travel

Beyond Dracula leads us to Viscri

We woke to serenity in a small country town in Romania, called Viscri. It is tucked away off the main road that leads from Brasov to Sighisoara. Here in the still of the winter’s morning as the sun rises, there is only the odd horse and cart coming down the road. Awww – and a […]

Experiencing Baroque Brukenthal Palace Romania

  It is with sad regret said good-bye to all our new Romania friends we met over the New Year period at Biertan.  Meeting such lovely people has been a delight, but saying farewell, and never knowing if we shall see them again is one of the hardest parts of travel.  Romania has proven to be a […]

Served on a Bed of Ice

From the very first time I heard about the Hotel of Ice in Romania, I wanted to go.  I figured the hardest part would be to convince my nine-year-old son, but as soon as he saw their website, he was as keen as I was to venture up the snowy mountain-side, and spend a night […]

Prince Charles Secret Romanian Hideaway (not secret anymore)

We have been staying in the village of Viscri (Deutschweißkirch), where we discovered a secret!  HRH, The Prince of Wales owns a traditional Saxon house there. Here in this sleepy town of Viscri, there is no direct public transport, and the back road is a slushy snow track that we took for about 40 minutes […]

Visiting Sighișoara and Dracula’s birthplace

A blanket of white snow lays across the rolling hills and drapes softly on the boughs of the trees that form a soft arch as I drive through. The road has not been snow-plowed, so I am somewhat nervous, but I soon learn to take it easy, and just go slow and enjoy the journey […]

Medieval Romanian New Years Eve Celebration

This year we wanted a really special and traditional New Year’s Eve. We are in Transylvania, Romania, and to experience an event that will show us the real hospitality and Romanian culture would be amazing. So we were so pleased when we contacted Unglerus Medieval Resort, tucked away in the authentic village of Biertan, a designated Unesco World […]

Premier Luxury Mountain Resort Bansko Bulgaria

Each year on our world trip, just before Christmas, we take time out of our busy travel schedule to have a few days “family time”, where we relax and have some fun. This is our third Christmas away from the family I grew up with in Australia, and that alone can be tough emotionally.  So […]

Dracula’s Bran Castle for sale for $80 million

It is a cold crisp winter’s afternoon when we visit Bran Castle. The pond below is frozen in a crisp sheet of ice. As we wander up the hill, we hear this castle is for sale.  Want to buy a Castle for 80 million dollars? This looming castle is a legend, said to be Dracula’s Castle, […]

A Blind Bear with a Panic Attack

Three full-time traveling families got together and went on a convoy.  Our cars zig-zagged up and down the small country roads of Romania. Past the snowy slopes as children tobogganed.  Finally, we turned off on a long muddy road, and over a rattly wooden bridge. Our cars parked on a grassy hilltop, and we grabbed […]

Christmas in Romania for Traveling Families

This is our third Christmas away from our Australian family and friends, and we sure miss the traditions we remember back in Adelaide, South Australia. For us, Christmas always started in November.  We put up the Christmas tree and decorated it very early. We owned about 50 Christmas movies and we would watch one every […]

I get a new camera for Christmas

YAY – finally I get a new camera, and it is just in time for Christmas! It is a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V Camera from Media Galaxy in Brasov, Romania. We walked into Media Galaxy and it was packed with customers. All around people were madly Christmas shopping. It seems to be the same the world over […]

Visiting Brasov Romania for their Christmas Markets

Visiting Brasov Romania for their Christmas Markets We decided to leave Bucharest early and drive to Brasov to stay. On the way, my gut feel was to change the tires to winter snow tires and not just rely on carrying snow chains. It was Sunday, so it was amazing that I found a little workshop […]