# From Berlin to Ankara and back to Vienna by train



## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

After my Interrail tour through Western Europe in spring ( http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1367631&page=5&highlight= ), my passion for long rail journeys brought me to Eastern Europe and Turkey this time.
During my 47 day-travel I visited these places which I will present in chronological order: Berlin (+ day trips to Stralsund, Potsdam and Chorin)-Warsaw-Krakow-Vienna-Deva-Arad-Oradea-Cluj Napoca-Alba Iulia-Sibiu-Brasov-Constanta-Bucharest-Istanbul-Ankara-Istanbul-Sofia-Vienna.

Let´s start with...

*Day 1-14: Berlin, Germany (part I)*

Berlin - capital of Germany and its largest city with a population of 3.5 million in the city and 4.3 million with suburbs - won´t need a further introduction. As I stayed in Berlin for two weeks and took pictures almost every day, there are so many pics that I will present them in seven parts. Today - part I, mostly Mitte district:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## norbert91 (Nov 20, 2007)

nice!  i cant wait for pictures from my beloved Warsaw, now its time for Berlin of course - - great city by the way, i would love to see more from it in my capitol. 
cheers!


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## Tiaren (Jan 29, 2006)

Awesome pictures!  Berlin is not a beautiful city...but it's incredibly interesting, suprising and diverse. Just alone on these pictures there's so much to see and discover!


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## JPBrazil (Mar 12, 2007)

Wonderful pics, please keep'em coming! You've visited so many interesting cities...


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## Koobideh (Jun 27, 2009)

Germany is just magnificent!


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## ExcellentALWAYS (Apr 18, 2009)

Love this thread so far!!


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Thanks for the comments!


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

*Berlin, Germany (part II)*


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Tiaren (Jan 29, 2006)

Bravo!


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## Chadoh25 (Dec 28, 2007)

Sehr schön! Danke für die Bilder!


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Thank you!


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

*Berlin, Germany (Part III)*


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Dr.Seltsam (May 28, 2008)

Amazing photos!!! :cheers:


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## Deanb (Jun 7, 2006)

I had no idea Berlin was that sketchy, and dirty at some parts... but I love it! it seems as exciting as it gets


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Castle Charlottenburg, around 1695-1700:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## tomeeek07 (May 3, 2011)

Great pcs! When will be next city?


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

> When will be next city?


Tomorrow. Today, I´ll post my last pictures of Berlin.


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

*Berlin, Germany (part VI)*


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## erbse (Nov 8, 2006)

Great, thanks for sharing!

What a pity your photobucket images on page 1 don't show up (bandwidth exceeded?)  I'd love to see them!


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## Chadoh25 (Dec 28, 2007)

Great updates!


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## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

Can't see the pics.....


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## Terpentin07 (Oct 3, 2009)

Bandwith exceeded. 


Ahh now i see them... I really love your pics. They are so different to the typical berlin shots. Not the standard tourist spots but you catched a lot of the streetlife. I see again, Berlin has so much to offer architectural-wise.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Fantastic, very nice photo-tour :cheers:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Thanks for the nice comments!


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Today, something for Erbse  :

*Day 8: Day trip to Stralsund, Germany (part I)*

Stralsund is a beautiful historic town with a population of 60,000 situated at the coast of the Baltic sea in the federal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In the late middle ages, it was one of the most important trade cities of northeastern Europe - many impressive gothic and renaissance buildings of this time have been preserved, making Stralsund a gem of northern architecture.


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

St. Mary´s church, 13th-15th century, a masterpiece of northern european brick gothic:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Interior of St. Mary:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

St. Jakobi, 14th century:










St. Nikolai, 13th century:


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## erbse (Nov 8, 2006)

Stralsund :applause: Thanks for the reference. One of my very favourites. Where and how long did you stay there?

Have you been to Rügen as well?


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## ExcellentALWAYS (Apr 18, 2009)

Again, a great collection. Hope to see the rest soon!


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

@erbse. It was only a day trip from Berlin, so I unfortunately didn´t have enough time to visit Rügen, too, but I´d like to explore Rügen very much when I´m in the region again.

*Stralsund, Germany (part II)*

St.Nikolai, 13th century:





































The old city hall, mostly 14th century:










Interior of St. Nikolai:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

img]http://www8.pic-upload.de/29.07.11/e9e4s6k9e3uz.jpg[/img]


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

*Day 10: Day trip to Potsdam, Germany (part I)*

Potsdam is a beautiful suburb of Berlin with a population of 160,000 and famous for its magnificent Prussian 18th/19th century architecture - the city used to be a second capital of the Prussian kings, a Prussian Versailles. In the park of Sanssouci, built by king Frederick the Great in mid 18th century, you can find the perhaps most beautiful royal architecture of Prussia in the 18th and 19th centuries.


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Thank you!


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

*Day 14-18: Warsaw, Poland (part I)*

Poland´s capital is also by far the country´s largest city with a population of 1.7 million in the city and 3.5 million in metro. Having been almost completely erased by the German troops in WWII, there are hardly any traces of authentic historic architecture in contemporary Warsaw, only a strange, somehow disneyland-like reconstruction of the old town, an artificial tourist attraction that has almost nothing to do with the real life of the modern city. Although Warsaw definitely is not a beautiful city, its diversity, its rough contrasts and its great modern architecture make it perhaps more interesting than a beautiful, but a bit sterile touristy place like Krakow.


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## StoneRose (Sep 13, 2004)

Fantastic thread.

Love all the pics of Berlin and Potsdam and you were lucky with the weather for sure.

You should have climbed the spire of one of the churches in Stralsund.
One gets a great view of the old town and all the water surrounding the city from up there.


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## Wunderknabe (Jun 29, 2010)

I'm looking forward for more of Warsaw.


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## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

Nice updates, but unfortunately I can't see some of the latest pics....thanks anyway for sharing.:cheers1:


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## Skrapebook (May 7, 2010)

Berlin + Potsdam + Brandenburg... :eek2:
Sawwar... hno:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Thanks!

*Day 14-18: Warsaw, Poland (part II)*


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Site of the former concentration camp Plaszow, known all over the world since "Schindler´s list":


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## tomeeek07 (May 3, 2011)

Great photos!


