Ripley Chronicle #3: Brasov 'n Co.

Feeling the love of a cool summer breeze, Brasov was greeted with open arms. I was overjoyed to see Mark join us for the last leg of our haul. He took the train from Bucharest and conveniently met us at Council Square where our beautiful hotel was located. As if we hadn't already been eating and drinking to our heart's content, we stuffed our gullets at a few spectacular restaurants worth mentioning: Keller's Steakhouse, Bella Muzica, Naturellement. Regrettably, on date nite with Mark, the "Rough Guide" led us astray with one particular restaurant, Sirul Vamii. Their food just made me sad. 

Between feeding times we were awed by formidable, fortified churches and castles in nearby towns, all very much worth the small effort it took to get there. Mobile phone pics just don't do them justice...

Prejmer built 1212. Forty ft high, 10-15 ft thick.

Loopholes. They weren't messing around.

Inside the walls... cozy 8'x10'
rooms for livin large.

There was also the Harman fortified church built in the 13th century with its original frescoes on display, though it was being renovated.  Next up? The iconic Bran Castle, built between 1377-1382. Queen Marie shacked up here 1920-1947, a beloved leader and advocate for Romania's citizens during the Balkan war.

Deets sized windows.

Perfect place for day dreaming. Or spying. 

Ripley Chronicle #2: Medias/Sighisoara

My father desperately needed some trouser support, and to his utter delight he found a (ladies!) belt in a German speaking second hand store within the citadel walls of Medias, Romania. Let's say it together: may-di-ash.

Haben sie diesen gürtel in einem schwarzen?

What's more gross than
used stuffed animals?

I forgot my plumb line at home.
Sorry man.

This cute town is halfway between Sibiu and Sighisoara, and is more known for the Evangelical Church of St. Margaret and it's tilted bell tower rather than their plethora of rummage sales and second hand stores. Sometime during 1467, Vlad the Impaler was imprisoned within the Tailors' Tower; he probably forgot to pay a parking ticket or something... This summer Medias will be hosting a chess tournament too! Check. Mate.

Of course, our route continued to Sighisoara for an immersion in vampire lore and spectacular views from the Clock Tower. Aside from the persistent Scouser-clad gypsy begging for money, we had a great time hefting Deets up the scholarly stairs and around the cobblestone paths of the upper town.

romaniatourism.com

Cobble cobble cobble!

Beijing is 7007 km straight ahead.

London? Just over the hill and 1872 km.

Ripley Chronicle #1: See-boo?

My parents came for a long anticipated visit to Romania over these past two weeks, chomping at the bit to snuggle their grandson and to see the sights. After exhausting them in 80 degree heat in Bucharest for a quick three days, we headed north to exhaust them with more hot weather, a busy toddler and over 700 km of winding roads. 

First stop, was Sibiu, a Transylvanian town full of rich Saxon history, built in the 12th century. It's dang old, but dang pretty too. We attempted to culture ourselves with art and science (Brunkenthal Museum, 1817 and Museum of Natural History, 1895) but ended up spending most time on Piata Aurarilor so Deets could freeze his gobs off in their highly entertaining water fountain. 

Screw the hills, the HOUSES have eyes!

Classic family portrait.

Remaining section of the citadel.

The food was great, the hotel was great, and even the pigeon mob was great. It was great, and it only took my parents two weeks to properly pronounce the name if this charming town (try Sib-yew).

Gradina Botanica

I love a good botanic garden, and it just so happens that Bucharest has a pretty awesome one. It is huge, pretty, variable, and terribly underrated. It was one of the best touristy things I have done in a long time and well worth the blisters. Next time I will have to bring the rest of the family.

Hey Hey Not the Monkees: Bucharest Zoo

After being pleasantly surprised by the niceness of the animal farm, I decided it was time to experience Bucharest's zoo. Afterall, it's right down the street from the Embassy so no more excuses. It was an absolute joy for both of us. Mostly. While he delighted in the ferocity of the lions and mesmerized by the reptiles, turns out Deets was not a big fan of chimpanzees. In fact, he was quite afraid of the ape who he spotted walking in his ape-estrian walkway above our heads, and wasted no time in making that clear. Yet, the creepy-butt baboon didn't freak him out...poor kid.

Preparation-H anyone?

Be afraid. I'm scarier than the Easter bunny. 

Checking out the muskrats...

London Calling

Three days without supervision? I almost didn't know what to do with myself when I flew to London for a quick visit, sans Deets and Mark. Walking around a city without a diaper bag, I constantly felt like I was forgetting something! First thing first? Get lost, get stuck on the Tube for several hours when someone sadly got hit, and get some MEAT before heading to a concert for some late night entertainment.

Greasy BBQ Beef! 

Asteroids Galaxy Tour

I must be getting old. While I enjoyed the Asteroids Galaxy Tour, I was falling asleep before they came on stage at 9:50 PM.

Coughing myself awake the next day, I went to the National Gallery for some Van Gogh, cruised by Westminster Abbey, and said hi to Big Ben. Then the real fun started when I walked into the Wellcome Collection. For those who don't know me, I love blood and guts. I love anything medical and anything related to the human body. So you can imagine how excited I was to see an entire museum dedicated to medicine, and a special exhibit on brains!! It was so cool, I almost peed my pants. With many objects I saw, I thought of someone special who might also appreciate the quirky models.

Perhaps less exciting, but equally interesting, I completed my trip by cruising past St. Paul's Cathedral, the Museum of London (which amazingly lays out London's eventful history of becoming London), and a hello to the Thames River.

For my mom: birthing model.

For my DC neighbors: glass eyeballs.

To a dear friend of high school: enema syringes.
Because it's funny.

To my book club friends:
the painting of Galileo's daughter. 

To my old urology dept:
physician examining a beaker of urine.

To my neuron friends: Trephination kit

Baa Ram Ewe!

We took Deets to Romania's famous Animalelor (animal farm) for an afternoon of poo smelling fun. I figured since most of his books are based on farm life, this would be a perfect opportunity to see the real thing.

SQUARE pupils?! Yeesh... 

Mom defending son from giant bee.

I can run 40 mph. Beat that.

Sheep prefer running water when drinking.

Scoping out the hedgehog. Their spines sprout
2-3 days after birth.

The farm also built a bouncy mound (think bouncy castle without walls) that kids went nuts over, though I can't say Deets particularly cared for the jostling. 

Holding on tight.

Aw, such good dads!