Some of Eastern Europe is becoming alive with tourists from the West rushing in to take advantage of cheap flights, cheap beer and cheap beer, but so much of it is still making the slow transition from Communism to Capitalism, and doesn't necessarily offer itself willingly to the holidaygoer. That said, a bit of effort and much ad-hoccing, and you'll find some fantastic people, breathtaking places and amazing culture that really opens your eyes.

Main places we visited: Prague, Budapest, Sighisoara and Brasov in Romania, Sofia and Rila Monastery in Bulgaria, Split and Dubrovnik in Croatia, and then Budapest again. Ogulin, Bucharest and Belgrade all deserve special mentions too.

Eastern Europe, September 2004

0010-Prague_Metro.jpg Prague Metro station, refreshingly clean of adv... (original - 242k)	0020-Powder_Gate.jpg You can't miss Powder Gate, really. (original - 342k)	0030-Moo_Cow.jpg There were lots of cows in Prague. This is one ... (original - 279k)	0040-Railway.jpg A run-down kind of railway station. (original - 354k)
0060-No_Guns_or_Ice_Cream.jpg No phones. No ice cream. No guns. Tchah. (original - 236k)	0070-Praha_Masarykovo_Station.jpg This is one of Prague's 4 main stations, with a... (original - 366k)	0080-Tram.jpg Trams are good. I like trams. (original - 365k)	0090-Lamped_Shadow.jpg Mmm, arty. (original - 223k)
0100-Doorway_Detail.jpg I can't find what this building's called, but i... (original - 292k)	0110-Doorway_Detail.jpg This is to the side of the previous photo... (original - 206k)	0140-Cathedral_on_the_Hill.jpg Big bloody cathedral that we'll be visiting lat... (original - 208k)	0150-NTK.jpg One for the geeks. (original - 358k)
0151-River_Vltava.jpg Pretty river. (original - 386k)	0160-Charles_Bridge_Statue.jpg I think this might have been the cleanest of th... (original - 401k)	0160-Charles_Bridge_Statue_Detail_bw.jpg Close-up of the cherub thingy. (original - 59k)	0161-Band_on_the_Bridge.jpg Some busking people, who were ok I think. (original - 614k)
0163-Gas_Masks.jpg Go to the seedy shops and this is the kind of t... (original - 425k)	0165-Tram.jpg Different tram. (original - 365k)	0166-Arches.jpg We went past this spot a thousand times and I s... (original - 507k)	0167-Archway_Light.jpg Walking under one of the towers, possibly even ... (original - 577k)
0168-Painted_House.jpg This was on the way to our hostel - the buildin... (original - 420k)	0170-Prague_Station_Stairs.jpg Going to find tickets in Prague Station. (original - 247k)	0180-Prague_Station_Outside_bw.jpg Crazy mad architecture outside Prague Station. (original - 241k)	0190-Praha_Hlavni_Station.jpg Better view of the station. (original - 348k)
0200-Burger_Stall.jpg Lots of places to buy burgers and coke from, bu... (original - 498k)	0210-Street_Art.jpg Bizarre street art, view 1. (original - 308k)	0230-Street_Art_2.jpg Bizarre street art, view 2. (original - 363k)	0231-Fusion.jpg Scary Russian doll, Museum of Communism and Tot... (original - 509k)
0232-Little_Gardening_Cart.jpg Heheh, the man drives around and waters plants ... (original - 613k)	0234-Statues_by_Old_Town_Square.jpg Some old guys watching over Prague's Old Town S... (original - 373k)	0235-Old_Town_Square_Flowers.jpg Pretty flowers, nice day. (original - 574k)	0236-Tyn_Church.jpg View from up the clock tower - everyone has to ... (original - 563k)
0237-One_of_Many.jpg Prague has a billion spires, you see. (original - 354k)	0240-Tower_Stairs_bw.jpg Crazy black and white shot looking back down th... (original - 303k)	0260-Tower_Stairs.jpg Watching people come up to see the view from th... (original - 568k)	0290-Door_Detail.jpg I want a door like this when I'm a lecturer. (original - 232k)
0300-Street.jpg All streets outside the UK so clean you can lic... (original - 364k)	0380-Dancer.jpg Bet you can't tell which is me and which is the... (original - 270k)	0390-Moo_Cows.jpg More moo moos. (original - 216k)	0400-Odd_Building.jpg No idea what this place is, but it looks really... (original - 371k)
