Eastern Europe

some guys from one of my skype groups are doing a Pokerhouse this summer in Bucharest, I was tempted to go but can't right now
anyway,from what I research Budapest is the nuts, only a little more expensive than Bucharest but worth it, also heard good things about Prague

those would be the top 3 cities I would visit in Eastern Europe

Not been there, so not sure, but I talk a bit to people from Bulgary, Ukraine, russia so forth. The impression I get, is that most of the places it's pretty shitty, unless ur in the biggest cities. But not 100% sure!!

You could maybe hook up with Joeingram, didn't he write that he might be hooking up with poker mates in south norway, Sweden and stuff in a few months?

When I travelled a bit around Europe, places like South France, to the right on the map, was beautiful, and then you get to play on the French Pokerstars!!

im purposefully avoiding western and northern europe at all costs.

Very few people speak english in Romania or Bulgaria.Id choose some big "touristy" eastern city like Budapest, Prague,Warsaw. Know some HS grinders who mooved to Prague from States and they like it .Who wouldnt like Prague !!!

careful of hostels marshall!

I recommend Prague Czech Republic, or some nice place in Austria

Austria is Western Europe no? hmmm maybe if you like sun Croatia or Slovenia are possible too ?

I'm also very interested on this.
Ideally a city full of hot chicks, cheap quality meat/fish, with an affordable apartment within walking distance of a few bar/nightclubs and a weightlifting facility.

Since you're accustomed to warm weather you'll probably hate prague in the winter. Go to Italy, play on stars.it, a player pool so bad the gov't had to ban foreigners to prevent loss of GDP. Plus it's Italy.

On April 08 2014 21:23 r0mx0 wrote: Austria is Western Europe no? hmmm maybe if you like sun Croatia or Slovenia are possible too ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Europe

moron

Tallinn ? check out 2p2 thread about it, can't go wrong here as internet is one of the best in the world and most of the people speak decent english.

thx for your guys input. anybody else who has some plz continue to post

...reason im trying to avoid western europe is i want to get away from american culture. i dont care about being able to play online, i have enough money saved and coming in that i dont have to work for years. even if half the people dont speak english in the place i choose, that would be better than going to a place that has been indoctrinated with western culture.

On April 08 2014 22:09 dogmeat wrote: Show nested quote + On April 08 2014 21:23 r0mx0 wrote: Austria is Western Europe no? hmmm maybe if you like sun Croatia or Slovenia are possible too ? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Europe moron

...unnecessary.

quit being a bitch and find better things to do with your time than calling ppl names on the internet

On April 08 2014 22:09 dogmeat wrote: Show nested quote + On April 08 2014 21:23 r0mx0 wrote: Austria is Western Europe no? hmmm maybe if you like sun Croatia or Slovenia are possible too ? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Europe moron

For historical reasons it is conventional to refer with Eastern Europe to all the countries that used to on the other side of the Iron Curtain (including the then communist Yugoslavia).

This is an example of a case where formal taxonomy is out of line with the one used normally, similar case is that an avocado is in fact a berry, not a fruit.

So in short, fuck you nitpicker

edit: i think i also should find more productive uses for my time

Cracow is the nuts!

http://www.local-life.com/krakow

If you are looking to avoid western culture, then eastern Europe isnt good enough.

On April 08 2014 19:38 r0mx0 wrote: Very few people speak english in Romania or Bulgaria

I don't agree. If you come to Sofia, Bulgaria you won't have any problems asking any younger person about directions or places to visit. We are generally very open towards foreigners and speak at least some English. Don't know what kinds of entertainment you are seeking, but there are many places with super rich history and beautiful landscapes. You might want to Google: Veliko Tarnovo (the old capital of Bulgaria, just 96 miles south of Bucharest), Sofia (the current capital and biggest city - decent nightlife, nice restaurants), Plovdiv (very very rich history - part of Roman Empire, with city status dating from 1st century); Rila Lakes and Rhodopy Mountains (extremely beautiful); or the seaside for party.. depending on when you are planning to come. Eastern Europe is not that shady of a place as most people think. Most cities are A LOT safer compared to some Western Europe megalopolises.

