travel

Day 13: Ankle Breakers

Today is our only full day in Veliko Tarnovo, so we decided to visit the Tsaravets Fortress, previously mentioned.  We wanted to do it early, because today was supposed to be a scorcher (it was).

fullsizeoutput_1893fullsizeoutput_1895

The winding road to the large gate is not particularly strenuous, but the cobbled road is so uneven and wobbly that every muscle in my legs were tense and straining, trying to avoid any sort of ankle break.

fullsizeoutput_1897fullsizeoutput_1899

The Fortress gives you a pamphlet when you buy your entrance ticket, advising to not sit or dance on the walls, safety rails are rare, and beware of reptiles.  Ma was extra vigilant, making sure she didn’t step on/see any snakes (no snakes were seen, only little gecko-type guys).  In typical Eastern European fashion, there were not a lot of safety rails or safety features for that matter, having the kind of attitude of “if you fall off and die, it’s your own dumb fault.  We warned you.”.

fullsizeoutput_189afullsizeoutput_189bfullsizeoutput_189cfullsizeoutput_18a8

We walked to the south end of the Fortress, where stood Baldwin’s Bastion, then decided to ascend the hill, up to the Cathedral.  The only thing we saw there that sort of tainted the experience, were 3 janky animatronic figures, a king, queen and other (???), some armour that you can put on and a wooden horse that you can sit on and have your photo taken.  The animatronics looked like rejects from Kiev Disney.

fullsizeoutput_18abfullsizeoutput_18acfullsizeoutput_18adfullsizeoutput_18b0

We climbed all the way to the top and entered the Cathedral, the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Holy Ascension of God, and the interior and icons were like nothing I had ever seen – minimal, a few brass chandeliers, and most of the saints in black and white in almost a graffiti style.  Very different, very effective.

fullsizeoutput_18b2fullsizeoutput_18b3fullsizeoutput_18b4fullsizeoutput_18b7

After enjoying the view from the top, it was time for lunch so we began our wobbly descent.  We ended up at an outdoor table at a little restaurant where I had a Bulgarian must-have dish – Shopska salad.  The salad is cucumber, peppers, red onion, tomato and topped with cheese.  Essentially Greek salad.  But the cheese the put on it is delicious – not quite as salty as feta with less crumble.

After lunch we headed back to Samovodska Charshia to pick up any gifts or postcards that we were missing and just wandered until the sun got too hot.

fullsizeoutput_18b9fullsizeoutput_18ba

We decided to find some ice cream and a nice patio to enjoy it from, so we found this one that overlooks the river as well as the Monument to the Asen Dynasty, an interesting looking and dramatic obelisk and statues dedicated to some of Bulgaria’s ancient leaders.

fullsizeoutput_18bc

All of our feet, ankles and legs were getting pretty sore, so when we were finished eating our ice cream, we found a leafy terrace beside a fountain and enjoyed some libations.

fullsizeoutput_18bd

For dinner we went to an inn that came highly recommended on the internet, and again sat outside (this entire trip we have not had one single dinner inside) and feasted on chicken kebab, broccoli, fries and Turkish coffee.

fullsizeoutput_18c3

We headed back to our hotel, grabbed a couple of bottles of beer and headed up to the roof top patio to watch the Fortress light up and enjoy our last night in Veliko Tarnovo before heading east tomorrow, to the Black Sea.

fullsizeoutput_18c2

Day 12: You Say Goodbye, and I Say Hello

Today is my birthday!  This morning we were up early and ready to go to meet our driver Viktor, who was to drive us from Bucharest to Veliko Tarnovo in Bulgaria.  We met Viktor and his grey Passat wagon, and off we went, leaving Bucharest and Romania behind, heading for the third and final country on our trip, Bulgaria.  To say that Viktor is an aggressive driver is an understatement.  Not only was he fast, but he had a full sized iPad attached to his dashboard where he would respond to text messages and look at photos of his kids.  After 2 hours and falling into some sort of stress sleep, I woke up to us pulling into the hillside Bulgarian town of Veliko Tarnovo.  We thanked Viktor for the ride and not killing us, checked into our hotel, and went for birthday lunch, where we had beer, pita and kebab.

fullsizeoutput_17e0fullsizeoutput_1842

Veliko Tarnovo is a pretty town, architecturally very different from anything we’d seen so far on this trip.  The town is prized as it is an example of Bulgarian Revival architecture.  The town is built on the side of a hill, with Tsaravets Fortress on one end.

