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Eastern Europe

IT’S ALL VERY well saying, two decades on, that the Berlin Wall has come down – Hurrah for that! The fact is that this has created a challenge for incentive travel planners.

They have to be pleased that the people of Poland, the Czech Republic, Russia and Hungary are free, and that the seductive enticements of these countries are now open to global traveller. But they are still left with a perplexing problem over which one deserved a visit. It is possible to take in all the capital cities on one trip. Certainly they have various charms in common. They all offer the exciting sense of doing something forbidden. They also share intriguingly strong links with the past, rarely found elsewhere in Europe. There are areas, buildings, shops, customs that seem to have remained unchanged for centuries.

Some of the people even have a mediaeval cast that won’t be found elsewhere. But such broad features aside, these countries are radically different. The heart of Warsaw is the immaculately reconstructed Old Town perched high above the Vistula River. Visitors can explore dozens of places, from the Royal Castle to the Arsenal. The centre of Prague is on low ground, running from the banks of the Vltata River. The city’s greatest buildings, the Cathedral and Palace, are on the hill across the river. But it is down below, beyond the Charles Bridge, that the main focus of attention lies.

Budapest is more complex, comprising two comparatively equal entities – ancient Buda and the more modern Pest – on opposite sides of the Danube River, the former climbing to the Gothic and Baroque architecture atop Castle Hill and the latter, taking in the main shopping streets and filling the flatlands. It is hard to evaluate many of the differences between these destinations. But all three have shown a phenomenal ability to adapt to modern tourism, adding sophisticated shops, stunning night life and world-class hotels. These developments make every night easier and more alluring. But they also detract slightly from the air of mystery which makes them so exciting. Then, stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea, and over two continents form the Polish border to the Pacific Ocean, Russia has lost its Tsarist and Soviet satellites, but it remains the world’s largest country. In incentive travel terms, today’s product is contained within St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad) and Moscow. As the old Imperial capital, St. Petersburg is packed with historic interest and can claim to be one of the world’s centres of culture and the arts.

The vast Winter Palace is enduringly impressive, so too is the staggeringly endowed Hermitage – one of the world’s great collections of art treasures. Investigate the ballet, concerts, opera, shopping – and don’t forget to buy elegant Faberge “eggs”. Perhaps even take your incentive winners there by cruising through the Baltic in a luxury ship.

Cruising of another kind can be enjoyed on the canals network and major rivers which link St. Petersburg with the present-day capital, Moscow where myriad attractions include Red Square, with Lenin’s mausoleum and onion-domed St. Basil’s Cathedral; the brooding Kremlin complex; the huge GUM department store and rides on the plush period trains which ply the underground system. Then, for the ultimate experience there are the various sections of the Trans-Siberian Express, which runs to Beijing, gliding elegantly through half a dozen time zones. To capture the essence of Russia include Cossack dancing, folklore presentations, vodka tastings and traditional cuisine – including Caspian caviar and blinis. Memories are made of this. Even in troubled times, now is when the real Eastern Europe works motivational wonders for winners.

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