Though I was tired from Western Europe, I really liked Eastern Europe also. Hungary and the Czech Republic were beautiful as were its men. When I was there, the men were really nice, although many did not speak English. However, money filled in the gaps. I don't know if Austria is considered Eastern Europe (don't think so) but it is one of my favorite countries in the world. Unfortunately, I have not been to Russia so cannot speak about it. From what I have seen, the architecture and men are beautiful. However, I am not sure how conducive to what you may want to do the political climate is today.