Euro-free Europe: Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria

Nearly two decades after the end of the Cold War, the ex-Communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe are luring budget travelers in search of new adventures. Travel writer Carol Pucci reports this week and next from Hungary and the European Union's two newest members, Romania and Bulgaria. Follow her adventures here.

Introduction - Friday, April 27
Heading east for bargains and old world charm
Leave it to an upstart airline sowing its post-Soviet-era oats to redefine the word "discount." With the weak dollar and strong euro blowing the medieval roof off prices in countries such as France and Italy, I'd been thinking a lot about Eastern Europe ... More »

Part 1 - Monday, April 30
Splish, splash. Let's take a bath
Ahh ... for a nice, hot bath. How many times have you said that to yourself after a long overseas flight? Eger is a charming little town, 80 miles from Budapest, famous for its medicinal hot spring. ... More »

Part 2 - Tuesday, May 1
Eger to please
If you like small European towns, you'll like Eger. Loaded with baroque-style architecture, it's Hungary's version of Germany's Rothenburg or Belgium's Bruges without the crowds or high prices. ... More »

Part 3 - Wednesday, May 2
Sipping "Bulls Blood" wine in Valley of Beautiful Women
The Hungarians have come up with an excellent way for travelers to recycle their plastic water bottles. I handed my empty half-liter bottle to Jozsef Sarai today along with 200 forint (about $1), and he gave it back to me filled with red wine ... More »

Part 4 - Thursday, May 3
Put this in your latte, Starbucks
I don't know any Hungarian, but here's a word I recognized instantly: Kavehaz. All I can say is, "Move over, Starbucks."... More »

Part 5 - Friday, May 4
Night train to Romania
One minute we're drinking coffee and listening to Gypsy music inside the Central Kavehaz in Budapest, a few hours later we're on an overnight train bound for Transylvania...More »

Part 6 - Saturday, May 5
Visiting Dracula's birthplace
If I worked as a newspaper writer in Transylvania instead of Seattle, I might be writing this from inside a stone tower built hundreds of years ago as a defense lookout to keep out invading Ottoman Turks. ...More »

Part 7 - Sunday, May 6
Cellphones and horse carts
Many Romanians and Bulgarians live in Seattle, and I've been hearing from a few. Maria Cantana, 18, of Kirkland, whose family moved to Seattle eight years ago, e-mailed me ...More »

Part 8 - Monday, May 7
A home stay in the Maramures
Seven hours by train from where we sipped Austrian tea in the university town of Targu Mures, we're sitting by the fireplace in a century-old wooden house, eating polenta cooked with sheep's cheese ...More »

Part 9 - Tuesday, May 8
Meeting a shepherd
One way to explore the rural Maramures is to rent a car and drive from village to village, but hiring a local guide with a car is an affordable luxury compared to what it would cost in France or Italy ...More »

Part 10 - Wednesday, May 9
A Romanian celebration of life and death
Spend time in any of the villages in the rural Maramures region, and chances are good you'll be included in a wedding, funeral or some other Romanian Orthodox religious celebration. ...More »

Part 11 - Thursday, May 10
A twenty-first century waiting to happen
Two children walk hand-in-hand in a village of 2,500 where 18 years ago there were just two cars (one owned by the priest) and one color T.V (also owned by the priest). ...More »

Part 12 - Friday, May 11
Bargain Bulgarian: Living like a king
Moscow ranks near the top of a list of 120 of the world's most expensive cities -- even more expensive than New York, but the other former Soviet bloc countries ...More »

Part 13 - Saturday, May 12
Into the Bulgarian countryside
Two words to learn if you're coming to Bulgaria: Da (yes) and Ne (no). This may seem obvious, but here it's key. Bulgarians nod their heads up and down to say "no'' and side to side to say "yes,'' unless you or they say the words, communication can get confusing. ...More »

Part 14 - Sunday, May 13
Bulgaria off the beaten path
Bulgaria is filled with interesting towns and villages that don't get much mention in the guidebooks. I wish I had more time to explore ...More »

Part 15 - Monday, May 14
Linking travelers and entrepreneurs
Meet Diana, a traveling sock saleswoman, and Silvia and Todor, a couple who make a living selling firewood. These budding entrepreneurs are members of one of the biggest concentrations of Roma in Eastern Europe. ...More »

Part 16 - Tuesday, May 15
Stylish Sofia
Here in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, the "S" stands for style. The latest trend is the open-air lounge furnished with couches upholstered in suede and living room-style coffee tables. ...More »