iPhone Development

We started a company last year to allow independent iPhone app developers to make the transition from “wanna-be” to published developer. The model works similar to a record label, where LTZ provides the leverage, so that developers can concentrate on coding rather than the logistics of getting apps out. We wanted to start small, get a few early successes and then use that momentum to gather a pool of developers. We’re also planning a Code Kitchen, which is a class to teach iPhone and Mac programming to anyone interested for free.

Most of our early time was spent on logistics, even though we had our first app idea right from the start. It was a lot of waiting; we waited for resources (copy, data, images, feedback), we waited for Apple, we waited for the lawyers and we waited for contracts. So in a year’s time, we finally had an application ready to release. But thankfully, most of that work won’t have to be completed again since the contracts, setup and other logistics are taken care of. I’ll post a longer article on the whole process (what it took, what we learned, etc), but as I type this, our app, BarNinja is “In Review,” waiting to go up on the Apple App Store. It still might get rejected (one never knows with these processes), but we’re hopeful that it will appease the Apple review gods. We’re also more hopeful that the app will actually sell well and we can get some money into the business so we can buy “test” devices, like the brand new iPad for all our people.

Scuba Diving in Blacksburg

As many already know, scuba diving is a relatively new thing for me. However, I instantly fell in love with the sport and have tried to progress as quickly as I can. It’s been a lot cheaper than flying.

I got my Open Water (OW) certification in November of ’08 (with dives in Cozumel, Mexico in December), my Advanced Open Water (AOW) in July of ’09 (with dives in the Florida Keys and on the US Coast Guard Cutter my grandfather served on in World War II), my Rescue Diver certification (that required another certification of Emergency First Responder) and now I’m working on my Divemaster certification, which is a professional level diving certification. As you can image, this has been a long journey, with a ton of training, reading, and diving. The diving part was especially difficult due to the location. Blacksburg is not known for it’s amazing scuba diving, but diving in the local river, which has a maximum depth of 41 feet, has made it a bit easier.

We should be able to finish up the divemaster certification in May of this year. That’ll allow me to help teach some classes with Scott, who runs Avalon Adventures here in Blacksburg and the New River Valley (NRV). He’s my current instructor and I’ve helped him out with his website. The plan is to serve Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Radford, and the surrounding NRV to provide classes, dive trips, dive refreshers and other adventures. Hopefully, we’ll also make some money in the process.

Music

I’ve picked up my guitars again. Sadly, I don’t think I’ve picked them up in at least six months, but I’m at it again. Luckily it only took me a few minutes to remember what those six months made me forget. I am also helping my old Computer Science instructor with his business at Rocket Music. It helps me get back into music, even though its on a strictly computer programming level. Just talking about guitars, buying guitars, customizing guitars and everything guitars reminds me to go pick up one of my guitars and practice, if for only 15 minutes.

Our Foster Dog

Our foster dog Petunia has really adjusted well with us. When we first got her, she had some problems with other dogs, being generally nervous, crying when we left her home alone, etc. We weren’t surprised, since her previous owners abandoned her and she spent a long time in the shelter. Now all she does it try to cuttle up with us and never leaves us, even if that means following us from room to room.

Ana is getting attached to Petunia and I don’t think we’re going to get her adopted. Being a Pitbull mix, people are afraid of her. However, everyone that’s met her has loved her, which is another reason we don’t think we’ll let her be adopted. She never barks, is great with our cat, loves to play, never complains, and is so adorable. She’s gathered such nicknames as Petu, Petufilese and just Perrita. Dogs are a lot of work, but I think in this case, for her, she’s worth it.

Apartment

My girlfriend of about a year, moved in officially a few months ago. She still has her old apartment, but the rent there is taken care of by a sort of sub-lease. Previously, we were always together anyway, cooking food, studying together, grocery shopping together. The only difference was, she wasn’t paying rent or the massive electricity bill we seemed to rack up with her presence. I have an extra bedroom in my condo, which I gave to her for all her stuff. We moved in her tredmill into that room (producing some of the first small scratches in my new hard wood floors), her desk and a bunch of other things so that she has her own space. It’s worked out extremely well and while we’ve had our fights about stupid apartment and living stuff, you don’t truly know a person until you lived with them. That goes for friends and girlfriends.

