Romania to Roma

Paul and I took a sleeper train (my first) from Istanbul to Bucharest, RomaniaI wasn't all that impressed with Bucharest (as you saw with my last post). Here's a decent pic of the city....Here's some reason why I didn't like the city. Notice the electrical lines.Now have a closer look....And the lovely city benches....And the under construction metro entrance....Another train takes us to Cluj in Northern RomaniaCute little city. Paul and I were fighting off viral infections, so it was a good thing there wasn't much to see and it rained a lot, so we got to sleep in and cuddle under the covers. Big bad scary man!! Next we took a train to Sighisoara (not this one though! haha! this is for you Eli. I miss you!)And for MattMedieval Sighisoara (you'll see more pics from the top of that tower)

climbing the clock tower (one of my favorite shots)A view from the topThis little girl is a looooong way from home.I need a little comfortingA Princess Posing What goes up... We went to Dracula's boyhood home. I had to make friends with the guard.
Next we went to Brasov. There were only two rooms for rent here and the old lady, Lucy, who takes care of the place didn't speak any English, but she sure liked to talk anyway! This is the view outside our room. Paul and I went to Bran Castle just outside of Brasov. It was cold and rainy. The castle was okay.....

.....but this was the highlight of my day. I couldn't stop laughing at Paul in this (and I'm still not really sure why they were selling wigs outside of a castle).

Back in Brasov....no city is complete without out of work musicians Paul soon found out that somehow I always manage to spill... All in all I really liked BrasovOur final stop was in Sinaia....where the people were rude and there wasn't much to do. We had this whole building to ourselves...no kidding! (it's a ski resort)The weather was crap, so we did a lot of TV watching....but one day we did something most tourists don't get to do...I kicked Paul's ass the first game. Wish I could say the same for the rest.This was definately a highlight of Romania. Peles Castle, home of King Carol I. Unfortunately the fee for taking photos inside was too much to pay, but I've never seen anything like it in my life. There were weapon collections, art, stained glass that looked like photographs, gorgeous artwork, over the top furniture and upholstery. Really magnificent. Paul got to calling me his little turtle because my bag looks so big on me. So, here is a rare treat: the Romanian blue and black spotted turtle.Paul and I went back to Bucharest to spend the night before heading our separate ways...there are sad pics taken from the taxi to the airport, but I'll spare you the puppy dog eyes. While I feel confident traveling on my own, I miss Paul's company a great deal.

In Europe it's easy to get around. Hop on a two hour flight and poof! Roma!

First stop, ColossumNext, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
That night I met up with a great group of English kids. We spend the next few days wandering around the city together. They were a blast. (L to R) Rich, Tom, me, Paul, Hannah. Here we are at Trevi Fountain.
The Pantheon was one of my favorite sights in Rome. Pictures just can't do the interior justice.

And what would any city be without some flying rats?

A little mid afternoon gelato pick me up

Every major city has a few main characters. First you've got the 'performance artists'

There are always a few nuns and touristsStatues are a must (this one happens to be on the bridge of angels)beggars
bikes...

Throw in a few crazies and viola! Roma! Cool pic

I had to show the young ones I could keep up...

Vatican City....NO I didn't burn it down upon entering! In the museum some of my favorites were the modern art. Here's a little Salvador Dali

Just a few other peices....I took a lot of pics...

Finally, got a train to Naples and here's the first thing I did!

As you can see, I'm having a blast! As always, love and miss you all!!

Plans

Paul and I are in Northern Romania now...a place called Cluj. We're going to work our way south through the mountains and end back in Bucharest. We fly our separate ways on September the 19th. I'll be going to Rome and he's heading to Berlin. Flights are booked already, so no turning back!

So far Northern Romania is gorgeous! So beautiful and picturesque. I haven't taken many pics yet, but will post some as soon as I get the chance. I'm looking forward to exploring this part of the world over the next few weeks!

Pics part two

Here ya go....just the highlights again. Finally I found a good internet cafe with a decent internet speed. They're few and far between believe it or not. Please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors....I can't be bothered to fix them up!!

Me hiking the Samaria Gorge in Crete, Greece. It was 18k=approx 11miles. Yeah, I was hurting for a few days after that! Happy 31st birthday! In Paleohora, Crete. I got up early and did yoga on a beach chair and meditated. Birthday cake! I was really sick of Greek food...all of the menus were the same and there's just a ton of heavy food. The bakeries were out of this world though. Paul and I tried to rent another scooter for the day, but that didn't work out so well...we had to drive it back and keep stopping so it wouldn't overheat. Paul, the brave soul, tried snails. Blech. He got through about six (more than i could ever even think about) and then ate the rest of my dinner that I couldn't finish. I went swimming in a rocky area and fucked up my feet pretty badly. Sharp rocks!! My feet healed up in a few days though. These are the two worst cuts. Our favorite restaurant. We ate here every day in Paleohora. Paul and I went our separate ways....he was off to Istanbul, and I joined two girls I had met at a hostel in Santorini. I met them in Stalida, Crete....nothing to report there. It was terribly touristy. My least favorite spot thus far. This is the only worthwhile pic...me relaxing on a hammock chair. I had planned to arrange a trip to Italy while I was in Stalida, but decided to join the girls to Eastern Europe instead....starting with Istanbul. I was quite ready to get out of Greece and see something new. We took an overnight ferry from Crete to Athens, then a 22 hour bus to Istanbul.

As you know, Paul was in Istanbul and we landed up meeting up again. We like traveling so much together that he was sweet enough to hang around Istanbul a few more days to wait for me so I could join him to Romania. A little smoke from the hookahThe view from atop the hostel. Me in front of the Blue Mosque. I took a ferry down the Bosphorus which opens up to the Black Sea.I'm all shiny clean after my first Turkish Bath. First you sit in a sauna. Then they bring you to lay on a slab of marble (nude) and they exfoliate you, then scrub you down and massage you with tons of soapy suds. Then rinse, dry, tea....and poof! Good as new. More mosquesThe Grand BazaarHonestly, I wasn't as impressed with the Grand Bazaar as I had hoped. After a short while all the stalls started to look the same.....Turkish people are lovely. They all want to chat with you and know where you are from. They're really helpful, too. Istanbul was a bit more expensive than I had expected as well.

After a 22 hour train ride from Istanbul I'm in Bucharest, Romania.
So far from what I've seen of Bucharest....well, we won't be staying long. It's not very beautiful and there are tons of stray dogs roaming around....100,000 in fact. You can always hear them barking and cats fighting....and men yelling loudly in the streets outside the hostel. There are people walking around huffing chemicals from bags. We're headed off to the historical section now...hoping to see something redeaming. Next we'll be off to the Transylvania area to spend some time in the Carpathian Mountains.

Love to you all!!