Saturday, March 26

More Travels with Lisa: Transylvania & Budapest!

Istanbul has its mosques and mystics, but Transylvania casts a spell all its own. With untouched castles, fortresses and medieval villages, its stories are preserved in amber. You quickly step back in time and discover why so many myths surround the place. We used the town of Brasov as a base to explore the region. Here we are in Rasnov, amid the ruins of a 13th century hilltop fortress, famous for never being vanquished by the invading Ottoman Turks. Now it's just vanquished by people like us. But first, who is Lisa?

The Rasnov fortress is perched high atop a calcified rock, better to spot those pesky Turks.

Lisa sweeps the snow from the stockade, just like in olden times! We couldn't leave without using one of the old stick brooms.

This ain't just any run of the mill 13th century castle...it's Dracula's run of the mill 13th century castle! In the village of Bran. Due to a fittingly haunting snow storm, we had it all to ourselves. Well, except for the castle's tour guides, who were all trying to sell us their hand knitted wool socks and the ghosts.

The forbidding entrance to the castle.

The haunted room, I kept getting an apparition in this room whenever I took a picture, no matter where I stood...spooooky!

The tower from which Dracula took flight as a bat...or maybe not.

Back in Brasov, the tower of the monumental Black Church, the largest Gothic church between Vienna and Istanbul, so named because it was once blackened by a fire.

The scenery gets alpine around Brasov in the Southern Carpathians.

Peles Castle in Siniai, right out of a fairytale, and considered Romania's most beautiful castle. We didn't have time or the right boots to trudge through he snow and go inside, unfortunately, but the castle has a poetry room with stained glass windows depicting Romanian folk tales, a gallery of mirrors and many secret passageways. We hope to go back in the spring.

Sinaia Monastery

Crosses dot the hillsides outside of Cluj, where we live, in northern Transylvania.

Babushkas and gypsies at Cluj's old world fruit market...

Sedra gets her tarot cards read.

And lest we forget, Budapest! On a brisk, blue sky morning. Budapest actually came first on Lisa's visit, but it's the place we shall end our little travelogue.

Lisa sort of fulfilling her dream of dancing with the gypsies.

Hey, it's me and my trusty hat! Above the city in the castle district.

Who can resist a festive Trabi?

Awe, come back Leese!