Eastern Europe is a whole other world... My life in Budapest and Bucharest
July 11th 2006 Day One
So by the time I got to Budapest I was exhausted, albeit a little cranky from my lack of sleep. As soon as I got off the train, there were tons of people ready to scam me. Ie. Exchanging money at a "better" rate than the bank when he had counterfeit money. People were offering me rooms for "cheap" in a "good" part of town. The funny thing is that with my sunglasses people get confused a
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The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for centuries under the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire - secured their autonomy in 1856; they united in 1859 and a few years later adopted the new name of Romania. The country gained recognitio... ... read more 
