[mikeymike]

I've read seemingly every data sheet on these places that's been posted and I've got information overload paralysis....I had planned a trip for summer that ended up getting postponed and we're aiming to leave in about 3 weeks now. I've planned out the majority of my trip and other countries are already locked down so I have roughly 3 weeks open to spend in any one of these places Bulgaria, Ukraine, Poland or Hungary. I could visit more than one but figured more time in one place gets us a little working time.

Going with my cousin who as I mentioned in my previous thread is getting a marriage hall pass so priority is getting laid for him and can't say I'd hate it myself. Budget isnt a concern but we'd prefer our dollar work for us.

Neither of us speaks any foreign language that'll be any use in these countries. I tend to be thought of as Spanish most of the time and my cousin looks distinctly east Indian tho a westernized one so if that is a decided disadvantage in any of them let me know, not looking to bump head with loads of skinheads lol

From the data sheets I'm getting this sense..

Ukraine - good lookin girls, gonna have to throw money around but should be able to pick up.

Poland - good looking girls, less money driven, easier to pick up, competition can be weak but pretty used to being hit on by foreigners

Bulgaria - lots of english, quality isnt the highest but friendly in the capital and doesnt get a load of travelers especially ones with flava so could stand out a bit.

Hungary - good lookin girls, lots of competition, lots of tourists.


anything you guys can add as pros or cons to help make this decision easier? I have a pecking order in mind but if you have somewhat recent experiences in any of these places speak up let me know what you saw and experienced out there, your pecking order etc....my list looks like this at the moment...

1. Bulgaria
2. Poland
3. Ukraine
4. Hungary

[mikeymike]

while I'm at it...one more.... vs Moldova

I talked to a member here who suggested it might be too much for a first time eastern europeaner to take on but if there's enough good things said it might be worth considering.

[Statsi]

I've been to all of those countries, except your newly added moldova. You'll have a great time in any of them but since you want pros and cons.

I'd recommend you go to Bulgaria and Poland. Your lack of language skills will not play at all in the Ukranie, you need atleast basic Russian, not just for picking up girls but to survive. Hungary is an ace Country and Budapest is good fun, but it's very westernised and touristy.

In Poland I've been to Gdansk and Lodz. Poland is a great country for feminine fun girls, if you choose to come here just be open and friendly, talk to loads of girls and be willing to buy them a vodka or two. it's not the same as in the west where buying girls drinks is not good. If you get any trouble from the locals(I did in Lodz) just walk away, it's better to try a new girl than to fight a bunch of Polish dudes. Gdansk was better for day gaming due to the beach and sunny weather, they do amazing sea food here. If you are a day gamer and like to pipe line this is your place, easy to set of multiple dates and plenty to do. On the beach you will see alot of Big Polish guys, they have a military culture and with madatory military service you'll see plenty of muscles, be sure to work out before you hit gdansk. Lodz was amazing for Logistics, all the pubs and clubs are on the one street, get a room on that street and you are golden. If you pick up you are getting the girl home. be sure to visit Dachau is you get bored of all the femnine girls. For a club recommendation check out bedrooms, it's an amazing huge nightclub thats busy every damn day and has beds with closable curtains lining the upstairs walkway, ever got laid in a club before? Mark it off your list. The guys in Lodz dress sloppy as fuck so shirt up and you'll be classier than anybody out. Polish girls are great fun, you can just walk up to any group and start the crack and jokes. be semi open and you'll be fine, no need to alpha indifference or anything. Just say 'Hey I love your outift/hair/etc' then start talking away. Gentle compliments and an energtic fun vibe gets you far in Poland. When it comes time for the close be sure to pressure agressively and as tightly as usual though. I have heard from friends that Krakow is great for students, so if you and your friend are college age it might be your scene.

Bulgaria was a very touristy experience for me, I went to Sunny beach. If you choose to go to the capital you'll need to work out your own logtics and places to stay. Sunny beach is like any other tourist beach hotspot, get a place within walking distance of the strip. Bulgaria is incredibly cheap some 40p (65cish) for a half litre of beer, and this was in a tourist trap that is Sunny beach. You'll get incredible food and cheap drink aslong as you stick to the local dishes and beers/liquor, the mark up on imported alcohol is extreme so don't order a heiniken. Bulgarian girls are awesome, very affected and warm, even in public. It was not uncommon for me to see guys rubbing a girls crtoch through their pants/bikinis in the damn street. Noone gave a shit. It took me 3 dates with the same girl to get my Bulgarian flag, so maybe SNL are tougher over there, or maybe I didn't have the right game for the place. I got alot of LMR, but just rinse and reset like usual, weasel game is immense in Bulgaria.

