Transylvania!

After an overnight in Budapest, Eric and I caught a night train to Transylvania, a northern region of Romania.  I did not realize it existed outside of Bram Stoker's masterpiece until Eric assured me it was a real place.  We started our Transylvanian exploration in Brasov.

Brasov's main square

I had no idea what to expect from Romania.  We had heard conflicting stories from friends and I was concerned about getting around.  After a month in England, I was also nervous about heading back to countries where I didn't speak the language.  However, most people we encountered in Brasov spoke English, which made visiting easy.

Baths of Green and Orange

One of the baths, heated by a thermal spring
How can that shade of green not tempt you to swim?

After spending a month in Oxford, Eric and I decided we should see at least one other city before we left the United Kingdom.  We chose Bath, a small city where my mom spent a semester of college.  I heard her talk about it as I grew up and I was so excited to have the chance to see where she'd been.  As soon as I told my mom where we were headed, she sent me an email full of recommendations.  "You will really feel like you are in a Jane Austin book," she wrote.

An Afternoon at Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace is a short bus ride away from Oxford.  It's home to the Dukes of Marlborough and has some of the most stunning gardens I've ever seen.

The admission price for non-student adults under 65 is steep at £20, but you can convert your one-day ticket into a year-long membership.  If I lived nearby, it would be worth it just to walk around the gardens once a season.  (We saw at least one jogger running through.  I would enjoy jogging more with this as my scenery.)  Eric and I both got memberships just in case.  Fingers crossed for another trip to England before October 16, 2013.