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## Tiaren (Jan 29, 2006)

Skrapebook said:


> Berlin + Potsdam + Brandenburg... :eek2:
> Sawwar... hno:


Hey, what's you problem with Warsaw? Sure, there are some ugly parts...but you find those in Berlin and Potsdam as well. And the reconstructed historic part of Warsaw is just as beautiful as Unter den Linden in Berlin or Potsdam's city centre.


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## JValjean (Oct 15, 2009)

Krakow seems to be very beautiful but the Polish religous fervor is irritating somehow!


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## Iluminat (Jan 16, 2008)

^^fervor is the last thing that comes to my mind when I think about such processions


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

*Day 18-21: Krakow, Poland (part II)*


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

*Day 18-21: Krakow, Poland (part III)*


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Oskar Schindler´s former factory in Lipowa street:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Skrapebook (May 7, 2010)

JValjean said:


> Krakow seems to be very beautiful but the Polish religious fervor is irritating somehow!


I agree.
This is a bit too devilish though... 



Malyan said:


>


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Well, somehow I like this Stalinist monster, and I am happy they didn´t tear it down after 1990. It is so oversized, tasteless and grotesque that it already is funny in a strange way - reminds me of this ridiculous 600m-monstrosity they are building in Mecca at the moment.


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## Iluminat (Jan 16, 2008)

^^socrealism is mostly high-quality architecture, parhaps it migh seem oversized in contrast with the giant empty square and some people say that it's too bulky on the ground level but I certainly woudn't call it tasteless.


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

It´s mostly the grotesque bourgeoise decoration of the Stalinist buildings that is so funny especially for socialist monuments and the disproportion of their parts that makes them look so strange. The later concrete commieblocks are ugly but without any doubt show a higher sense of taste and coherence in my opinion.


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

*Day 21-25: Vienna, Austria*

From Krakow, I took the night train to my home city Vienna where I spent four days but took no pictures for this thread as I already have an own Vienna thread. Then I continued my journey with the night train in direction of Bucharest. I planned to leave the train in the western Romanian city of Arad to travel through the country from west to east from there but fell asleep and missed my station so that I had to leave the train at the next station - Deva, a city of 67,000 in western Transilvania. There I took the next train back to Arad, but I had to wait for more than two hours so that I could take the opportunity to take some pictures of Deva as well. The picture´s quality is not that good as the weather was terrible and I had to take them with one hand while carrying 25 kilos of luggage with my other hand, but I think the pictures though give you an impression of what an average Romanian city without being influenced by tourism looks like. Somehow, it was hard to believe that this is really still Europe and not a third world city.

*Day 25: Deva, Romania*


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

*Day 25-26: Arad, Romania (part II)*


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Dondonel (Jun 6, 2007)

Malyan said:


> BlackMarble, I think you´re getting me wrong. In fact, I liked Romania very much and think it is one of Europe´s most beautiful countries with an overwhelming nature, with beautiful medieval towns in Transilvania and a stunning architectural diversity and liveliness in Bucharest. But it is a fact that Romania is the 2nd poorest and one of the least developed countries in the European Union and that the condition of its cities is not by far comparable to anything I have seen in Poland, in Slovakia or the Czech republic. It is just what I have seen and experienced during my travel no matter what I think about it. Romania is on a pretty good way as far as I can see, but this doesn´t change the fact that it is much, much, much behind countries like the Czech republic _at the moment_.


I'm sorry Malyan, I'm not buying any of this.
You started with Berlin and you did not find any commie blocks to show? 80% of the East Berlin is made of these monstrosities - heck, Warsaw has even more. And yet none made it into your thread. Then we are led to believe that commie blocks on the outskirts of a shitty industrial town in the middle of nowhere are representative for Romania. 

In other words the old towns in Berlin, Warsaw and Krakow are a good fit only for Central Europe but crumbling commie blocks must be the image of Romania? Gimme a break. This is stereotyping beyond belief.


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## Tiaren (Jan 29, 2006)

@ Dondonel, now you are being ridiculous! First of all East Berlin is just one half of the city. Secondly far more than half of East Berlin consists of nearly endles blocks of late 19th century blocks. Most of those pretty disfigured during or after the war, but still. Not even 10% of Berlin consists of commieblocks... Now you are being unfair and stereotyping.

Woah...the attitude here really pisses me off. I have to blow off some steam:
*If there is just crumbling huts and commieblocks to photograph in your cities/towns, it's not the photographer's problem, but actually yours! As easy as that!*

And I'm sorry, Malyan.


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## Iluminat (Jan 16, 2008)

^^
^^From what I understand it's not about the existence of "commieblocks" but rather bad maintaince of Romanian cities in general and he already agreed with me that Romanian commies are interesting so I really don't understand why you mention them specifically. Malyan showed many rather grey commies in Warsaw btw


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## hmueller2 (Feb 3, 2009)

Dondonel, do You really think that Malyan has the intention to make Romania look bad?!?!?!
...just ridiculous


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## ixpix (Dec 17, 2009)

With the last photos added, I think that overall the photos are equilibrated and reflects what an unadviced tourist can see.
If you traveled in Sibiu, Cluj or Brasov, we are waiting to see pictures from these places too


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## Dondonel (Jun 6, 2007)

Tiaren said:


> @ Dondonel, now you are being ridiculous! First of all East Berlin is just one half of the city. Secondly far more than half of East Berlin consists of nearly endles blocks of late 19th century blocks. Most of those pretty disfigured during or after the war, but still. Not even 10% of Berlin consists of commieblocks... Now you are being unfair and stereotyping.


really? every time I drive into Berlin I get stuck in a forest of commie blocks that's no better than what you find in Romania, might be even worse - from buckow in the south to wartenberg it is downright disgusting.



Tiaren said:


> Woah...the attitude here really pisses me off. I have to blow off some steam:
> *If there is just crumbling huts and commieblocks to photograph in your cities/towns, it's not the photographer's problem, but actually yours! As easy as that!*
> (


I don't give a rat's @ss about Germany or Romania - I'm neutral in this discussion, I'm American - but this sort of cherry picking does not sit well with me. I'm well introduced to the whole Eastern Europe, I've been a frequent visitor for a decade now. If TS wants to show historic cities he is welcome to do so, if he wants to show commie districts he's welcome just as well. But he cannot show the old towns from some countries and the commie [email protected] from the others. That is not objective. I just don't see how Deva got in a thread presenting Krakow, maybe someone can explain that to me.