fullsizeoutput_184dfullsizeoutput_184efullsizeoutput_185dfullsizeoutput_185efullsizeoutput_185f

We decided that that afternoon we wanted to check out a street called Samovodska Charshia.  It’s an old time-y street filled with shops and craftsmen hawking their wares, as well as a few cafes.  Unbeknownst to us, this weekend is a Bulgarian national holiday (their Independence Day), so there were celebrations at every turn.

fullsizeoutput_1860fullsizeoutput_1863fullsizeoutput_1864fullsizeoutput_1866fullsizeoutput_1868fullsizeoutput_1869

As soon as we started researching where to go in Bulgaria and found Veliko Tarnovo, Ma wanted to pick up some handmade dishes.  There were so many to choose from, but she settled on some, and for myself I picked up a handmade steel pocket knife (I have a thing for knives) and a pair of hand stitched leather and sheepskin slippers (when I picked them up, the grim artisan looked at me and said ‘I made this’).

fullsizeoutput_186ffullsizeoutput_1879fullsizeoutput_187bfullsizeoutput_187d

There was music, food and revelry on every corner.  Everyone seemed pretty excited about the 3D laser show that would be projected at 2000hrs (I’m assuming a laser-Floyd type of production, showing the fight for Bulgarian independence).

For birthday dinner I wanted to try a restaurant called Shtastliveca as it purportedly has delicious food and a beautiful leafy patio, and sure enough it did – I had pizza margherita and a beer, Pa had pasta bolognese and Ma had chicken and baked potato.  For dessert Ma and I had the restaurant’s signature Biscuit Cake – a decadent concoction of marscapone and chocolate.  By the time we left, revellers were crowding the balconies overlooking the canyon, eagerly awaiting the 3D laser show.  We got back to our hotel in time to stand on the balcony and watch the fireworks (and I pretended they were for me).

fullsizeoutput_187e

Day 11: Bookarest

Today was our last day in Bucharest and our last full day in Romania, so we decided to spend the day tying up loose traveller ends in the city – the Palace of Parliament, and the Carturesti Carusel Book Shop.

We had seen many photos of the book shop on Pinterest and other websites.  Opened in 2016, the beautiful shining white beacon of book heaven boasts 6 floors including music in the basement and a bistro on the top floor.  We love books and book related things, so we were more than a little excited to check it out, and it did not disappoint.

fullsizeoutput_1785fullsizeoutput_1786fullsizeoutput_1787fullsizeoutput_178a

There were plenty of books in English, not just Romanian for us to drool over, as well as a whole wall devoted to one of my favourite things, stationery.  The shop was everything I wanted it to be and more.  I probably could have spent a whole day there, and if there was a shop like this in the Lower Mainland, I would go there at least once a week.

fullsizeoutput_178b

After getting dragged out of the shop, we headed across town to a concrete Communist colossus – the Palace of Parliament.  One thing I haven’t really talked about on here was Romania’s years behind the Iron Curtain under the brutal rule of dictator Nicolae Ceaušescu.  Under his thumb the country went broke and starved, all the while he was emptying Romania’s coffers into his selfish passion project, the Palace of Parliament.

fullsizeoutput_178cfullsizeoutput_178d

Ceaušescu ordered that 7 square kilometres of old town be demolished, including the national archives, several churches and synagogues and 40,000 people had to be relocated.  He insisted that only Romanian materials were used – tapestries, marble, wood, crystal.  Between 20,000 to 100,000 people worked on the building with several thousand dying in the process, some under mysterious circumstances.  The Palace is now considered the 2nd largest administrative building in the world at 3,930,000 square feet  (1st is the Pentagon) and the heaviest building in the world (I don’t know), weighing about 4,098,500,000 kilograms, causing it to sink about 6mm every year.  Because it’s only actually 65% complete, civilians are only able to view a small part of it.  We tried to get in for a tour, but were unsuccessful.

fullsizeoutput_178efullsizeoutput_1790

We decided to walk back to the old town and admired some of the faded glory of the city along the way.  Bucharest used to be known as the Paris of the East, but due to the extreme poverty that the city was subjected to, it is a mere shadow of its former self.

fullsizeoutput_1791

We found a delightful little ice cream shop called Emilia Cremerie and indulged (I had vanilla and pistachio and almond).

