Welcome to The Goulash Train

Want to know the ins-and-outs of getting around by marshrutka in rural Ukraine? Wonder what a train trip is like in Albania? Pondering the best hiking routes in Slovakia? Need advice on the best places to visit on a trip through Macedonia? This blog provides details, advice and stories of travel to off-the-beaten-path corners of Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans and Caucasus from someone who has lived and worked in the region for over eight years in Russia, Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic. I spend every free moment I have journeying to the most remote and unknown places in the region, and have now been in every country of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, save the Central Asian states (those are my next few trips). I get the greatest thrill out of finding a gem of a historic town or village that isn't mentioned in any of the major travel guidebooks. I also have a particular fascination for everything to do with the Carpathian mountain region - cultures, languages, music, history, traditional wooden architecture, cuisine and current political and social developments. I will start by listing some of my favourite places in the region that are little-known to foreigners, and start listing country highlights with photos soon.