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## Dondonel (Jun 6, 2007)

hmueller2 said:


> Dondonel, do You really think that Malyan has the intention to make Romania look bad?!?!?!
> ...just ridiculous


No, I don't think TS had a plan to make Romania look bad. But this is what happens when someone does not question his own prejudices. I bet he would be amazed to find out how bad Berlin workers' dormitories look to foreign eyes. He found the ugly in some random place but failed to see it in his own backyard.


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## Laurentzius (Sep 10, 2010)

Malyan said:


> @ixpix.
> 
> Come on, thats grotesque. I surely wouldn´t have chosen to spend two weeks with travelling through the whole country if I was "biased against Romania specifically". As I already said before, I liked Romania very much and think that the country is an undiscoverd jewel and might be one of Europe´s most interesting destinations for tourism if infrastructure increases. I found Romania´s cities to be absolutely fascinating, and its nature is not comparable to anything in Europe except Scandinavia. I am sure that I will come back to Romania regularly to visit the parts of this diverse country I have not seen yet.
> 
> ...



I haven't followed any of your previous threads so I couldn't tell how neutral you are usually. I replied because it didn't seem fair to me to single out Romania as "third world" from the rest of the Eastern European countries you've visited. I'm well aware of the dark sides of Romania and nobody asks you to ignore them, but from your first pictures of Romania you seemed to be focused on them. Later things got better, I admit that so maybe I was too quick to judge you. 

I didn't mean to be hostile, in fact I'm really glad you've spent 2 weeks in Romania and you've liked it so much. I hope you'll visit Romania again and you'll have an equally good time here. And I certainly hope things will get much better in Romania till your next visit so we'll not have this kind of conversation on your next Romanian photo tour.


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

@Dondonel.


> I'm sorry Malyan, I'm not buying any of this.


Man, I don´t care whether you´re "buying" this or not - I don´t think I need your permission before I´m allowed to post my pictures :nuts:



> You started with Berlin and you did not find any commie blocks to show?


Yes, you´re right - so what about these non-existing commieblocks in my pictures of Berlin... :nuts:

http://www8.pic-upload.de/25.07.11/4yyinkw9v4xv.jpg

http://www8.pic-upload.de/25.07.11/b1ejsig2f6.jpg

http://www8.pic-upload.de/25.07.11/hwdtn2iut8h3.jpg

http://www8.pic-upload.de/25.07.11/4qnvb6qpxs8.jpg

http://www8.pic-upload.de/25.07.11/dmj9uhbmzfis.jpg

http://www8.pic-upload.de/25.07.11/c662ofkijf2i.jpg

http://www8.pic-upload.de/25.07.11/n3wnhrgp29ya.jpg

http://www8.pic-upload.de/25.07.11/w9wkzx7p4q1s.jpg

http://www8.pic-upload.de/26.07.11/26h1xbk5sqmu.jpg

http://www7.pic-upload.de/27.07.11/t8ai1qhe1tl3.jpg



> 80% of the East Berlin is made of these monstrosities


As I have been to Berlin more than ten times already and now the city very well, I know that this is ridiculous. 30-40% might be a more realistic figure. And, by the way, I don´t have a special problem with commieblocks at all. I even think that some of them are very interesting buildings that should be preserved and that they, at their time, were a great opportunity to offer the majority of the population modern, cheap flats.



> heck, Warsaw has even more. And yet none made it into your thread.


Hmmm, so I suppose these are baroque castles, right?

http://www8.pic-upload.de/01.09.11/t52xnfmc5c6.jpg

http://www8.pic-upload.de/01.09.11/ycxm6lurqady.jpg

http://www8.pic-upload.de/01.09.11/rsyaq95cr38w.jpg

http://www8.pic-upload.de/01.09.11/b6qtpmmfcky.jpg

http://www8.pic-upload.de/01.09.11/ln57haiipp1.jpg

http://www8.pic-upload.de/01.09.11/3q2yccmdnl7.jpg

http://www8.pic-upload.de/02.09.11/refrdbflede.jpg

http://www8.pic-upload.de/02.09.11/mucctmt7ewvs.jpg

http://www8.pic-upload.de/02.09.11/5dl7oircmj1.jpg

http://www8.pic-upload.de/02.09.11/9xgy1gguajra.jpg

http://www8.pic-upload.de/02.09.11/v8lt4srg5j8.jpg

http://www8.pic-upload.de/02.09.11/2x2csa9iifbn.jpg

http://www8.pic-upload.de/02.09.11/n2et3gd8phcb.jpg



> Then we are led to believe that commie blocks on the outskirts of a shitty industrial town in the middle of nowhere are representative for Romania.


We don´t really have to discuss the fact that rundown buildings and streets are more representative for Romanian cities than for the four times wealthier Germany?



> In other words the old towns in Berlin, Warsaw and Krakow are a good fit only for Central Europe but crumbling commie blocks must be the image of Romania? Gimme a break. This is stereotyping beyond belief


Man, this thread doesn´t express ANY belief, this is not a political essay for or against any country, this is a PHOTO THREAD in which I present the places I visited during my journey :nuts:
As I said before: THERE IS NO SELECTION OF PHOTOS AT ALL! Whenever I come to a city for the first time, I first visit its most important art collections and historic monuments, then I take my camera and go for a walk of several hours, and during this walk I take images of every part of the city I see. There is no selection and no political intention of any kind. It is not my fault if the streets I saw and photographed look bad in your eyes.
By the way, Berlin has nothing that could be called a pre-modern old town what you would know if you really had been to Berlin or at least seen my whole photo tour.



> really? every time I drive into Berlin I get stuck in a forest of commie blocks that's no better than what you find in Romania, might be even worse


If you really think that an average street of Berlin looks worse than an average street in four times poorer Romania, then you must mean another "Berlin" in some kind of a strange parallel universe.



> I don't give a rat's @ss about Germany or Romania - I'm neutral in this discussion


Me too. I am Austrian of Ukrainian origin. And by the way, I am anti-nationalist and don´t think in national categories at all. I don´t give a shit on the question in which country a city is situated. I feel European, not "Austrian" or "Ukrainian", and it is TOTALLY absurd to blame me for being biased against any specific country. If someone would ask for my nationality, I probably would answer that I am a citizen of the European Union.



> but this sort of cherry picking does not sit well with me.