fullsizeoutput_1792fullsizeoutput_1794fullsizeoutput_1795fullsizeoutput_1796fullsizeoutput_1797

Our last activity before dinner and then locking ourselves in for the night was to check on the Stavropoleos Monastery.  It’s a tiny little Eastern Orthodox church with a little courtyard and monastery building.  It was built in 1724 and houses many sacred manuscripts and texts, as well as stonework, art and icons that were almost destroyed when the Communist government started knocking down churches.

fullsizeoutput_1798fullsizeoutput_1799fullsizeoutput_179afullsizeoutput_179bfullsizeoutput_179cfullsizeoutput_179dfullsizeoutput_179efullsizeoutput_179ffullsizeoutput_17a0fullsizeoutput_17a1fullsizeoutput_17a2

After a delicious dinner of kebab where I caught sight of my future husband (he is unaware at this point), watched an English bachelor party slowly descend into drunken tomfoolery and listened to an American blowhard wearing a shirt that said “I’m jealous of me too” talk NON STOP about women, girls he’s slept with, how to properly aerate red wine because “no one else knows how to do it”, what he would say to Bucharest to better their tourism scene, etc etc etc, we headed back to Casa DeCaigny to pack for our travels tomorrow, destination Bulgaria.

Day 10: If I Should Stay, I Would Only Be In Your Way

With heavy hearts, this morning we packed our things and spent as much time as we could in our awesome loft at Drachenhaus in fantastic Brašov before having to catch the train to our final destination in Romania, the capital city of Bucharest.  Seriously, if you’re looking for a place to travel that has natural and architectural beauty, lovely people, delicious food, good climate and VERY low cost, Brašov is the place to go.  I can’t say enough good things about it.

We headed to the train station and after dodging the gaze of some rather unsavoury looking adolescent males, we climbed aboard yet another train, pushing further east.  The train ride was mostly scenic – cut through the Carpathian Mountains with its green fields and babbling brooks.  Beethoven’s Symphony 6 – the pastoral comes to mind.  Clear of the mountains, the landscape is again flat, mostly farmer’s fields.  At 1600hrs our train pulled into Gara de Nord in Bucharest, only slightly less sketchy than the Gard du Nord in Paris.  Climbing off of the train we noticed a few regular police, some ERT looking guys as well as Gendarmerie escorting an older man and his wife off in handcuffs.  I really wish I knew what this guy did.

Anyhow, we got a taxi (apparently you’re better off using Uber in Bucharest, but we found that out later) and were dropped off at the pedestrian only old town, clacked our rolling luggage over the cobblestones and found our apartment for the next two nights, RedLotus Accommodation.  Our contact there, Andrei, was a wealth of info and led us up the 87 flights of stairs to our 2nd storey apartment, which is enormous.  We dumped our bags and headed out for some photos and dinner.

fullsizeoutput_172cfullsizeoutput_1744fullsizeoutput_1752fullsizeoutput_1756fullsizeoutput_1765fullsizeoutput_1766

A restaurant that both Pa and I had read a lot about is a place 4 minutes from our apartment called Caru’ cu Bere – “The Beer Wagon”.  Caru’ cu Bere is an old Belle époque beer hall with wood and stained glass décor and a beer recipe dating back to 1879.

fullsizeoutput_1767fullsizeoutput_1769

We grabbed a table outside and ordered beers from our charming waiter who advised that there was only 2 minutes left on their happy hour deal of buy one beer, get the second free, so Pa and I both ordered 2 beers.  Pa and I dined on huge, juicy t-bone steak while Ma had grilled vegetables and mashed potatoes.  Ma ended with apple strudel and Pa and I had some ice cream.

fullsizeoutput_176afullsizeoutput_176bfullsizeoutput_176dfullsizeoutput_176f

We went inside to check out the amazing interior, and ended up getting blocked in by traditional dancers.

fullsizeoutput_1770fullsizeoutput_1773fullsizeoutput_1771

Once we made our escape, we headed out into the cool evening and wandered the street for a few minutes before tucking in for the night.

fullsizeoutput_1777fullsizeoutput_1779fullsizeoutput_177afullsizeoutput_177b

Day 9: Once Again…Welcome to My House

Today we were up pretty early and out the door to catch a tour.  We signed up with Viator to see Bran Castle, Râšnov Fortress and Peleš Castle.  After a bit of a kerfuffle, we met our tour guide and driver Manuella (Manu) and the four others on our tour.  We loaded up the mini bus and were on our way to the town of Bran, where Bran Castle lies.

fullsizeoutput_16bf

Bran Castle was built by the Teutonic Knights in 1212 and belonged to various Saxon and Hungarian kings until the 20th century when Transylvania, Wallachia and Moldavia finally united to become the country of Romania.  The castle became a favourite residence of Queen Maria who spent a lot of her time there.

