Wednesday Wanderlust – 10 Values and Attitudes of Central Europe

Home to some of the best beers in the world, Central Europe is one of the most culturally rich regions to explore. Check out these 10 values and attitudes straight from our guides!

  Czech Republic 

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  1. It is the reserved nature of the Czechs that visitors may notice at first, however emotion in speech is hard to gauge as Czechs speak in low tones and with a minimum of inflection.
  2. Czech has fewer names considered to be “acceptable”. Parents must submit the names they are planning to give to their child to a sort of ‘name police’ – a government bureaucrat – to determine whether the name is suitable. So you’ll probably meet more than one Petra, Jans, Zdeněk or Palvas. Czechs also do not use middle names so finding the proper for example; Radek Dolezal will be a challenge!

Croatia

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  1. Croatia is small but very diverse offering mountain scenery, seaside resorts and inland river retreats, as well as traditional culture and heritage monuments. Since everything is so close (within five to six hours of driving at most) weekends can be used to explore its natural beauties.
  2. Croatian people are talkative. You will see that Croats talks with their hands, face and body, not just the mouth – and don’t be surprised by how noisy they can be, particularly in the south where the mentality is characteristically Mediterranean.

Poland

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  1. Gift giving is customary in Poland, and it is common to give something when visiting someone’s home on a first meeting and for special occasions.
  2. If you are vegetarian, remember that vegetarianism is not yet as common in Poland as in many other countries. Therefore it is not a bad idea to check whether there are vegetarian dishes available when choosing a restaurant.

Slovakia

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  1. “Good morning” should not be used after 8:00AM, visitors who are accustomed to wishing someone good morning until noon will meet with a very different response.
  2. Greetings are important when entering a small or medium sized shop or when using an elevator in a block of apartments be sure to acknowledge the shopkeeper. Or your fellow elevator riders…

Slovenia

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  1. Who is a Slovenian? A Slovenian is a fluent speaker of Slovenian. In other words Slovenians define themselves through language rather than through blood, history or citizenship.
  2. Slovenians mean it when they say you should visit them some day. There is no such thing as a false invitation.

You can view our books in our Europe section.

 
 

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