The
richest selection of castles and manor houses are to be found in the eastern
states of former East Germany, followed by more eastern countries, like
the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and others. It has been said
that looking for castles in East Germany is equivalent to being like a
small child in a candy store…the opportunities are rich indeed but great
care is needed to make the right choice. This part of Europe is positively
saturated with recent and not-so-recent history, bordering on the old Austro-Hungarian
Empire with the great historic cities Prague, Vienna and Budapest within
easy driving distance from any of the eastern Germany states. After the
end of WWII and the introduction of the communist “Land Reform” laws in
1945, virtually all private castles and manor houses were confiscated by
the authorities for municipal purposes. The bare minimum in repairs was
carried out over the 40 some years of the GDR (German Democratic Republic.)
The situation became worse after the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989
and the end of Communism. Many historical buildings were simply left standing
empty and unattended for nearly 20 years, while others were sold to speculators
in the early 1990´s who mostly did nothing to prevent further decay.
- “FOR
SALE”: Old Castles in Europe
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Expat
Business Life In Budapest - One of Europes Great Destinations - Budapest
is on a Roll - However, in practice, we all
get drawn pretty quickly into a web of expats with their own newspapers,
bars, social clubs and - most importantly - networks. These groups are
not cliquey at all, and are actually very easy to join whether you are
just passing through or whether you are a new long-term resident. Budapest
is no exception to this rule. Since absolutely no expat speaks the local
language, and every one of the 40,000 expats speaks English even if not
as a first language, they are bound to get together, share experiences
and help each other out. This can be a very rewarding experience. Most
expats in Budapest are of working age - many own or have high positions
in companies here, others have fallen in love with the city or one of its
inhabitants and come looking for a job.
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“Strange
and wonderful” Budapest - Where the living is increasingly pleasant ...and
still very cheap - When living abroad, it
is important to see local religious and cultural traditions with the proper
reverence. This means that when the Hungarians parade a 1,000-year-old
severed hand through Budapest as they do each August to honor St. Stephen,
the founder of the Magyar nation, you should not drunkenly laugh among
your friends and scream out, “Dear God, they’re carrying a 1,000-year-old
severed hand through the streets of the capital!” You may think you’re
being sly, by screaming this in English, but the people of modern Budapest
frequently know English and a lot of other languages.
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On
The Road - Budoia To Budapest - For travellers
who miss the pre-EU border checks and passport stamps as souvenirs, a trip
to the edge of the Balkans should satisfy their nostalgia. On a recent
spur-of-the-moment, 5-day soggiorno intended to just explore the northeast
corner of Slovenia, after Ptju (pt-ooey) we decided to keep on going.
Budapest isn't that far. We somehow didn't notice the route we took left
us no choice but to cross into Croatia for a few kilometers, and then into
Hungary. The following are some road tips gleaned from making a 1500
km. odyssey into, around, and out of the Magyar Zone. Politics have
changed, but the old mentality and attitude lingers on in a lot of situations.
Switch off the naturally smiley, friendly American demeanor (with a language
barrior, economic, and cultural differences, this can sometimes be wrongly
interpreted as a lack of respect), and play the game. Give them what
they want and be on your way.
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Living
in Europe There's No Place I'd Rather be -
For many Americans the best fringe benefit of a relocation to Europe is
the opportunity for accessible travel through a continent with incredible
cultural diversity. Of course, there are the destinations that anyone on
a two-to-three year residency will have on their "must see" list, but few
people will return to the US without some village, region, resort or city
occupying a special place in their recollections of traveling through Europe.
Those who stay a little longer often have the chance to range a bit farther
and perhaps to form a long-term bond with a particular place. Clare Sievers
asked six prominent US citizens resident in Europe to share their thoughts
on a favorite holiday destination.