The castle is probably more famously known as Dracula’s Castle.  There is no evidence that Bram Stoker spent any time there whatsoever, but in the 1970s the Romanian Communist government discovered what a big money maker vampire-related things were, so they funded a bunch of research to see which castle beloved Wallachian monarch Vlad Dracula probably spent the most time in, and their findings (???) were that he probably spent the most time at Bran Castle.

fullsizeoutput_16c0fullsizeoutput_16c1fullsizeoutput_16c2fullsizeoutput_16c3

The weather was appropriate for the castle – some blue sky, by mostly rainy and misty.  Our tour guide Manu talked to us about the history of the castle on our drive there and how the Romanian people LOVE Vlad Dracula as he had the courage to stand up to the aggressive and ever-expanding Ottoman Empire.  She also explained his name, as he is known as Vlad Dracul, Vlad Dracula, Vlad the Impaler and Vlad Tepeš.  It turns out that his dad was Vlad Dracul (the Dragon) and as our Vlad was the first born son, his was known at the time as Vlad Dracula (son of the Dragon).  He wasn’t called Vlad the Impaler until 200 years after his death, and Tepeš is Romanian for Impaler.

We parked the bus, walked a gauntlet of cheesy chachki, trinkets and trash and climbed the steep, slick stone path up to the castle.

The interior of Bran Castle is not spooky or gloomy at all.  The decor was pretty tasteful and walls were all painted white.  We filed through a sunny courtyard, secret passageway (claustrophobics BEWARE), library and bedrooms.

fullsizeoutput_16c4fullsizeoutput_16c5fullsizeoutput_16cafullsizeoutput_16cc

Manu advised us that the best time to visit the castle is in November as crowds are the most thinned out and that in July and August it’s an absolute nightmare – people shuffle through so slowly the halls and passages become unbearably hot and stuffy.

fullsizeoutput_16cdfullsizeoutput_16cffullsizeoutput_16d0fullsizeoutput_16d1

After about 30 minutes inside we headed back down the hill to a trail crossroads where Manu said is the best vantage point to take photos.  By that point the sky had really opened up and we were caught in the downpour.

fullsizeoutput_16d2fullsizeoutput_16d3fullsizeoutput_16d5fullsizeoutput_16d6fullsizeoutput_16d7

We all loaded back in the bus and sped off to our second visit, Râšnov Fortress.  The fortress is about halfway between Brašov and Bran Castle, perched high on a hill and, like Brašov, boasts its own Hollywood-style sign.

fullsizeoutput_16d8

Râšnov was again built by Teutonic Knights in the 1200s and Romanians boast that it is the only undefeated heavyweight champion of fortresses (they don’t count the time in the 1600s when an Austrian ruler heard that fact, decided to conquer it out of pride, almost gave up, but then found the fortress’ water source and blocked it, effectively making the fortress surrender.  They say that it wasn’t technically conquered in “battle”.  Semantics…)

Anyway, we parked the bus again and climbed aboard a tractor headed for the top of the mountain.  On the way up we passed by a Dino World.  There have not been any dinosaurs dug up in Romania, it was just another money-making idea.

fullsizeoutput_16d9fullsizeoutput_16dafullsizeoutput_16db

Most of the fortress is in ruins or in various stages of deterioration, but we climbed all the way to the top over some jagged and precarious rocks for a pretty stunning view of the forested mountains around and green valley below.

fullsizeoutput_16dcfullsizeoutput_16ddfullsizeoutput_16defullsizeoutput_16df

After we had had our fill of the fortress, we hopped back on the tractor for the ride down the mountain.  Then we were back on the road, stopping at a gas station for a coffee and a snack.  Turns out gas station food in Romanian is really fresh and tasty and a popular place to get snacks, unlike the Russian roulette of “meat” and “sandwiches” and “sushi” that Canadian gas stations offer.

