and vibrant parks gave the city a benevolent dignity.

Moldova has had hard times, but you wouldn’t know that on a Sunday afternoon strolling in one of their verdant parks. Each one was filled vibrantly with happy families and children, laughing on kiddie rides, eating ice cream and cotton candy, smartly dressed, and looking happy. The measure of a country is more in its people and less in its GDP. How do they rise to hard times and still seem so happy, so together and connected. Maybe there is something to learn from them and that’s the real glory of travel. So I’m quite pleased I went to Moldova and not just to tick off another country off my list. I’m glad I met these fine Moldovans with their kind and resilient spirit. I don’t’ regret for a minute the four tranquil days I spent among them.

So now, how in the world will I ever make it to Belarus?

The post The Last Place You’d Visit: A Few Days in Europe’s Least Visited Country appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Driving through the mountains of Bosnia, it’s easy to become enchanted by the verdant beauty of this little visited Balkan country. It’s also easy to forget it’s one of Europe’s poorest countries, and that through the 1990’s, it was torn by the worst ethnic warfare Europe has seen since the Second World War. While the scars of war still remain in many places, Bosnia is quick to turn its sunny side to you, reminding us that it hosted the Winter Olympics in 1984, and that it’s eager to welcome tourists to its little visited sites. Its recent sad history did nothing to dampen its legendary Balkan hospitality.

In just a few minutes of leaving its historic capital city of Sarajevo, you are in the Dinaric Alps, climbing to high alpine elevations as pretty as any I’ve seen elsewhere in Europe or North America. If you keep on driving an hour, you pass the ski resorts which once hosted the Olympics. And from there, a poorly marked sign directs you to the almost hidden village of Lukomir.

Lukomir is the highest, and perhaps the most remote village in an already remote and little visited country. While it takes an hour to navigate the rutted and rocky dirt road to it, the journey is as great as the destination. I remember the rocky screes upon which local shepherds were tending their flocks of sheep, herded by the sturdy Bosnian shepherd dogs. Although it was late May, there were still patches of snow but the land itself was alive with fresh grass and wild flowers for the sheep to eat, the land cut by gushing torrents of melting snow.

At the end of the road lay the village. While it’s setting midst the mountains and at the end of a precipice is breathtaking, the village itself is prettiest when viewed from a distance. Up close, it’s a rough collection of stone houses set around a muddy unpaved street.

About 100 souls brave the hard life here, so hard that most of them return to the lowlands during the roughest winter months. But the village was alive when we arrived. A trickle of tourists were already there, and the villagers were making a real effort to supplement their meager income of shepherding and growing root vegetables and barley by catering to this small tourist trade. Two of the houses had small informal restaurants where the local women served hearty helpings of their local lamb (grilled and stewed) accompanied with their local homemade bread. Of course we partook on such a meal which we ate outdoors in the mountain air. A few other villages had their hand spun and knitted woolens for sale. Such warm socks and mittens would make welcome gifts, and we were happy to support the local economy by purchasing some. You might think that intruding on such an isolated village perched at 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) might be awkward, but we were greeted by the Bosnian hospitality we had found throughout the country.

These people have lived here for centuries. It’s a hard life, but they say it’s a good life. This part of Bosnia no one wanted, and they escaped the war which ravaged the Bosniak people throughout the rest of the country in the 90’s. At least here, out in the middle of nowhere, there was safety. Centuries ago, these fair skinned Slavs converted to the faith of Islam, and this faith permeates the community. The Islamic cemetery on one end of town and the tiny mosque on the other were the tidiest corners of the otherwise rather untidy village. At least for me, I wasn’t used to thinking of Islam in such an alpine setting, especially in the heart of Europe. Bosnian Islam tends to be of a very moderate kind. Though it was Ramadan, there was no issue selling food (or even alcohol) to us during mid-day. We were guests, and we were welcomed. Lukomir was worth the journey.

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