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A
Guide to Homologizing Your Car - Our tale
begins in Moscow, early in this century. My wife and I, American expats
working in Russia, were buying a house on the sunny, Mediterranean coast
of Croatia. At that time, before a much-heralded “reform,” a foreigner
wishing to buy real estate in far-away Croatia had to begin by sending
an application to the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the capital
city of Zagreb. After preliminary review, the application would be sent
to the Ministry of Justice for further review and then back to the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs for follow up review. The process took two to three
years, depending on how much “review” was needed. That was okay with me.
I knew that things take time in government. I had myself worked in Washington,
home to the world’s only superpower bureaucracy. On some days, I knew,
it could be very difficult to move a document out of the outbox of one
civil servant and into the inbox of another civil servant. That was a universal
truth. In Croatia, this truth came at you without mercy. At one point,
after a year or so of waiting, we got word from Croatia that our application
had reached the desk of the right Zagreb bureaucrat, but then the individual
got sick (or was transferred, or got pregnant, I can no longer remember).
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Roving
Capitalist Shares His Secrets of Uncovering Gold Mines
- Emerging market run-ups are being fueled by the trillions of dollars
trying to find a temporary home. When that home starts growing mold, the
trillions will pack up and head back to civilization (provided capital
controls don’t stop them at the border). We have a long list of solid companies
with solid management and sound business models that we are watching while
we wait for the right opportunity to buy. If we recommend something along
the way, it’s because a particular company or security satisfies our comfort
level. But right now so few do that we are buying gold and real estate
and husbanding cash for the big opportunity. Remember that the key to real
success is to be bold when others are timid and timid when others are bold.
Today, as we raise our field glasses to survey the investment and speculative
battlefield, our helmets are pulled down low and our knees are trembling.
We’re not just timid but downright cowardly. Our only boast is that we
have the courage to admit it.
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Beware
the Swinging Pendulum: Understanding Inflection Points
- As global speculators and investors looking to grow and protect our wealth,
we are constantly on the look out for shifts in the social, geopolitical
and economic landscape. As members of the Without Borders community understand,
we have recently entered a period of change that will prove as significant
as the end of the Cold War. This seismic shift is one of four central
themes we expect to influence every aspect of your and our lives over the
next decade or more. We call this shift the rise of the Politiconomy:
the hostile merger of politics and economics. In the western world, there
was once a clear distinction between politics and economics. During
the cold war if politicians were to even hint at state intervention in
the economy they were branded ¨pinko¨ and their career ended shortly
thereafter.
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Write
For Us - We welcome article & eBook proposals - We
are actively seeking articles, eBook manuscripts and reports - - EscapeArtist.com
publishes up to eighty new articles per month. In addition to articles,
we publish Books, eBooks and special reports. We are actively seeking
articles, eBook manuscripts and reports. We're interested in articles
on living overseas, offshore investment articles, travel articles &
eBook proposals - What we seek from an author is content. Content
and knowledge of the subject which entails that the author provide a worthy
road map of the conceptual territory. - Contact
us with your proposal -
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Luxury
Exchange In Croatia - 2nd home sitting empty? - Stop throwing your
money away to stay in a small hotel room! If you own a second home or vacation
home, you can now enjoy a week in a luxurious home for less than what you
would pay for one night in that cramped hotel room!
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Escape
From America Magazine Our Expat Magazine - is
filled with information about living oveseas, much of it written by expats
who have moved overseas. Our magazine provides real information on
what it takes to live abroad, including articles on international real
estate, asset protection, and a wide range of issues related to the international
lifestyle - In addition we have 1,000's of archived articles from
past issues free for the reading...
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Buy
& Sell - Online Yacht Broker - Boats Barges & Yachts for sale worldwide
- Barges in Europe - We also have articles in our article section on living
on Barges. - In the Yacht Broker Marketplace see Yachts in the Caribbean,
Ships, passenger ferries - If it floats on water it's in the Yacht Broker
- Buy or sell a yacht, sportsfishing vessel or sailboat - List your
boat for free! - Buy A Dutch Barage And Live On Europes Waterways -
Buy A Water Ferry And Start A Business - Yacht Broker Directory.
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