We then headed to our final stop, Peleš Castle, which was a 40 minute drive.  On the way, Manu told us about Romania’s relationship with their favourite animal, the European Brown Bear.  Romania is one of the only countries left in Europe where you can find a lot of wildlife, including bears, and they are very proud of that.  She told stories of how there used to be so many bears on Mount Tampa in Brašov that people were routinely getting attacked and that the bears would often wander into town looking for food.  They also joke about the “Brašov Friendship Test”, stemming from a bear attack a few years ago (two American students went hiking on Mount Tampa after 1800hrs, which is advised against, when they startled a bear and started running.  The bear chased them, and one of the students tripped and fell and the bear attacked him.  The other student came back for his friend, kicked the bear and got his friend to safety), as well as their bear sanctuary that rescues bears from circuses and zoos the world over.

We entered the town of Sinaia, a beautiful resort town, popular in the summer for the cool and refreshing air and popular in the winter for the mountains and skiing.  Like a Romanian Whistler.  There were stunning hotels and guests houses lining the streets, and at the end of a cobbled road arose the exquisite Peleš Castle.

fullsizeoutput_16e4

Construction on this Neo-Renaissance masterpiece was started in 1873 after King Carol the First fell in love with the alluring surroundings and fertile hunting grounds.  It took just over 40 years to complete and sadly King Carol could only enjoy the castle for a short time as he died a few months after construction was completed.  Eventually in 1947 the monarch of the time King Michael was forced to abdicate the throne and the castle was seized by the Communist government and used for government meetings and functions. After the Romanian revolution in 1989, the castle was deemed a heritage site and re-opened to the public.

fullsizeoutput_16e6fullsizeoutput_16e8

The castle boasts a lovely manicured gardens, complete with statues and fountains.

fullsizeoutput_16e9fullsizeoutput_16ebfullsizeoutput_16ec

We gawked at the pretty exterior until it was time to start the guided tour.  We don’t often do guided tours when we travel, and today was another reminder why we made that decision – although the castle was beautiful and well worth seeing, we hate getting corralled through, everyone together, most people rude or pushing or not following the rules.  Nonetheless we put on our blue protective booties, paid our photography tax and started shuffling through with the rest of the group.

fullsizeoutput_16eefullsizeoutput_16effullsizeoutput_16f0fullsizeoutput_16f1

Although I haven’t been to many castles, Peleš is definitely the stand out – sumptuous woodwork and elegant glass and mirrors highlight the rooms.

fullsizeoutput_16f3fullsizeoutput_16f5fullsizeoutput_16f7fullsizeoutput_16f8

There is even a beautiful two storey library with a spiral staircase and a secret passage (it’s the cabinet on the right, where the books look flush with the glass).

fullsizeoutput_16f9

fullsizeoutput_16fafullsizeoutput_16fbfullsizeoutput_16fcfullsizeoutput_16fdfullsizeoutput_16fefullsizeoutput_16fffullsizeoutput_1701

After 40 minutes in the castle, our tour of not only Peleš was done, but so was our grand tour for the day.  Manu dropped us off right in front of Drachenhaus and recommended a restaurant in the old town called Bistro de l’Arte for dinner.  We said our goodbyes and headed for dinner, enjoying our meals while watching the clouds roll in.  We got back to our hotel just in time to enjoy another thunder and lightning storm for our final night in Brašov.

 

Day 8: Whatever Happened To My Transylvania Twist?

This morning we woke to a huge thunder clap and a downpour – it was like Brašov was telling us that today was the day to do laundry.  Ma and Pa found a laundromat down the street and were prepared to stay there all morning, but a sweet little lady at Beta Clean told us to drop our laundry off and pick it up in an hour.  So we did.

Today we wanted to go up the mountain.  Mount Tampa has a cable car that takes you 3,000 feet up the mountain to a cafe with a view of Brašov.  Pa and I were keen, but Ma needed some convincing.

fullsizeoutput_16a3

We climbed aboard what probably is a Soviet era cable car made by Italians for a stuffy 2 1/2 minute climb to the top.  The view was great – you could see the old town, sprawled out as if in miniature as well as the valley beyond the city.

fullsizeoutput_16a6fullsizeoutput_16a7

Much to our chagrin, the cafe at the top were closed, so we decided to just head back down and find a cafe in the old town.  We found a bakery in the square Piata Sfalutui and had some snacks and drinks.

fullsizeoutput_16a8fullsizeoutput_16a9fullsizeoutput_16aefullsizeoutput_16ad

We noticed that the main square has a few stray cats – mangy looking but cute.  They don’t bother you when you’re at your table and they just sunbathe and stalk pigeons.

