From there to here...

From there to here and here to there, funny things are everywhere...
-Dr. Seuss

When we left Santa Cruz a lot of people said they would really like to come and visit us and probably just as many thought, (but did not say aloud) "Why in the world would I want to go to Romania?"
I get it.
For those in both camps, I offer the following post:

What does it take to get here exactly?  

There are no direct flights from the States into Romania.  Don't waste your time trying to find one.  So you have to fly into one major European city and from there catch another short flight into Bucharest.  Flying overseas (particularly if you start from the west coast of the North American continent) is no small feat. That alone will leave you fuzzy-headed and dehydrated at best.  But plenty of people do it for the joy of seeing Paris or London so I've not got much sympathy.  Suck it up, folks, that's life.

But here's an idea: don't pick a city in Europe that you have any interest in whatsoever.  Cause then you'll be tempted to make your lay over long enough to "go out and explore".  This will be about as successful as arriving at a Japanese opera half way through the performance while you are drunk and recovering from a bout of dysentery. You will enjoy the experience even less than you will comprehend it.  Just sit and doze at the gate until its time to board.
Wherever you chose, however, just know that the flight will be faster than the drive from the airport to our house. Think of us as living among a remote tribe in the Amazon basin, you know, those places where anthropologists go and National Geographic photographers follow.  Well...think of it more like a remote tribe where they're all dressed in t-shirts with English slogans or ads for American corporations and where plastic soda bottles litter the roadways. In any case, you'll feel like you're driving into the middle of nowhere.

And just when you think the drive can't possibly be any longer or more torturous, there will be another hour to go. But eventually it will end.  It will.  And then you'll be in Obedin and you can sleep.  Or you'll be in Transylvania and you can sleep.  Either way, you'll be too tired to pay much attention to anything until the morning.  And then the experience can begin.

You might wake up in Buşteni, Transylvania

with this view from your hotel window

We might bring you coffee in bed (or we might just take this photo from what appears to be a Folgers commercial)

 One thing will be certain: you will be wiped out. (although my son did not just travel across the Atlantic so I have no idea what his excuse is.)

But we will provide you with plenty of caffeinated drinks (or decaf if you are so inclined)

 You will drive (a lot).  On windy roads.  (You might even vomit when you arrive at a certain castle of a certain famous person belonging to the undead but don't worry, if you buy a souvenier from the vomited-on vendor, they will forgive you anything.)
But you'll get to see the Carpathian Mountains

You will see lots of horses and wagons.  Some appropriately located off the road like this:

others, not so much:
(and yes, these are our highways)

(he's off the road now but he'll be pulling on in just a minute and probably right in front of an 18-wheeler)

You will see random old stuff

and gypsies selling copper stills on the side of the road...

or just walking around town

you will see other Romanians selling stuff on the side of the road...

we might even stop to buy some ingredients for dinner and you can be proud of buying "locally grown and sourced" without having to wait in lines at Staff of Life (see Toamna post for up close photos of the produce)

and we will be happy that you came.

Hopefully by the end, you will too

Thanks, Sharon, Kelly and Todd for being brave enough to come!