Eastern Europe

Eastern European countries benefit greatly from mass tourism. Poor
nations that have the potential to be major tourist destinations don't
want to be reserved for some mythical exclusive club of hardcore
travellers. Stag parties and tour buses create a huge number of jobs
in cities like Prague and Tallinn. There are loads of great
untouristed places even in the most touristed countries and it's easy
enough to avoid the hordes. If your favorite place in the world
becomes the latest destination of Ryanair, Contiki, and the Japanese,
you certainly won't hear the locals complaining. There's so much more
in Eastern Europe beyond the city centers of a few capitals.

Please don't slam an inexperienced traveller for asking basic
questions. Many of us wouldn't have known where to even start when
planning a trip other than a beach holiday or simple round-trip to a
Western European capital.

irishtraveller wrote:
Greetings, in the month of June me and 3 friends are planning on going on a
trip to eastern europe. Roughly, the route we're planning on doing is,
flying from Dublin to Stanstead, then from Stanstead to Brno (with
Ryanair). From there, a train to Krakow, then to Warsaw. From there, to
Belarus (Brest - Minsk), then to Moscow via Smolensk, after that to St.
Petersburg. The final leg of the trip will be from there to Tallinn in
Estonia and finally on to Riga in Latvia, where can fly back to London
Stanstead. Ideally we'd like to spend not much more than 4 weeks away.
Does this route seem reasonable, are there any places i'd be advised not
to visit due to safety issues and what not. Also, i can't seem to find
much information on train prices so i don't know how much it is all going
to cost. If you have any advise regarding any part of this trip, please
respond.

Don't go via Minsk - there isn't much to see there and there are
problems with getting a visa. Go via Ukraine: Warsaw - Kiev - Moscow.
Kiev is much more interesting than Minsk (you could also visit Lvov on
the way). From 1.05 till 1.09 EU citizens won't need visas to enter Ukraine.
You should also visit Prague.
Ticket prices:
Brno - Prague - 8 euro
Prague - Krakow - 26,60
Krakow - Warsaw - 20
Warsaw - Kiev - 48
Kiev - Moscow - 40
Moscow - St. Petersburg - 20

irishtraveller wrote:
Greetings, in the month of June me and 3 friends are planning on going on a
trip to eastern europe. Roughly, the route we're planning on doing is,
flying from Dublin to Stanstead, then from Stanstead to Brno (with
Ryanair). From there, a train to Krakow, then to Warsaw. From there, to
Belarus (Brest - Minsk), then to Moscow via Smolensk, after that to St.
Petersburg. The final leg of the trip will be from there to Tallinn in
Estonia and finally on to Riga in Latvia, where can fly back to London
Stanstead. Ideally we'd like to spend not much more than 4 weeks away.
Does this route seem reasonable, are there any places i'd be advised not
to visit due to safety issues and what not. Also, i can't seem to find
much information on train prices so i don't know how much it is all going
to cost. If you have any advise regarding any part of this trip, please
respond.

Don't go via Minsk - there isn't much to see there and there are
problems with getting a visa. Go via Ukraine: Warsaw - Kiev - Moscow.
Kiev is much more interesting than Minsk (you could also visit Lvov on
the way). From 1.05 till 1.09 EU citizens won't need visas to enter Ukraine.
You should also visit Prague.
Ticket prices:
Brno - Prague - 8 euro
Prague - Krakow - 26,60
Krakow - Warsaw - 20
Warsaw - Kiev - 48
Kiev - Moscow - 40
Moscow - St. Petersburg - 20

"irishtraveller" wrote:

A) I have never been to Eastern Europe, no. Do you have a problem with
that? It's a place i want to visit, if everyone refused to visit places on
the basis that they had never been there before, there wouldn't be much
travel going on.

Well said.

B) I don't know much about Eastern Europe visas, that's WHY i'm asking for
advice here, i think you misunderstand the concept of this website.

Website? Oh, I get it: you found a website called talkabouttravelling.
Here was I, and here are others, thinking that we are in usenet (the
realm of discussion groups) and we find that we are teleported through
to the world-wide web (Don't worry about it Seán, I'm only poking a
little gentle fun at the world).

More seriously, it's only a few weeks until June, and you give the
impression of being quite unprepared. I hope that this enquiry is only
one of a number of things you are doing to get yourselves ready.

C) I don't know much about Eastern Europe train travel as i've never been
there.

D) I find out how much i'm going to need, at most.

E) I fail to see the relevance of that comment, English isn't even my
first language.

An fíor sin, nó an bhfuil tú ag pleidhchíocht?

I don't understand why you're being unnecessarily rude, we can't all be
know-it-alls.

We all lose the rag from time to time. I see Gerald has calmed down
again. Don't let things like that bother you. You'll probably
encounter more interesting challenges on your journey.

To the people who responded with advice, it's greatly appreciated, if
anyone has anything else (constructive) to add then please respond.

I can't offer much by way of specific advice, as you are heading for
places which are mostly on my "to-do" list. But I suggest that you
pay attention to the responses you get here. Bear in mind that many of
us are experienced travellers who use up a bit of our time
participating in discussion here. For all sorts or reasons, people are
unlikely to give very detailed answers. It's your project: follow
things up by doing web searches to add some flesh to the bones.

Don't be reticent about asking supplementary questions, but don't
expect others to do all your work for you. Sometimes people might
point you to a website which is useful, or tell you where to find
things out.

I hope you have been to Connemara.

Enjoy the project, and I hope that when you get back you tell us about
your experiences.

--
PB
The return address has been MUNGED

On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 01:24:25 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
wrote:

Website? Oh, I get it: you found a website called talkabouttravelling.
Here was I, and here are others, thinking that we are in usenet (the
realm of discussion groups) and we find that we are teleported through
to the world-wide web (Don't worry about it Seán, I'm only poking a
little gentle fun at the world).