fullsizeoutput_16affullsizeoutput_16b0fullsizeoutput_16b1

Ma and Pa headed back to Beta Clean to pick up our clean clothes while I got some solo time to sunbathe with the cats in the square.

fullsizeoutput_16b3fullsizeoutput_16b5fullsizeoutput_16b6fullsizeoutput_16b7fullsizeoutput_16b8

For dinner we went back to La Ceaun because the food was so good and the waiter was so charming.  Pa and I had beef pie while Ma had duck on an unending sea of cabbage.  We also tried some traditional Romanian dishes – a spread made of sweet peppers and white beans, a strong yet smooth brandy and a plum dumpling for dessert.  It turns out our waiter has actually spent a bit of time in Vancouver and spoke fondly of sushi, Tim Horton’s coffee and poutine.

fullsizeoutput_16ba

After I got to snuggle a fluffy black puppy, we waddled back to Drachenhaus for an early night so that we can get a good night’s sleep for castle-ing tomorrow.

fullsizeoutput_16bb

Day 7: There Is a Reason Why All Things Are as They Are

This morning we woke up early, left the money on the dresser and bid adieu to our apartment in Sibiu.  We had breakfast in the Piata Mare, caught one last glance at the beautiful little town, caught a cab and were on our way to the train station.  Sadly, the train station in Sibiu doesn’t look (or smell) any better during the day than it does at night.  We found our platform and hopped onto our Inter-Regional City train, heading further east and deeper into Transylvania, towards the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains.

The scenery from the train was again beautiful – lush green fields and forests, shepherds tending their flocks and pretty little villages dotting the landscape.  At around noon we pulled into Brašov station, got a cab (the drivers are a little less Grand Theft Auto in Romania as they are in Hungary, but still on the aggressive side) and checked our bags into our hotel, Hotel Drachenhaus (means Dragon House).  Our room wasn’t ready yet, so we decided to hit the town and grab some lunch.

fullsizeoutput_1677fullsizeoutput_1678fullsizeoutput_1679

Brašov’s old town is magical – stunning architecture built in front of a back drop of a rich green behemoth called Mount Tampa that also boasts the town’s name at the top in grand letters, “Hollywood” sign-style.  There were sidewalk terraces and restaurants stretching out in every direction as far as the eye could see, and endless streams of people sauntering up and down the streets.

The concièrge at Drachenhaus recommended a restaurant called Sergiana, a labyrinthian cellar that offers up authentic Romanian fare, which as it turns out, is pork heavy.  Because I am not a fan of pork in general, I have the very flavourful chicken noodle soup.

fullsizeoutput_167a

We settled up and decided to head to the town’s main square, Piata Sfatului (Council Square), which is apparently the site of a lot of torture and the last witch burning in Europe.

fullsizeoutput_167bfullsizeoutput_167cfullsizeoutput_167dfullsizeoutput_167efullsizeoutput_167ffullsizeoutput_1680fullsizeoutput_1681fullsizeoutput_1682

The Piata is lovely – large and clean with a fountain in the middle.  We walked around it, ogled charming clothing boutiques and book shops, and enjoyed some iced coffee with Bailey’s in the afternoon sun.

Ma and Pa wanted to check out the laundromat situation, so I sat in the square and people watched, sipped sparkling water and took a few photos.

fullsizeoutput_1683fullsizeoutput_1684

When Ma and Pa returned, it was nearing dinner time and I wanted to try a restaurant I had read a bit about back home – La Ceaun.  It was easy to find as we had passed it earlier in the day and we quickly found a table at the outdoor patio section.  La Ceaun is Romanian for “Cauldron”, and all the main dishes are slow cooked from local ingredients.  Ma ordered the chicken pot pie and Pa and I ordered the meatballs in mushroom sauce with potatoes.  Our waiter, Raz, was delightful – funny and wry with a quick wit – and informed us that the meals would take about 20 minutes as they make them pretty well to order.  Pa and I indulged in several local beers and when our food arrived, it was everything we hoped for – warm, flavourful and hearty, enjoyed with street musicians playing our Transylvanian soundtrack as we ate.  We then ordered dessert, I had a latte and dad had an apple Palinka, and after paying the hilariously inexpensive bill, we headed back through the darkened yet still busy streets of Brašov to Hotel Drachenhaus.  We huffed it up the 4 flights of stairs to our loft suite – which looks exactly like the kind of place I would want to stay in in Transylvania – a spacious attic with exposed wooden beams with small windows facing Mount Tampa.

fullsizeoutput_1685

Tonight, I falls asleep with the Brašov sign shining through my window and the church bells ringing in my ears.