0401-Boats.jpg Big boats to take you up and down the River Vlt... (original - 639k)	0410-Metronome_bw.jpg The spike in the background is a giant metronom... (original - 174k)	0411-Bridges_over_Vltava.jpg Oooh, pretty pretty. (original - 654k)	0412-Julie_and_Prague_Castle.jpg Julie indicates our onwards progression towards... (original - 558k)
0413-Pillars.jpg There was this big building that I quite liked ... (original - 575k)	0414-Greenhouse.jpg I think this was a greenhouse, but now I'm not ... (original - 654k)	0416-Changing_of_the_Guard.jpg Apparently the guards don't like having their p... (original - 639k)	0440-Fountain_Square.jpg This is the first thing you see when you enter ... (original - 343k)
0450-Archway.jpg Through the archway is St. Vitus' Cathedral. I ... (original - 312k)	0460-St_Vitus_Cathedral_Entrance.jpg The entrance to St. Vitus' Cathedral, which onl... (original - 347k)	0460-St_Vitus_Cathedral_Entrance_Detail_bw.jpg Close-up so you can see the detail. (original - 168k)	0470-St_Vitus_Cathedral.jpg Even this doesn't get across just how gorgeous ... (original - 227k)
0480-Gargoyles.jpg Outside the toilets, looking up. (original - 263k)	0481-Inside_Cathedral.jpg Light plays an important part, especially with ... (original - 585k)	0490-Cathedral_Organ.jpg I managed to sneak this poor photo of the cathe... (original - 365k)	0491-St_Vitus_Cathedral.jpg The golden gate on the side is called the Golde... (original - 661k)
0500-Wavy_Roof_bw.jpg I liked the crazy lines going on here. (original - 364k)	0510-Prague_Rooftops.jpg Looking out over Prague. (original - 461k)	0511-Steps_bw.jpg People walking up to the castle, and a busker t... (original - 487k)	0550-Fountain_Detail.jpg We sat by this fountain-that-you-can't-see for ... (original - 503k)
0570-Overlooking_Prague.jpg View from the first stage of the Petrin Tower. (original - 187k)	0571-Overlooking_Prague.jpg View from near the top of the Petrin Tower, ove... (original - 314k)	0572-Down_from_Petrin_Tower.jpg View back down to the ground from the top of th... (original - 666k)	0574-Overlooking_Prague.jpg Another look over Prague from the top of the Pe... (original - 613k)
0640-Tree_bw.jpg Sunny day in a Prague Park. (original - 560k)	0650-Trees.jpg I think we fell asleep here for a while. (original - 341k)	0651-Sundown.jpg The start of a romantic evening in Prague. (original - 517k)	0652-Sundown_on_the_Castle.jpg Looking back as the Sun goes down on Prague Cas... (original - 379k)
0653-Leaving_Prague.jpg Our first train ride - all excited. (original - 578k)	0670-Sunset_by_Train.jpg View from the train window as we zip towards Bu... (original - 260k)	0710-Budapest_Cafe_View.jpg We hadn't had much sleep due to a smelly man on... (original - 275k)	0740-Hosok_Tere.jpg At the end of Andrassy Avenue is Hosok Tere, wh... (original - 171k)
0760-Building.jpg I think this is the Palace of Art, next to Hosok Tere. (original - 255k)	0770-Across_Hosok_Tere.jpg The Museum of Fine Arts, as confirmed by this near-identical photo. (original - 339k)	0780-Strange_Sculpture.jpg We found this odd-looking wooden sculpture in a... (original - 597k)	0790-Ivy-Covered_House.jpg A chateau covered in ivy. (original - 570k)
0830-Budapest_Train_Tickets.jpg The ticket office at Budapest Station wasn't ex... (original - 424k)	0850-Stairway.jpg I kind of like this stairway design, next to a ... (original - 330k)	0870-Liszt_Statue.jpg Did Liszt really have huge huge fingers? (original - 388k)	0880-Julie_through_Art.jpg More street art, featuring Julie this time. (original - 279k)
0900-Budapest_Station.jpg Somewhat knackered, we waited a couple of hours... (original - 624k)	0910-Budapest_Station.jpg They have a cool clock at Budapest Station. (original - 323k)	0920-Sighisoara-View_from_Bathroom.jpg Burg Hostel, Sighisoara, Romania. View from (posh) bathroom out into the courtyard. (original - 358k)	0921-Julie_in_Sighisoara.jpg Julie standing at the edge of the old medieval ... (original - 186k)