I know you know, Padraig, but it's surprising just how many
web-sites are now feeding off us on usenet.

Readers may get a shock if they try this:

Do a search on Google (web, not groups) with a distinctive
part of your name, or addy, or nick. You'll be amazed at the
different web-sites that show your posts that you thought
were just appearing here or on another usenet group.

For example "Padraig Breathnach" comes up with over 6000
hits on a wide variety of forums, most of which I'm sure you
posted on usenet, not the web.











Cheers, Alan, Australia

Alan S wrote:

On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 01:24:25 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
wrote:

Website? Oh, I get it: you found a website called talkabouttravelling.
Here was I, and here are others, thinking that we are in usenet (the
realm of discussion groups) and we find that we are teleported through
to the world-wide web (Don't worry about it Seán, I'm only poking a
little gentle fun at the world).

I know you know, Padraig, but it's surprising just how many
web-sites are now feeding off us on usenet.

Thanks for crediting me with having a bit of cop-on, Alan!

Yes, I am aware that quite a few websites get most of their content
from usenet. In general, I don't mind: those that I have checked don't
seem to be essentially money-making projects and some, like
talkabouttravelling are upfront about what they are doing. In effect,
they act as portals to usenet for those who have no other convenient
access. I would mind if people were trying to make serious money on
the back of our efforts.

Readers may get a shock if they try this:

Do a search on Google (web, not groups) with a distinctive
part of your name, or addy, or nick. You'll be amazed at the
different web-sites that show your posts that you thought
were just appearing here or on another usenet group.

For example "Padraig Breathnach" comes up with over 6000
hits on a wide variety of forums, most of which I'm sure you
posted on usenet, not the web.

Of course, I would never google on my own name! I think that more than
half the hits are me (while it may seem an unusual name to some
participants in rec.travel.europe, there are others who are known by
the same appelation). Nearly all those hits on me come from my usenet
participation.

--
PB
The return address has been MUNGED

On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 11:08:08 +1000, Alan S wrote:

On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 01:24:25 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
wrote:

Website? Oh, I get it: you found a website called talkabouttravelling.
Here was I, and here are others, thinking that we are in usenet (the
realm of discussion groups) and we find that we are teleported through
to the world-wide web (Don't worry about it Seán, I'm only poking a
little gentle fun at the world).

I know you know, Padraig, but it's surprising just how many
web-sites are now feeding off us on usenet.

Readers may get a shock if they try this:

Do a search on Google (web, not groups) with a distinctive
part of your name, or addy, or nick. You'll be amazed at the
different web-sites that show your posts that you thought
were just appearing here or on another usenet group.

For example "Padraig Breathnach" comes up with over 6000
hits on a wide variety of forums, most of which I'm sure you
posted on usenet, not the web.



But his is such a common name. How do you know that these are not
6000 different people posting just once?

On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 02:49:30 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
wrote:

Yes, I am aware that quite a few websites get most of their content
from usenet. In general, I don't mind: those that I have checked don't
seem to be essentially money-making projects and some, like
talkabouttravelling are upfront about what they are doing. In effect,
they act as portals to usenet for those who have no other convenient
access. I would mind if people were trying to make serious money on
the back of our efforts.

In my own case, I post regularly on a number of diabetes
groups. I find there are several web-sites based on either
(or both) misc.health.diabetes and alt.support.diabetes
which appear to be making serious money with advertising for
drugs, diets and books. Of course, I'm only one of hundreds
of posters on those groups.

Not a damn thing I could do about it, but I'd love to be
able to send them an invoice for "services rendered".

Rant off:-)


Cheers, Alan, Australia

wrote:

On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 11:08:08 +1000, Alan S wrote:

On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 01:24:25 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
wrote:

Website? Oh, I get it: you found a website called talkabouttravelling.
Here was I, and here are others, thinking that we are in usenet (the
realm of discussion groups) and we find that we are teleported through
to the world-wide web (Don't worry about it Seán, I'm only poking a
little gentle fun at the world).

I know you know, Padraig, but it's surprising just how many
web-sites are now feeding off us on usenet.

Readers may get a shock if they try this:

Do a search on Google (web, not groups) with a distinctive
part of your name, or addy, or nick. You'll be amazed at the
different web-sites that show your posts that you thought
were just appearing here or on another usenet group.

For example "Padraig Breathnach" comes up with over 6000
hits on a wide variety of forums, most of which I'm sure you
posted on usenet, not the web.



But his is such a common name. How do you know that these are not
6000 different people posting just once?


My name is fairly common too, I got about 16,800 hits on Google. A fair
number were various boards that kyped my posts from Usenet but there are
also a lot "Gregory Morrow[s]" out there mentioned on various sites and
such. Genealogical sites have a lot of "my" name, too...

I only went through about five Google pages, mind you...

(The funniest time one of my Usenet "enemies" tried to expose me on another
newsgroup via Google was when my little "fan" announced to the world that I
was an 81 year - old gay Catholic priest living in suburban Chicago...best
to really do one's "homework" I guess ;-)

--
Best
Greg

"Deep Foiled Malls" wrote in
message ...
On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 22:57:14 +0200, Erick T. Barkhuis
wrote:


You're ****ed.


You may still not want to reply, but being ****ed the way you were

You should say "****ed off", as being ****ed means very different
things in British and American English.
--
---
DFM - http://www.deepfriedmars.com


If I may be permitted to clarify DFM's comment above:-

When an American says "I'm ****ed" he means he's "****ed off" - e.g. "I'm
really ****ed with Medicare" or "Medicare really ****es me".
When a Brit says "I'm ****ed", it means he's drunk.

Gerry