Hungary is a strange beast, I visited Budapest and expected a fairly eastern european vibe but it seemed like a run down western city to me. Fairly inexpensive drinks and decent quality too. Staropramen and Absinthe are a good way to spend an evening. the hungarians I met seemed to have strong social groups, making it hard to break down and isolate girls. Catch a nap and have red bull any time you head out as you are likely to be invited back to after parties where you will need to outlast your girls friends in order to get the lay. The public transport system if great in Budapest so that will save you on taxis, and there is plenty of museums and historical sites to fill your non-game days. Hungarian girls are semi-western so run your regular tight agressive alpha game and you'll be fine, in particular cavemanning worked very well for me and my friend KD. The hungarians I've met have all been very clingy after sex, expect lots of texts and calls for a few days after.

Ukraine is a different planet from anything else I've experienced, hardly anyone speaks english so you will need to brush up on your russian if you stay in the west, or your ukrainian if you go to the east. Kiev has a great metro system, marshrutkas are cheap and regular. Taxis suck ass, be prepared to haggle. The girls are feminine and have great bodies. The Quality of the girls in Kiev seemed to be on some queer polar bell curve, they were either slavic with hairy faces or model good looking. Learn russian, I'm not kidding. Go see the burried monks, it's a unesco world heritage site. The accomadation was not as cheap as I'd hoped in the Ukraine, and there isn't really any set strip which was a pain. get a room near kreschatik and you should be alright. There are plenty of back packers in the Ukraine so you can always pick up western tourists if you get bored of insanely pretty ukranian girls. Expect alot of dishonesty, bullshit, and outlight lies from the local guys. They are absolute scumbags, everyone is trying to rip you off. It's a weird sensation. On the plus side they all look like crap, so you should definitely be better dressed, built, looking, and have tighter game than the locals, but fo you can't speak Russian passably I would still give them the edge. I didn't get my Ukraine flag in Kiev, though did sleep with a back packer. The friends I made in my hostel said the girls were very mercenary, that they would sleep with you, but they needed to be taken out alot, so that would be your dollars working for you.

I know nothing about Moldova, if you go specifically to game and pipeline correctly and take care of logistics(not an issue if you have the money your post implies) you will get your flag anywhere aslong as you approach like a demon. So pick the countries you expect to have the best time in and go.

[mikeymike]

wow, awesome post Statsi exactly the type of info I was hoping for. Confirms my readings that Poland and Bulgaria should be the front runners. What did you mean by weasel game, I'm not familiar with the term.

[Statsi]

Weasel game is saying or doing what needs to be done to get in her place or to get her into your place. Things like asking to use the bathroom, pretending you've lost your hotel key, out of taxi fare, missed the last train, hell anything that gets you and her in the private room.

[Brian]

(09-10-2012 09:35 PM)Statsi Wrote:  

Bulgaria was a very touristy experience for me, I went to Sunny beach. If you choose to go to the capital you'll need to work out your own logtics and places to stay. Sunny beach is like any other tourist beach hotspot, get a place within walking distance of the strip. Bulgaria is incredibly cheap some 40p (65cish) for a half litre of beer, and this was in a tourist trap that is Sunny beach. You'll get incredible food and cheap drink aslong as you stick to the local dishes and beers/liquor, the mark up on imported alcohol is extreme so don't order a heiniken. Bulgarian girls are awesome, very affected and warm, even in public. It was not uncommon for me to see guys rubbing a girls crtoch through their pants/bikinis in the damn street. Noone gave a shit. It took me 3 dates with the same girl to get my Bulgarian flag, so maybe SNL are tougher over there, or maybe I didn't have the right game for the place. I got alot of LMR, but just rinse and reset like usual, weasel game is immense in Bulgaria.

if you go to Bulgaria dont go to Sunny Beach, go to a city, probably Sofia, its really the only decent sized city. My experience w/the girls there was similar - banged a few Bulgarians but they all took at least 2 dates. Get an apartment and say you are moving there for work or something, otherwise it will be much trickier. You will get asked why you are there and how long you are going to be there for. For me I had a friend there and I stayed a few weeks so I didnt come across as a sex tourist. Also, I'd heavily recommend pipelining through facebook, mamba, badoo, or some other site - send out a message saying you are going to be in town for work for awhile and want to know the cool clubs or something, then go from there and try and get a meet up for drinks.

