Our European Quest
Day 2: Where am I?
By CNN's Richard Quest
 |  Richard Quest (right) and cameraman, Woj Treszczynski. |
|
Story Tools
|
| | YOUR SAY | Send your comments and questions to Richard Quest at europeanquest@cnn.com.
Click here to read a selection of your replies.
|
|
(CNN) -- It didn't take long before we were having a debate.
As we were crossing the border from Austria to Hungary and then back across to Slovakia the argument began.
Were we in central Europe or eastern Europe? With my old cold-war schooling I was sure this was eastern Europe.
Woj, my cameraman, of Polish nationality, was adamant equally sure that this was central Europe and eastern Europe began some countries further away somewhere near Ukraine or the Belarus border.
So I looked at the map again. Of course he is right, geographically I am in central Europe -- but we have used the phrase eastern Europe as a bit of shorthand for a bygone era when we wanted to lump all the Soviet Union and its satellites into one basket.
And that clearly won't do anymore.
With countries like Hungary, Poland and the Czech republic in the EU it will probably become politically incorrect to use this old terminology.
So I am in central Europe today. But what happens when I get to the Baltic countries next week? Are they in eastern Europe? Help is at hand from Old Father Time.
The Baltic countries use Eastern Europe Time (EET), whereas those like Slovakia, Hungary and Poland (the old eastern European countries) are on Central European Time (CET), along with Germany and France etc.
It seems that when I want to know where I am, I should forget politics and simply look at the clock!! Debate Over !
Day two extra thought ...
The Sopron Hotel was born of a different era. The large dining room with its trestle tables, and even if it is now being run on western lines, the dark wood and dodgy plumbing spoke volumes of the country's past.
There was one charming notice in the bedrooms advising me that in the event of discovering a fire I was to go into the C corridor and shout "Fire Fire Fire," before calling the operator!
It's not that the hotel was uncomfortable or the staff unfriendly. It was simply a reminder that although many of these countries have moved to capitalist economies, there are still many nooks and crannies that remain to be swept and it is usually service industries that are high on the list.
Thankfully for my one night's stay I didn't need my lusty lungs in the middle of the night.
A final Thought:
Please keep your e-mail questions and comments coming. A selection appear on the Web site (click here) and I will answer them over the weekend and post my answers. The e-mail address is europeanquest@cnn.com
