Francis Tapon yearned for a European adventure, but Western Europe seemed too tame and passé. So he traveled for 3 years visiting every Eastern European country—all 25 of them.
The Hidden Europe cleverly mixes insightful facts with hilarious personal anecdotes. It's profound, yet light. Francis Tapon is a sharp observer who helps you distinguish a Latvian from a Lithuanian, while not confusing Slovenia with Slovakia.
You'll also learn:
- Why Baltic people are human squirrels.
- When and why Poland disappeared from Europe.
- Why Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia broke up.
- Why Hungarians are really Martians.
- How Slovenians learn languages so quickly.
- Why the Balkans is so screwed up.
- Why there's much more to Romania than Dracula.
- Which Moldovan tradition saves marriages.
- What the future holds for Belarus, Ukraine, Russia.
- Why communism was a dream . . . and a nightmare.
You'll understand a side of Europe that is still mysterious and misunderstood even 20 years after the fall of the Soviet Union. Francis Tapon is an ideal guide in a book that will become a classic travel narrative.
SUMMARY
When people say that they're "going to Europe," they're usually referring to Western Europe. But what about Eastern Europe? You don’t really know Europe until you visit its mysterious eastern side.
Francis Tapon’s quest was simple: explore every country in Eastern Europe from the Gulf of Finland to the Black Sea. He saw them all in 2004 and then returned in 2008 to revisit them to see what had changed. He finally left in 2011 to share a side of Europe that few know.
Starting in the Baltic, you'll move through Belarus, Poland, Slovakia and get as far west as Slovenia before heading south into the thrilling Balkans. Then you'll head northeast through Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, and Russia. It's a 25-country adventure spanning several years!
The Hidden Europe is an entertaining travelogue that also shares practical lessons that will impact your day-to-day life. You’ll learn about today's Eastern Europe along with understanding the complex history of this fascinating region.
You’ll also 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 groundbreaking tourists are flocking to this undiscovered territory. Best of all, you won’t have to deal with the grumpy train ticket vendors.
REVIEWS
“Francis Tapon is a modern incarnate of the spirit of Solon or Pericles: he travels to foreign countries to watch things, for the sake of contemplation. And he does it with an extremely sharp eye and lot of wit. The Hidden Europe: What Eastern Europeans Can Teach Us is not only the book of the year; it also sets the twenty-first century’s standard for travelogues.” — Flórián Farkas, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Eurasian Studies
“The Hidden Europe is a brilliant and insightful book. Francis Tapon travels for years visiting every Eastern European at least twice. What emerges is a travelogue on steroids. It’s profound, but has a light tone. You’ll learn much and laugh often.” — Amar Bhidé, Professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University
“Francis Tapon analyzes Eastern European economies, politics, and history on the one hand, and then he’ll share his linguistics woes and truly unusual escapades on the other. Somehow it all works, like a carefully (and often funny!) assembled jigsaw puzzle.” — Adrian Mihai Cioroianu, Ph.D., former Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs
“Francis Tapon is the master of taking highly complex issues about Eastern Europe and making them easy to understand and enjoyable to read. The Hidden Europe is a competition between profound insights and devilish humor. Either way, the reader wins.” — Marco Iansiti, Harvard Business School professor
