It’s October, so there’s no better time to talk about my visit to Bran Castle, the castle that “inspired” Dracula! While it never served as the home of Vlad the Impaler— the source of the stories of vampires and possible inspiration behind Dracula— it is still a very old castle with an important history. Bran…
Tag: romania
Sinaia: A Cozy Monastery Town in Romania
Nestled amongst the forests in the Bucegi Mountains of Romania is Sinaia, a town named for the large monastery it was built around. This was one of my favorite destinations in Romania, probably in part because it reminds me of my hometown. It’s deep within a forest, and the town itself is also full of…
Bușteni: Visiting the Filming Site of Wednesday
During my time in Romania, I got to pay a visit to Bușteni! It’s not a particularly large town, but there are a few great things you can do there! One of the town’s biggest claims to fame is Cantacuzino Castle, the filming location for the Netflix show Wednesday! Since they only used the exterior…
Riding a Soviet Train to Romania
After my recent trip to Chișinău, Moldova, my travel buddy, Billy, and I returned to Bucharest. But unlike our way in, we didn’t do it by plane. We decided to take the Prietenia (Romanian for Friendship) Train instead. It was a great experience, and one I would highly recommend. But I would also recommend you…
Grieving for an Alternate Lifetime
After 6 weeks away from home, I’m overcome with a complete change in my perception of reality. It’s a strange feeling, returning from a trip like that. If you ever moved away for college, you’ve probably experienced something similar. It feels nearly impossible to describe to someone who hasn’t done it. But that won’t stop…
Romania Week 5: A Bittersweet Goodbye
I’m finished with my time at Romania’s English Cool Camp, and it’s a tearful farewell. As I write this, I am on a 50-year-old Soviet train going from Chisinau, Moldova to Bucharest, Romania. Yesterday afternoon, I flew from Bucharest to Chisinau. This might seem weird, but it’s all part of the plan. Flights to Dubai…
Romania Week 4: Great People and Amazing Places
We’ve finished the 4th of 5 weeks in Romania, and I’m starting to run out of new things to talk about. I’ve visited a lot of cool places during my time here, and met some awesome people, so I’ll talk about that! I plan on doing more in-depth dives into every place I visited, but…
Romania Week 3: A Proper Routine
Now that I’m in the middle of the 5th of 7 camp sessions, I think it’s safe to say that I’m comfortably in a routine. We spend 4 days running the camp, teaching lessons, etc. Then we have a day trip and end that day with the opening ceremony for the next group of campers….
Romania Week 2: Getting More Comfortable
Another week has passed during my 5 weeks working in Romania, so here’s what I’ve been up to: I visited Sighisoara and Sinaia, and am in the middle of the 4th of 7 camp sessions. On my last post, I was in the midst of my 2nd. For the 3rd camp session, I had older…
Romania Week 1: A Great Time in Predeal
I’ve spent just over a week now in Romania, and I’m having a great time! After my arrival, I had a short time to get situated. In less than 2 days, I was already starting work here. As I’ve said elsewhere, I’m here to work at an English-language focused summer camp. My Summer Camp Experience…