What "sort of cherry picking" do you mean? When you look at my Berlin or Warsaw pictures - do you REALLY feel that they draw an idealised picture of these cities? :nuts:



> I'm well introduced to the whole Eastern Europe


Me too. I have travelled through almost every eastern and southeastern European country for several weeks and know almost every larger city of whole Europe. So I think I am able to compare the development of European countries. And Romania is, without any doubt, the least developed European country except Bulgaria, Ukraine and Bosnia I have been to yet. It is not even by far comparable to the Baltic states, Poland or the Czech republic. But as I already said before: This doesn´t mean that I didn´t like Romania, I liked it even very much, more than almost any other eastern European country. But that´s why I won´t lie and draw an idealised picture of Romania that has nothing to do with what I really saw there.



> If TS wants to show historic cities he is welcome to do so, if he wants to show commie districts he's welcome just as well. But he cannot show the old towns from some countries and the commie [email protected] from the others. That is not objective.


True. But I can´t see that I would have done this. In fact, 80% of the buildings on my Berlin pics and 95% of the buildings on my Warsaw pics might show modern buildings that are younger than 150 years.



> I just don't see how Deva got in a thread presenting Krakow, maybe someone can explain that to me.


If you are able to read, you can easily see that I already HAVE explained it:



> From Krakow, I took the night train to my home city Vienna where I spent four days but took no pictures for this thread as I already have an own Vienna thread. Then I continued my journey with the night train in direction of Bucharest. I planned to leave the train in the western Romanian city of Arad to travel through the country from west to east from there but fell asleep and missed my station so that I had to leave the train at the next station - Deva, a city of 67,000 in western Transilvania. There I took the next train back to Arad, but I had to wait for more than two hours so that I could take the opportunity to take some pictures of Deva as well.





> No, I don't think TS had a plan to make Romania look bad. But this is what happens when someone does not question his own prejudices.


What exactly are my "prejudices", if I am allowed to ask, as you seem to know me better than I do myself?



> I bet he would be amazed to find out how bad Berlin workers' dormitories look to foreign eyes.


As I am not German, I don´t know what you mean with "foreign eyes"?

@Laurentzius.


> I replied because it didn't seem fair to me to single out Romania as "third world" from the rest of the Eastern European countries you've visited.


I didn´t say that Romania IS a third world country - I said that Deva somehow FELT like you were in one (Deva, not whole Romania!). And in fact, Romania still is much nearer to the third than to the first world in economic and social terms - that´s a question of economic facts, not of your or my emotion about it. Of course, Romania has a pretty fast growing economy and will probably soon reach the development level of countries like Poland or Slovakia. But _at the moment_, Romania is not comparable to any central European country.



> I'm well aware of the dark sides of Romania and nobody asks you to ignore them, but from your first pictures of Romania you seemed to be focused on them


In Deva, I honestly saw absolutely nothing that could be called beautiful in the average sense of the word. But though I was fascinated by this city - it is ugly, even very ugle, of course, but it is a kind of cityscape you don´t find anywhere in western Europe, so it is really interesting.


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

*Day 26-27: Oradea, Romania*

Oradea is one of the most important cities in northwestern Romania with a population of 204,000. It is known for its many magnificent Jugendstil buildings, much of them designed by famous Viennese architects (Oradea belonged to the Austro-Hungarian empire until WW I).


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Chadoh25 (Dec 28, 2007)

Great photos!


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## rychlik (Feb 14, 2008)

Malyan said:


> Well, somehow I like this Stalinist monster, and I am happy they didn´t tear it down after 1990. It is so oversized, tasteless and grotesque that it already is funny in a strange way - reminds me of this ridiculous 600m-monstrosity they are building in Mecca at the moment.


Your opinions are ridiculous at best. I don't know where you are from but you sound like a pedantic snob, finding faults in the smallest of details. You try to pass off as being informed but I doubt you are. You probably think you have the finest taste in wine, cheese. You must be Austrian? Why travel the world with an attitude like this? This building is quite impressive and makes an impact. Just because it's communist does not mean it's automatically bad. If it was in New York City, you would be fawning over it.


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## rychlik (Feb 14, 2008)

Malyan said:


> *Day 14-18: Warsaw, Poland (part I)*
> 
> Poland´s capital is also by far the country´s largest city with a population of 1.7 million in the city and 3.5 million in metro. Having been almost completely erased by the German troops in WWII, there are hardly any traces of authentic historic architecture in contemporary Warsaw, only a strange, somehow disneyland-like reconstruction of the old town, an artificial tourist attraction that has almost nothing to do with the real life of the modern city. Although Warsaw definitely is not a beautiful city, its diversity, its rough contrasts and its great modern architecture make it perhaps more interesting than a beautiful, but a bit sterile touristy place like Krakow.


Has Mickey Mouse done something to you? Warsaw has the best reconstructed Old Town in Europe. In fact Poland does reconstructions the best, in my opinion. Comparing it to Disneyland is insulting. The reconstructed Old Town, and other sections of the city are to be *admired*, not looked down upon. It shows you don't know how to appreciate anything. In that case you should not be travelling. I would like to see where you live. I suppose you think Germans have better reconstructions? You were not critical of your travels there so everything must have been perfect. You must have sympathies for the Germanic lands.


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## rychlik (Feb 14, 2008)

Tiaren said:


> Why do some Romanians act so hostile in here? To me Malyan seems very open minded and fair in all his threads. Yes, he shows both sides in his pictures, the good and the bad. But he treats every city/town the same in this respect. Just look at the Berlin or Warsaw pictures. Not everything is picture perfect there...
> And he has the right to share his experience and his opinion here. I very much hope he does so in an honest, unsupressed way. That's what many people come in here for as well, not just for pictures...
> You do want people to experience your country, right? So please don't act so hostile to someone who did and now just shares his views with others. So far I never was interested in Romania at all. Yes, it is very underrated! This pictures actually sparked my interest. But the way some of you are acting now is ruining it...so please!


I sympathize with the Romanian because this Malyan is quite rude in his presentation. I can feel the arrogance from this guy and I cannot stand people like this. Trust me, western Europeans have a lot of problems. The cities may be spiffy in some parts but we all know of the immigrant ghetto's who are destroying other sections of cities like Paris, London, Brussels. They let that stuff go on. I can go on. Trust me, Warsaw does not have any "no go" zones.


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## StoneRose (Sep 13, 2004)

Great tour Malyan and I really don't feel the "arrogance".


