• 30 Countries in 30 Years

    There are birthdays and then there are BIRTHDAYS. And I’ve had some good birthdays. There was the year we threw an international spy themed party and I wore a fascinator. There was the year Boyfriend took me…

  • Wonder at the Mosques in Istanbul

    One of the things I adore most about Istanbul is its skyline. The waves of houses rising above the Bosphorus, the domes of the mosques, the spires of the minarets poking the sky. If there’s a view…

  • Exploring Romanian Castles

    I’m not that great at pre-trip research. Even though we had two Romanian castles on our itinerary, I was only vaguely aware of them, knowing that one is considered ‘Dracula’s Castle.’ And true, these Romanian castles might not…

  • Why Visit Transylvania? Postcards from Romania

    Looking through my photos of Transylvania for my recent post on Romania’s medieval towns, I found myself lingering over the pictures of the countryside, sighing as I remembered green fields, big skies, and the charm of Transylvania’s rustic…

  • Discovering Medieval Transylvania

    When we arrived in Romania I wary it was going to be a re-do of Bulgaria, but the electricity of Bucharest reenergized me and reminded me not to be so quick to compare countries, not even neighbors.…

  • Getting Caught Up in Bucharest

    My aunt and I had just spent a week in Bulgaria, winding our way on an organized tour towards Romania. To be honest, I didn’t know much about Romania, but I expected certain similarities to Bulgaria. Beautiful…