Spanish

As a result of living with a native Spanish speaker, I’ve picked up a lot. I never learned Spanish. It was always the language of poor people where I lived. Instead I studied German, the language that’s most understood in Europe. While living in Hungary, I learned Hungarian so picking up Spanish was probably the easiest thing for me. With Spanish, for example, just add an ‘O’ or an ‘A’ after any English word of more than 2 syllables and translate word for word and you have a pretty good, understandable sentence.

Before I met Ana (pronounced Ah-na, not Anne-uh by the way), I probably knew less than 20 words, and that’s after having spent two weeks in Mexico scuba diving. Before that, I probably knew around 5. Now I wish I would have learned it sooner, but I’m glad I learned German since Ana and I are planning a trip back to Europe. Ana has never been, so I’ll take us around Hungary, we’ll visit Italy (which is a language both of us have studied, but she understands a lot better) and she can take us around Spain since they almost speak the same language as she does.

We have a savings account set up that we’ve been putting money in since last summer. It’s not a lot, but it’ll at least pay for the plane tickets out there. Then we plan on staying with friends where we can, and since we both have friends all over Europe, it shouldn’t be an issue.

What I’ve Been Up To is a post from: Ziray Studio Labs

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1. Avalon Dive Center – Blacksburg, VA
2. First Dive 2009 – New River
3. More Photos of Petunia
4. I Am Not an Entrepreneur

Dance Practice
1/2 sec @ f/16.0 w/ 29mm

March of Nations
Virginia Tech Street Fair/March of Nations
1/250 sec @ f/10 w/ 18mm

 

Elika
Blacksburg, VA - Virgina Tech Street Fair
1/250 sec @ f/9.0 w/ 46mm

Jump
Blackburg, VA - Virginia Tech International Street Fair
1/200 sec @ f/5.0 w/ 50mm

 

Mana
Blacksburg, VA - International Street Fair
1/125 sec f/7.1 w/ 250mm

Photos of the Week (4/12) is a post from: Ziray Studio Labs

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Our booth this year was right next to the stage, so we had no problem with people coming by our booth. There was also no shortage of people at the fair, so it really didn’t matter except we got to watch all the performances without leaving the comfort of our booth and our food.

The best dances were the Persian dance with my friends Rana, Elika and Mana and the Indian dance, which won first prize in a competition in Washington D.C. Elika danced in our dance as well so you can see from the photos below that she’s dressed in traditional Hungarian attire. Also, my other Persian friend Golnaz is wearing a blouse that is strikingly similar to a Hungarian blouse, but she assures me its Persian. Glad to see the Kingdom of Hungary’s influence on the Persian Empire.

After the street fair, the Persians and the Hungarians had an awesome after party at my place. We purchased $150 worth of alcohol and people brought even more. Vintage Cellar was closed or else it would have been more!

International Street Fair 2009

Laci and Kisa

 

Rolls filled with poppy seeds.

Kisa putting the glaze on the jelly filled rolls.

 

 

Monika hanging up some traditional Hungarian table cloths.

 

The calm before the storm

 

It was cold that morning, but soon warmed up.

Food, all ready to be sold and consumed.

Beautiful girls, beautiful dresses on a beautiful day.

Elika dressed in a traditional Hungarian blouse.

Laci and Elika. Elika changed into her Persian costume

Elika and Goli. Goli's blouse is Persian, but how similar it looks to a Hungarian blouse!

Gabor.

Kisa, my dance partner for the Csárdás.

Laszlo.

 

Our Persian friends holding the Iranian flag in front of our booth.

Our Hungarian booth.

 

 

Beginning of one of the best dance performances I've ever seen.

 

The Indians know how to put on a show.

 

 

Erika and Kisa serving food and taking cash.

 

 

 

Beginning of the Persian dance performance

 

 

 

 

 

 

The after party supplies.

The knife dance. It involved dancing and a knife.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Street Fair 2009 is a post from: Ziray Studio Labs

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4. Christmas Eve Morning in Colombia

Enjoy the pictures below from one of our dance practices!

Hungarian Dance Practice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dan knocks off Gabor's hat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Street Fair 2009 – Dance Practice is a post from: Ziray Studio Labs

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Check out the collision that Tea sets Laszlo up for about a 1/4 from the beginning:

Budapest Skating is a post from: Ziray Studio Labs

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“Aren’t we forgetting the true meaning of Christmas? You know, the birth of Santa.” — Bart Simpson

In Hungary, Szent Mikulás brings some treats, mostly candy, but he does it on 5. December. It is the baby Jesus who brings the gifts and he does it on Christmas Eve and so everyone gets to open their presents a day earlier. How a baby brings a load of gifts to every household is a mystery to me and science, but that’s what we call the magic of Christmas, err, I mean miracle, since magic is the work of the devil and witches.