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## Tiaren (Jan 29, 2006)

Rychlik, with statements like:
"I don't know where you are from but you sound like a pedantic snob, finding faults in the smallest of details. You try to pass off as being informed but I doubt you are. You probably think you have the finest taste in wine, cheese. *You must be Austrian*?"
You do come off much worse, than what ever Malyan said... I'm a little disappointed... When I talked to you in the Warsaw reconstruction thread, I had the impression, that you were actually a nice and open minded guy, even though you seem to enjoy ranting about Germans sometimes...
And you are wrong, that he's only sceptical about Warsaw's reconstructions! I read a post by him in a Dresden-thread, where he was just as sceptical. There are lots of people who actually think reconstructions=Disneyland. Just let them think what they want.

And in the last batch of pictures, there were definately some really nice ones! Romania has so much beautiful late 19th century architecture. I'm really impressed and even little envious of that. Here so much is gone or disfigured during or after the war...


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

@Rychlik.


> Your opinions are ridiculous at best


My doctoral advisor in art history thinks they´re not.



> I don't know where you are from


I am an Austrian citizen of Ukrainian origin who has lived several years in Germany, spends some months every year travelling through Europe, would define himself simply as a European and will probably move to Great Britain later. But as I am not a racist like you seem to be, I don´t care about anyone´s ethnic origin or nationality and don´t understand why it should be of any importance where I am from.



> You try to pass off as being informed but I doubt you are.


As I studied art history for eight years, I think I am. And, by the way: It´s very bad taste to think that being uninformed and dumb is the only possible explanation for the fact that someone has another opinion than you.



> You must be Austrian?


Don´t you think it´s a bit strange to defend communism and to post racist statements at the same time?



> This building is quite impressive and makes an impact.


Cinderella´s castle in Disneyland is impressive too, but that´s not an indicator of artistic and intellectual qualities of a building.



> Just because it's communist does not mean it's automatically bad.


There has never been something like a "communist" country in history. The Soviet Union and its vassals didn´t call them "communist" themselves, but "socialist" - that´s something completely different. A "communist state" is an oxymoron, as "communism" is being defined as a society that doesn´t need a state any more. Of course they were, in fact, not even socialist, but ordinary militarist and nationalist autocracies. I despise the Soviet system BECAUSE I am a socialist and this brutal caricature of socialism may disparage the wonderful idea of a human socialism for generations.



> If it was in New York City, you would be fawning over it.


I surely would not. A monstrous building of the 1950s decorated in the taste of Western bourgeoisie of the 1880s would be tasteless anywhere.



> Warsaw has the best reconstructed Old Town in Europe.


May be, but as I am very sceptic about large scale reconstructions in general, that´s not of real importance.



> The reconstructed Old Town, and other sections of the city are to be admired, not looked down upon.


Has god the almighty forced us to the duty of admiring reconstructed old towns, or why are you not allowed to be critical about this kind of architectural nostalgia?



> It shows you don't know how to appreciate anything.


I am not really convinced by the logic of this conclusion.



> In that case you should not be travelling.


Too bad I don´t think I need your permission to be allowed to travel 



> I would like to see where you live.


In Vienna, but why do you want to know?



> I suppose you think Germans have better reconstructions?


Surely not. Most German reconstructions of the 1950s and 1960s are terrible crap. Surely the technical quality of most of Warsaw´s reconstructions is much higher than of most German reconstructions. But I don´t know what´s the point about this.



> You were not critical of your travels there so everything must have been perfect.


I didn´t comment on large scale reconstructions of pre-modern cities in Germany because in the cities I visited during this travel in Germany, there are none. Stralsund and Chorin were not heavily destroyed in WW II, and in Berlin, there wasn´t a real pre-modern old town before the war, too.
I am very sceptical about the large scale reconstructions that are going on in Dresden and Frankfurt, too.



> You must have sympathies for the Germanic lands.


As I think that "nationality" and "ethnicity" are insane intellectual constructions and nothing real, I have no idea what "Germanic lands" are supposed to be, but maybe you as a racist can explain it to me?



> I can feel the arrogance from this guy


So it´s arrogant to have an opinion about architecture at all and to think that not EVERY building in the world is great and magnificent?



> and I cannot stand people like this.


The feeling is mutual as I cannot stand nationalists.



> Trust me, Warsaw does not have any "no go" zones.


True. But where did I say it has?


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

*Day 27-29: Cluj Napoca, Romania (part II)*


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## rychlik (Feb 14, 2008)

Tiaren said:


> Rychlik, with statements like:
> "I don't know where you are from but you sound like a pedantic snob, finding faults in the smallest of details. You try to pass off as being informed but I doubt you are. You probably think you have the finest taste in wine, cheese. *You must be Austrian*?"
> You do come off much worse, than what ever Malyan said... I'm a little disappointed... When I talked to you in the Warsaw reconstruction thread, I had the impression, that you were actually a nice and open minded guy, even though you seem to enjoy ranting about Germans sometimes...
> And you are wrong, that he's only sceptical about Warsaw's reconstructions! I read a post by him in a Dresden-thread, where he was just as sceptical. There are lots of people who actually think reconstructions=Disneyland. Just let them think what they want.
> ...


I think Malyan is a manipulative character. If a person wants to see something from a negative point of view, then that's all they will see. I think this is the kind of person Malyan is because that's the impression I got immediately from reading his comments. Constructive criticism is welcome, but needless bashing is not ok. I wonder if he travels to Ukraine often? And Krakow is "sterile"? And I suppose Germanic Vienna is *not* sterile whatsoever? The point is, this guy is biased in his opinions.


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

> I think Malyan is a manipulative character.


It´s interesting to be blamed for being manipulative by an aggressive racist.



> If a person wants to see something from a negative point of view, then that's all they will see.


And the fact that I am not admiring old town reconstructions like in Warsaw and Stalin´s architectural taste, proves that I want to see Poland from a negative point of view? Don´t you feel a bit ridiculous yourself? So the fact that I don´t like the architecture of the outskirts of Paris and Marseille proves that I want to see France from a negative point of view? The fact that I don´t like Germany´s post-war reconstructions proves that I want to see Germany from a negative point of view? The fact that I don´t like the architecture of Russia´s new oligarchy proves that I want to see Russia from a negative point of view? The fact that I don´t like American suburbia proves that I want to see the US from a negative point of view?



> Constructive criticism is welcome, but needless bashing is not ok.


