Amanda Kendle's Blog
Posted by Amanda Kendle
The Bulgarian government has a plan with a long name to celebrate EU membership: the National Programme for Marking the Accession of the Republic of Bulgaria to the European Union. And the long name has a long list of activities to celebrate, too:
- television commercials, brochures and other advertising will popularize the move with the people
- airports and train stations will be specially decorated
- 27 trees will be planted: each representing a typical tree from each of the 27 members of the EU
- an official joint celebration with Romania will take place at the border, at Rousse
- in different municipalities, first-born babies in 2007 will receive special treatment, school open days will be held and various contests and concerts will take place
Welcome again to Bulgaria - and Romania - to the European Union!
Posted by Amanda Kendle
Fifteen years ago, Eastern Europe was universally cheap for Western travelers. But things have changed very quickly, and Tim Leffel recently wrote an article outlining the differences in Eastern Europe between the 2002 and 2006 editions of his book "The World's Cheapest Destinations".
- Prague's become just as expensive as Western Europe; Hungarian capital Budapest and Poland's gorgeous southern city Krakow are coming up close behind.
- Croatian holiday prices are starting to really move up, too
- The Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are becoming more popular, but aren't overrun yet
- Soon-to-enter-EU pair Bulgaria and Romania are still affordable - and quite magical
Most of these tips are what we've been saying all year, but it's good to have it confirmed by someone who focuses on traveling cheap!
Posted by Amanda Kendle
Like we talked about back in September, the European Union will accept Bulgaria and Romania as members from January 1, 2007. That's real soon!
The last expansion took place back in 2004, when I was living in Slovakia. Living in a place that joined the EU seemed a little exciting, and some changes were immediate: I could cross borders much more easily! For example, the restriction that Australian citizens still needed visas to enter Poland, the Czech Republic or Hungary was lifted immediately as EU membership occurred.
So what will change in Bulgaria and Romania in a couple of days? With regards to rules and regulations, many things, but the local people are not all expecting miracles. Most reports suggest they are hoping for slow, positive change. In any case, to welcome Bulgaria and Romania to the EU, you can learn about sightseeing in Romania's capital - just read this week's article, Hitting Bucharest’s Highlights.
Posted by Amanda Kendle
Russian Life magazine describes itself as giving you "the world's biggest country in a magazine". Sometimes I forget that Russia is such a vast region until I glance again at a world map and see just how far it stretches (or remember just how long it took me to cross it by train!). It's now a 50 year old magazine, with a very interesting history - it was started up during Soviet times to inform Americans about life in Russia. Yes, there was a propaganda angle, but it wasn't so 100% blatant as to be unreadable.
After the fall of communism, things changed, but the magazine remained. Nowadays its regular features include departments like the Practical Traveler, Travel Journal, Russian Calendar (important events in Russian history ), Russian Cuisine and language tips in Survival Russian. Check the website of Russian Life for more information.
Posted by Amanda Kendle
Remember back in July this year, when world attention briefly turned to the G8 Summit in St Petersburg? Well, there's kind of a re-run coming up, but with quite a difference. On December 31, different kinds of Santas from eight different countries will meet in St Petersburg for the Christmas G8. Why December 31? Well, of course, they are "too busy in their respective countries to come on Christmas Day".
Expected guests include, of course, Russia's Ded Moroz or Father Frost, the German Weihnachtsmann, Father Christmas from Britain and Finland's Yelloupokki. The organizer's aiming to show Russian kids that the world is really not so different, although it seems that having all these similar Santas together could instead be rather confusing for some children!
