And we’re back in the heart of the Balkans – starting in Belgrade, capital of Serbia, a country that is still dragging the legacy of Balkan bad boy (from onset of WWI to accusations of ethnic cleansing in the Croatian, Bosnian and Kosovo wars that ended the 20th century.) Serbia is today one Read More

And finally we arrive in Szeged, southeastern Hungary, the country’s third largest city, population about 175,000. I love it immediately – a small university city spread out along the banks of the Tisza river – with leafy parks, a pedestrian center, Art Nouveau buildings and a gentle, livable vibe. The Read More

My late godmother was born in Transylvania in 1910 – when it was still part of Hungary within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Her accent was exactly what you’d associate with Zsa Zsa Gabor: Every sentence ended with a drawn-out “dahlink.” I hear it still. Oh, the images that Transylvania conjures! Castles Read More

And we’re off to Brasov – considered one of the prettiest cities in Transylvania – via a meander through old Saxon villages with their unique fortified churches. 800 years of Saxons in Transylvania came to an end after WWII, when they were vilified as Nazi collaborators and deported en masse. Read More

Bucharest, capital of Romania, is a sleeping beauty: a city more promising than I expected with a hopeful but sad mix of elegant decaying villas, fin-de-siecle Paris mansard roofs, early modernist apartment buildings, multi-lane boulevards leading to massive traffic jams at roundabouts, tiny jewel box churches tucked away in back Read More

Should you go? Definitely! If you want to get away from the tourist crowds in Western Europe, come here. It’s much less expensive, the food and wine are good, hotels are excellent, and the vibe encourages slowing down and hanging out. Plus you get a front row seat on how Read More