It has been pretty warm and muggy as I travel in the heart of Romania. I see a lot of grapevines which now makes sense because this gives shade to sit under. They also tend to have a lot of trees and I bet fall is every bit as beautiful as in New England. They are good at waiting and doing things more slowly. Something I can learn.

I spent a couple nighs with at a friend’s house she gave me her bed to sleep in but it was too hot without a fan so I sleep on the floor, under the window  it was so much cooler and I actually got some sleep. The floor was hard so slept on the floor mat. The next day I bought a big fan and I slept better in bed. Still too warm for me.

I saw these large nests on the top of electric poles, on my drive around a particular area. Huge herons I think, but couldn’t figure out where they ate because I did not see water but there were a lot of nests in this area. I also received some beautiful flowers from my friend’s neighbor which was very thoughtful.

My friend and I drove to Brașov which is in the heart of Romania.  Long drive and it reminded me of Idaho and Eastern Washington.  Many fields growing sunflowers and one area had potatoes and there were stands of fruits and veggies along the way and mushrooms in some parts. I was impressed at how they do what they can to earn money. I also saw many stop and buy.

The city of Brașov was very big. A nice lady we met paid the parking fee for 40 minutes until it was free at 8 pm because we did not have the app. I tried to pay her but she said no. We found a restaurant and ate but the food was only ok, but still food. Have not been real impressed with any place I have eaten except breakfast in Conștienți. Our hotel was nice but no air conditioning but they did have a fan!!

There is a mixture of buildings in Romania. Old and new. The new are very modern and nice but the old ones have lots of charm but most are in disrepair. I can only imagine it costs a great deal to maintain these from experience of renovating places myself.

It is a tragedy to see so many beautiful buildings falling apart. I want to rescue them and restore them to their beauty but have not the funds for such a huge project nor the skills. There are too many wonderful places to choose from as well so I would have a difficult time choosing.

We drove another 30 km to Bran where Peleș (dracula) castle is. It was crazy busy. A lot of tourists and traffic. Reminded me a lot of Leavenworth Washington and Bavaria, Germany. Very beautiful but too crowded and I was tired so we kept driving.

The countryside was beautiful and picturesque rolling hills. So many interesting things to see. At every twist and turn of the road you see new things.

I planned to have the rental car until Saturday but it is very stressful to drive in Bucharest. Stayed one night in sector 3 at a quaint place called Poet Palace. It was for sale, maybe I could buy it. It was new, I could buy myself a job.

There are 6 sectors here in Bucharest. There is a road which circles the city and then roads leading to the center. We drove along an area which had water fountains all along. I imagine it is very beautiful at night but I was only out until dusk because I was so tired. Late getting this out so more to come this weekend.