So it´s "needless bashing" to say that you don´t like a specific kind of architecture?



> I wonder if he travels to Ukraine often?


I was there several times. But why do you want to know?



> And I suppose Germanic Vienna is not sterile whatsoever?


Can you explain to me what "Germanic Vienna" is supposed to be? One of your weird racist phantasies? :nuts:


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## rychlik (Feb 14, 2008)

Malyan said:


> It´s interesting to be blamed for being manipulative by an aggressive racist.


Stop over reacting. I am not racist. Besides, since you are of Ukrainian stock, I am assuming you are white. Well I am white as well, so how can you be racist against your own race? 

Anyways, I hope you realize that you do focus more on the negatives of the places you are visiting. You're perpetuating stereotypes. Maybe this is your goal. That's my 2 cents. Have a nice day.


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## new bulgaria (Dec 8, 2005)

Very beautiful!


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

*Day 30-32: Sibiu, Romania (part I)*

Sibiu is situated in central Romania and has a population of 154,000. It is one of the cities of Transilvania where you can still feel a bit of the former multiethnic atmosphere of this region, many shop- and restaurant signs are still written in German, although most of the German speaking minority has left the country in the last decades.
Sibiu, which is a popular tourist destination for its fascinating labyrinthic old town, was the European cultural capital in 2007.

Pictures I took from the train between Alba Iulia and Sibiu:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

In Sibiu:


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## Du'Myth (May 18, 2008)

I thank you on behalf of all Romanians for your presentation! 

As you said, much is needed to be done and i cannot disagree on such topic. One thing I need to add: Romania did not have its say throughout the history of Man, so we are still a young culture, a young country (thus sometimes spoiled), but we are fast learners and we are still recovering from the communist regime that ravaged us for almost half a century.

When we'll get in full shape, well, that will be the moment when the World will get the best of us.

Until then you'll have to take pics of our commieblocks, stray dogs and partly rehabilitated historical centers. 

Awaiting more of your trip! :cheers:


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## Iluminat (Jan 16, 2008)

Malyan said:


> @Illuminat.
> And that´s exactly what western bourgeoisie did in the late 19th century: Recycling historic styles in an eclectic way.


In a way yes, there were some differences though both in architecture and urbanism, most socrealist buildings (in Poland at least) were influenced by modernism to some extent which for me makes it much easier to accept than modern or XIX century historicism.



> Don´t you think it´s ridiculous that a state which called itself "socialist" tried to imitate the style of 17th century exploiters in a way 19th century bourgeoisie would have done in a smaller scale?


It's not so much about the style but rather the exploitation that was criticized so if they built palaces for the people I don't see a ideological problem here, not that I defend communism. Anyway most socrealist buildings were less decorative than Pkin or MDM district former central committee building for example: http://naszastolica.blox.pl/2009/06/Siedziba-polskiego-komunizmu-DOM-PARTII.html


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## The Cake On BBQ (May 10, 2010)

My kind of showcase! Love your pics man, keep up! Can't wait for your pics from Turkey! :cheers:

Also, I don't understand why Romanian forumers seem to be quite offended. I think Romania looks quite authentic and more historic than most European nations since they didn't renovate their historic buildings in a way as if they were built a few years ago.


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## cornel001 (Dec 17, 2008)

Becouse on the other side the green is greener.


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## garcia.calavera (Jun 10, 2009)

i have been fallowing you're thread from the beginning and it is great man. Please don't mind my fellow nationalists who get pissed off every time somebody says something bad about Romania , because basicly you are right , it is a shitty country , and with few exceptions in the big and tourist cities does feel like a third world (for the rural part no comment) , but you have to admit it's a lot more interesting than our western neighbours , there's always something different and interesting to see and experience and i think that's why a lot of foreigners come ....well that and the cheap great booze ,food and a lot of beautiful women. Keep posting uncensored , because you're pics show exactly what a train traveler would see (good and bad) starting with the view from the train station and around the cities. As others said before , it's not the photographers fault that the cityscape it's ugly sometimes.:cheers:


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## Fallen (Apr 18, 2008)

Thank you Malyan for the photos. I'm looking forward in seeing images from the rest of your trip in Romania. :cheers:


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## Ismat Chan (Sep 26, 2008)

Wow Romania! What a beautiful country!:cheers:


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## StoneRose (Sep 13, 2004)

Malyan, have you been to Dresden and how do you feel about it? I kinda have a feeling your opinion about it won't be very different to mine.


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Thanks for the comments!

@Calavera.


> it is a shitty country


Well, I didn´t say and also didn´t mean this. In fact, Romania is definitely one of the most fascinating countries I have been to yet both because of its overwhelming nature and the cultural heritage of its historic cities. Of course, it is - compared to other European countries - a poor and still not very well developed country, but that doesn´t mean it is not interesting or not beautiful. I think that Romania has by far the largest potential of all southeastern European countries. And, of course, you have to keep in mind that perhaps not other eastern European country suffered more from the so called "socialist" regimes than Romania did under Ceausescu. Without Ceausescu´s tyranny, Romania probably would be on a much higher level of development today.

@StoneRose.


> Malyan, have you been to Dresden and how do you feel about it?


Unfortunately not. Dresden and Bremen are the only large German cities I haven´t visited yet but I probably will be in Dresden next year.


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

*Day 30-32: Sibiu, Romania (part II)*


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## Tiaren (Jan 29, 2006)

Isn't that part of Romania Vampire territory?


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## cinxxx (Oct 15, 2010)

Hey, Malyan, man, you traveled so much through Romania, and you missed our "little Vienna", Timisoara (Temeswar/Temeschburg). That's a pitty .
Well, you would have found lots of commies, dogs and bad stuff too, but also many many historic buildings, some renovated, some not, but there are 3 historic neighborhoods still. You can see pictures in my signature.

When you have time, it's only 5-6 hours away from Vienna by car .


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

> Isn't that part of Romania Vampire territory?


Dracula´s legendary castle Bran (Although never lived there) is situated a bit east of Sibiu, near Brasov 



> Hey, Malyan, man, you traveled so much through Romania, and you missed our "little Vienna", Timisoara (Temeswar/Temeschburg). That's a pitty


I often heard that Timisoara is worth a visit, but it would have been complicated to go there this time for my planned travel route. But I´ll definitely go there when I´m in Romania the next time although I will concentrate on the northern and eastern parts of the country which I didn´t visit this time (except Constanta).


