Cold War

A couple of nights ago, D was reviewing his European history lesson plan and asked me if we had traveled to the Baltic States.

My answer was 'Nope' because when we were still living in Brussels, that part of the world was still known as the USSR and was thriving under the Communist regime.

Later on (1995 - 2001), it never occurred to me to visit the beautiful countries of Eastern Europe.  Maybe because I deemed it wasn't safe to visit as there were still several restrictions in place. The newly independent countries still had to sort out their economy to make them attractive to tourism.

Now the only way I can 'visit' these countries is when they get featured in shows like The Amazing Race. Last night, they were in Moscow and shots of the Red Square were magnificent!  

Or I read personal blogs of people who have traveled to places like Prague, Latvia and of course Russia itself.  A few months ago, I also drooled over pictures of a friend from high school who went to Budapest, the capital of Hungary. 

Sights and scenery of distant places which now enjoy independence. It's a pity they took their sweet time to tear down their "Berlin Wall" or else I would have hopped on a train with my Eurail pass and soak in their ambiance.