Eastern Europe Tour
Pete and I toured by train through countries no longer behind the Iron Curtain.
Pete and I toured Eastern Europe by train for a month, with the ultimate aim of seeing a total solar eclipse in Romania. We started in Poland and headed south through Slovakia and Hungary, finishing in Romania under a sky that went dark in the middle of the day.
Play the map — our path through Eastern Europe, 24 July – 20 August 1999.
A month by train, building to two minutes of total darkness.
Out from behind the curtain
A decade after the fall of communism, these were still young democracies finding their feet — a fascinating time to pass through by train.
The eclipse in Romania
The whole trip built toward one moment: standing under a total solar eclipse, the sky turning to night in the middle of the day.
Four countries by rail
Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania, strung together by train with Pete for company the whole way.
Tap a flag to open that country’s page.