0930-Oberth_Diagram_1.jpg Design #1 by Herman Oberth, space dreamer. Depicts some kind of spacesuit. (original - 155k)	0940-Oberth_Diagram_2.jpg Design #2 by Herman Oberth, space dreamer. Depicts some kind of space module. (original - 185k)	0950-Space_Picture.jpg Picture showing what humans landing on another ... (original - 184k)	0960-Hermann_Oberth_Bust.jpg The man himself. In bust form. (original - 212k)
0970-Sighisoara_Rooftops.jpg Romania has a great selection of pinkish rooftops. The building (now a restaurant) with tables in front was the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler - more info. (original - 422k)	0980-Sighisoara_Rooftops.jpg Overlooking more of the old town from atop Turn... (original - 380k)	0990-Sighisoara_Rooftops.jpg Kind of odd. Fairytale like. But so close to mo... (original - 265k)	1000-Me_and_Rooftops.jpg Just to prove I was there... (original - 327k)
1020-Some_House.jpg There are still some people living in the old t... (original - 281k)	1040-Dog_in_the_Shade_bw.jpg Woof woof. (original - 298k)	1050-Scara_Scolarilor.jpg Scara Scolarilor, or School Staircase. There's,... (original - 224k)	1060-Stairs_Inside.jpg View down from inside the Scara Scolarilor. It'... (original - 318k)
1080-Sighisoara_Rooftops.jpg More Sighisoara rooftops - we saw a lot of thes... (original - 487k)	1090-Turnul_cu_Ceas.jpg This is the tower ("Turnul cu Ceas") we were up... (original - 197k)	1110-Julie_in_Archway.jpg A small archway as Julie wanders off. (original - 432k)	1140-Turnul_cu_Ceas.jpg A better photo of the Turnul cu Ceas, containin... (original - 360k)
1140-Turnul_cu_Ceas_Detail.jpg Tower rooftops in Eastern Europe are always rea... (original - 153k)	1141-Alleyway.jpg An arty shot of an alleyway thing in Sighisoara. (original - 176k)	1142-Julie_in_International_Cafe.jpg We found a small cafe in Sighisoara called Inte... (original - 140k)	1143-Sighisoara_Housing.jpg More housing in-use. (original - 544k)
1144-Sighisoara_Window.jpg Someone's window. I'm glad they didn't see me a... (original - 539k)	1160-Sighisoara_Station.jpg Some cowboys look on while we wait for the trai... (original - 452k)	1161-Sighisoara_Station.jpg Everything seems to run off big hulking diesel ... (original - 633k)	1170-Passenger_bw.jpg I'd like to know where he was going to. (original - 434k)
1180-Piata_Sfatului_in_Brasov.jpg This photo looks like Julie and some buildings ... (original - 440k)	1210-Biserica_Ortodoxa_Sf_Nicolae.jpg An Orthodox church at the edge of Brasov, still... (original - 212k)	1220-Me_with_Black_Spires.jpg That's me you can just make out there. (original - 277k)	1230-Wall_Paintings.jpg A shame, the walls must have looked quite somet... (original - 368k)
1231-Tomb.jpg I'm not quite sure who's tomb this was now. (original - 437k)	1235-Cross_and_Buildings.jpg This is next to the Orthodox church. (original - 299k)	1236-Romanian_Roof.jpg Julie spotted this rooftop as we were entering ... (original - 643k)	1237-Romanian_Roofs.jpg See? Lots of roofs. (original - 584k)
1238-Power_Station.jpg On the way to Bran Castle, there's this delapid... (original - 500k)	1239-Bran_Castle_Window_bw.jpg Black and white arty shot of some windows in Bran Castle. (original - 351k)	1241-Secret_Staircase.jpg Going up a tiny little carved-out staircase in ... (original - 575k)	1242-Window_View.jpg Hmmm, you can't see it very well, but there are... (original - 464k)
1243-Bran_Library.jpg A small corner of a (relatively) large room hol... (original - 532k)	1243-Bran_Library_Detail_bw.png This photo makes the library look grittier :) (original - 302k)	1244_Bran_Windows_bw.png There are lots of balconies with small wooden w... (original - 246k)	1245-Looking_Up.jpg Looking up to the top of Bran Castle. (original - 536k)