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

*Day 32-34: Brasov, Romania (part I)*

Brasov is situated in eastern Transilvania and has a population of 278,000. Except the holiday resorts at the coast of the Black sea, Brasov might be the most touristy city in Romania, both because of its picturesque old town and the wonderful nature in its surroundings (In the forests around Brasov, you can find many plants and animals that have disappeared in most other parts of Europe, especially many bears).

First some pictures from the train between Sibiu and Brasov:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

In Brasov:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

"Black church", 13th-15th centuries, the largest gothic church in southeastern Europe:


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## cinxxx (Oct 15, 2010)

Malyan said:


> I often heard that Timisoara is worth a visit, but it would have been complicated to go there this time for my planned travel route. But I´ll definitely go there when I´m in Romania the next time although I will concentrate on the northern and eastern parts of the country which I didn´t visit this time (except Constanta).


Please do so .
You also have a good shot that you find German speaking Romanians (like me), although the numbers were much higher before the 80s.
If you come from Belgrade, Serbia, maybe, it's direct stop by train.

Anyway, nice trip and reportage. And even though Romania has so many negative things (that many of us don't like), I am sure you loved the trip, people were friendly, and you didn't feel unsafe.


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## skymantle (Jul 17, 2010)

Malyan, I am absolutely blown away by your photothread/travel-diary. for one, this thread and another I viewed in these sections, has enticed me to visit Romania. Well done and keep at it. :cheers:

PS: I tried to look back from the start, but unfortunately the pictures are not appearing up until page 12.


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Thank you! You surely won´t regret visiting Romania, it´s really an undiscovered jewel.



> PS: I tried to look back from the start, but unfortunately the pictures are not appearing up until page 12.


Some pictures are temporarily not visible as my photobucket account´s bandwith is exceeded. But as I am using several accounts, most pictures should be visible before page 12, too.


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## StoneRose (Sep 13, 2004)

The last set of photos was awesome!


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## Dr.Seltsam (May 28, 2008)

Brasov is unbefuckinglievable beautiful, Sibiu too! Never heard of that city before! Thanks for enlighten me!


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## nebunul (Dec 27, 2006)

More pictures from Romania ... slightly different approach :nuts:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1293


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## cinxxx (Oct 15, 2010)

Dr.Seltsam said:


> Brasov is unbefuckinglievable beautiful, Sibiu too! Never heard of that city before! Thanks for enlighten me!


And they also have German names from when they were in the Habsburg Empire:
Brasov = Kronstadt
Sibiu = Hermanstadt
Cluj-Napoca = Klausenburg
Sighişoara = Schäßburg


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## Dr.Seltsam (May 28, 2008)

Ok! Thank you for that information!

So these cities were built in the Austro-Hungarian Empire era?


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## Tiaren (Jan 29, 2006)

That last town is so beautiful! Minus the cars and streetsigns this what I imagine 19th century Europe to be.
And I love the foresty hills in the background. So lush and green and deep. 
Vampires and werewolfs might hide there!


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## cinxxx (Oct 15, 2010)

Dr.Seltsam said:


> Ok! Thank you for that information!
> 
> So these cities were built in the Austro-Hungarian Empire era?


Well, I don't know the exact answer. You can maybe wiki them. But almost every old beautiful building you see in Transylvania, Banat and Bucovina regions was built by austro-hungarians. I guess the correct term would be, the cities flourished in the Austro-Hungarian Empire era.

I can tell you about Banat, that, after it was liberated from the Turks by Eugen Franz, Prinz von Savoyen-Carignan, Germans Schwabs were brought in the region. They together with Hungarians, Romanians and Serbs formed one of the most multi-ethnic regions in Europe. Almost every town and village in Banat has names in every one of these languages.

I know when a colleague from Germany came here, he told us, they learned in school about the "Banater Schwaben".


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## StoneRose (Sep 13, 2004)

And I don't get that a lot of Romanians on here feel embarrassed by the poorer looking parts.
It's not your fault to be born in country suffering through the Ceaușescu times and I just was lucky to be born into a relatively wealthy country. *I* didn't rebuild Dresden's old town.

The beauty is still visible and we should all hope that in the future all of Europe will be on a similar level.

These pics definitely make me want me to visit Romania. 

And like Malyan said, most other European cities also only look incredibly beautiful in certain parts. If you had to make a similar "honest" thread like this about Dresden for example, 80% of those pics would show grey houses, broken houses and commie-blocks.


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Carol I.-mosque, a historistic concrete building built in 1910-12:


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## garcia.calavera (Jun 10, 2009)

yeah that's hometown Constanta for sure :cheers: , not much to see in the old city or anywhere else in the city for that matter. I know you said you don't like mass tourism but you wouldof liked Mamaia for sure , at least for the atmosphere and the views from the suspended gondola ride
ps: did you taste our Schaorma in the old city?


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

OMG, there are so many old buildings in such a terrible state of disrepair (in ruins actually). What a pity. In other Romanian cities I have seen in pictures this seems less extreme.


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

@Calavera.


> did you taste our Schaorma in the old city?


What´s that - _should_ I have tasted it? 

@Slartibartfas.


> OMG, there are so many old buildings in such a terrible state of disrepair (in ruins actually). What a pity. In other Romanian cities I have seen in pictures this seems less extreme.


Indeed Constanta is the city in Romania I saw where the historic center is in the worst condition. I have no idea why they let their old town fall in ruins as Constanta should be a relatively wealthy city.


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

*Day 34-35: Constanta, Romania (part II)*


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Roman mosaic near the museum of archaeology:


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## Dondonel (Jun 6, 2007)

Slartibartfas said:


> OMG, there are so many old buildings in such a terrible state of disrepair (in ruins actually). What a pity. In other Romanian cities I have seen in pictures this seems less extreme.


I am actually quite familiar with Constanta because I've lived there for a few months. Constanta does not have an old town in the true sense of the word because 150 years ago it was just a small fishermen village (4000 inhabitants). Constanta grew only after the harbor and a bridge across Danube were built (today it has 400,000 inhabitants). Therefore the 'old town' consists of just two parallel streets close to the harbor and an 1 sq km area called 'Peninsula'. 

The two streets mentioned above are in a better shape because they are in a commercial area. The Peninsula on the other hand is half residential and the ownership of the buildings has been disputed for more than one decade, hence many of them are left in disrepair until the legal owner is found. This situation is not unique in Romania - it stems from the restitutio ad integrum rule applied here, which has led to lengthy trials and corruption.