[mikeymike]

(09-10-2012 10:14 PM)Brian Wrote:  

if you go to Bulgaria dont go to Sunny Beach, go to a city, probably Sofia, its really the only decent sized city. My experience w/the girls there was similar - banged a few Bulgarians but they all took at least 2 dates. Get an apartment and say you are moving there for work or something, otherwise it will be much trickier. You will get asked why you are there and how long you are going to be there for. For me I had a friend there and I stayed a few weeks so I didnt come across as a sex tourist. Also, I'd heavily recommend pipelining through facebook, mamba, badoo, or some other site - send out a message saying you are going to be in town for work for awhile and want to know the cool clubs or something, then go from there and try and get a meet up for drinks.

yeah that's why I thought I'd stick to one place vs bouncing thru a couple especially leaning Bulgaria, I think it was one of your posts actually that convinced me that it wasn't gonna be one nighters so better to make it look like a legit move. I'll start some prelim pipelining see how that goes. Thanks!

[The Duke]

I haven't been to Moldova but I can say you can't go wrong with any of those choices.

(09-10-2012 09:35 PM)Statsi Wrote:  

hardly anyone speaks english so you will need to brush up on your russian if you stay in the west, or your ukrainian if you go to the east.

You got those switched. Ukrainian language in the West, Russian in the East and South.

I think you can do fine with only knowing English in Ukraine. It's a struggle sometimes, but the few girls who know English seem to like foreigners.

[Smitty]

(09-10-2012 09:35 PM)Statsi Wrote:  

In Poland I've been to Gdansk and Lodz. Poland is a great country for feminine fun girls, if you choose to come here just be open and friendly, talk to loads of girls and be willing to buy them a vodka or two. it's not the same as in the west where buying girls drinks is not good. If you get any trouble from the locals(I did in Lodz) just walk away, it's better to try a new girl than to fight a bunch of Polish dudes. Gdansk was better for day gaming due to the beach and sunny weather, they do amazing sea food here. If you are a day gamer and like to pipe line this is your place, easy to set of multiple dates and plenty to do. On the beach you will see alot of Big Polish guys, they have a military culture and with madatory military service you'll see plenty of muscles, be sure to work out before you hit gdansk. Lodz was amazing for Logistics, all the pubs and clubs are on the one street, get a room on that street and you are golden. If you pick up you are getting the girl home. be sure to visit Dachau is you get bored of all the femnine girls. For a club recommendation check out bedrooms, it's an amazing huge nightclub thats busy every damn day and has beds with closable curtains lining the upstairs walkway, ever got laid in a club before? Mark it off your list. The guys in Lodz dress sloppy as fuck so shirt up and you'll be classier than anybody out. Polish girls are great fun, you can just walk up to any group and start the crack and jokes. be semi open and you'll be fine, no need to alpha indifference or anything. Just say 'Hey I love your outift/hair/etc' then start talking away. Gentle compliments and an energtic fun vibe gets you far in Poland. When it comes time for the close be sure to pressure agressively and as tightly as usual though. I have heard from friends that Krakow is great for students, so if you and your friend are college age it might be your scene.

Statsi, +1. This input is golden.
You said the guys in Lodz dress sloppy. A friend who lives there told me the exact same thing. What style do you recommend in the Polish club? Will designer jeans with a nice shirt do it?

[Statsi]

(09-13-2012 08:23 AM)Smitty Wrote:  

Statsi, +1. This input is golden.
You said the guys in Lodz dress sloppy. A friend who lives there told me the exact same thing. What style do you recommend in the Polish club? Will designer jeans with a nice shirt do it?

Designer jeans and a button down shirt would put you in the top 1%, hell clean jeans and a designer t-shirt would beat what the locals wear. You will see guys out in what can only be the same tshirt they wore to their construction jobs. There was a night me, my brother and my friend D went out all in suit strousers, dress shoes, shirts and ties, not full suits mind. We had girls approaching us in the street asking where the party was.(Originally in Polish) It was bizarre. You will see impeccibly dressed girls with guys who have fallen out of bed.

