Blogs from Brasov, Transilvania, Romania, Europe - page 5

Romania. Land of the old Romany gypsy woman, and home to count Dracula. Not a holiday or travel destination. At least this is what a close minded nitwit would say. If you’ve read any of my other blogs you’ll know that I’m a sucker for cheap deals. If Ryanair fly there, you can almost guarantee that I’ve been. The best way to see the world is to go to the most obscure places, get out of your comfort zone and discover the unexpected and downright bizarre. Romania, Transylvania to be precise. Land of mountainous ranges, caves and rivers. Also home to a number of ridiculously funky bars. Which is where we spent most of our time. My friend Chloe and I flew into Bucharest, on the airline I hate to love. When we arrived, I did ... read more

Snuggling with animals, that's how to get through a cold winter. Any time I get a chance to be near furry, fluffy, fuzzy, four-leggeds - and believe me, I relish every opportunity - I snag it up. This of course was not my intended volunteer job that winter, but it was certainly a definite perk! During the two winter months (mid-Jan to mid-March, 2014) spent in the middle of the Carpathian Range, the mountains outside Brasov, Romania, I spent ample time snuggling, cuddling and keeping warm, happy and fulfilled with the amount of snuggle bunnies I found to keep me company. Not one of them complained. There were plenty of non-snowy days, but each time I woke - after the snow silently fell in the night - I felt compelled to drink in the unbelievably gorgeous ... read more

V okolí Brašova sa nachádza pár pekných hradov (minimálne dva), ktoré sme sa v tento deň rozhodli navštíviť. Prvá zástavka bola hrad Bran. Tento hrad je veľkou turistickou atrakciou a každý kdo navštívi Brašov je povinný navštíviť aj tento hrad. Hradu sa prezýva "drákulov" hrad a to aj napriek tomu, že Vlad Tepeš (ktorý mal byť akože drákula, ale aj toto bolo len dodatočne vymyslené) tu nikdy nebýval a nič s týmto hradom nemal spoločné. V každom prípade miestne obyvateľstvo si zvolilo tento spôsob prezentáciu hradu a lákania návštevníkov. O tomto svedčilo aj plno stánkov v podhradí s rôznymi drákulovskými motívmi a tiež strašidelný drákulov dom (tam nás ani nenapadlo ísť). Mne sa hrad páčil kvôli samotnému hradu. Zariadený veľmi nebol ale bolo tam kopu malých chodbičiek a izbičiek medzi ktorými sa dalo prechádzať. Pod Branom ... read more

We woke to find Woolly ready for the day with garlic round his neck and a sirloin under his crossed paws, not quite sure that he understands bless him. Woolly says – Ian gave me a sirloin steak last night but I’m not sure how I’m supposed to drive it through a vampire’s heart? Anyway, I was prepared for anything and after numerous cups of tea and coffee I finally got Jo and Ian moving. The sun was out and it was already pretty hot so grabbing bottles of water – not sure if they were holy or not – we headed towards Bran Castle. Started in 1212 the castle has had a chequered history with residents including Vlad the Impaler and Her Royal Highness Queen Marie of Romania. It is most famous though through Bram ... read more

There were more “lucky” eggs in the morning, before our date with the big city. Brasov is the metropolis of Transylvania, but looked smaller than the 225,000 quoted population. It has had a mixed past. Kronstadt as it was known in German, it became Orasul Stalin for a spell in the 1950’s before the local Communist crew decided they could do without the Russians. The Huntsman ignored a very attractive gold dome church in the distance as we reached the outskirts of Brasov, before making his 1st stop at a more Saxon religious venue. The original German church had no striking architectural features of note, but the graves in the yard had plenty of Fritzs and Hermans interned in them. There were some with pictures of the “inhabitants”, one of which bore a striking resemble to ... read more