Germany, Day 21: Don’t Worry About a Thing

Today we headed out to the suburbs of Berlin, to the town that houses many palaces and a lot of charm (and apparently a really excellent film museum): Potsdam.  We went to Potsdam because Pa wanted to check out the summer palace of Prussian king Frederick the Great.  Frederick wanted a palace that he could go to to get away from the hustle and bustle of Berlin, so he had Sans-Souci (“Without Cares”) built in Potsdam in the mid 1700s.  Luckily for us, Potsdam was only a half hour on the S-bahn and a 10 minute bus ride away from Berlin.

_mg_8059_mg_8060_mg_8062_mg_8070

Sans-Souci is probably most famous for its gardens, and as we had little interest for the inside, we decided to forgo the 10 room interior and explore the extensive gardens with the fountains, temples, sculptures, woods and terraces.

_mg_8076_mg_8078_mg_8082_mg_8088_mg_8089_mg_8097_mg_8099_mg_8102_mg_8104_mg_8109_mg_8112_mg_8117_mg_8118_mg_8120_mg_8138_mg_8153_mg_8183_mg_8187_mg_8193

The gardens are extensive and we had to grab some shelter when a rain cloud rolled in._mg_8202

There was a wedding shoot being done on the grounds, so naturally I had to be a creeper.

_mg_8206_mg_8209_mg_8211

After spending several hours in the gardens and dodging the weather, we found a beer garden across the street so we had a delicious lunch of hot chocolate, beer and bratwurst.  We got back on the bus and S-bahn and headed back to our hotel to get a final load of laundry done.

_mg_8214

Dinner time rolled around so we hemmed and hawed and settle on a literal hole in the wall called Cafe Schwarz, a hip and vibrant place that serves all day breakfast and has an extensive cocktail selection.  We dined on scrabbled eggs, bruschetta, toast, beer, bitter lemon, apple strudel, banana cake and whisky before walking home and turning in.

Germany, Day 20: I Hear a Symphony

Today we woke up to a grey and dreary Berlin.  We had breakfast and decided that we weren’t really in the mood to get soaking wet and we still had a bunch of sights we wanted to see, so we read up on hop-on/hop-off buses and bought tickets – that way we could see most of the sights and get off when we wanted to.  We hopped on a few blocks down from our hotel, on the busy shopping street called Kurfurstendamm, known by locals as Ku-Damm.  We got seats on the top deck of the bus and off we went.  As it turned out, our commentator had an extremely dry sense of humour and we really liked him, so we decided to do one full loop on his bus, then when the loops started again we would get off at the sights we were interested in.

We all wanted to see a part of the Berlin Wall that is still intact and adjacent to an open-air museum called the Topography of Terror.  The museum was great – interesting and comprehensive.  I learned a lot about the Wall and the horrible division between East and West Berlin.  I was young when the Wall came down, too young to really know how much people suffered.

_mg_8023_mg_8025_mg_8032

The rain let up so we walked towards “Checkpoint Charlie”, a reproduction of the American/Soviet checkpoint at the wall.  First, it was time for a snack so we tucked into a coffee chain we noticed here, Kaffee Einstein.  We warmed up with hot chocolates, apple strudel and cookies and followed the kitsch towards Checkpoint Charlie.

_mg_8039

I’m not going to dwell on this for too long, but I have to say this is one of the cheesiest tourist traps dedicated to poor taste that I’ve seen.  They’ve erected a giant banner, one with an American soldier facing one direction and a Soviet soldier facing the other.  Two (what I presume) actors in American uniform stand there saluting with American flags and an array of Soviet hats that you can put on and have your photo taken with.  Incredibly, they also have “passport stamps” that people have actually had their passports stamped with, rendering them invalid.  Kitschy, tasteless, tacky, and nope.

_mg_8042_mg_8048

We hopped back on the bus and headed back to our hotel so we could make a decision as to where we wanted to go for dinner, as we needed to make ourselves look as presentable as 3 road-weary travellers could for our engagement with the symphony.

