Eastern Europe

 

One of the most interesting places to take coffee these days is Eastern Europe. As you’ve probably noted from other posts, I spend most of my time in either Prague or London, so let me introduce you to half of my home territory. Now, I know there are several definitions of 'Eastern Europe', so for clarity let's use my own! I'm writing in English, and most English speakers think of the former Soviet Satellite countries as Eastern Europe. Many of those countries now prefer to think of themselves as 'Central Europe', but if Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland et al are ‘Central’, it really doesn’t leave much of an ‘East’. Belarus, Ukraine... And Russia perhaps. But since identity is at stake, I turn to Slavenka Drakulic's comment on the matter that 'Europe is that which is not Russia'. So, East is East.  But the desire to be 'Central', and therefore at the very heart of 'that-which-is-not-Russia' is part of what makes the journey worthwhile to these countries.

Much has changed in the last two decades, but their new European identities were formed on ideas of 'Europe' as romantic as our ideas of them at the time. Just think 'Prague' or 'Budapest' and see how your mind wanders... Imagine then how 'Paris' and 'Vienna' must have felt to the East.  So there is a romantic ideal at the heart of the Café culture of Eastern Europe which may aspire to an idea of Europe much purer than our actual everyday experience of being European.

There’s also the pace of things out here, too. Perhaps it’s a post-product of communism, but there’s a slower, more deliberate pace of life in the East. There’s some definite contenders for ‘slow cities’ here. Some great architecture, no necessity to rush, a desire to be part of the romantic ideal that is Europa – it all makes for a flaneur's paradise. Yes, but can you get a good cup of coffee? Absolutely. I just got back from Ukraine and found a café there with varieties of coffee I haven't seen outside of Monmouth Coffee house in Central London. Transport links get better and better and if stag parties can get to Prague for the weekend, so can you. (Just head for a different part of town when you get here, that's all). For extended flaneuric explorations train is a great way to get around.

Leisurely and reasonably priced (sometimes downright cheap) it's the perfect way to trundle from city to city in search of good company and the perfect cup. I'll add transport details as I get them. Obviously airlines change their schedules as often as their menus, but I get the impression that the long distance train timetable in Eastern Europe doesn't change from one decade to the next. And as always, if you travel out here, do send in your impressions, recommendations and information and I'll incorporate it into the site. So dig in, dark pearls of the East await!

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