Eastern Euro Expedition
It's autumn and time to hit the road! In a few weeks, I'll meet up with my buddy macos in Moscow, hop in the car and journey to Eastern Europe. The approximate route is here on the map. Along the way, we'll explore the rural areas of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia. A huge amount of miles in about two weeks. I'm sure there will be many "interesting" roads on which we'll travel. Start and end point will be Moscow, but I'll only be in the city for one night each direction and probably won't have time to meet with readers. If plans change, I'll be sure to make an announcement. However, I'm certain I'll return to Russia later in the winter and will try to arrange a gathering then.
I don't know any points on our route except the countries and some cities, so I'll simply arrive in Moscow, jump in the car and be surprised along the way. All part of the adventure. A few years ago, I traveled to Slovakia but only spent about a 1/2 a day in Bratislava in transit. I was with my male cousins at the time, and they simply wanted to lounge in cafes and drink huge amounts of beer. Below a few photos. What I remember most about Slovakia is the beautiful women! Just stunning, with dark black hair and very natural appearances. Less made up than Russian women. And wonderful statues throughout the city, like the one in the photo. It was very easy to find English speakers in the main part of the city, but I suspect it will be different in the villages.
Knowledge of the other countries is limited. Of course I know most are former Soviet bloc countries but detailed history of each country is beyond my frame of reference. I'll be sure to study up on the countries before the trip. Or, you can share interesting facts in the comments.
Now the main task is to figure out how to get a visa for Belarus. I need one, even though we will only transit through the country on the return. It's the same bullshit as Russia where you need an official "invitation" letter from a tour company or hotel authorized by the government. Tonight I'll search the Internet and find some company that generates such letters for a fee, which is how I also got my Russian invitation. Why do countries do this? Make solo or independent travels so difficult? I don't believe you need an "official" invitation for an American visa. My understanding is that you simply provide an address where you will stay on the form (either someone's home or a hotel). I know for certain that once you enter the country you are free to roam it from coast to coast as you please. The way it should be.
Also, I'm not certain how to handle the Russia situation. Has anyone traveled outside Russia with a foreigner via car, and then returned through the border? In general, it's necessary for Americans to register upon arrival in the country but there's no registration requirement if your stay is less than seven days. I will only be in Russia one or two days each way, but given that there are no borders in the EU nations in which we'll be traveling I'll have no passport stamps to prove this. Thus, I think I should still register to avoid any problems when I cross back into Russia. I don't wish to deal with Russian officials, be detained or pay some ridiculous bribe to enter the country again. Thoughts?
I'm very excited for the trip! Certain to be an interesting and unique journey. I will likely have a free day in Frankfurt, Germany on 23 or 24 September. If I have readers in the city who have free time to meet for coffee or take a quick walk, please send me a message.