Edit: I thought you are coming on vacation, not for longer stay

Awesome for you man. Jealous as fuck that you're doing this.

I'm sure you'll experience numerous things that the vast majority don't.

Lucky fucker!! Enjoy.




PS. Wear condoms.

On April 09 2014 01:59 enfant wrote: Show nested quote + On April 08 2014 19:38 r0mx0 wrote: Very few people speak english in Romania or Bulgaria I don't agree. If you come to Sofia, Bulgaria you won't have any problems asking any younger person about directions or places to visit. We are generally very open towards foreigners and speak at least some English. Don't know what kinds of entertainment you are seeking, but there are many places with super rich history and beautiful landscapes. You might want to Google: Veliko Tarnovo (the old capital of Bulgaria, just 96 miles south of Bucharest), Sofia (the current capital and biggest city - decent nightlife, nice restaurants), Plovdiv (very very rich history - part of Roman Empire, with city status dating from 1st century); Rila Lakes and Rhodopy Mountains (extremely beautiful); or the seaside for party.. depending on when you are planning to come. Eastern Europe is not that shady of a place as most people think. Most cities are A LOT safer compared to some Western Europe megalopolises.

I recommend talking to this guy regarding sites to see.

On April 09 2014 01:24 Joe wrote: If you are looking to avoid western culture, then eastern Europe isnt good enough.

yes but asian girls just dont do it for me, so i have to settle.

I say Belgrade is the best option by far... Good location, Romania and Bulgaria to the east and Croatia to the west. Women there are A+ and English is not a problem.
StealCity was living there for a while and loved it. Night life is awsome and it's not expensive.

Good choice .. 5 good live poker places (usually low stakes cash but from time to time even 5€10 and 20-100€ tournaments) .. Sick night life compared to most big cities in europe..cheap and very beautiful hookers.. still if you're cool you can get plenty of free girls from the town every night .

Sure there are some bad parts like ppl trying to scam you a bit after seeing you're a foreigner and stuff like this related to money as most ppl think about americans as being rich , but that would not be so severe as dropping some extra 2-3$ here and there would not hurt you and going out at night is pretty safe.

Hope you enjoy your stay!

Pm if you wanna know more . I live here and my life is mostly gym,live poker and clubbing(I have a gf tho) .
Getting girls in clubs is very easy..they love foreigners..85-90% of them speak decent english).

Really appreciate the info you guys are giving me. If anybody would be willing to take an afternoon and show me around any of these cities I would be very grateful as I know few people in this part of the world.

Burnt out on San Diego? PB will do that to you eventually, did to me for sure

And BTW I suspect LA and to a lesser degree San Diego are the epitome of what you are trying to get away from basically anywhere else even in the states is not so bad.

Maybe not so bad is the wrong phrase, not AS bad as LA/SD

Budapest.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/anitabadejo/r...-is-the-most-beautiful-city-in-europe

I really liked Belgrade when I was there for a weekend. Friendly and open people, food was fine, and the town itself was beautiful and ugly in one. And it is cheap, and not as touristic as other eastern places like Prague or Budapest. Would definitely check it out.

montenegro seems pretty nice

https://www.google.se/search?q=monten....org%252Fwiki%252FKotor%3B4256%3B2832

For sure visit Serbia (Belgrade, Novi Sad (if you are in time on Exit fest) and while you are there give me a call I can help you around.
I helped Donald (SteelCity) few years ago and since then we are good friends.. I'll contact you on facebook. I also chatted with some other guy that wanted to visit it from lp

Beside that .. I would recommend Budapest (Hungaria), Croatia's sea region ( Dubrovnik, Zadar, Split, Rovinj... ) and maybe Budva (Montenegro)

I'll msg you on facebook if you are interested

Im staying in bucharest. Lemme know whatever u want to know.

