Thanksgiving in Romania

We're back from Turkey Day in Romania. I have to admit - Romania wasn't quite as cool as Budapest was last year, but at least it wasn't Bulgaria. I think we all agreed that as for as the "Are You Ready for the EU Race" is concerned, Romania is ahead (not really that much ahead, but ahead nonetheless). One thing is for sure - Romania has MUCH better food. It beats Bulgaria on that aspect any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Let me start from the beginning. We left on Wednesday night and took the overnight train to Bucharest. The train was actually much better than I anticipated. We splurged for first class, so it was just Pete and I in the compartment. Jenn and Derek had their own room next door. Although the ride was 12 hours, it really didn't seem that long because we were able to sleep most of the time. I even had a chance to read a book - I'm into the classics right now. I am reading "A Tale of Two Cities," and I'm actually really enjoying it. Anyway, once we got to Bucharest, we got right on another three-hour train to Brasov, which is in the heart of Transylvania. When we arrived in Brasov, we found our hotel, which was very nice and clean, which is always a pleasant surprise. Then we headed out to explore the town.
The next day we woke up and took the bus to the Bran Castle - famous for being the Dracula castle. I guess in reality, Dracula never really lived there. Just a little background info - Dracula is a myth that stems from a Romanian ruler named Vlad the Impaler. He never really sucked anyone's blood, but he did like to stick stakes through his enemies and leave them to die. Sounds like someone you'd like to invite over for Thanksgiving, right? Anyway, I totally want to live in the Dracula castle - it was really nice! Aside from the stair well (in one of the pictures) everything else was bright and cheery. Lots of hardwood floors and cool nooks and crannies. I liked it. Once we got back from the Bran Castle, we went out to dinner at a really nice restaurant. That's when we all decided that Romania beats Bulgaria on food by far.
The next morning we got up and took the train back to Bucharest. We didn't have much time to explore the city, but we did visit the place that the crazy Romanian dictator built in 1980, which almost bankrupted the country. He had the audacity to call it the People's Palace, but he wasn't really a man of the people; he was actually are really bad dude. He also built a road leading up to the palace that he hoped would be like the Champs Elise in Paris - only one meter bigger or something like that. In the end, he and his wife were killed by a firing squad on Christmas Day 1989. Isn't Romania a happy place? Just kidding - it really was pretty nice overall.
Today we are back to the grind. I came home to write letters and I finished five I think. I have this really fantastic plan that I wrote down, and if I follow it I will be done by Wednesday next week. We'll see. I really want to get done with all my work so I can concentrate on getting in the Christmas spirit - only 25 more days until we come home! Whoo Hoo!!