In the States, kids get dozens of toys and other expensive things. People are so pressured into getting the right gift, the perfect gift, and one that is expensive enough to make the other person happy. And then there’s the game of trying too hard to match the price of the gift you get from someone else. The most terrible thing is when someone gives you a gift and you didn’t get them anything because then you feel really bad. So in preparation, you always have to have a few extra bottles of wine or other generic gift that someone will be happy about. It’s a game of gift warfare, a gift arms race of the sort.

In Europe, kids only get a few gifts. You might get that new MP3 player you wanted, a novel you’ve been hoping to read, maybe a shirt or two your mother thinks would look good on you, a new game for your game console and some other really small things like candy. In the States, you might get an iPod, a $50 iTunes gift card, the new Harry Potter book (or whatever it is kids are reading these days) along with a $50 gift card to Barnes and Noble or Amazon, 5 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, a $100 dollar gift card to the Gap or clothing store of choice, a new game console (even though the other one is only a year old, last Christmas), 3 games for said new console, and a bunch of small things people like to call stocking stuffers.

It’s just interesting the emphasis placed on different things. I personally don’t celebrate Christmas, but I’m still stuck buying gifts for my friends, not because I’m forced to by a capitalistic driven society, but because there is joy in getting something for someone you care about. Combine that with the element of surprise and the priceless look on their face when you truly impress them with your thoughtfulness and you will have something in life that you can’t buy with a lot of presents.

This Christmas was spent with my friend’s family here in a Hungarian town located in Slovakia, and two years before that I spent Christmas with another good friend of mine and her family in Budapest. I’m thankful that I got to spend Christmas with these two different families especially since this holiday is reserved exclusively for family.

A Very European Christmas is a post from: Ziray Studio Labs

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Combined with my trip to Cancun, which is 9 days, I’ll be out of the States for roughly 41 days. When I plan trips, I go all out, don’t I? We’ll be mostly spending time with friends and family that live there so that will help tremendously with costs of hotels/hostels.

The only thing I know for sure is that we’re going to Budapest, spending Christmas in Slovakia, and then spending 3 days in London before our flight back to the States. The stuff in between might range from a trip to Erdély (Transylvania), Cracow, Prague and maybe some other similar places. We might also go skiing in the Tatra mountains, which borders Poland and Slovakia. We have plenty of time to decide and plenty of time to do with what we decide.

In case any of you didn’t know, it’s not a very good idea to book so close to Christmas time. I knew, but there’s nothing we can do about that. Prices have jumped up tremendously. I’ve never actually travelled during the holidays like this, so here’s hoping everything goes as smoothly as possible.

Europe Plans Finalized is a post from: Ziray Studio Labs

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In Berlin where East met West in very intimate settings, both sides build up buildings along the Wall to show the other side they were doing just fine and dandy, and didn’t you wish you were on *this* side? The Soviet Union under this communist system was simply all about show.

Today, remnants can be seen of the Russian industry and it’s effects on the former satellite nations for the past 50 years. Only recently have nations, formerly under the rule of communist Russia, been able to prosper under a more realistic capitalist system. However, because western influence was limited, much of the original culture still remains and is an important part of these countries still today.

Reasons to Avoid Western Europe

The myths about Europeans hating Americans is over stated. Europeans don’t *hate* Americans. They just sometimes think what America is doing in the world is stupid. They realize that not all Americans are like the ones they see on U.S. television shows, but they do pass around funny YouTube clips and joke about how stupid Americans are. But it’s only what they see. You never hear about the quiet American who speaks fluent Spanish because they tend to blend in more. You always hear about the obnoxious American tourist in the restaurant, speaking loudly and complaining about how Europe is so far behind the times and if this restaurant was in the States, it’d go out of business in a week. They’re not hard to pick out and so their visibility makes up the perception Europeans have about Americans. Americans in Europe are like Sikhs in America, you can spot them from three blocks away. So Europeans don’t hate Americans, they are just easy to pick on.

In fact, it seems, until a few years ago, they all wanted to be like Americans. In Hungary, it was considered a wonderful date (don’t tell any of my girlfriends this) if you were to take your girl to the local McDonalds. It was a bit more expensive and it was also kind of exotic for Hungarians.