[polish rumble]

(09-13-2012 12:16 PM)Statsi Wrote:  

Designer jeans and a button down shirt would put you in the top 1%,
hell clean jeans and a designer t-shirt would beat what the locals wear.
You will see guys out in what can only be the same tshirt they wore to their construction jobs.
You will see impeccibly dressed girls with guys who have fallen out of bed.

You are referring to Łódź right? I agree it's an industrial city, and majority of population is a working class, but you are exaggerating. I don't like Łódź a bit, but I can assure everyone that jeans and button shirt/tee are a normal basic thing, so don't BS about construction wear, it's not a third world, nobody's gonna eat that up.

Here's a photo gallery of Pomarańcza, probably the best night venue in town, check out the outfits LINK

[Smitty]

So is Lodz worth gaming for a couple months? Or better off in another Polish city?

[polish rumble]

(09-13-2012 01:13 PM)Smitty Wrote:  

So is Lodz worth gaming for a couple months? Or better off in another Polish city?

It's hard to give you unequivocal answer. As a native I can say that I don't like Łódź, even tho it has 700k inhabitants I'd still call it a shithole with a weak nightlife (worst than Poznań or Wrocław which are smaller), I think you will be bored after a month. But on the other hand it can be sort of undiscovered, it's not a popular travel destination, so maybe girls will respond better. Anyway If I was you, I'd choose differently.

[JJ Roberts]

I have been to all 5 of those countries in the last year and actually lived in 3 of them.

You need to be more specific about what you are looking for. Student party kinda city? Larger cities with more nightlife options but more tourists?

Ukraine has the better looking women but I would not say there is a vast difference looks wise. Ukraine is also the only one were you will encounter really significant language problems if you only have English.

If you want a challenge and the best looking women - Ukraine.

If you want less of a language problem and don't mind that there are a lot of tourists - Budapest.

If you want less tourists then go to either Sofia, Bulgaria or a smaller Hungarian city like Pecs or Debrecen which are both like mini Budapests with late nightlife and practically no tourists (and better looking women than Budapest). Both are student towns too.

Hungarian girls are quite guarded though and are hard to isolate unless you have been introduced via a friend / social circle.

Moldava also has no tourists so people will be very curious about you. Girls there seemed friendlier than any of the other countries too but it's tiny. You can see the whole of the capital city in one day.

Poland is a good mix of the best aspects of the others. Girls not so scared / hard to isolate. Hardly any language barriers. Cheap beer. Late nightlife etc. Girls not as friendly / curious as Moldova though and are kinda serious and not so fun.

Got to pick your city right though. For a beginner in the region Wroclaw and Poznan are good bets. Both are student towns and the students are arriving back right about now.

[Rick91]

Quality is high as fuck in Sofia. And its probably the cheapest place in Europe.

[Greek kamaki]

Bulgaria is the easiest country in Balkans after Romania.But it is more difficult than Poland or Ukraine.Hungary was in decline till the crisis.Now there are some opportunities.The issue Ukraine vs Poland has been analyzed extensively in many threads.There is no issue Bulgaria vs Hungary.There is issue Hungary vs CR vs Slovakia and Bulgaria vs Serbia vs Romania.

[mikeymike]

(09-13-2012 02:16 PM)JJ Roberts Wrote:  

I have been to all 5 of those countries in the last year and actually lived in 3 of them.

You need to be more specific about what you are looking for. Student party kinda city? Larger cities with more nightlife options but more tourists?

Ukraine has the better looking women but I would not say there is a vast difference looks wise. Ukraine is also the only one were you will encounter really significant language problems if you only have English.

If you want a challenge and the best looking women - Ukraine.

If you want less of a language problem and don't mind that there are a lot of tourists - Budapest.

If you want less tourists then go to either Sofia, Bulgaria or a smaller Hungarian city like Pecs or Debrecen which are both like mini Budapests with late nightlife and practically no tourists (and better looking women than Budapest). Both are student towns too.

Hungarian girls are quite guarded though and are hard to isolate unless you have been introduced via a friend / social circle.

Moldava also has no tourists so people will be very curious about you. Girls there seemed friendlier than any of the other countries too but it's tiny. You can see the whole of the capital city in one day.

