From the Heart of Romania

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7/26/09
Austin:
It has been awhile since we last blogged, and we have a lot to update on. We have been traveling through Romania for the last two weeks. We went to the Transylvania Alps, near Sinaia, and braved the weather to hike to the top in very windy conditions. We also spent a night in a freezing cold Cabana at the top of the mountain. The views are beyond words in the beauty of flat topped mountains at about one mile high.
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We saw the most extravagant castle so far called Peles Castle. It use to be owned by the King of Romania. It has many fancy designs in the wood work and structure. The art was priceless. His collection of weapons is the largest in Romania.
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We went to Dracula’s Castle in Bran. It was not what you would expect for Dracula’s castle because it was empty and bare without blood stains. While we were there, we stayed at a hotel that was camp for families with all sorts of camp like stuff (tennis, pool, archery, climbing wall, camp fire, ect). My dad says that the prices were very cheap compared to US hotels.
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We also went to a medieval festival in Sighisoara which includes people fighting with swords and spears, and many people dressed in costumes of the past. The town is a medieval town with a citadel at the top of a hill, and very old houses.
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We are now in Sibiu, another medieval town near the mountains. Language barriers have been less in Romania, as about 30% of the people speak some English. Furthermore, the Romanian language is similar to French, which my dad can recognize somewhat.
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We are going back to the US in 11 days, and I can’t wait to get home and sleep in my own bed. We miss you all.
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Note: There are way to many photos with this blog, yet we just couldn’t figure which ones to not put in.

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