This mentality is more prominent in Western Europe as it’s had a lot longer to fester. One reason to avoid Western Europe is because it’s too westernized and doesn’t provide a large contrast with the States. If you’re looking for something different (and you might not be), Eastern Europe is your best bet and will still fit within your comfort zone.

Most Americans go to London, Paris, Rome and maybe Berlin. I highly recommend Berlin because there is a stark contrast between the East and the West that’s directly evident when you stand on a street where you can see both East Berlin and West Berlin. Those other places are super touristy and they are extremely indifferent to tourists since they get literally millions every year. It’s like the difference between going to a Wal-Mart and going to a mom and pop shop in your city’s downtown. The products and experiences are worlds apart. Unless of course you’re just looking for a cheap, hollow experience for the sake of telling your friends you went to Europe.

I’m all about embracing different cultures. It opens your eyes to so many new and different ideas; ideas you would otherwise never have gotten. It’s similar to an artist looking at other artists’ works. If he or she only looks at works done by artists in the same town, the ideas become stagnant and inbred. The greatest artists in history were influenced by foreign influences. This is why different cultures are so important to me.

My Favorite Cities So Far

I haven’t been to a lot of cities in Europe, so I’m by far not an expert, but here’s my interpretation of the greatest cities in Europe and why:

Budapest – I might be bias with this one, but I honestly think this is the greatest city in Europe. Everyone speaks Hungarian, which is an obvious plus, but it also has the most interesting sites to see in the smallest area and public transportation is one of the easiest to navigate. The history is amazing from World War 2, uprisings against the Soviet Union and the ’56 water polo match against the Russians, one of the best soccer players who ever lived, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and before that, the Kingdom of Hungary. Hungary had a huge influence on the shaping of European history (as evidenced by the start of the First World War).

Berlin – In no other city can you see the difference between western capitalism and eastern communism and what effects it had on a nation. Berlin is probably the most historic city I’ve ever been to and I can’t imagine any other city with more history (sad and terrible as it may be at times). There is so much to do there and so many great sites to see that it is a must see for anyone. And who doesn’t love German beer and food?!

Vienna – Vienna is simply just a beautiful city with beautiful buildings and gorgeous palaces, churches, streets and architecture. Austrians are definitely a different breed of people and don’t make the mistake of comparing them to Germans, even though they speak a similar language. They love the Hungarians but the Hungarians have a slightly different view of their Austrian neighbors which makes for an interesting cultural difference. Vienna was another city full of things to do, places to see and was just a clean, pleasant city.

Prague – Prague is like Budapest, but richer, cleaner but not as many sites to see. This was actually the first county I’ve ever been to where I didn’t speak the language and it was great. Since I don’t speak Czech it was slightly more difficult to get around and the public transportation wasn’t as good as what I was use to. We walked everywhere, which is fine, but it takes time away from actually learning about the city. Everyone goes to Prague and everyone loves it. I too highly recommend it.

How to do it Cheaply and Have the Most Fun

First off, travel light. I can’t stress this enough. You should only travel with one bag. Not only do airlines charge you more for multiple bags of luggage, you also have to wait to get your bags from the luggage return. If all you have is a carry on, you can just walk straight out of the airport. Make sure you read www.onebag.com before you go on your next trip, be it Europe or just a road trip.

So now that you’re traveling light, travel in small groups. With larger groups, and especially tour groups, it’s a lot harder to see the things you want to see. There are just too many people to appease. There are hostels set up (and you should be staying in a hostel if you can) explicitly for single travelers and groups of no more than three people. These hostels are amazing and really allow you to meet fellow travelers a lot easier than if it was a hotel-style hostel. I travelled alone for two weeks and met heaps of people also traveling alone. We ended up traveling together and going our separate ways later, but it definitely adds to the experience like nothing else.

When it comes time to refuel, instead of eating out, which we all know can be extremely expensive, go to the grocery store. Not only is this orders of magnitudes cheaper, it’ll also expose you to different country’s grocery stores and the foods they eat. Most hostels have kitchens in them anyway, but if you can go without hot food, make yourself a sandwich or something and eat it on a hill over looking the city, in a park on a bench, next to a statue or water fountain in the town’s center or just on a nice street corner where you can observe the city, the people, and all that makes up the city. Trust me, it’s a lot better than sitting in a dark restaurant with snooty waiters and getting ripped off because you didn’t know the restaurant is in the touristy section of town.