We picked out a pub translated into English called the Fat Innkeeper.  The food was good and the decor was entertaining.  We hustled back to the hotel, got gussied up, hailed a cab and headed towards Herbert-Von-Karajan-Strasse, where the Berliner Philharmonie stands, home of the Berliner Philharmoniker.

Going to see the Berlin Philharmonic was a big deal for me.  When we decided we were going to Germany, I started looking into tickets right away and marked in my planner when the 2016/2017 calendar would become available and when I could order tickets.  In April the calendar was released and in May I could order tickets, so I ordered 3 tickets for Saturday, October 1st, 1900hrs, Section Recht C, Row 10, Seats 1, 2 and 3.  We would be seeing Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck conduct Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8, Honeck’s specialty.  Finally, that day had come and I was buzzing with excitement.  The building itself is a work of modern asymmetrical art – seemingly randomly protruding balconies and M.C. Escher-like staircases.  Our seats were far back, but central and we had a full view of the orchestra.

img_4988

The auditorium quickly filled up and the concert started almost right on time.  The first half was a Fantasie from Dvorak’s opera Rusalka and then a few Schubert and Strauss lieder sung by a baritone with a rich voice.  The Fantasie was like magic, electricity through my body.  The Philharmonic was like nothing I had heard before – dynamics, phrasing, punctuation, emotion, warmth, depth – artistry.  I got goosebumps from my toes to the top of my head.  At one point, a single tear rolled down my cheek.

At intermission I checked out the gift shop and picked up some postcards while all the finely dressed concertgoers milled about, drinking their aperitifs and eating their pretzels.

The second half of the concert was Dvorak Symphony no. 8, one that I’m not terribly familiar with, but a fun one, and again, pure magic from the musicians.  It was the most exhilarating classical music experience of my life and I grinned the whole cab ride back and as I tucked myself into bed.

img_4989

Germany, Day 19: First, We Take Manhattan

This morning we got up, packed our bags for the penultimate time, ate some breakfast and said goodbye to Dresden, hopping on a train making its way from Prague to Berlin.  The train ride was a little different from our previous ones on the trip – because it was an EC (Euro-City) train, we got our own compartment, which I find to be one of the most romantic things in travel.

After 2 uneventful hours on our blue train we rolled into the enormous Berlin Hauptbahnhof at around 1330hrs.  We hired our cab and thankfully no one was killed on our 20 minute drive to the Charlottenburg area of Berlin.  We decided to go boutique for our last hotel on the trip and chose Homage a Magritte, a family run walk-up themed in the paintings and art of Belgian surrealist Rene Magritte.  The owner’s daughter Sofia greeted us and led us to our room.  The hallway walls are adorned with different paintings and themes of Magritte’s, and our room featuring Le Blanc Seing.  We then grabbed our necessities and hit the town.

The area of Charlottenburg is beautiful – long streets and laneways lined with cafes, boutiques, coffee shops, restaurants, book shops (one coffee/stationery combination shop!) and all very nearby to the s-bahn (like German skytrain) station of Savigny.  We had some soup and sandwiches at a nearby cafe and then headed for Unter Den Linden.

I have been so excited to see the Brandenburg Gate for a while now – I just think it’s the most powerful and poetic landmarks, the four horses, chariot and Lady of Peace bursting off the top.  I was ecstatic to finally see it, be near it, take photos of it.  I was, however, a little disappointed that a giant protest was happening almost right in front of it, and that you weren’t allowed to walk through.  It turns out, Berlin is also hosting German Reunification festivities and have roped off that part.

_mg_7960_mg_7973_mg_7975_mg_7979_mg_7983_mg_7990

The moved on and decided to peak at the Reichstag, Germany’s parliament.  Beside the building, was this touching monument, a memorial to the politicians murdered by Hitler.  Each of the 96 stones lists the memorialized’s name, dates, which party they were with and where they died.

_mg_7991_mg_7997

We then had a sit on the broad lawn in front of the Reichstag, dodging photo takers and other protesters while finding a good spot.

_mg_8000_mg_8001_mg_8007

Pa and I decided it was probably getting close to beer time so we walked back to the bahnhof, not before looking at the memorial to those who tried to cross over the Berlin Wall.  We also got to witness some sort of drunken Russian homeless screaming match, but no one seemed perturbed so we moved on.

_mg_8009

Outside of our train station we found a cute looking pub with a beautiful leafy beer garden and tucked in – delicious Italian food, sublime desserts and cold beer were the name of the game and we indulged before taking the stroll back to our hotel.

_mg_8013