People first
Bran and Fundata Valley This was supposed to be a whimsical stop-off at the supposed setting of Dracula's castle, (based on the real more-gruesome-than-fiction warrior, Vlad "The Impaler" Tepeş) which just happened to be on Halloween. We were headed up from the flatlands of Bucharest, through the gates of the Carpathians, into Transylvania. Then we … Continue reading Circle of Friends–Part 5: Halloween at Bran’s Castle
On the road, we headed west and south from Toulcea. After a bit of GPS only guidance, I tried to find our place on the map book and eventually found it. The countryside had gently rolling hills and flat farmlands that stretched to the horizon. Farms were bigger here with fewer houses--there were times you … Continue reading Circle of Friends–Part 4: The Capital
We arrived near dusk, partly due to the fact that Romania had just changed to daylight saving time here, but I doubt that's what they call it. As the sky was turning grey and the winds picked up, Rebecca and I found a small restaurant on the second floor of a row of businesses near … Continue reading Circle of Friends–Part 3: Tulchea and the Danube Delta
Elena Opris welcomed with kisses and open arms.
The will of the people was inevitable, most people told us. It was building to a flashpoint, waiting for a spark. We retraced the steps of people 29 years ago to find out what were the elements that ignited the Revolution. (Some photos from this post are from the Museum of the Revolution Decmber 16-25 … Continue reading Romania’s Painful Birth of Freedom: Long Read
A hodge-podge of stuff not related to other stories
This was a day like no other. The wedding was filled with activity for us from the moment we got up, to late in the night. We have been in Europe for almost a month now, but the impact if this event hit us like nothing else! I took a lot of pictures and Rebecca wrote … Continue reading Adrian and Carmen’s Wedding
Someone's Following Us We were up at five am, in the lobby by six and opted to try our luck back at the Moxy for breakfast, rather than the paultry-looking offerings at the Hadrigan. My cousin, Cornel, had worked out a ride for us from Vienna to Zalau, the town in the north-western part of … Continue reading Someone’s Following Us, All Across Hungary
One delightful discovery along the way, was Iulia Pop. In planning for this trip, I had asked my sister's grandson, Drake Southwick, about people there since he had traveled to Romania about two years ago. I asked him for some contacts to help with planning our trip. One of the contacts he gave me was Iulia … Continue reading Austria, Part Three: Vienna and Iulia
Hallstatt Hallstatt was the only place we went simply because of Rick Steves. He says in his travel video, if there is one place you must see to get the flavor of an Alpine village, you must visit Hallstatt. It was on the way to Salzburg, so we planned one night there. By far, Hallstatt … Continue reading Austria, Part Two: Hallstatt, Salzburg, and Admont
Fridaes' Adventures 