Eastern Europe: why it's the most intriguing part of Europe

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This was published 7 years ago

Eastern Europe: why it's the most intriguing part of Europe

By Lee Tulloch
Carpathian mountains, Romania.

Carpathian mountains, Romania. Credit: iStock

With a possible Brexit looming, Europe might have a different face in the years to come. Since the 2004 and 2007 "eastern enlargements", when countries such as Hungary, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria were brought into the fold, it is already a quite different Europe from the one you might find on 1950s travel posters, where Frenchmen in berets with baguettes under their arms were emblematic of the continent.

Watching the Eurovision Song Contest a couple of weeks ago, I was struck by how much the entry of Eastern Europe has enriched and complicated the idea of "Europe", at least in ridiculously extravagant popular music performance. The winning song from Ukraine was so full of political angst and overwrought drama, it was a far cry from earlier winners, Britain's Bucks Fizz and Sweden's sunny Abba.

The fact that Australia was in there – on our own merits, not actually mistaken for Austria – shows Europe is perhaps open to expanding its borders as far as the Pacific.

Ukraine's Jamala performs her winning song "1944"  during the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest final.

Ukraine's Jamala performs her winning song "1944" during the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest final.Credit: AP

I'm a fan of what I call the wilder shores of Europe, the countries that lie to the east, such as Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Croatia. I haven't experienced it all and probably won't – Poland is on my list, as is Moldova and other less travelled parts – but my first visit to Romania was unforgettable, as have been subsequent trips that included a river cruise along the eastern Danube, an ocean cruise to the Dalmatian Coast, a bus trip through Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary, and return journeys to Budapest, a wonderful place I would choose over many western cities.

All European countries have dark histories, but in the eastern bloc those histories are still raw. If you visit Vukovar, a Croatian port on the Danube, the "war of brothers" with neighbouring Serbia is still evident, the buildings still carrying the scars of warfare, riddled with the marks of rocket launchers and bullets. You understand, after talking to the locals, the human resilience required to survive not only wars but cruel dictatorships.

For history buffs, the layers of ancient and contemporary history are perhaps unparalleled. For those interested in architecture, abandoned buildings still often stand next to brutal Communist apartment blocks and architectural gems as opulent as anything in Vienna. Much of Eastern Europe isn't yet gentrified and polished and yet cities like Belgrade and Bucharest offer vibrant youth culture and optimism.

My first entry point to Eastern Europe was Romania, about 10 years ago, when I was invited to take part in a writer's program, hosted by a Romanian poet. It was quite a trip. After only a few hours there, as arrangements started to go awry, it became increasingly obvious to the 20 or so writers from all around the world that the poet had never organised anything before.

But that was OK, he was well meaning, and although we sometimes had to scramble to find accommodation when he had failed to book it, and scrounged for ways to feed ourselves when all the dinner plans went awry, and got sick and lost, it was one of the best trips of my life. Probably because we got to share some of the gallows humour with which the locals had to fortify themselves under the dictator Ceausescu.

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It's a beautiful country. Vast tracks of Romania remain unspoiled, farmed in traditional ways, with farm hands still using horse carts and scythes. A slow train ride through the countryside is a rare journey that goes back in time, including the trains. (Perhaps they've improved since then.)

Bucharest, despite the Communists' best attempts to make it bog ugly, still retains much of its glorious Ottoman, Habsburg and Russian architecture, and quite a few sinister vistas where you can imagine Vlad the Impaler doing his thing. Sleazy nightclubs coexist with ancient Orthodox churches, casinos, and hotels that were once bugged by government spies.

I suppose I loved it because it wasn't like anything I'd experienced before. The mythical undertones of Dracula that the Romanians flog at every opportunity (there was even a roadside sign for ''Dracula Camping'') combined with the frankly spooky rural churches, gloomy priests and some terrifying encounters with Romany street kids, made it fascinating for someone who had grown up in a more benevolent city and time.

There are still a lot of places I need to see in Western Europe but whenever the opportunity comes around to veer east, I take it.

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