Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Hungary, the art of survival

Author: Paul Lendvai

Edition: illustrated
Publisher: I.B.Tauris, 1988
ISBN 1850431183, 9781850431183
178 pages

Four decades have passed since the collapse of the Third Reich, the Red Army's invasion and the 1947 Paris Peace Agreement's restoration of the boundaries imposed at Versailles, which deprived the Hungarian state of its limbs. Meanwhile, 3.2 to 3.5 million Hungarians have continued to live in four neighouring countries (Romania, Czechoslivakia, Yugoslavia, and Carpathian Ukraine) since the Second World War. The Hungarian question has become a political issue of the first magnitude in the Danube area, particularly in Hungary itself.

The principle human rights was formally acknowledged and spelled out in the 1975 Helsinki Accords on the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), signed by the leaders of 33 European countries plus the United States and Canada.

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Greece

Authors: Paul Hellander, Kate Armstrong, Michael Clark, Des Hannigan

Edition: 7, illustrated
Publisher: Lonely Planet, 2006
ISBN 1740597508, 9781740597500
772 pages

Greece is no longer a cheap country. Prices have rocketed since the adoption of the euro in 2002. It's hard to believe that inflation is less than 4%, as claimed by the government, when prices have risen by more than 50% in two years. Some dramatic price rises, particularly for accommodation and restaurant meals, have been evident especially in the wake of the 2004 Olympic Games.

Your money will go much further if you travel during the quieter months of May to June and September to October. Accommodation is a lot cheaper outside high season - particularly on the islands. You will also be able to negotiate better deals if you stay a few days. Families can achieve considerable savings by looking for self-catering apartments, shopping for food and drink at supermarkets and local produce markets and cooking for themselves.

Prices quoted throughout this book are for the high season in July and August.

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