Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from January, 2007
Russia: Driving in Moscow
Russia Blog writes about the new law banning migalki and posts pictures taken in Moscow during a recent visit.
Russia: More on Being in Russia for Too Long
Ruminations on Russia contributes to the 42 “you know when you've been in Russia too long when.”
Russia: Images from Siberia and Vladimir
From Russia With Blog posts image videos from Siberia and Vladimir.
Russia: Conversation With Litvinenko's Widow, Part 5
David McDuff of A Step At A Time translates the fifth installment of the Russian-language interview with Aleksandr Litvinenko’s widow Marina.
Elections in Serbia
The first preliminary results of the Serbian parliamentary poll arrived less than an hour after the ballots closed at 20:00 on January 21. Some started celebration while members of the parties that got less than the required 5 percent of the votes burst into despair. The Democratic Party (whose slogan...
Ukraine: Two Years of Yushchenko's Presidency
Two years ago, Dan and Lesya McMinn of Orange Ukraine were among hundreds of thousands of people who came to Kyiv's Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti) on Jan. 23 to listen to Victor Yushchenko's inaugural speech. As many others, they had to overcome quite a few obstacles to catch a glimpse...
Estonia: Tartu Real Estate
Itching for Eestimaa is looking for an apartment “in the city of Tartu, you know that unappealing hellhole in southeast Estonia where there are no good indie rock bands and the best thing is the road leading to Tallinn?” Some observations on Tartu's real estate are here.
Russia, Estonia: Advice to Teens
Itching for Eestimaa has some advice for the Russian youth: “I guess every country needs its enemies. But the idea of tiny Estonia being enemy enough to evoke ire among Russian teenagers is cause for concern. Haven't they got better things to do? Discoteques to attend? Ladies to romance? Careers...
Belarus: Mentioned in the State of the Union Address
According to TOL's Belarus Blog, Belarus gets a useless mention in this year's State of the Union address: “It turns out that when things go sour in Iraq, promoting democracy in Belarus and Burma are actually a good card to play for George Bush…”
Russia: Krasnaya Polyana Ski Resort
Sochi Travel blog writes on the quite dysfunctional Krasnaya Polyana skiing resort.
Russia: TP Ads
Russian Marketing Blog links to an eye-catching toilet paper ad campaign: “Toilet paper production is not only trade but also art.”
Russia: Conversation With Litvinenko's Widow, Part 4
David McDuff of A Step At A Time translates the fourth installment of a Russian-language interview with Aleksandr Litvinenko's widow Marina.
Ukraine: Solotvyno Salt Mine
Ukraine List writes about the Solotvyno Salt Mine, located near the Romanian border, home to the deepest speleotherapy facility in the world: “Speleotherapy in Solotvyno essentially uses the micro-climates in the underground salt mines to treat respiratory and lung ailments. […] Anywhere from three to five thousand people are treated...
Europe: Bulgarain Xenophobic MEP
“It’s about time EU politics had some entertainment again,” writes Europhobia. The ‘entertainment’ is the 23-year-old Bulgarian MEP Dimitar Stoyanov, known for the anti-Semitic and anti-Roma views he's not trying to hide.
Belarus: Eurovision Shame
Turns out some Eurovision contenders are worse than others: according to TOL's Belarus Blog, British music critics think Belarusian entries are “dreadful.”
Croatia: Handball Scandal
Illyrian Gazette writes about a scandal brewing in Zagreb: “…the metropolis might soon share a less welcome characteristic with the Gazette's home town of London: losing out on hosting a world sporting championship because the venues weren't ready in time.”
Russia: The Language Issue
Ruminations on Russia writes about the language issue in Russia: “The problem is apparently that the near abroad prefer their own language and English to Russian and Russian (strange that), and native Russians (whoever they may be – but that's a different topic altogether) have a nasty habit of eating...
Russia: Moscow to Vladivostok on Train
Snowsquare recommends both the real and the virtual Moscow-Vladivostok train ride: “6 days, across 9259km, across 2 continents, 14 oblasts and 8 time zones.”
Latvia: Riga Folk Choir
Dykun posts “footage of members of the folk choir Skandinieki singing this past weekend at a rock that marks one of the spots in Riga where 5 people were killed during a Soviet crackdown on January 20, 1991.”
Russia: Sochi
The world's deepest cave, the Olympics 2014 bid and a lot more – at Sochi Travel Info: Experience the Russian Riviera blog.
Albania: Election Posters
Our Man in Tirana posts pictures of election posters in Albania's capital.
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