Guesthouse Postavarului Brasov

... border he was going to take us to. Turns out it was not the border with Ukraine in the north but the border with Moldova in the East! He had been telling us how dangerous and evil Moldova was but we just didn't think anything of it. Eventually we got close to the border and he flaggd down a bus that was heading to Chisinau (the capital of Moldova) and put us on it. He had to pay the bus driver of this abnother 10 Euros but we were now sort of on our way.

... left a different impression.

Apart from the castle there is nothing else to see in Bran, it is just a street full of tacky souvenir shops, selling hilariously designed Dracula mugs and local cheeses, odd but true. We were glad it didn't cost much to get there but we did have to pay to bring in our camera. You get a better view of the castle from the road than you do ...

... the Ottoman Turks, and did not approve of Vlad Dracul's pro-Turkish policy. Vlad Dracula was granted his freedom following his father's death, but Radu decided to stay behind. In addition to learning of his father's demise, Vlad was also told his older brother, Mircea had had his eyes gouged out, and been buried alive by the boyars of Tirgoviste. While in captivity, Vlad had grown resentful, and vowed to have his revenge. The throne of Wallachia, which would have ...

... hill, it commands views over the surrounding countryside. Nearby is Spissky Hrad, the largest castle in Slovakia, and the Spissky Chapter, a strange but attractive religious settlement. Most important were the Tatras themselves. The base town, Poprad, is nothing to speak of, although if Tesco were ever to run a competition for the Tesco branch with the most attractive car park, Poprad branch would win hands down. Ten ...

... and admiring the unique Romanian architecture. We both especially liked the style of tiled roofs. Other than this there was really not a lot to do in the town since it is so small. This was not a negative thing after the fast paced city of Istanbul and it was nice to relax in our comfortable apartment. Day 3 We were finally able to sleep in on our last day in Brasov. In the afternoon we tried to visit the fortress that is located on a hill above the city, but ...

... were not too wet. One of the twins ended up with no long pants though but we managed to find a few odd sox around to try to keep his feet warm. (and yes, i changed a nappy. havent done that since Jamie and Brendan were babies.. 17 years. It took me 3 babies to work out how to do it right!) The nurses brought some milk in for the little ones and they just lie them down flat in the cot and lean the bottle up against the bars so they can feed themselves. When the little boy finished he ...

... rugs as gifts to the church, as gratitude towards God. Behind the church is a statue of Johannes Honterus (1498-1549). born in Brasov and known for being a humanist, cartographic publisher, and implementing the Lutheran reform in Transylvania. Here's an interesting tidbit: during the Saxon rule, the Romanian-speaking population was compelled to live beyond the citadel walls. They could only enter at certain times and had to pay a toll.

... is closed for visitors all the time). Neat building though. Big. The Archeological museum - some neat jewelry was there. That and a really big column, which wasn't as neat. We then walked through old Bucharest which seemed to consist of streets of shops selling wedding dresses. Kinda freaky actually. Next up - The Romanian Village Museum. I actually liked this museum as you could get the feeling of what life was like back-in-the-day in a Romanian Village ...

... the story of Vlad the Impaler, known to Bram Stoker as "Dracula". Vlad the Impaler had been a ruler who killed Turks and thieves by impaling them on spikes and then leaving them hanging in a spiky graveyard. He was very successful at cutting down on thievery, in the 15th Century. He got in trouble and lost power when his cousin betrayed him, making up the story that Vlad drank blood. I'd come to Romania, to Transylvania more specifically, in search of old villages with ...

... all over again. We were both interested in this program when PC Uzb. was telling us of our post UZ options. I am so glad we are both here together, as NGO volunteers, and she even lives in the same town with me. We will definitely be each others life-line in facing the first 5 months again...and of course, beyond this too! Have I mentioned that when we all get to our sites, after training is over, we will only have to live with a host family for 2 months ...