Home in Time for Tea

After attacking Bran Castle  with the mobs of other tourists, Richard, my Mum and I drove just 15 miles into the Piatra Craiului National Park towards the remote villages of Pestera and Magura, and found peace ! It wasn't that we didn't enjoy the impressive, historic castle, synonymous with Dracula , but the crowds were heaving in the heat, and that little monster of mine didn't do the best job of holding my hand. She really enjoyed exploring the castle; hiding in the eerie nooks and crannies , but sweaty, thirsty and not even 2 years old, I couldn't help feeling she might appreciate an open space and some fresh air. Also the castle was quite literally groaning under the weight of everyone queuing on the stairs, so after admiring the history and the views, we were relieved to get some space.  Up in those mountains it was some of the freshest air I had breathed in a long time. Cattle grazed amongst meadows blooming with wildflowers , chickens ...

Mostar Old Town If you were born in the early 80s or before, you may remember Mostar being synonymous with war . Now over 20 years on from the former Yugoslav conflict, it is hard to imagine the trauma this historic place and it's multi-ethnic people endured. Despite obvious reminders in the form of  derelict buildings on the edge of the old town and engraved ' never forget ' stone signs incongruously but poignantly placed next to busy bazaars and buzzing restaurants . Mostar means ' old Bridge ' and this famed Ottoman Bridge gets some well-deserved attention. I couldn't stop taking photos! Richard coined the term 'bridging' as a verb to describe this new hobby of mine! The Old Bridge was originally built in the 16th century by the Ottomans in significantly Islamic style . The current structure is a replica due to its destruction in the 90s conflict but the entire UNESCO World Heritage old town retains its historic appeal despite restor...

My cousin from New Zealand recently went travelling in Europe and when he came to us in the UK I asked him what his favourite place was. He gave an unexpected and unusual answer: Romania. The people, the scenery, the history - it seemed to have it all, so I decided to head on over there too, and what better time to do it than at Halloween... The first notable thing about any of this is that everything was so cheap! It was also a fantastically exciting and unusual holiday, needless to say. We flew for £82 each to Bucharest (Ryanair), got the 3.5 hour train from Bucharest to beautiful Brasov in Transylvania for £5 each , and stayed at the immaculate and well-equipped Kron Studios in Brasov for £28 per night , per 3/4 star double studio apartment! (booking.com) Brasov Town Brasov is a traditional Transylvanian town, located within a few miles of major attractions Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress, as well as the Libearty Bear Sanctuary and the Carpath...