Sport Hotel Poiana Brasov

... which they are making into a sports arena. Sadly they are being faced with child protection problems and desperately need prayer to keep the home going and that they can carry on the touching work that they are doing. If anyone visits Romania I will happily take you to this place as I believe it is worth seeing what other people are doing in Romania.

... resort town. It's small and in a beautiful setting, and has a castle my guidebook accurately describes as demonstrating "jaw-dropping excess" as well as a much more appealing Art Nouveau-style residence designed by Queen Maria in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I love art nouveau, and I LOVED Pelisor Palace. It was so tastefully decorated and had some Klimt and Mucha paintings as well as the art nouveau touches.

I've also made a big ...

... of people around me. Brasov has a nice square with people just chilling out around it and a really nice relax vibe much better than Bucharest thats for sure. I took the cable car up to the near by mountain, I was going to walk it but was warned not to because apparently there are bears in the woods. The view from the top was nice looking down on the old town and it also has a Hollywood sign saying Brasov over it bit cheesy but it is a good sign to know where you ...

... ll give Brasov the benefit of the doubt and call it a street. The great thing about Brasov is that on my first night there (Sept. 9) there was a free concert in the main square. There was a large stage set up and seating for several hundred people. Turns out it was a great concert. It was the full Brasov Philharmonic Orchestra, so it was the real deal. They played what you could call the 'Greatest Hits' of classical music but it suited me just fine. They also had a few opera ...

... to the last day there would be a glitch --- No buses on Sundays! Luckily however, two fellow Americans and two Polish tourists at the bus station were also unaware of the scheduling so it made it a bit cheaper when the five of us crammed into a taxi for the 30 minute drive. Sometimes being the biggest has its advantages when you look at the others and say "I'll sit in the front". As we got out of the taxi upon entering Bran there was a definite "Disneyworld ...

... by the kitsch show bags and suspended in awe at the 17 year old work experience student dressed up as the famed vampire. So it should come as no suprise that after trekking through the freezing cold snow to get there (OK, OK we got the bus - but it was still cold at the bus stop) we were extremely dissapointed to discover that the castle was just a big house with no mentions of Vlad nor Dracula. Did I mention the house was open to the elements? This meant that ...

... well. I tested out my few romanian words on her and she laughed at my weak attempt. NoRoc is the word for good luck. She said i was saying No Rock. Then she said it, but i still heard No Rock. She said, no.. its No Rock. I said.. No Rock. She said no, its No Rock. I guess Im not getting the subtleties of the accent. Then we spent the last hour playing cards and chatting. Bianca came back in and sat in my lap. Rebecca, the other volunteer on shift, was playing as well and ...

ola! Survived the 19 hour train ride to Brasov, not as bad as it could have been! transylvania is a really cool place - gothic looking like its displayed in the horror movies and novels. There are loads of stray dogs that run in packs and roam the mountains. You can hear them howling at night! I loved it hear so much, and with a little coaxing from the girl that runs the hostel here I stayed an extra ...

... I scraped myself up the stairs into bed, basking in the glory of my sweep (he probably let me win, right?), and wondering how on earth I was going to rouse to actually see the city of Brasov before I left. Monday. I have become completely nocturnal in Romania. Fitting for Dracula country. Brasov definitely capitalizes on the vampire thing, with Dracula and Vlad Tepes kitsch for sale everywhere. However, Brasov is definitely a place to spend a couple days. The city is alive ...

... monstrosity. Central Bucharest is fascinating because it feels like a cut and paste scrap book of modern history. No need to visit a museum - take a stroll and in the space of an hour's journey you will pass through Parisian landscapes and past imposing grey communist-era apartment blocks and official buildings. And nestled in amongst the ugliness are brilliant ornate orthodox churches, old men and women pouring in and out for services at regular intervals. It is a treasure ...