Hotel Bradul Brasov

The train is about an hour late, killing our attempt to see Rasnov castle that afternoon. Instead, we explore Brasov. I had been expecting it to be well into the mountains but instead it is along a flat plain at the base of the mountains, much like Denver. It is a great mix of old town, good restaurants and bars. I treat myself to a really good bottle of Romanian wine (yes the whole bottle since Gustovo does not drink, as I found out).

... good (and cheap!) while Ally had a disappointing ice cream. I know, how can ice cream been disappointing? I hope to never find out.<br><br>Today we woke up and had our complimentary breakfast before crossing the street to the tourist office. It was closed even though the door was open and it was 10 minutes after opening time. After awhile we learned that today is a national holiday and everything is closed. Ally somehow sweet-talked the guy at the tourist office to give us a map after he ...

It's Monday, Thursday by noon I will be in TRANSYLVANIA for halloween. Last night I carved my pumpkin. After work today I will start packing and finish my costume. (practice makeup) I have been looking online and Brasov seems like a lively town. Some background info on Dracula: As you may well know, author Bram Stoker (1847-1912) based the title character of his 1897 novel Dracula on an actual human being, or should we say inhuman being. Even if you haven't yet read Stoker's ...

... Uherske Hradiste, which meant two tricky u turns. The site was interesting, but perhaps a bit more like the scout camps of my childhood than the modern facilities of today's super-sites. Nevertheless the owner was friendly and spoke excellent English, having spent time in Portsmouth and the Iceland of Writ, which we took to be the Isle of Wight. From there we climbed the hills and descended to the Slovak border ...

... and another girl about 10 months. We are only guessing that though because the nurses dont speak english so we dont know the names or anything about the kids. The nurses are so nasty though that even if they could speak english Im sure they wouldnt talk to us anyway. They are all such georgous kids. The oldest girl was romanian and the other 3 were gypsy. The middle girl was just constantly smiling. They nicknamed her Smiley. She honestly never stopped smiling... well except for one ...

... Its all hands on deck to pickle veges for the winter. Piri and her hubby have spent the last 2 days cutting, cleaning and packing veges in jars ready for bottling. On the bus I've noticed people randomly doing a sign of the cross very quickly a couple of times. I had the flu earlier this week so i started watching to see if it was when i coughed or sneezed. Finally last night someone told me its whenever they pass a church. Sure enough, today on the bus and in cars ...

... in Romania, as any Brasovian will tell you- and on overcast days the pollution from the city gets caught amidst the moisture. The city is actually quite nice, especially the Old Town section. To nurse our colds, Jon and I walked around the Old Town, saw what we wanted of Brasov, and headed back to the hostel for some green tea, dinner, and a rousing round of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. It was a helluva night.

... Florin pointed to one and said, "Grand Canyon." In the nights, I usually slept in my tent. On the fifth evening, I was tired, in a city, and I didn't feel like walking out and having to deal with bears. Now, "Canada Matt" McHugh, a guy who'd inspired my traveling, had instilled in me a rumor that churches will sometimes let you in for a night. I was beside the chuch when the pastor and his wife drove up. The pastor didn't seem thrilled that I wanted to talk to him ...

... of the Piatra Craiului National Park. I live in a house (log cabin), with some modern conveniences like a kitchen (minus microwave and dishwasher, of course), bathroom (with bathtub/sink/mirror/american style toilet!!!), no landline phone, but my host family has a cell phone, no A/C (but that's what windows are for), and TV (cable, baby!). I have a host mom, Monica, host father, Gheorghe, one dog, 2 cats, and many cocks and chicks. My bedroom is on the second ...