If Switzerland qualify, you might like it there, just been there once, for 3 weeks or so, but was pretty beautiful, I think I have pictures somewhere on my pc from it as well. Oh, and they had poker, where we were, just 1 - 2 tables running, from the evening through the night, 10-20 + some tournaments, but the ppl playing seemed rich, and whale like, some of them at least lol.

Beautiful surroundings though

I would recommend Prague and Krakow in Eastern Europe...but on your way across the Atlantic Ocean you should make a pitstop in Iceland for a few weeks

Sauce visited in '08 and look where he is now

Mariuslol clearly doesn't understand what OP means by Eastern Europe

NOT Southern France, NOT Switzerland, NOT Sweden

and it's spelled Bulgaria, not Bulgary

On topic: I don't think I've been to a cheaper country for going out, nightlife and restaurants than Bulgaria. And I've been to 20+ countries including Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia (sure, I may of stumbled on a couple of tourist traps but these places were supposed to be dirty cheap and they weren't).

Almost everybody <30 speaks decent English, people love foreigners, rent is cheap, internet is cheap and reliable.

I live in Sofia but I'm not really the show-you-around type. I would love to grab something to eat or have a couple of drink tho. PM me if interested.

Yeah, I'd, depending on what you're looking for you, chose to come Plovdiv, Bulgaria if i were you. City s great for all kinds of stuff. My fellow countrymen are a bit over-exaggerating when they say most young people speak english, which is not true. I'd say not more than 20% of people my age posses english skills good enough for you to have a normal conversation with.

Apart from that Plovdiv s great, there are things to see, I think clubbing wise there arent many places to see as the music in the clubs is a bulgarian piece of shit. Probably Bulgaria's architectural and cultural capital tho, there are definitely loads of places to visit. I'd be more than willing to take you on a tour if im in the city.

p.s. sry im masstabling probably many sentances dont make the perfect sense

Definitely Prague is going to be the best option imo.

But if you ever come to Kraków, let us know Doors are open anytime.

GL in deciding.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet but I would definitely check out Slovenia. It's more central europe I suppose but it's beautiful and very green.

http://www.neverendingvoyage.com/slovenia-europes-best-kept-secret/

(It's not mine but it describes a few highlights of the country pretty well). The population under 40 generally speaks English very well.

I think it would help us if you were more elaborate voicing your expectations.

Couchsurfing should be looked into. Surely staying in a hotel isn't a problem but staying with people who have travelled themselves and hosted numerous times before are better at the whole gig. The downside and at the same time the upside is they are random people. I mean the average poker player might take you to the wildest party with various intoxicating opportunities but some dork from couchsurfing might take you to museums. That's why i feel you need to be more precise in expressing your expectations and activities that interest you, or the type of people you enjoy being around. Hipsters, artists, sportsmen, politicians, gangsters, etc. Maybe you are deliberately fishing to see what surfaces and then taking it from there. Looks like a promising endeavor you are planning to undertake.

Also, prepare for the SAUNA. I feel like it should be a mandatory item in your bucket list.

I have some time on my hands now.

First rent:

For around 500-600 euros (1 euro=1.37$), you will get a pretty baller flat near the city centre 60-80 sqm.

Internet:

1000 mbps for < 15 euros. Nuff said.

A meal out at an above avg place:

~20 euros with dessert and wine

About the ciity - you can see the remainders of the communism, many gray buildings, however there are quite a few things to see. Also lots of parks, in like every district of the city. People are pretty friendly and if you dont go to the suburbs you wont meet more douchebags than in any other city. There are some thieves and people who want to make a free dollar off of your back, but usually these people approach you with an offer -like a cheap taxi ride, mobile phones for sell, perfumes, w/e. Just ignore those, thats the best thing.

A huge minus for me is the possibility of earthquakes. There are many bulidings in an atrocius shape and in case of a 7+ magnitude earthquake (wouldnt be the first time), there will be many victims unfortunately.

Plovdiv is a pretty cool place with aloooooot of history. It is one of the oldest cities in the world.

Weather is pretty good year round (winters are not too cold usually, summers can get a bit hot but meh).