1246-Cool_Lock_bw.png I like this lock, but I'm not sure why. Proper ... (original - 201k)	1247-Looking_Across.jpg Bran Castle would be a great place to play hide... (original - 526k)	1248-From_Outside.jpg Looking back up from Bran Castle. Apparently there's a secret passage into the castle around here somewhere... (original - 573k)	1251-Watermelons.jpg A street market in Rasnov. (original - 627k)
1252-Rasnov_Street.jpg Looking up a street in Rasnov towards Rasnov Ca... (original - 574k)	1253-View.jpg Looking back down as we climb up the hill towar... (original - 624k)	1254-View_from_Rasnov.jpg Looking out over Romania. (original - 505k)	1255-View_from_Rasnov.jpg You can't quite see it in this photo, but the C... (original - 584k)
1256-Me_at_Rasnov.jpg Me, sitting atop Romania. (original - 553k)	1257-Through_the_Window.jpg Peering through a window in one of the Rasnov t... (original - 511k)	1258-Outside_Rasnov.jpg Looking back at Rasnov from the car park. (original - 532k)	1260-David_Lynch_Hotel.jpg This is the hotel we stayed at in Brasov, which... (original - 582k)
1261-Bucuresti_Trains.jpg Bucuresti (Bucharest) Station, where we stopped... (original - 585k)	1262-Bucuresti_Recycling_Bin.jpg They do have these cool recycling bins though. (original - 552k)	1263-Leaving_Bucuresti.jpg Bye bye to Bucuresti... (original - 504k)	1264-Dusk.jpg Overnight travel into Bulgaria, where they have... (original - 486k)
1266-View_from_Apartment.jpg The view from the kitchen of an apartment we st... (original - 329k)	1270-Statue_in_Sofia_City_Garden.jpg Not sure who this guy is supposed to be. (original - 387k)	1280-Sofia_Fountain.jpg We spent a fair bit of time in Sofia City Garde... (original - 711k)	1290-Sofia_Fountain.jpg You can't see, but there are huge groups of old... (original - 601k)
1300-Fountain.jpg Weird, I thought this was in Prague, not Sofia. (original - 209k)	1310-Water_Patterns.jpg Staring into the City Garden water... (original - 305k)	1320-St_Nikolai_Russian_Church.jpg First church we saw in Sofia. Note the amazingl... (original - 369k)	1330-Aleksander_Nevski_Church.jpg The main church in Sofia, with breathtaking internals. (original - 360k)
1340-Julie_and_Flowers.jpg Taking in the flowers before grabbing something... (original - 373k)	1350-Flowers_and_Bike.jpg Another view of the flowers in front of Sofia's National Gallery for Foreign Art. (original - 748k)	1370-Fields_from_Bus.jpg On our way to Rila Monastery, a UNESCO site. (original - 370k)	1390-Town_from_Bus.jpg The bus ride to Rila was something like 4 hours, after we worked out how to get there. (original - 353k)
1430-Rila_Stairs.jpg Looking up at a staircase in Rila Monastery. (original - 286k)	1460-Rila_Chapel.jpg The incredibly-arched entrance to the chapel at Rila. (original - 426k)	1470-Chapel_Artwork.jpg All of the walls and arches and ceilings surrou... (original - 453k)	1480-Rila.jpg Looking down on the Rila chapel, with the mount... (original - 385k)
1490-Walkway.jpg Looking along one of Rila's walkways, next to t... (original - 328k)	1500-Rila.jpg Another view of Rila chapel, as the black-clad ... (original - 546k)	1511-Monkey_Shop.jpg A shop with a monkey back in Sofia. There are l... (original - 638k)	1512-Fruit_and_Veg_Stalls.jpg The fruit and veg sellers in Sofia pack up for ... (original - 634k)
1513-Sofia_Phone.jpg 2600 Collection #1. An alien-looking phone at Sofia station. (original - 547k)	1520-Sofia_Monument.jpg This huge construction in Sofia is the 1300th Anniversary Monument, I think. (original - 226k)	1530-Graffiti.jpg The Monument seemed to be boarded up, maybe undergoing repair work, which gave space for some awesome graffiti. (original - 397k)	1550-Graffiti.jpg More graffiti around the 1300th Annoversary Mon... (original - 245k)
1560-Graffiti_and_Monument.jpg Yet more graffiti around the 1300th Annoversary... (original - 332k)	1562-Ogulin.jpg Ogulin bus station, where we were told we had t... (original - 221k)	1563-Split_Harbour.jpg Slightly enhanced picture of a couple of boats ... (original - 137k)	1570-Dubrovnik_Fountain_Detail_bw.jpg Close up of one pipe of a huge round fountain (the Onophrian or Reservoir fountain) that you see when entering the old town in Dubrovnik. (original - 350k)
