简介：MichaelPalinexploresthecountriesthatwere,formuchofhislife,hiddenbehindtheIronCurtain,andnowareverymuchpartoftheNewEuropeofpost-Soviettimes. 1-WarandPeace Countriesvisited:Slovenia,Croatia,Bosnia,Serbia,Albania InMedjugoreeMichaelencountersavisionarywhofirststartedhavingvisitationsfromtheVirginMary25yearsago.InDubrovnikhemeetswithlutemaestroEdinKaramazovwhomadetherecent'SongsfromtheLabyrinth'albumwithSting.MichaelendsthisvisitwithasheepsacrificewhichheraldsanafternoonofmusicandhospitalitytypicallyBalkan. 2-EasternDelight Countriesvisited:Macedonia,Bulgaria,Turkey MichaelmakesaremarkablevisittoGöreme,wheretherockshavebeencarvedtoformhomesandsomeofthemostremarkablechurchesoftheearlyChristianera.LeavingtheCappodociaregionbyballoon,hesailseasttowardsthebordersoftheNewEurope,whichifTurkeyweretojointheEuropeanUnionwouldincludeIran,IraqandSyria. 3-WildEast Countriesvisited:Trans-Dniester,Romania MichaeltravelsfromTransdniester,abreakawaystatefromtheRepublicofMoldova,totheVaserValleyinRomania,wherehejoins80lumberjacksastheyboardawood-firedsteamtrain.HefinallyendsupatBranCastleinTransylvania,theancestralhomeofVladtheImpalerandallegedhomeofBramStoker'sDracula. 4-DanubetoDnieper Countriesvisited:Hungary,Ukraine Michaeltravelsbyroad,railandriverthroughHungaryandtheUkraine,endingintheBlackSearesortofYalta.AlongthewayhevisitsBudapest's'HouseofTerror',aNationalParkinHortobagy,anareawhichAttilatheHunwasreputedtohaverampagedacross,andendsupmeetingaLeedsmarkettraderwhomarriedtheUkranianprimeminister'sdaughter. 5-BalticSummer Countriesvisited:Estonia,Latvia,Lithuania,Russia MichaeltravelsfromTallinninthenorth,throughLatvia,toLithuaniainthesouth,sailingintotheBalticfromtheRussianenclaveofKaliningrad,formerlyEastPrussia.InEstoniahevisitsapyramidhouseandsamplesthemedicinalpropertiesofleeches.InLatviahevisitsoneofthemostsecretiveplacesoftheCommunist-era,theastronomicaltelescope. 6-FromPoletoPole Countryvisited:Poland ArrivinginGdanskviacanal,MichaelmeetsformerelectricianLechWalesawhoformed'Solidarity',Poland'sfirstindependenttradeunion,whichledtothedemiseofcommunisminthatcountry.HeadingtoWarsawhevisitsthePalaceofCulture,Stalin'scontroversialgifttoVarsovians.MichaelthenmakeshisownpersonalpilgrimagetoAuschwitz. 7-Journey'sEnd Countriesvisited:Slovakia,CzechRepublic,Germany HighintheTatramountainsofSlovakia,Michaelskinsapig,andlearnshowtomakesausages.HethendepartstoBrnotovisitTiborTurba'sfamousmimeschool,whereheisaskedtomimeacockerel.TravellinginaDC3,usedduringtheBerlinairlift,hevisitstheislandofRugen,builtbyHitlerforhisKDF('StrengththroughJoy')programme.…