Finally, when it comes to actual commuting between cities it depends on how many cities you wish to see. If it’s only a few cities that you’re certain about, I’d recommend flying since its fast and easy. You can get one-way tickets across Europe for as little as $30 (Budapest to Dublin anyone?). You can plan your trips around the best airfares and save time and save money. Mostly all airports in Europe have either a train station or a bus station within walking distance so getting to and from the airport is a non-issue.

If you’re unsure about which cities you want to see, or you want to live on the edge of uncertainty, I recommend the Eurail-Pass. They have different passes so you’ll have to choose the appropriate one for your situation, but it can save you loads of money and leave your schedule flexible. If you want to stay in a city an extra day or so because you really want to see that opera in the Berlin State Opera, you can since most trains run several times a day to your next city of choice. Trains take longer than planes, but they’re more flexible, you can see more of the country-side between cities and it’s easier to meet people (if for any reason because they’re coming from and traveling to the same cities as you).

I mentioned not traveling with tour groups. Tours themselves are great but going on structured tours across Europe is a waste of your time. It’s similar to sitting in a movie theater and watching a movie about Europe rather than actually being there since you see most of the city via a tour bus. Do however, take a free walking tour in the city the first thing you do when you get to a city. These tours are amazing. The tour guides work off of tips (so make sure you bring a little cash), which makes these the most amazing people you’re bound to meet on your trip. The tour guides are all very friendly, outgoing and extremely funny, not to mention extremely knowledgeable about their chosen city. These tours will give you a great opportunity to see the city first thing so that you can later go on and spend more time at the places that interest you the most. And of course, you can always ask your tour guide at the end of the tour what’s the best bars to hit up and the coolest clubs to go to, because I can guarantee you that all those tour guides are extremely cool like that.

Jó Utat Kívánok!

Have a nice trip! As you travel, make sure you keep a journal of some sort. Don’t just write about where you went, write about what you thought! Years later when you go back and read it, your first impressions will be startling to you as you realize how naïve you were. It’s a great feeling and puts your trip into perspective and gives you something more than just photos and vague memories.

Eastern European Tourism is a post from: Ziray Studio Labs

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Christmas gives me a great opportunity to leave as we get a week off anyway and then I can use some paid time off (PTO) to extend that vacation. So I’m thinking of taking a week and a half off before and after that Christmas holiday and make my vacation 4 weeks long.

My roommate Gabe’s parents live just north of the Hungarian border in a small Hungarian town in Slovakia. It’s only a few hours train ride to Budapest. We might also stay over in Dublin on our way back to Hungary since he has friends there he wants to see and because I’ve never been to Dublin or Ireland for that matter. And yes, the Guinness factory will be on the list of places to visit. I hear it tastes better than in the U.S.

Also, my Russian friend Elena, who I went to school with at Corvinus might be in Prague in December, so I guess I *have* to go to Prague and see her. Oh darn, Prague. Last time I was there, I went with my friend Tristan and Izzi and had such an awesome time. Gabe hasn’t been in a while so he’s excited about coming with me.

I definitely want to spend a few days in Budapest and see my friend Kriszi and that gang, Tristan, my old advisor Krisztina and others who I haven’t seen since I left. I also want to pick up some Corvinus college t-shirts and maybe a sweatshirt. The thought never occurred to me to buy any university swag while I was there, probably because I was a poor college student who had just enough money to eat. Now I’m rich (even though I’m still paying off the tuition from Corvinus AND Virginia Tech).

Traveling in Europe

I just wanted to mention, that traveling in Europe is so much easier than in the US. I never want to travel here. In Europe, it’s almost effortless (at least for me it is). I like to fly fapados (lit. wooden bench) airlines and all airports have train stations within walking distance and those will take you into the city or anywhere else for that matter. From there, mostly all cities have a great network of buses, trains, subways and street trams. You honestly don’t need a car, as long as you don’t mind having to walk your fair share. Having a car would be more of a hassle than anything else.

I travelled alone for 2 weeks once, from Hungary, to Germany, to Switzerland, to Slovakia and back to Budapest and never once had a problem with transportation or wish I had a car. I actually enjoyed it since in Europe, people actually talk to each other on public transportation and I would always meet a ton of people just randomly. Which is why, I suppose, I get kind of upset when people here won’t even return a ‘hello’ or my favorite: “howdy.” So anti-social!

