Romania - looking for Dracula for Halloween

 It was my fault. I bought plane tickets to Romania. That caused it. A huge COVID infection spike. 

Debbie told us sisters that Romania had opened their borders and that she was going to go there for her school's fall break. I jumped right on that wagon. We booked a 3-day tour of Transylvania, and an apartment in central Bucharest. Ah, but you know that plans are made to be laughed at! The tour was canceled before we even left home, because hotels and restaurants were closing. Plan B was a one-day tour, on Sunday, when we had just arrived.

MrTripp is the tour group, and our guide was Alex. He picked us up at the Athenee Palace Hotel at 7:40 am, in a full-sized bus. We were surprised to have that many people going. We were from about 20 countries. Driver, George, kept us going until after 10 pm, when we were back home again.

First stop, Peles Castle. It is fantastic! The wooden carvings, the marble, the silks, all beautifully intertwined through 160 rooms. Stained-glass windows, art by European stars like Klimt. It was built between 1873 and 1883 by King Carol I. The weather was spectacular, with the towers scraping the blue sky. King Carol I was quite modern, too, installing hot and cold running water, electricity, and even showing the first movie in Romania in 1906 in his theater. As we walked into the Royal Library, I took a photo which turned out to be of the secret door! The Royals had to have some privacy to create heirs, after all.

Next stop was Bran Castle, where the Teutonic knights based their soldiers. Later, in the 1920s, Queen Marie stayed there. But in between, Bram Stoker decided that it was the perfect castle for his Dracula stories. It is full of narrow, spiral stairs, twists and turns, and is FULLY decorated for Halloween! Debbie and I skipped the torture exhibit and the tunnel of time, which were extra cost.

Watch an aerial view of the castle in autumn, as it was when we toured, here.

Fireplace - the first thing we saw

Garlic? Why would there be garlic?

I took so many pictures of the fall colors! Transylvania reminds me of Vermont in autumn; reds and golds everywhere.

Next stop - food! We enjoyed Brasov (bra' shov), since we hadn't eaten since really early. Tour guide Alex told us what Romanian food to order and which cafes had authentic Romanian food, so Debbie and I ate skinless pork sausages called (mi'tsi), a pork stew with polenta, topped with a fried egg, and Ursus, the local pilsner. Dessert was (papanosh), a deep fried doughnut construction, with the hole towered on top of the sour cream and jam layer over the doughnut bottom. Yum!

We were so interested in eating that we had only a little time for touring. Romania is another country which doesn't have collectible salt and pepper shakers, so I bought a wooden painted egg to go into my S&P memories display.

Council Square (Piata Sfatului)

A peanut tree, right?

Love the Hollywood-style sign

Our meeting place - Starbucks...

Dacia (dacha) is the Romanian national car

Crossing under those sharp, pointy towers into town lets you know that you are entering a realm where they could kill you for breaking the rules.

The next day, Monday the 25th, was when Romania really cracked down. Curfew at night, show your vaccination card to get into anyplace, whether stores or sights, very few people in the cafes... Debbie and I moved into the fabulous, historic Athenee Palace Hotel so that we could enjoy luxurious decadence. The English Bar, scene of debauchery and of spy meetings, was closed because of COVID. I was so looking forward to acting like a 1930s loose woman or spy! But they have a gym, pool, spa, and massage, so I made do. 

The only problem with sharing a lovely room, was that I kept Debbie up with my snoring. I found her sleeping on the floor in the bathroom! I guess that's what happens after you walk 23,000 steps. After that, I kept very well hydrated, asked for an extra pillow, and took a Nyquil before bed. Better.

As this is getting pretty long, I will put the Bucharest pictures into the next blog post.