Brașov

Driving on narrow mountain roads, stopping to buy baskets with freshly picked raspberries and listening to romantic German songs (yes, I've been crazy about German music lately.) felt just like traveling with a time machine. And when we finally reached Brașov, it seemed like we had really travelled back in time. 

Brașov is a cosy town in central Romania and it's part of the Transylvania region. What were we doing in Transylvania? I'll tell you later. But yes, it has something to do with vampires. 

Brașov isn't the typical Romanian town. As a matter of fact, it has little in common with any other place in Romania. Starting with the architecture, which is more typical for Western Europe, narrow streets, candy shoppes where you can find homemade chocolate and stands for freshly squeezed lemonade. Everything here feels like old times: vintage street lamps, beautifully detailed shop signs, colourful biuldings. The town is surrounded by the Southern Carpathians and the weather here is almost always gloomy and melancholic.  A travel in time indeed.

How did we find this place? We were on our way to Bran Castle - the place where Count Dracula himself once lived. Or so they say - it didn't seem much like it. We were planning on visiting for such a long time, especially after I finally finished the book. And we finally did!  It was a great place to visit, the Castle (sorry I cannot show you any pictures from there. Truth is - they didn't come up that well) and although I learned lots of interesting things about the history of Romania and even saw the place where Dracula used to write in his diary, I have to say that I found Brașov more interesting. Ah, it's probably because I'm too romantic. Or because I got kissed under the clock tower. Or because I drank too much mint lemonade. Can it be from the chocolate?

If you're planning to visit Romania, make sure you stop by Brașov. And don't forget to buy some homemade chocolate - it tastes divine!
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