I have been vegetarian for almost two years now, and I left America with really high hopes in regards to food. I thought that it would be easy enough to find vegetarian food all over, even if I had to make a few sacrifices here and there. I definitely wasn't prepared.
Language Barriers
Even in England I had this difficulty. At the train station in Leicester, the woman working at the coffee stand where I grabbed a quick bite to eat misunderstood my order and gave me a greasy meat filled pastry. The only obstacle in the West was being able to ask for fruits and veggies at the markets, which I found to be a very cool experience. Eastern Europe has definitely been the most challenging, though. There were many English speakers in Budapest, which was probably the most veg-friendly Eastern city. It was all downhill from there. For any vegetarians traveling in the Balkans, I recommend studying the cyrillic alphabet a bit before you come, or else you're in for a serious challenge. Many people don't understand "vegetarian," and looks can totally be decieving. Try to ask your hostel or hotel which restaurants have English menus, they can be lifesavers.
Misleading Street Food
Just last night I had a vegetarian nightmare... Kevin and I found this awesome pizza to go chain that has huge slices of pizza for about $1.50. The first time we shared a piece that was just cheese and brocolli, but when we went back for a late-night snack I ordered a slice that looked like it was just mushroom, and it turned out that under the cheese was mass amounts of shredded meet. It was so coated I couldn't even pick it off and had to give up. The thing tasted like it had been bathed in meat. Always look closely before making a choice, and when in doubt go for the obviously vegetarian thing. Sometimes you will luck out and the vendor speaks enough English, but don't count on it!
Cultural Differences
This trip has taught me that meat is a huge part in most European cultures. In Italy there are dead animals and limbs hanging all over the place, everything in Portugal is either meat or fish (seriously, everything), and vegetarianism is a completely foreign concept in the Balkans. This was especialy an issue doing work exchanges. I have been very fortunate to have hosts who catered to my dietary needs, but there have still been a few mishaps. I've had to eat my way around meat quite a few times, and it is important to remember to try to be as polite and gracious as possible.
Beware The Buffet
This sort of goes along with the warning about street food... Buffets are often unlabeled, and people are not often extremely willing to answer questions about certain dishes are. I accidently ate paté at apertivo in Florence because I thought it was bean dip. Making friends with locals is always a good idea, they can help you identify things and steer clear of meat-based dishes
