A Tour Through Transylvania

Peles Castle


Peles Castle Gardens


Colorful Sibiu


Carpathian Mountains


Transylvania fully restored my faith in Romania.

After one day in Bucharest it was seriously waning, and I would have been happy to stay comfortably ensconced in our hotel for the remainder of our trip.

Our original plan was to arrange an overnight trip into the wilds of Transylvania once we arrived in Bucharest, so with the help of our hotel's concierge, we happily drove out of the city a day later with our guide, Nic and driver, Igor (no, that wasn't his real name but since he said his real name was impossible to pronounce, he suggested that we call him Elgor, which jokingly became Igor - he cracked up every time we said it).

Before I go any further, I have to mention the obvious; What is the first thing that you think of when you hear the word Transylvania?
Surprisingly, the focus on Dracula wasn't as overwhelming as I thought it would be. Especially after living in the French Quarter of New Orleans and seeing all of the goth/Ann Rice fans/vampire wannabees taking Vampire Tours through the Quarter and the Garden District.

The tour groups that we encountered in Transylvania appeared to focus more on the historical figure of Vlad Tepes, not the fictional figure of Bram Stoker.


Though if you wanted them, there were some Dracula souvenirs to take home.



Bran Castle


Bran Castle


Sighişoara


Braşov Central Square


Sibiu Skyline


Various modes of transportation

The two day tour was action packed.
We visited beautiful Braşov, toured the very ornate and breathtaking Peles Castle and the smaller, charming Bran Castle, spent the night and morning in the stunning UNESCO World Heritage medieval city of Sighişoara and spent an afternoon in colorful and friendly Sibiu, the 2007 European Capital of Culture.

By the time we returned to our hotel in Bucharest, we were churched and castled and medievaled out. We'd climbed to the top of not one, not two, but three very tall church towers and had aching thighs. We'd spent a late night out in a happening little night club in the center Sighişoara's old town. We'd covered hundreds of kilometers and learned volumes of history. We were exhausted.
And it was worth every minute. Pin It

Photo du Jour - Here's Looking at You, Kid

Signature, eye-shaped dormer windows in Sibiu, Romania. Pin It

Dear Bucharest

Belle Epoque beauty


Dear Bucharest,

I wanted to like you. Really, I did.
I was excited to experience all that you had to offer and arrived with an open mind and a sense of adventure.

My disappointment isn't your fault. I can see that you are being mistreated. Your faded, crumbling beauty is still evident, despite the neglect. I loved your friendly citizens, gorgeous Belle Epoque architecture and beautiful churches.
You have such potential!
There were moments when I could see past the decay and ignore the atmosphere of organized crime that seemed to permeate everything. But they were brief moments.

I know that there are people who care for you and are proud of you. I hope that one day they will lovingly restore you to your former glory. You deserve to be cherished and looked after.

Unfortunately I won't be visiting again any time soon.
You and I just didn't "click."
However, I wish you all the best in the future.

Kind Regards,
Jennifer

Bucharest Old Town - apparently the road works will continue for years





Stavropoleos Church - interior, gardens and restoration still going on


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Photo du Jour - Classical Features

Handsome garden statuary at Peles Castle. Pin It

Photo du Jour - Peles Castle

A glimpse of Peles Castle through the forest. Transylvania far exceeded my expectations in every way.

More on that later...I just want to get back home to France first and I'm sitting at the airport waiting for my flight. Which is late. Which means that I may miss my connection in Amsterdam.

I have a feeling this is going to be a long afternoon. Pin It

Vidimo se kasnije...

or should I say la Revedere*?

After six glorious days in Paris with my sister I have a couple of days at home before leaving again to meet friends from New Orleans.

You'll never guess where they've invited me to join them this year.


Over the years we've spent time together in some amazing cities: Barcelona, Avignon, Milan, Geneva, Dublin and Lucca, to name a few. And there are so many wonderful European cities left to discover, I was expecting the choice to be spectacular.

So what did they choose? Or should I say, what did one of them choose and the rest of us are following along like good little lemmings?

Zagreb and Bucharest.
And we're even going to go spend a night in Transylvania. Possibly in a castle. (I'm still waiting for husband to tuck some heads of garlic into my suitcase)

I must admit, neither of them would have been my first choice.
Why not Rome or Lisbon? Oslo or Copenhagen? Budapest or Munich? At first I was a bit disappointed, but now I'm really excited. I have absolutely no expectations, and that is a good thing, right? Also, I'm traveling with three of the best people to explore new places with.

So, off to Eastern Europe I go!



*See you later!

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Vampires!

Did a bunch of spring cleaning yesterday and found this bottle of Vampire wine that our friends from Romania gave us. It is sealed in it's box somehow so we haven't opened it yet. I think we need a stake.

Or maybe it was never meant to be drunk.



Last night I was playing with our chihuahua, scratching his little belly, when I snapped this picture. He looks like a crazed vampire bat!

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