Anyway, the rest of the city was build by the communists, quite a merry bunch of them I should say. Constanta was a happy place back then and still is right now, the photos of the buildings won't capture the feeling, it is hard to do this city justice. Even so, it is hard for me to understand how Malyan missed pretty much all the representative buildings from Peninsula, since the area is so small.


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## rychlik (Feb 14, 2008)

Slartibartfas said:


> OMG, there are so many old buildings in such a terrible state of disrepair (in ruins actually). What a pity. In other Romanian cities I have seen in pictures this seems less extreme.


Some of these pics can be mistaken for southern Italy (Naples).


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## garcia.calavera (Jun 10, 2009)

malyan i saw a few shots of the touristic port from distance , you didn't go down there? it's like the only nice place we got in the old part , well that and the casino promenade
ps: Shaorma or Schaorma and Kebab it's probably the most representative food to eat when you go out in Constanta and very popular in all the country , it's from our Turkish neighbours left from when the city was part of the ottoman empire but adapted to our needs (type of meat , size etc). There is a street full of these restaurant shops which you were on based on you're pictures , near the statue of the she-Wolf feeding Romulus and Remus , if you missed out on this dish you have to try it next time you are in Romania - 
it looks something like this


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

> malyan i saw a few shots of the touristic port from distance , you didn't go down there? it's like the only nice place we got in the old part , well that and the casino promenade


I was looking for the casino promenade for more than two hours which was really strange because I knew that the old town is very small and that I must have been very close to it several times, but as I still couldn´t find it after two hours of searching with temperatures around 35 degrees Celsius, I gave up...
Schaorma looks delicious, but I first would have to find a vegan version of it


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## Dallas star (Jul 6, 2006)

Great pictures, I've spent at least an hour looking through the entire thread.

How is it that you can travel so much? Is it for your job? I am still a student but I am interested in finding a job in the future that allows me to travel much.


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Thank you!



> How is it that you can travel so much? Is it for your job?


No, I am still writing my dissertation in art history, so I have plenty of time at the moment which I want to use to see as much as possible.


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

*Day 35-39: Bucharest, Romania (part III)*


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## Chadoh25 (Dec 28, 2007)

COOL!


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## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

What an architecture, ugly and beautiful together.


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

*Day 39-40: In the train from Bucharest to Istanbul (Southern Romania, Bulgaria and northwestern Turkey)*

The train from Bucharest to Istanbul took more than 20 hours, but as I had a sleeping cabin on my own, it was okay and gave me the opportunity to watch and photograph the different landscapes on the way extensively: The steppe landscape of southern Romania, the fascinating mountain formations of Bulgaria, the green, wide forests of Thrace and finally the vast urban landscape formed by the suburbs of the 20 million-megacity Istanbul. After crossing the Turkish border, you can really feel the impressive rise and dynamics of Turkey: Everywhere new modern highways and bridges under construction, everywhere new modern highrises, everywhere new wealthy satellite towns that remind you more of western Europe or the US than of Turkey´s neighbour states in southeastern Europe. Turkey is really rising in a pace that can probably be compared only to East Asia.














































The last Romanian station Giurgiu:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Danube river, border between Romania (On the right) and Bulgaria (On the left):



















Ruse, the first Bulgarian city:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Sunset somewhere in Bulgaria:










The next morning - the first Turkish border station Kapikule:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Entering the metropolitan area of Istanbul:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

The last pictures from Istanbul:

*Day 40-44: Istanbul, Turkey (part V)*





































Chora church - outside a simple brick building like most Byzantine churches, but inside a masterwork of late Byzantine art with wonderful 14th century frescoes and mosaics:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

Nice street life pics.....:cheers:


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## skymantle (Jul 17, 2010)

Superb! Your thread is very captivating, and you bring back fond memories of my visit to Istanbul last year. :cheers:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Thank you!

*Day 44-46: Ankara, Turkey (part I)*

The Turkish capital is the country´s second largest city after Istanbul with a population of 4.4 million. As Ankara was a small, unimportant provincial town before it became the new capital of Turkey, its old town Ulus is small, a bit rundown and doesn´t have many historic sights except the ruins of the Roman Augustus temple, the 15th century Hacibayram mosque and the citadel with the museum of Anatolian civilizations. Most of the city was built in the last few decades and consists mostly of concrete blocks, concrete blocks, concrete blocks - and more concrete blocks. The modern parts of Ankara are pretty clean and well organized, but not really exciting for a large capital.


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

*Day 44-46: Ankara, Turkey (part II)*


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

St. George, 4th century, one of the oldest preserved churches in the world:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Hagia Sophia (This church gave the city its name), 6th century with later modifications:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Alexander Nevski cathedral, built in late 19th century in order to commemorate the role Russia played in establishing Bulgarian independence from the Osman empire:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Stalinist sculptures in a park:


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## Skrapebook (May 7, 2010)

My parents will visit Istanbul in next week.


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## Dondonel (Jun 6, 2007)

The Balkans are a very diverse region indeed, thanks for sharing.


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## skymantle (Jul 17, 2010)

Sophia, interesting. Maybe not a classic beauty as you said, but the streets certainly look clean and tidy.


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Thanks for the comments!


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

And now to the last part of my journey:

*In the train from Sofia to Vienna*

In Sofia, I finally took the train to Vienna which takes more than 20 hours crossing northwestern Bulgaria, whole Serbia and whole Hungary.

Outskirts of Sofia:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Entering Serbia:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

In Nis, the most important city of southern Serbia:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

At Belgrade central station in the night:










The next morning - somewhere in northwestern Hungary:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Arriving in Vienna:


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## cinxxx (Oct 15, 2010)

Great report!
Danke!
:cheers2:


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## tigot (Jun 8, 2010)

Amazing and very comprehensive report. Bravo! :cheers:

It is a shame that you did not stop in Belgrade and walk around the city! Is there any particular reason you missed out on Serbia's capital? :bash:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

> s there any particular reason you missed out on Serbia's capital?


Yes - I was running out of money  But I am planning to travel through whole Serbia and Macedonia for two weeks next year.


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## groentje (Apr 15, 2006)

Always keep some cash in reserve 
A very interesting trip, I might follow your exemple next winter, and go to Turkey by train. Some other ideas came first...


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