Poland is a good mix of the best aspects of the others. Girls not so scared / hard to isolate. Hardly any language barriers. Cheap beer. Late nightlife etc. Girls not as friendly / curious as Moldova though and are kinda serious and not so fun.

Got to pick your city right though. For a beginner in the region Wroclaw and Poznan are good bets. Both are student towns and the students are arriving back right about now.

I don't think either of us can pass for students we definitely look 26-28 but we'd definitely be looking at options in the 18-25 range so student areas might not be a bad thing. We don't want somewhere overly touristy we're getting that when we go to Spain and Italy so we wanted to go somewhere where we wouldn't be running into more versions of ourselves. Good nightlife is a major plus.

Ukraine I think we can all but rule out, with just under a month to spend there I don't want to waste days battling the language barrier. I'll practice my Russian and build up to a trip there in time. Hungary also sounds like it might be work and we'd be in another tourist hotbed so write that off too I think.

Moldova interests me as it's way off the beaten path, did you find that they spoke good english? or enough to get by anyway. Aside from gaming if we can see the capital in one day are we gonna be bored out of our skulls waiting to party every night or will we find enough to do to occupy our times?

you mentioned that Polish women tended to be serious and not so fun, I found that with Russian women and it drove me nuts, going thru conversations without cracking a smile or a joke is painful. How do Bulgarian women compare in that regard?

[tiggaling]

I can also vouch for quality in Bulgaria. But really, at the end of the day, it is about what culture vibes for you, where you prefer to be and how the girls respond to you. You can just arrive in a country and it might not work out for you, just because you personally really don't resonate with that country and its females.

I travelled through a lot of eastern europe last year and found Bulgaria and Serbia to be places where I found the women to be most responsive to me.

I found Romanian girls intriguing, but I didn't really like it very much there so didn't stay long. Whereas, I love Serbia and really enjoy being there. Croatia I don't really like being there and I find the girls to be cold. Bulgaria I found a bit sketchy but ok.

I'm in Poland atm, and these girls really are shy and I am finding the quality to be a bit lacking. In Belgrade, you walk down a street in the day and see what seems to be 10 8-9's in an hour. Here in Warsaw, it might be 2-3 in an hour, if that. It is ok here, not as sketchy as Bulgaria, but Bulgarian girls can be very sexy and down to earth.

btw, I guess it depends on what Russian you meet and where... there are the overly "serious" one's, but the one's I am interested in, generally are a bit outgoing, and have a quirky sense of humour.

[mikeymike]

(09-13-2012 06:00 PM)tiggaling Wrote:  

I can also vouch for quality in Bulgaria. But really, at the end of the day, it is about what culture vibes for you, where you prefer to be and how the girls respond to you. You can just arrive in a country and it might not work out for you, just because you personally really don't resonate with that country and its females.

I travelled through a lot of eastern europe last year and found Bulgaria and Serbia to be places where I found the women to be most responsive to me.

I found Romanian girls intriguing, but I didn't really like it very much there so didn't stay long. Whereas, I love Serbia and really enjoy being there. Croatia I don't really like being there and I find the girls to be cold. Bulgaria I found a bit sketchy but ok.

I'm in Poland atm, and these girls really are shy and I am finding the quality to be a bit lacking. In Belgrade, you walk down a street in the day and see what seems to be 10 8-9's in an hour. Here in Warsaw, it might be 2-3 in an hour, if that. It is ok here, not as sketchy as Bulgaria, but Bulgarian girls can be very sexy and down to earth.

btw, I guess it depends on what Russian you meet and where... there are the overly "serious" one's, but the one's I am interested in, generally are a bit outgoing, and have a quirky sense of humour.

my Russian experience isn't vast, mostly who I've met on vacation and those tend to be snotty spoiled princess types and they took themselves way too seriously, from what they wore to what they did, everything was about how they appeared to others, didn't matter that they were boring as shit to me they knew they'd fuck me so I'd be happy in the end lol, very few were girls I'd spend a second with longer than it took to get the lay. Very large segment I haven't met so it's unfair for me to stereotype them all.

Can you elaborate on the sketchy comment about Bulgaria...and you said Serbia is 9-10s roaming regularly, poland less so see 2-3 in a few hr span... is Sofia a drastic drop off behind Poland or close?

[rudebwoy]

I have been to Hungary a few times, I found the quality to be low. However these girls are good in the sack so it might be worth a visit if you are there for awhile, I would only visit in the summertime because alot of things are happening.
I would say Poland would have better quality women.
I hear Ukraine/Russia can be a tough place to navigate.

