Living across Europe for over a decade has taught me something most guidebooks won't tell you. While everyone flocks to Paris, Amsterdam, and London, I've found my heart belongs firmly in the East.

If you open your window on a quiet street in central Prague, the first sound you hear is the trrrrk-trrrrk-trrrrk of carry-on suitcases trundling across paving stones, as tourists walk to their hotel ...