The Baltic States and Central Europe

Unfortunately, we were in a rush after Finland.  We had to go pick up a friend from the airport in Poznan, Poland.  So as soon as we got off the ferry in Tallin, Estonia, we started driving.  And we didn't stop.  So, Stanley and I didn't get to see much of Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania.  But I did stop to take one picture, of the amazing forests next to the highway.  For about 50 miles, this is all we could see on either side of us.  It was very nice.

After we got our friend in Poznan, we spent a few days in Poland.  I'm sorry though, I barely took any pictures there.  All you really need to know, though, is that Polish drivers are crazy and it seems like every single road is under construction.  VERY frustrating.  So I was happy to leave.

And our next destination was a familiar one for Stanley, the gorgeous city of Prague.

Stanley and I were in Prague last summer as well, and it is just as beautiful as we remember.  This time, however, we had some friends with us:

The two guys are my traveling buddies (Dan, from England, on the left and Jon, from France, on the right).  The girl on the far left is Almut, Dan's girlfriend.  The girl next to Jon is his girlfriend, Julie; and the girl on the far right is Sophie, a friend of Julie's.  Can you spot Flat Stanley?

One day while in Prague we decided to take a day trip to a small town in the Czech Republic called Pilsen (spelled Plžen in Czech). 

It is the city where my grandmother was born, and it is also a very important city historically.  It was the last city that US troops liberated from the Nazis in World War II.  For that reason, Pilsen loves America!

After leaving the Czech Republic, we headed to Hungary, and the capital city of Budapest.  Budapest is an interesting city because it is actually two cities.  The city of Buda is on one side of the river (the Danube), and on the other is the city of Pest.  It is a city known for its beautiful buildings and bridges.

 

One of the most amazing buildings is the Hungarian Parliament building.  It is one of the oldest Parliament buildings in Europe and it is the largest building in all of Hungary.  

Hungary has the second oldest government in Europe.  Their constitution was written in the year 1222!

The picture below is at Heroes' Square in Budapest, a square dedicated to all of the people who gave their lives for the freedom and independence of the Hungarian people throughout their history, which goes back thousands of years.

After leaving Budapest, we went to a beautiful lake in Southern Hungary called Lake Balaton.  It is the largest lake in Central Europe.

 

Balaton was lovely, with people all along the edges of the lake fishing, cycling, BBQ-ing, running.  It was very peaceful.  We camped next to a much smaller lake near Balaton, in the city of Tihany.

After Balaton, we went south across Croatia and into Bosnia & Hercegovina.  At these two border crossings I finally got some new stamps in my passport.  Because most  European countries are a part of the Schengen Agreement, there are no more border crossings.  So, we can pass from Poland to Germany to the Czech Republic to Hungary etc. just as easily as we can go from Colorado to Kansas to Missouri etc.  But this also means that I dont get any stamps in my passport, which is a bit of a bummer.  So it was nice to get some in Croatia and Bosnia, countries which are not part of the Schengen Agreement.

That was a lot of explanation for not much information, and I only said it because I like getting stamps in my passport.  Sorry.  In any case, Sarajevo will be the next post!