[Statsi]

(09-13-2012 12:55 PM)polish rumble Wrote:  

You are referring to Łódź right? I agree it's an industrial city, and majority of population is a working class, but you are exaggerating. I don't like Łódź a bit, but I can assure everyone that jeans and button shirt/tee are a normal basic thing, so don't BS about construction wear, it's not a third world, nobody's gonna eat that up.

Here's a photo gallery of Pomarańcza, probably the best night venue in town, check out the outfits LINK

I'm using your gallery but I will try to look out the pictures I took when in Lodz. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4...=1&theater

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4...801&type=1

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4...805&type=1

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4...910&type=1

Sloppy as fuck, and these are pictures from as you put it 'the best club', plus they are the ones the club is putting up to promote the club. That gallery doesn't show any kind of style.

[tiggaling]

(09-13-2012 06:53 PM)mikeymike Wrote:  

my Russian experience isn't vast, mostly who I've met on vacation and those tend to be snotty spoiled princess types and they took themselves way too seriously, from what they wore to what they did, everything was about how they appeared to others, didn't matter that they were boring as shit to me they knew they'd fuck me so I'd be happy in the end lol, very few were girls I'd spend a second with longer than it took to get the lay. Very large segment I haven't met so it's unfair for me to stereotype them all.

well, you know, I'm more into the one's who read books, and do stuff with their lives other than be party princesses. Russian people are often very good conversationalists. Stay away from the one's who don't talk much and stick with the curious one's who ask questions.

Quote:

Can you elaborate on the sketchy comment about Bulgaria...and you said Serbia is 9-10s roaming regularly, poland less so see 2-3 in a few hr span... is Sofia a drastic drop off behind Poland or close?

Bulgaria seems much better quality wise, than my experience of Poland, which is Warsaw at the moment.

But, Bulgaria makes me feel slightly uneasy. People trying to rip you off. The vibe of the big guys.

Romania I found very sketchy. Dodgy. Never really felt comfortable there.

Serbian people celebrate life. Most of them have nothing. I always felt very comfortable there. People extremely friendly. Girls are not always as conservative as some people make out here.

For me:

1. FSU
2. Serbia
3. Bulgaria
4. Poland

Polish girls seem to lack confidence. I'm not sure I'd come back here again. But they certainly are nice.

Hungarian girls don't do it for me at all.

Czech and Slovakia. I just don't really vibe with the culture or the girls.

Romania. I'd be tempted to go back there, but not sure if it would happen. If so, it would be somewhere like Timosora.

[EU Explorer]

(09-13-2012 06:00 PM)tiggaling Wrote:  

I can also vouch for quality in Bulgaria. But really, at the end of the day, it is about what culture vibes for you, where you prefer to be and how the girls respond to you. You can just arrive in a country and it might not work out for you, just because you personally really don't resonate with that country and its females.

I travelled through a lot of eastern europe last year and found Bulgaria and Serbia to be places where I found the women to be most responsive to me.

I found Romanian girls intriguing, but I didn't really like it very much there so didn't stay long. Whereas, I love Serbia and really enjoy being there. Croatia I don't really like being there and I find the girls to be cold. Bulgaria I found a bit sketchy but ok.

I'm in Poland atm, and these girls really are shy and I am finding the quality to be a bit lacking. In Belgrade, you walk down a street in the day and see what seems to be 10 8-9's in an hour. Here in Warsaw, it might be 2-3 in an hour, if that. It is ok here, not as sketchy as Bulgaria, but Bulgarian girls can be very sexy and down to earth.

btw, I guess it depends on what Russian you meet and where... there are the overly "serious" one's, but the one's I am interested in, generally are a bit outgoing, and have a quirky sense of humour.

You are in the wrong city in Poland hence not seeing the best quality/ratios.

[tiggaling]

(09-14-2012 04:13 PM)EU Explorer Wrote:  

You are in the wrong city in Poland hence not seeing the best quality/ratios.

yeah, I have thought that may be the case - however, the capital is where I must be for now.

[Brian]

not sure where you were in Bulgaria where you felt they were trying to rip you off but I never encountered it. Be on the lookout for cab drivers though, some will try, but all in all its a pretty tourist friendly place w/o much in the way of scammers.