Kerry's Eastern Europe Travel Blog

Four Eastern European cities are represented on the new Monopoly World Edition board: Belgrade, Riga, Kiev, and Gdynia. Information about the other chosen cities has been compiled by Damian Corrigan, About.com's Guide to Spain Travel. Visit his blog for the entire list of cities on the World Edition Monopoly board.

The heart of Moscow, Russia's capital city, centers around the Kremlin. While you must have tickets to enter the Kremlin and its museums and cathedral, Red Square is free to explore. On Red Square, you can find St. Basil's Cathedral, Lenin's Tomb, the Russian History Museum, the State Department Store (GUM) and the Kazan Cathedral. Nearby, you can visit the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, which houses a superb collection of non-Russian artwork as well as pieces by Russian artists.

If you aren't one of those people who expects service with a smile, customer service in Poland is acceptable, but not over the top. For example, in Poland's restaurants, it's common to allow the diner lots of time to eat, drink, and talk with her companions. In addition, don't confuse business-like behavior with rudeness; being curt and to-the-point is simply a part of Poland's service culture.

Russia says it has completed its withdrawal from Georgia, though it intends to keep over two thousand soldiers there in a "peace keeping" facility. While a ceasefire agreement has been made, opposing parties cannot decide what represents compliance with the agreement. Neither the Georgians nor the Russians trust one another, and both countries seem to be poised for further conflict.

For background on this situation: Understanding the Russia-Georgia Conflict

Nancy Parode, About.com's Guide to Senior Travel is hosting a blog carnival dedicated to eye-popping travel photos. Take a trip around the world without leaving your seat - the carnival includes photos from the U.S., Iceland, Italy, Canada, Mexico, Crete, Ireland, and more. Eastern Europe is represented with a photo gallery of St. Petersburg.

• Visit the Eye-Popping Travel Photos Blog Carnival

The Georgia-Russia conflict reminds us that international relations with Russia remain volatile. What this means for travelers can change at any minute.

For now, it seems that travel to the U.S. is more difficult than travel to Russia, especially considering legislation that allows travelers' laptops to be detained and the implementation of the U.S. Visit program, which takes the fingerprints of foreign travelers to the States. Some say these draconian measures are reminiscent of Soviet pre-glasnost policies that limited travel by foreigners to and through the USSR.

Though Russia may not impose costly and invasive codes upon travelers, it doesn't need to. At any time, Russia can simply close its doors to a certain set of visitors - be they British citizens, citizens of the United States, or travelers from other countries. Some readers have expressed concern about the future of Russia travel. Their paranoia is not necessarily ill-founded. Politics in Russia - and its tensions with power-wielding nations - has moved retrograde at an ever-increasing pace in recent years, and government restrictions have clamped down on freedoms in Russia left and right. The world watches as Russia sinks into its Soviet-era torpor, indifferent to progress, criticism, or the lessons of the past.

For now, getting a visa to Russia may be inconvenient, but it isn't really a pain. Travel there may be confusing, but if you behave yourself, you'll be okay. Keeping abreast of political situations in any country to which you are preparing to travel is essential, and Russia is no different. If you do harbor worry about future limitations in Russia travel, travel now. Russia was hidden from most of the world for the better part of the 20th century, and its treasures are many and varied. If Russia does ever close its doors to international travelers, you won't have missed your opportunity.

As is typical of most conflicts, the escalating tensions between Russia and Georgia arose from a complicated set of issues. When Russia made its move, the situation was made even more complicated. So what do you need to know about the Russia-Georgia conflict?

Pre-Existing Issues

• Georgia was a part of the former USSR
• Georgia's diverse ethnic population means that certain regions seek independence from Georgia, including South Ossetia and Abkhazia
• Georgia desires to keep its territory intact
• Russia gave many South Ossetians Russian passports to recognize and encourage separatists
• Georgia wanted to join NATO despite opposition from Russia
• Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili is known to be Western-leaning
• The United States may have helped train Georgians, who were poised to strike separatist regions as soon as they were ready

Complications During Attack

Russia moved farther into Georgia than was necessary to protect separatists

Abkhazia entered the conflict in support of the South Ossetians

In brief: Russia has long smarted from the loss of countries that broke away after the collapse of the Soviet Union and has backed separatists in Georgia. Georgia intends to keep lands currently under its jurisdiction, and may have been waiting for an appropriate moment to assert its power over separatists. BBC sums up what many believe to be true about Russia's purpose

. . . was this operation part of a much more ambitious plan to reassert Russian control over a region Moscow has for centuries claimed as its rightful sphere of influence, and which it feared was about to be turned - by the Americans - into a Nato outpost in the Caucasus?

On the other hand, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin suggests that Georgian behavior towards South Ossetians is equal to genocide, and President Medvedev concurs:

The ferocity in which the actions of the Georgian side were carried out cannot be called anything else but genocide, because they acquired a mass character and were directed against individuals, the civilian population, peacekeepers who carried out their functions of maintaining peace.

While fighting may currently be at a halt, a resolution to the situation may be a long time coming.

It was announced this morning that Russian President Medvedev has decided to halt operations in Georgia. While journalists on the ground say there appears to be an end of attacks, the Georgian military stands at the ready because Russian jets have reportedly continued to bomb villages in Georgia.

On August 9th, the New York Times was already calling the conflict an "all-out war." Yesterday, BBC questioned how far Russia was willing to go to make its point. While five days may not seem like a very long time to the rest of the world, an estimated 100,000 people have been displaced by the attacks and families have been separated, creating a humanitarian crisis.

Mikhail Gorbachev supported Russia's action in an August 12 Washington Post article, even after President Bush issued a warning to Russia to put an end to the violence.

If you're looking for a way to prepare your language skills for travel to Russia, look no further than Take Off in Russian, a language-learning kit from Oxford University Press. A handy booklet, covering vocabulary and dialogues helpful for travelers, as well as audio CDs and an mp3 download option for audio lessons make learning Russian or polishing your Russian language skills convenient. Take Off in Russian can be purchased directly from the Oxford University Press website. The kit is priced under $50 and is small enough to fit in your carry-on luggage.

Review of Take Off in Russian

Photo copyright Oxford University Press

Eating on a budget in Poland isn't difficult - you just have to watch where you eat and be unafraid to venture away from tourist-infested eating establishments. You can easily dine on traditional foods without spending an arm and a leg. Choose soups, salads, pastries, and consider picking up snacks at a market instead of a restaurant.

• Eat on a Budget in Poland
• U Vincenta Pierogi Restaurant
• Polish Traditional Foods
• Cheese Kolacz Recipe