1580-Julie_in_Dubrovnik_Lanes.jpg Julie by an art gallery in the twisty back lane... (original - 314k)	1581-Dubrovnik_Housing.jpg There are loads of these twisting alleys, with ... (original - 257k)	1610-Cat_in_Shade.jpg There are plenty of cats in the old town too. (original - 517k)	1620-Washing_Line.jpg A small square tucked away in the Dubrovnik lanes. (original - 469k)
1621-Cat.jpg A Dubrovnik cat chews on a tasty piece of meat. (original - 300k)	1640-Clock_Tower.jpg This clock tells you the time in two different ... (original - 138k)	1650-Clock_Workings.jpg The old interior of a clock as shown in the Dub... (original - 339k)	1660-Clock_Workings_bw.jpg Old clock interiors in black and white. (original - 350k)
1670-Divine_Providence_Detail.jpg An unexpected sighting of the Eye of Providence in Dubrovnik's barely-redecorated Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin. (original - 87k)	1671-Julie_by_Fountain.jpg Julie and pigeons by a Dubrovnik fountain. (original - 184k)	1672-Me_having_Lunch.jpg Mmm, lunchy-muchy! (original - 128k)	1673-Dubrovnik_Harbour.jpg Me welcoming all the tourists to Dubrovnik Harb... (original - 231k)
1674-People_Looking.jpg What are they looking at? Fish? (original - 177k)	1675-Through_the_Wall.jpg Looking down on the harbour through a hole. (original - 97k)	1676-Dubrovnik_Harbour.jpg Looking down on Dubrovnik Harbour. (original - 150k)	1677-Football.jpg Some kids playing football up against tourists/... (original - 177k)
1678-Football_Detail.png Close up. (original - 1182k)	1679-Dubrovnik_Sundown.jpg Sun going down over the Dubrovnik Sea. (original - 101k)	1681-View_back.jpg The view back to Dubrovnik as we head out towar... (original - 119k)	1682-Dirty_Great_Liner.jpg On our way out to Lokrum, we almost hit this di... (original - 196k)
1683-Lokrum_Phone.jpg 2600 Collection #2. An alien-looking phone on Lokrum island. (original - 242k)	1684-Lokrum_Peacock.jpg A peacock in the Lokrum Botanical Garden. (original - 255k)	1685-Cactus_and_Snail.jpg Close-up shot of some crazy cacti things. (original - 355k)	1686-Lagoon.jpg Julie goes for a swim in the "Dead Sea" lagoon.... (original - 200k)
1720-Twisted_Tree.jpg A mad, twisty tree. (original - 772k)	1730-Us_on_Lokrum.jpg :) (original - 327k)	1731-Peacocks.jpg Two peacocks! (original - 231k)	1740-Dubrovnik_Harbour.jpg The main harbour in Dubrivnik, from where all t... (original - 276k)
1741-Leaving_Dubrovnik_by_Ferry.jpg Leaving Dubrovnik, without train tickets this t... (original - 141k)	1751-Sundown_on_Ferry.jpg Watching the Sun go down from the ferry. (original - 108k)	1752-Arty_Shot.jpg As the journey nears its end. (original - 160k)	1770-Bladerunner_Lift.jpg This lift outside our Budapest hostel reminded me of Sebastian's place in Bladerunner, oddly. (original - 184k)
1780-Postboxes.jpg Some Communist postboxes... (original - 138k)	1790-Budapest_Building.jpg Cool photo of some posh place in Budapest - a h... (original - 140k)	1800_Eagle_on_Castle_Hill_bw.png Moody shot of a large Eagle statue on Castle Hi... (original - 273k)	1810-Fishermens_Bastion.jpg Fishermen's Bastion, on the Buda side of town. (original - 171k)
1820-Looking_Down_on_Budapest.jpg I think this is the Szechenyi Chain Bridge bein... (original - 301k)	1840-Szechenyi_Chain_Bridge.jpg Some people enjoying the sights and the alcohol... (original - 83k)	1850-Paprika.jpg A small portion of the Paprika on sale in Nagyc... (original - 260k)	1860-Street_Stuff.jpg Miscellenea apparently for sale. (original - 215k)
1870-Trams.jpg Some orange Budapest trams about to run me over. (original - 142k)	1880-Nagycsarnok.jpg Budapest's great marketplace, Nagycsarnok - fan... (original - 273k)	1890-Russian_Dolls.jpg A small portion of the Russian Dolls on sale. (original - 276k)	1900-Accordian_Player.jpg An accordian player getting ready to strike up. (original - 208k)