Slovakia

One of the most overlooked nations of Central Europe, Slovakia has always lived under the shadow of her more popular neighbor: the Czech Republic. For most Americans, the former country of Czechoslovakia somehow remains more famous than the Czech Republic or Slovakia today. Unfortunately, many further confused Slovakia with the Balkan nation of Slovenia due to the obvious etymological similarity. Even though I have yet to meet a single American traveler talking about their travel through Slovakia, the capital, Bratislava, is easily accessible from both Budapest and Vienna. We were deeply impressed by the beautiful Slovakian countryside.