Description

Read the Introduction and the first two chapters of "The Hidden Europe", a book that will come out in 2010.

The Hidden Europe is structure is simple. Each chapter will:

* Examine an Eastern European country's history, food, language, sites, stereotypes, and funny habits.
* Cover Francis Tapon's personal adventures in that country.
* End with a one page summary of what practical things you can learn from that country.

For many Westerners Eastern Europe is about as appealing as a deodorant-free French armpit. That didn’t scare Francis Tapon because not only did he learn how to rough it on the Appalachian Trail, but he is also half French, so he kind of smells too.

He yearned for adventure and Western Europe seems so tame and passé. It’s hard to feel like a pioneer when it’s about as easy to find a McDonalds as it is to find an anti-American demonstration.

Therefore, he traveled nonstop for five months and visited every country in Eastern Europe—all 20 of them. The other Europe delivered some fantastic adventures and insights. You’ll learn:

* How to deepen your cultural knowledge without being a snob.
* What is worth seeing in Eastern Europe.
* Why the Balkans is so screwed up.
* How to creatively stretch your money.
* How to quickly learn multiple languages.
* How to triple the length of your vacations without spending more.
* How to broaden your perspective in unusual ways.
* Why communism really sucked.


Dust Jacket flaps

The Europe and Asia Border near Yekaterinburg (Ekaterinburg) in Russia. Francis Tapon stands on the border that divides the Asian and European continents. It is the eastern most point of Europe, deep in Russia, about an 18 hour train ride EAST of Moscow. It just goes to show how far Eastern Europe really goes. Taken in Russia in late 2008.When someone says, “I’m going to Europe,” everyone assumes they’re talking about Western Europe. But what about the other Europe, Eastern Europe?

Imagine if a tourist who had traveled extensively on the West Coast of America told you, “I know the United States.” You’d laugh at the moron, knowing that he’s missed out on some of real gems on the East Coast like our chic amusement parks in Orlando, our noble politicians in DC, and our charming New York City cab drivers. Similarly, you don’t really know Europe until you visit the mysterious Eastern Europe.

Francis Tapon’s quest was simple: visit every country in Eastern Europe from the Gulf of Finland to the Black Sea. Starting in the Baltic countries, he moved through Belarus, Poland, Slovakia and got as far west as Slovenia before heading south into the volatile Balkans, including the war torn Kosovo. He headed northeast into the countries that are still ripping out their deep Soviet roots: Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine. He left Eastern Europe by crossing the Black Sea and exiting through the gateway to Europe, Turkey.

He hit every country in 2004 and then returned in 2009 to revisit most of them, including Russia, and to see what had changed. The Hidden Europe takes you deep into the Europe that few know.

As Book Two of the WanderLearn series, The Hidden Europe isn’t just another entertaining travelogue. This book shows some of the practical lessons that can impact your day-to-day life. You won’t just learn about present day Eastern Europe, but you’ll also understand the complex history of this fascinating region. You’ll see how the locals live and realize that they do some things better than most of the world. You’ll understand why smart money and ground-breaking tourists are flocking to this largely undiscovered territory. Best of all, you won’t have to deal with the grumpy train ticket vendors.