Cost of living is way below what you are used to coming from the states.

You can get a pretty nice apartment in a building complex (own parking etc.) for 300~400 EUR.

apartment example

I live in a similar apartment in the same building and it has all you need and more at a good price.

I can probably show you around (if free) if you decide to visit.

Should you choose Budapest (which is one of the best options imo), I could show you around a little if I'm free from work. Depends on what you want to see / know. E.g. I'm not much of a party-goer myself, but I can give you directions or recommendations. Budapest is very famous for its' night life which foreigners apparently seem to love

A few pros off the top of my head:
- great night life (make sure to stay near the city center, there are a few very nice / baller places which would be cheap for a wealthy western poker player, and the night life is all here)
- the river Danube splitting the city in half is a sight to behold, really. Lived here all my life and I'm still in awe whenever I cross a bridge.
- you can communicate with most younger folk in English, although I don't think you can have meaningful conversations with the majority. But you can get around with it for sure, especially in the center.
- plenty of easy girls who'd jump at the chance to be with a good-looking, young, rich foreigner if that's your taste (we have one of the highest porn-"stars" per capita, too! Yay!)

Hit me up if you're interested

On April 09 2014 11:24 Hoolz_1907 wrote: I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet but I would definitely check out Slovenia. It's more central europe I suppose but it's beautiful and very green. http://www.neverendingvoyage.com/slovenia-europes-best-kept-secret/ (It's not mine but it describes a few highlights of the country pretty well). The population under 40 generally speaks English very well.

that looks so sweeeeeet

If you decide to come to Bulgaria I can show you around. just PM me

I don't see how major Eastern Europe cities would be a drastic change in terms of american culture influence compared to small/medium sized cities in France, Spain, Italy or wherever really.
Even big cities, I mean how is Prague so much different than Barcelona in terms of american culture?

Not much. I get what Marshall is thinking about not wanting to live in any kind of westernized country (or whatever you want to call it) but Western European countries are not at all like California (or America for that matter) culture-wise. I have no clue how much you have travelled Marshall, but maybe your frame of reference is skewed? If you really want to know what a good place to live is, why not do a trip around Europe? Lots of good stuff to see, you have the time/money and then you can decide which country most feels like it could be a home to you.

In any case, I think the countries where most people speak decent to fluent English are.. Great Britain (obviously), Scandinavian countries, Netherlands Belgium Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein... that might pretty much be it of the top of my head.

Come to Slovakia! We have nice hostels apparently...

What's so bad about living in socal? You speak the language and know your way around. If you really need to get out it might be better for a nice week long vacation somewhere. If ur life sucks in Cali then it's going to suck in budapest czech republic estonia or wherever the fk ur tryin to move to

On April 09 2014 19:49 Twisted wrote: Not much. I get what Marshall is thinking about not wanting to live in any kind of westernized country (or whatever you want to call it) but Western European countries are not at all like California (or America for that matter) culture-wise. I have no clue how much you have travelled Marshall, but maybe your frame of reference is skewed? If you really want to know what a good place to live is, why not do a trip around Europe? Lots of good stuff to see, you have the time/money and then you can decide which country most feels like it could be a home to you. In any case, I think the countries where most people speak decent to fluent English are.. Great Britain (obviously), Scandinavian countries, Netherlands Belgium Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein... that might pretty much be it of the top of my head.

+1

Once you leave North America, you'll be free of the american culture you're trying to get away from

On April 10 2014 02:56 RaiNKhAN wrote: What's so bad about living in socal? You speak the language and know your way around. If you really need to get out it might be better for a nice week long vacation somewhere. If ur life sucks in Cali then it's going to suck in budapest czech republic estonia or wherever the fk ur tryin to move to

I get where you are coming from saying what you did. 95.5% of my friends and acquaintances who have stayed abroad for work or leisure for an extended period of time (past 3 months) all value the life experience highly. I'd guess more people from eastern europe would move to socal than from socal to eastern europe and one could argue there's a point to be made here. Eastern Europe is definitely a good destination without falling off the earth entirely.