A few observations from Eastern Europe

Thanks to guest blogger Samir Jaluria for this post:

I had the opportunity to spend a month in Eastern Europe while traveling on my honeymoon this past September. The countries we visited included Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Greece and Germany. Of course we had an amazing time! We met some interesting people –some of whom we’ve stayed in touch with — checked a lot off the bucket list (such as seeing the Parthenon and going inside a wind mill), and had some unique adventures (including driving a rental car through chaotic Athens!). I also came away with some valuable insights and observations, I wanted to share with you.

Eastern Europe is affordable. Everything from quality hotel rooms to praiseworthy wines (on par with Napa Valley’s finest) is a mere fraction of the price.
The people are welcoming – they love America and Americans. For the most part, Americans that visit that part of Europe (it’s a long flight) are nice, friendly and appear genuinely interested in the people, their culture and way of life. Plus, we tip (There was a notable difference from other tourists we saw).
I’m blessed to be an American. The American Dream is alive and well. Countless people we met explicitly told us that they wish they could come to the US. Even though many of them were college-educated, their opportunities were limited to basic hospitality roles. We are lucky!
It is more unorganized and chaotic there – (and by “there” we mean Greece!) From the ferry system to the security line at the airport, things just work at their own pace there and one just has to adjust accordingly (reference – unique adventures just navigating the transportation system).
It’s mostly undiscovered. Other than a few well-known places such as Dubrovnik, Athens and Santorini, there weren’t hordes of tourists roaming around (and even fewer Americans). You would be hard-pressed to find many Americans in places like Zagreb, the Slovenian wine country and Lake Bled.
Much of the food is different and tasty. While I have tried many unique cuisines, I had never even heard of burek (a Bosnian meat-filled pastry) or obara (the main Slovenian meat-filled stew). They are definitely worth tasting!