Tammie Nelson

Tammie217

Tammie Nelson




Europe » Romania » Muntenia » Bucharest September 17th 2011

We were up at 7 for our last morning in our own personal "People's Palace", packed up, enjoyed breakfast and one last bit of free wifi ... and we were on the road by 9:30 It's a short walk (less than one mile) to the train station, so I argued against a cab. Carrie (she of the heaviest suitcase) said she would only walk if I would trade suitcases with her. We got our exercise for the morning, three of us carting heavy suitcases down Strada Aurel Vlaicu. Leslie was in the lead, with her light duffel bag :) We got to the train station with plenty of time; bought our tickets (now that we are about to leave the country, my Romanian is getting better), and managed to get seats all together. We proceeded to ... read more
Făgăraş Mountains
Piaţa Universităţii
Biblioteca Naţională

Europe » Romania » Transilvania » Brasov » Brasov September 16th 2011

A day with no Florin means we got to sleep late. Still up by 8:30am, and hit the road at 10am. I did not do any yoga this day. The plan was to take a cab to St. Bartholomew's church, then walk to the nearby bus station to catch the number 20 bus to Poina Brasov. We found a very friendly cab driver who spoke English. He said he would wait for us while we were at the church, then would take us to Poina Brasov for 30 lei. We decided to take him up on that plan. No sign of life at the cable car, so we thought our plan was not going to work out. Enjoyed a very tasty lunch on a deck at the base of the ski slopes, gorgeous views. Noticed a ... read more

Europe » Romania » Transilvania » Brasov » Brasov September 15th 2011

Got up at 7am, hit snooze which cut into my yoga time; did a bit of stretching and we were ready when Florin got here at 8am. Only Carrie and I for this trip ... we are the only ones who feel up to 1480 steps up (and back down) at Poenari. As Florin promised, the scenery was breathtaking, Bran valley ... mountains surrounding lush green fields with farm houses. Sometimes a single lonely house up in the mountains. Then through gorgeous little towns with pretty houses, chicken next to tombstone, cow next to a porch overflowing with flowers, women with scarves on their heads working in the yards. A woman walking a cow down the street on a leash. Families harvesting grass and assembling the haystacks. Families working fields of vegetables. Donkeys herding sheep. ... read more

Europe » Romania » Transilvania » Sibiu » Sibiu September 14th 2011

We have each settled into a morning routine. It's nice to have separate bedrooms and two bathrooms. Only one shower, tho. And what a shower ... it is a tiny stall shower installed in a corner of a small bathroom. It is a removable shower head, and we discovered that the reason it's removable is because it's otherwise impossible to get far enough away from the shower to rinse off. The shower stall also leaks very badly, so that when you are done showering there is half an inch of water on the bathroom floor. Conveniently there is a drain built into the floor for all this water. After returning I spoke to a friend who was in the Peace Corps in Bulgaria and stayed in similar but non-updated accommodations ... she says that in the ... read more
View of Sighisoara  from Tower
Colorful square in Sighisoara
Cemetery on the Hill

Europe » Romania » Transilvania » Brasov » Bran September 13th 2011

I was up at 7, feeling quite good -- considering how many empty wine bottles are in the kitchen. Short yoga routine, then breakfast, then shower, then got organized for our first day trip. We met Florin outside at 8:30; we had a surprise guest along for our tour. She was a very quiet young woman from Japan. Sadly, none of us can remember her name. The car is a smallish car but with a third row of seats. The Japanese girl was in the front passenger seat, three of us in the regular back seat, and one in the “back back”. Quite cozy. Today's tour is the “three castle tour”. We drove through a few small Saxon villages, and Florin explained how to differentiate the Saxon buildings and the Romanian buildings. Saxon buildings have a ... read more
Does not mean what you think it means
Secret Stair
View from the library balcony

Europe » Romania » Transilvania » Brasov » Brasov September 12th 2011

I slept very well; woke up a few times, but only enough to check the time then right back to sleep. I got up at 7:00 and did some yoga in my room; room is a bit cramped for the yoga mat, but workable. Leslie went to the supermarket, I wrote for a bit (yesterday's journal entry), and Linda and Carrie followed their usual morning travel routine; now that it is 9am, it is time to head out for another Brasov day! We walked to the old town, about a ½ hour walk --- it was already getting very warm even though it was still so early. None of us expected it to be so warm on this trip; beginning to realize I won't need those long-sleeve shirts and sweatshirts. The sun is strong; the temperature ... read more
Tower of the Black Church
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Black Church from the hiking trail

Europe » Romania » Transilvania » Brasov » Brasov September 11th 2011

Rooming with Leslie means early rising. :-) She woke up at 6:30 and opened the drapes. I got up at 7, and did some yoga while she went for a walk. It's a very pretty day, warm with blue sunny skies, so I started on the balcony, but the concrete was a bit hard -- I moved inside for floor poses. Leslie came back and at 8:15 we headed out together. We walked to Old City, which was completely deserted except for some unhealthy looking street dogs cleaning up after last night's revelers. It was fun to see the same place again, in the light. We explored a few more blocks than last night, and found an old Greek Orthodox church at the dead-end of a torn-up street. Today is Sunday so there was a service. ... read more
Biserica Domnească
During our morning walk
View from the train

Europe » Romania » Muntenia » Bucharest September 10th 2011

Three of us departed from Dulles at 8:45pm on Sept 9th ... flew through Heathrow, and arrived in Bucharest at 4:45pm Romanian time. We had very smooth flights; I slept many hours, and arrived feeling very refreshed. We got through customs easily and quickly, and Carrie and I were checked into our hotel by 5:30, with a 7 hour time difference. Door to door from Rob's house to the hotel was 17 hours. The taxi ride from the airport to the hotel InterContinental was very pretty, past parks, bike lanes, and many picturesque buildings. We drove down Bucharest's version of Champs-Élysées - complete with an Arc de Triomphe built after World War I. Our hotel is rather fancy, especially for the price. Every room has a balcony, all with great views. Our rooms are on the ... read more
View from the balcony

Europe » Romania September 9th 2011

Announcing the 2011 destination of the Literary Drinking and Travel Guild (LDTG) ---- Romania! Literary Itinerary: The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova The Dean's December, by Saul Bellow The Balkan Trilogy, by Olivia Manning They Were Counted, by Miklós Bánffy Embers, by Sandor Marai Kitty and Virgil, by Paul Bailey The Dead Travel Fast, by Eric Nuzum The Keep, by Paul Wilson Drinking Itinerary: Romanian beer Transilvanian wine Ţuică Travel Itinerary: Bucureşti Braşov ---> with many side trips Guild Itinerary: Weaver's Bastion in Braşov Guild Museum in Sighişoara ... read more

Europe » Italy » Veneto » Venice April 4th 2010

The Easter bunny came during the night, through that canal side window, I guess! The Italian Easter bunny brings giant hollow chocolate eggs with a toy inside. And a fabric chick with a zipper and chocolate eggs inside. And brought mommy dark chocolate with candied orange filling. I found a glorious machine in the lobby - for half a Euro it makes fresh cappuccino, espresso, latte, and several other types of caffe that I don't even recognize. Lockout for cleaning is 9:30 - noon, and we managed to be up and out by 9:40, not bad! I have been posting from my netbook in the Madrid airport . . . now out of time! Will finish in the USA.... read more




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