Continental Gaiser Brasov

... so we returned up the street, and back towards the lady who was still waiting on the sidewalk.<br><br>It was a bit strange, but after some awkward, searching stares at the lady, she finally said something in Romanian. We took the fact that she didn't run from our weird staring as a good thing, and said the name of our guesthouse, which she enthusiastically acknowledged. She then went on to explain in Romanian...something...or other...but based ...

... journey as the buildings along here are gorgeous, especially Ateneul Roman (the grand concert hall) and numerous palaces which have been turned into museums. Another building on this road is the not so stunning but still historical Communist Party building where Ceausescu made his last speech before the fall of his government. Further up, the road turns into Soseaua Kiseleff which is said to have quite stately mansions and villas. Yesterday I had seen ...

&#1053;&#1072; &#1086;&#1073;&#1088;&#1072;&#1090;&#10 85;&#1086;&#1084; &#1087;&#1091;&#1090;&#1080; &#1080;&#1079; &#1041;&#1088;&#1072;&#1085;&#1072; &#1079;&#1072;&#1077;&#1093;&#1072;&#10 83;&#1080; &#1074; &#1056;&#1099;&#1078;&#1085;&#1086;&#10 74;. &#1051;&#1102;&#1073;&#1103;&#1090; &#1078;&#1077; &#1088;&#1091;&#1084;&#1099;&#1085;&#10 99; &#1089;&#1090;&#1072;&#1074;&#1080;&#10 90;&#1100; &#1085;&#1072;&#1076;&#1087;&#1080;&#10 89;&#1080; &#1072;&#1083;&#1103; Hollywood)

... stunning. Amazing carved wood wall coverings and chandeliers with Murano crystal from Venice. And a central vacuum system dating from 1910. You know how the world is such a small place these days, well I encountered that when I was at Peles Palace. I and the others from the hostel who were on this 'tour' (it was basically a guy who drove us around and told us we had at hour at each destination, we usually stayed more than an hour) were waiting for the next English tour to begin ...

... Brasovian. He met us at the Council Square. Then, we walked around town to visit the Black Church, White and Black Towers, the Weavers' Bastion, and Europe's smallest road (only 1.3 meters wide). We ended the walk at Revolution Square, where you could still see gun shots on the buildings around the square from the Revolution in 1989, were Julian gave us his honest opinion of the Romanian ...

... Romania* (*phrase being used with due cynicism) but its fairly clear all we would in for was a whole lot more quaint village life. Quite frankly, I need the odd murderous dictator or oppressive regime to break up all that happy farm life. Brasov was meant to provide some of that, as the home of Vlad the Impaler - also the basis for the Dracula legend. Except someone has forgotten to tell the folks at Bran Castle that this is what folks are trekking through the ...

... She didnt want to leave me to go and have lunch. She had a bit of a cry and a sulk and grabbed onto me and wouldnt let go. I eventually convinced her that i wasnt leaving and was staying the afternoon and managed to pry her off me. I had taken some little stickers with me. I took 10 packets of them, they are little stars. hearts, circles and things for sticking on your face like an indian bindi. I quickly learned to hand them around carefully. I pulled them out while i ...

... wij moeten dus om shovels heen door de modder ploegen (het heeft vannacht geregend) om die leuke kerkjes en torens te bereiken. En ze weten ook van geen ophouden, die Oost Europese bouwvakkers. Het is echt waar! 7 uur 's avonds, en die lui zijn nog steeds aan het werk... Het is hier iets minder warm dan in Wenen, maar nog steeds hebben we overdag niet echt regen gehad. Paar spetters zo dann und wann. 's Ochtends bewolkt, maar 's middags toch weer zonnig ...

... of pearl, Turkish silk etc) is dizzying." And they ain't kidding! All rooms are furnished in a style of a different country, and in the entryway alone there are 49 different types of wood. Not to mention, Peles was the first castle in Europe to have central heating and electricity. King Carol I built it in predominantly German-Renaissance style between 1875 and 1914. In later days, Ceausescu used the castle to entertain leading communists and foreign statesmen, including Ric ...

... a local expat magazine I picked up as 'the ******* of Europe'; a little unfair, though Bucharest, which was also described in the Lonely Planet as 'Paris of the East' is not the snooty poodle its French pretensions imply. At first sight, I could pick things that reminded me of Paris - faded elegance, though with more faded and less elegance. An overused phrase travellers have used to sum up three or four of the Eastern European cities we have visited is 'The New Prague' and ...