It says a lot about a culture when you have large areas within your city where cars aren’t even allowed to go. It’s amazing how nice it is to be able to walk around a city and not have to cross any streets or worry about getting hit by cars. In NYC you have to cross a street every 100 feet or so. There’s a stark contrast in attitudes and it’s obvious in the construction of a city.

So I encourage everyone to just brave it and travel Europe (again if you have already). I keep telling myself I don’t have time to go back, but when will I have time? I’m still young and stupid and so now is as great a time as any to just take off like I don’t have a care in the world.

Christmas in Budapest – 2008 Edition is a post from: Ziray Studio Labs

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Ingredients:
———- 

2-3 kilo pork
2 kilo sour cabbage
3 onions
2 quarts sour cream
salt & pepper
1/2 cup Sweet Hungarian paprika

Optional:
Caraway Seeds
Bay leaves 

To Prepare:
———-

Sour Cream Cabbage Soup

In a 10 liter “thing” boil 3 kg of sour cabbage (sauerkraut works well).
Half rinse the sauerkraut (to make less sour). Cut 2-3kg pork (leg or shoulder) into cubes and separately cook 3 onions in oil until caramelized. Add the salt, pepper and red paprika (Hungarian Paprika works best and is not spicy) and pork. Put a little bit of water to ease stiring and keep from charring the ingredients. Lightly cook the pork. The mixture should be thick and red. Cook slowly to infuse the flavors into the meat.

When nearly finished cooking, mix in the cabbage and fill with enough water. Cook the soup on low heat, the longer the better as the meat will soften. This will also prevent the cabbage from over cooking. Add the sour cream** and turn the heat even lower as you don’t want to cook the cream.

If my English didn’t make sense, or if you prefer, the original Hungarian:

Tejfölös káposzta,

10l fazekba kb. 3 kg savanyú káposztát feltenni fozni, félig tenni csak vízzel. 2-3 kg sertéshús combot vagy lapockát összevágjuk kockákra és külön megsütjuk: 2-3 hagymár olajon megpiritunk, ha kész beletesszuk az összevágott húst erre sót, borsot pirospaprikát. Felöntjuk egy kevés vízzel és sutjuk.

 Mikor már majdnem kész beleöntjuk a káposztába. Ha a hus teljesen megpuhult, ontunk rá bkét tejfolt.

**Hungarian sour cream (tejföl) is not sour at all and is different from American sour cream. It’s instead a heavy solidified cream (same consistency as sour cream, just not as sour or salty). We used organic sour cream as the differences are very slight.

Recipe: Tejfölös Káposzta (Sour Cream Cabbage Soup) is a post from: Ziray Studio Labs

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The Soviet Union retaliated with 150,000 troops and 6,000 tanks. Needless to say, the rebellion was crushed and Hungary would not see freedom or prosperity for another 50 years. During those 50 years, Western Europe enjoyed the prosperity of the Marshal Plan while Eastern Europe was devastated by one corrupt communist regime after another.

The European Union was established in 1993 with all the major Western European countries claiming membership. The eastern countries couldn’t gain membership because they and their economies were too poor. Western Europe had the benefit of the Marshal Plan, but where is the reconstruction effort for the East? Countries like Romania were denied entry repeatedly because of their status (they were finally accepted only recently). Western Europeans complain that any help given to the East would increase taxes. Unfortunately the concept of “pay it forward” is lost on the wealthy west who enjoy all the tourism and benefits of a healthy economy.

I’ve never been to France (technically I have, but airports don’t count) but out of all the countries I’ve been to, Eastern Europe has, by far, the most culturally diverse countries in Europe. Budapest was by far the most historic and beautiful city due to its location on the Danube River, the Buda hills directly adjacent to the river, and all the old historical buildings which are bigger, better and more concentrated than any other European city. I might be biased, but few will disagree with me if they’ve been there.

Eastern European cities are vastly untouched by western influence and as thus, present a wholly different experience. Do yourself a favor and pass up Paris, London (which is not really a foreign country if you’re American; more like visiting Canada but vastly less awkward), Rome, and other popular tourist cities and instead head to Berlin, Prague, Budapest, and Transylvania (which is actually Hungarian but don’t get me started). I personally recommend them all.

Also, if you’re over 18 and still don’t have your passport (or left your own country), you’re shutting yourself out from understanding and you will Never understand what’s really going on in the world. Now, go get your passport!

Major Historic Events You May Not Know About is a post from: Ziray Studio Labs

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