Francis Tapon - The Hidden Europe: What Eastern Europeans Can Teach Us

T HE H IDDEN E UROPE

W HAT E ASTERN
E UROPEANS C AN T EACH U S

F RANCIS T APON

Copyright 2012 by Francis Tapon. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the publisher, WanderLearn Press.

Unless noted, all photos in book are Francis Tapon.

Cover design by Yasmin Rahmani

Limit of Liability: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book. The advice contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. Consult a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. In short, please dont sue us.

Printed using soy ink because its much more eco-friendly than traditional ink. Printed on acid free, 100% recycled paper (70% post-consumer content) because we love trees. All this makes the book more expensive which means well sell fewer copies, but we figure this planet is worth it.

1.0 Edition

First Printing 2012

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Tapon, Francis

The hidden Europe: what Eastern Europeans can teach us / Francis Tapon

Hardcover ISBN 978-0-9765812-2-2

eBook ISBN 978-0-9765812-3-9

TRAVEL / Europe / Eastern

Preassigned Control Number

Visit FrancisTapon.com

To see 50+ photos from this book, visit http://francistapon.com/thephotos

Dedicated to a special mouse

and

Ren Tapon, my French father, who introduced me to Europe

T HIS BOOKS BUZZ

Francis Tapon is a modern incarnate of the spirit of Solon or Pericles: he travels to foreign countries to watch things, for the sake of contemplation. And he does it with an extremely sharp eye and lot of wit. The Hidden Europe: What Eastern Europeans Can Teach Us is not only the book of the year; it also sets the twenty-first centurys standard for travelogues. Flrin Farkas, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Eurasian Studies

The Hidden Europe is a brilliant and insightful book. Francis Tapon travels for years visiting every Eastern European at least twice. What emerges is a travelogue on steroids. Its profound, but has a light tone. Youll learn much and laugh often. Amar Bhid, Professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University

Francis Tapon is the master of taking highly complex issues about Eastern Europe and making them easy to understand and enjoyable to read. The Hidden Europe is a competition between profound insights and devilish humor. Either way, the reader wins. Marco Iansiti, Harvard Business School professor

This is the indispensable book for understanding Eastern Europe today as the area is on the verge of integrating into and perhaps overtaking Western Europe. With wit and perception, Francis Tapon takes you on a wonderful journey. Peter Stansky, Professor of History, Stanford University

In an age where travel books are increasingly about the latest homogenized fads, Francis Tapon reminds us of the stark differences between mere tourism and real travel. Combining sharp wit with casual style, he has produced a charming and insightful portrait of a swath of Europe still defining itself, and brings to life the large identities of small places. Parag Khanna, author of How to Run the World

The Hidden Europe reveals a side of Europe that few know well. The book is entertaining and instructive. You may think you know Europe, but this book will change your perspective forever. Neven Borak, Adviser to the Governor of the Bank of Slovenia and author of How the Yugoslav Economy Worked and How It Collapsed

When I last visited Eastern Europe in 1969, I failed in my goal of exploring its mountains. Luckily Francis Tapons thrilling book has given me a you-are-there, vicarious sense of what I missed all those years ago. This new book is another triumph for our Great World Traveler, Francis Tapon. Ron Strickland, Author of Pathfinder

Francis Tapon is the next Bill Bryson! Tapons WanderLearn Series should be called the LaughLearn Series: its funny and educational. Lawrence J. Leigh, Visiting Professor at the University of Belgrade

The Hidden Europe combines insightful analysis with a fascinating travelogue. It serves as a supplementary travel book for the serious tourist and it makes the reader think. It is a good read. Neil Mitchell, Senior Lawyer for the Center for International Legal Studies in Salzburg, Austria

The Hidden Europe is the kind of book you wish you had in schoolit presents facts in a fun and unforgettable way. Learning has never been so entertaining! Bruce Ward, President, ChooseOutdoors.org

Whereas some consider a three-week vacation long, Francis travels for three years! The Hidden Europe cleverly shares the inevitable wisdom and insights that comes with a long voyage. Laurie Bagley, Author of Summit!

Francis Tapon is a rare person. Hes an adventurer who has visited much of the world, a student of history and culture who learns through first-hand experience, and a teacher who finds life lessons everywhere he goes. The countries of Eastern Europe, which I visited in the 1990s, arent among the more glamorous travel destinations, but are absolutely fascinating. Francis has brilliantly captured their essence in this highly readable, illuminating, and entertaining book. I enthusiastically recommend it. Hal Urban, Author of Lifes Greatest Lessons

The Hidden Europe is an insightful look into Eastern Europe that weaves your mind in and out of the region and encourages your imagination to physically take you there. Anil Polat, Travel Blogger, FoXnoMad.com

Francis Tapon found a unique, unexpected approach to present Eastern Europe. His accounts stem from his open curiosity accompanied by sound reasoning. His work, which includes a meticulous study on the history of the region, is most outstanding. As an amateur historian, I can also recommend his work as the clearest and most objective recent account on Hungarian history. Francis Tapon created an overview on this delicate subject with such clarity, focus, yet lightness, which I thought was impossible. I recommend his work not only to American readers, who will find it refreshing and exciting, but to every Eastern European reader as well. This book has a true potential to change the air of lingering suspicion among Eastern European nations to that of heartfelt friendship. Dr. Janos Molnar, Hungarian cell and molecular biologist

I NTRODUCTIONSTEPPING INTO

THE H IDDEN E UROPE

T HIS WOULD BE A PRETTY lousy way to die, I thought.

I was locked in an outhouse with no way out. Outhouses sometimes have two latchesone on the outside and one on the inside. The outside latch keeps the door shut to prevent rodents and other creatures who like hanging out in crap from coming in. Somehow that outside latch accidentally closed, thereby locking me in this smelly toilet. I was wearing just a thin rain jacket and the temperature was rapidly dropping.

This stinks, I mumbled. It was midnight, I was above the Arctic Circle, and the temperatures at night would be just above freezing. There was no one around for kilometers. If I didnt get out, I could freeze to death in this tiny, smelly, fly-infested shithole.

My mom would kill me if I died so disgracefully. She would observe that when Elvis died next to a toilet, he was in Graceland. I, on the other hand, was in Finland, not far from Santa Claus. This Nordic country was my warm up before setting out to visit all 25 countries in Eastern Europe over five months.