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Hey kids,
So, when Liz last wrote we had just arrived in scorchingly hot Brasov, where we ended up staying for four days. We stayed in a wonderful hostel, and met some really awesome travellers, and basically did a whole lot of nothing. My birthday was low-key and very relaxing (and thanks to everyone for the birthday props). We basically drank, and ate, and Liz somehow snuck out and bought me a chocolate eclair, which was delicious, and it was just a really good day. Oh, we also took a cable car up the side of this mountain that overlooks all of Brasov, and when we were up there, this weird, skinny, tall park ranger started following us. We had asked him to take our picture, which he did, and then he made us follow him up a hill onto this rock, where all three of us stood and in awkward silence took in the view. Then he started picking flowers, and we bolted. I don´t know why we naively follow people like that; I think it¨s some sort of Canadian politeness thing. Ugh. The next day, we did manage to rouse ourselves enough to go on a 3-castle tour, and finally saw *cue scary music* DRACULA´S CASTLE. To be honest, it was a little disappointing, but still totally awesome. It was just very...beige. And there weren´t any stakes or caskets or bodies lying around. Well, you can´t win ´em all. The third castle we went to, though, in Sinai, was fabulous and blingy. So Brasov was a huge success, and I already want to go back.
After a few days, we took a dirty, slow train to Sighisoara, birthplace of the real Dracula, Vlad Tepes. The whole deal with him is that he impaled people with a pine tree, but he knew how to do it without piercing any vital organs, so they would just bleed to death really slowly and beg for a swift end...which I think is way creepier than drinking blood. The town itself was very charming, but quite small, so we only stayed for a day. We mostly hung out in parks and read. And ate a lot of pizza, because Romanian food is severely lacking in deliciousness. The second night, we were taking a night train to Budapest, and had a whole bunch of Romanian lei left over that you can´t exchange outside the country, so we decided to find a corner store and blow it all on food and booze. Unfortunately, we underestimated how much we had, so when the lady was ringing it up, it came to more than we could afford, so we started pulling out a few things to put back on the shelves. This is normal in North America, but apparently it´s a huge faux pas in Romania, because the lady started FLIPPING OUT. She was, like, screaming and throwing our groceries around and yelling something about it not being okay in Thailand, so why would it be okay there (and she was not Thai. I still don´t get that part.) and we were trying to pacify her. I apologized, and she just kept yelling, "Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" at me, and it was so horrible and embarassing, and finally we just got the hell out of there. I wish we had just given our money to a gypsy or another traveller or something, but you live, you learn, I guess. It was kind of an unfortunate way to leave Romania, but the country was amazing other than that, and I strongly urge all of you to go before they join the EU in 2007.
So, we took a long night train to Budapest --met up with a guy we knew from Brasov along the way-- and we are staying at the greatest hostel ever. Ever. It´s in Buda, and just so well-run, and the people staying there are so funny and smart, and normal, and there are five or six of us who met in Brasov, so it´s been like a big reunion, and I never want to leave. We´ve been here for three days now, and haven´t even ventured into Pest yet, because it´s actually painful to leave the hostel. Yesterday a few of us did go to Szentendre, a small town about 45 minutes away, and guess what we did there? Two words: Marzipan museum. And: 2 m high white chocolate statue of Michael Jackson. Yeah, it was pretty awesome. And after, we went to a wine museum, and did a wine tasting, and then we all went for Greek food...such a good day. Today we´re going to hit the baths in the afternoon, and then maybe tomorrow we´ll finally explore Pest. We´ll be staying here for another three or four days, and then we head to Krakow, which is supposed to be incredible.
So, that´s it for now -- take care of yourselves, and be good, and wait with baited breath for our next installment...
Word,
Pia
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anonymous
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And what lessons have we learned from your foray into the wilds of Eastern Europe? At all costs, avoid weird park rangers with floral obsessions and, most especially, avoid crazy, abusive shopkeepers. Maybe you should stay in your hostel and read travel books. Just kidding. Sounds like you two are having a blast. Many thanks to you both for your detailed and always amusing travelblogs. They're the reading highlight of my week. - Mummy Dee