bucharest, romania

ciuc, the romanian beer

Romania was almost crossed off my list for Eastern European countries to go to. Thank god it was not, and we made it here. Romania is one of the most medieval, gothic, yet the most charming countries I’ve been to yet. We arrived a few days ago to Bucharest, and still haven’t gotten bored with this majestically mystical country.

In Bucharest, we stayed at the Butterfly Villa hostel. It’s a backpacker’s hostel, nothing fancy…and it is a fantastic place. Although there are the usual annoyances of other sleepers in the dorm rooms, we have also met so many great people in the common room. The best thing about Butterfly Villa is the service. Carmen, the receptionist, was the friendliest, most helpful girl I have ever met. Her energy itself is amazing. She helped us book a tour to the castles [Pelesh and Bran] and we originally planned to pay 50 euros each for the car with a guide to take us there. As soon as we signed up, a sign went up saying there was a tour going to Brasov, and that it would be cheaper to join. Two other lucky travelers made the cut, which brought our price down to 35 euros each. 

Caru cu Bere means beer carriage, or beer wagon. It's the most well known restaurant in Bucharest, so we had to go! The food wasn't that impressive, and neither was the beer...but the atmosphere made up for it.

chicken schnitzel with potatoes

yummy creme brulee [flan??] and plum filled dessert balls