You should check whether I'm fluent in Russian before writing several comments in Cyrillic. I could answer you back in Spanish and French and send you to online translators, but since you speak English, why should we waste each other's time and increase the chance of misunderstanding each other?

Although I'm happy to have people comment in other languages, if they don't provide a translation (and I don't understand what they're saying), then I will delete it. Otherwise, these comments would become a mess with people writing in Arabic, Chinese, and Korean.

I'd rather everyone learn from your comments, so if you don't translate your comments in English, I will delete them.

I was in Kosovo a few months after that March 2004 incident. I wrote this article in 2004.

I revisited Kosovo in 2009. I met Serbs in Kosovo. Most are in North Kosovo. I talk about it in the book. I also talk about Camp Bondsteel in my book, including some of the myths about it. See http://ftapon.com/ee

Yes, it's a great source for the Serb-version of Kosovo's history.
Let's see if an Albanian will come along and point us to another biased version of Kosovo's history.

The Kosovo chapter of my book is 40 pages long--one of the longest chapters in the the book because I did substantial research on the subject. The chapter will disappoint nationalists on both sides of the fence, but objective people will appreciate it. Learn more about the book at http://TheHiddenEurope.com

Yes, I often camp without a tent or tarp. Nice to see the stars!

I hike El Camino from Oct 15 to Nov 10. It was perfect hiking weather - never too hot. It was chilly at night, but no below freezing. There were plenty of other hikers, but not as much as in the summer (from what I hear). I believe the busiest month is August, because this is when Spaniards usually have 6 weeks off and they often use it to hike El Camino. This is also the hottest time of year. In May it will be warm and there will be plenty of people, but you will not be the peak time. Buen camino!

See the answer here: http://francistapon.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f&t&...

Listen to this Lithuanian argue that Lithuania is in Western Europe:
http://francistapon.com/Podcasts/WanderLearn/Lith...

NYC Shrink,
Last I checked, this website's URL is FrancisTapon.com. Therefore, people coming here are coming to learn not just about my books, but about me. Yes, this site is all about me, me, me, because it is my site. If I go to DavidLevi.com, then I expect I will learn all about David Levi: your thoughts, history, beliefs, books, and even photos.

If you are not interested in me or photos of me, then leave. Easy! Yet some curious people are interested in seeing photos of when I was young. So I put pics of my parents (before I was born), baby shots, and yes, even these photos from 20 years ago. This page with my photos in my 20s has been visited 6,000 times.

As I wrote here (http://francistapon.com/About/Photos/): "I started this photo album 15 years ago as a way to preserve some of my early childhood photos in case my parents' house burned down. Throughout the years I've added a few more."

If you don't like it, sorry.

BTW, thanks for thinking that I was good-looking in my 20s. How do I know that? If I were a fat, 70-year-old man, you wouldn't be complaining about the pics, nor would you say that I'm trying to attract Eastern European women. So thanks! Come to San Francisco and I'll give you a manly hug. LOL!

Yes, six republics. I made a typo in 2004. I'll fix it now.

Belgrade is a fun city. I agree.

In 2004, when I wrote this article, there was still a fair amount of negativity against the Serbs in most of Europe. Most of Serbia's neighbors did not welcome Serbs (which is one of the main reasons the Yugoslav Wars got started - people just didn't get along). Albanians, Croatians, Bosniaks, and even Hungarians had a negative image of Serbs in 2004.

Fortunately, in 2012, things have improved dramatically - people are getting along much better.

Regarding grumpiness, I agree that Serbs are extremely friendly to Americans. I felt quite welcome. They have a great (and sometimes dark) sense of humor. Still, Serbs disagree with you about being full of smiles. Here's an excerpt of my book:

In 2010, Gallup asked the world, "Did you smile and laugh a lot yesterday?" There was a clear east-west European divide. All those in Western Europe (except Italy) had at least 70% of their population answering yes. All those in Eastern Europe (except Finland, Poland, and Kosovo) had smile/laugh rates under 70%. The worst in Europe, and second worst in the world, was Serbia (40%). Only Togo (36%) smiled and laughed less than Serbia.

It's remarkable that most of the next 15 spots after Serbia were taken by Eastern European countries. Sprinkled among them were countries that seem to have much better reasons to be crabby: Haiti, Ethiopia, and Congo. To illustrate how economic well-being is only loosely correlated to smiling and laughing, consider the top four in the survey: Costa Rica, Panama, Namibia, and Nigeria. Most people from those four countries live more modestly than Serbians (and many other people on the planet), but that didn't stop nine out of 10 of them from smiling and laughing a lot. Given the widespread Eastern European grouchiness.

You claimed that that there is "so many misleading info" in my book. You didn't cite the book, but this webpage. You found ONE error: where I said 5, instead of 6, republics.

The other "errors" you mention are not errors, but matters of opinion. Whether Belgrade is "not a bad city" or whether it is "an amazing city" is a matter of opinion, not fact. Same with whether there are "some" or "many" nice buildings. "Fortress" vs. "Castle" district is minor semantic point.

More importantly, none of these issues even appear in my book. It's simply more proof that you haven't even read it.

It's funny that my harshest critics have never read my book. Here's what those who have read my book, including many Eastern Europeans, have said about my book: http://ftapon.com/reviews

I agree with you. I sometimes used Lvov on this article so search engines can find it and some won't recognize it. But I use Lviv in my book. Here's an excerpt of my book, The Hidden Europe (http://TheHiddenEurope.com): />
Russians call it Lvov, but don=E2=80=99t call it that in this patriotic city=E2=80=94it=E2=80=99s Lviv. Just like St. Petersburg is Moscow=E2= =80=99s cultural and intellectual rival, Lviv is Kyiv=E2=80=99s competitor. The city reminde= d me of the Prague I saw 20 years ago. With a bit of renovation, it will live up to its name: the Pearl of Europe.

Until 1939, it had never been ruled from Moscow. Having escaped WWII=E2=80=99s destruction, Lviv is a living museum of Western architec= ture from the Gothic to the present. Its 750-year-old town, which has many Belle =C3=89poque buildings and a neo-Renaissance opera house, is = a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although commie monstrosities exist, the charming narrow streets and dazzling historic center make it Ukraine=E2=80=99s finest city and one of the best in Eastern Europe.
I arrived in Lviv early in the morning. To warm up, I climbed up to its highest point, the Vysokyi Zamok (High Castle). It=E2=80=99s worth walking by Lviv=E2=80=99s three impressive universities, its old town, = and the Lychakiv Cemetery, which is Eastern Europe=E2=80=99s most glorious necropolis.