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We toured Brasov  on foot which had once been a fortified town. Its also one of the most charming cities in Transylvania. It displays German architecture  but contains Gothic, Baroque & Renaissance influences. We visited the Black church  (caught in the Great Fire.) We travelled onto Bran & toured the Bran castle  or ( Dracula's castle.) It was overun with people, markets & looked cheap & nasty rather than authentic. In the late afternoon, we reached the famous Peles castle, the Summer residence of the first king of Romania. Incredible & over the top. Many many rooms with most rooms now occupied by private patrons. Onto Bucharest our 2nd last night in Europe.

We travelled to an ancient fortified church of Biertan, a Saxon village. If there was a battle, the villagers would lock themselves inside the church.  There was a door with 9 locks on it. One huge key to open the entire lock. Valuables were kept in this room if battle was afoot. We saw a bastion where couples who wished to separate were imprisoned with 1 bed, 1 plate etc to sort themselves out & change their minds. Next it was onto Sighisoara, one of the best preserved citadels in Europe that is still inhabited. This town centre has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 1999 & is dominated by its CLOCK tower. There was also a bust of Vlad the Impaler as he was born here. Onto Brasov where our trim had a balcony overlooking rooftops & mountains. I wrnt for a stroll with some friends then settled down in the front of the hotel with the smokers with a bottle of wine & some pizza. As the group came home from dinner l could welcome them with a smile. ...

Karyn your trip with Tony on a motorcycle would have been epic! The scenery l have seen from a bus, or walking 1,000 steps cannot do justice to these countries! We travelled to Corvin's Castle (black crow) one of the most fascinating  castles in  Eastern Europe. Built in a Renaissance Gothic style, the castle  is full of amazing legends. We were taken through the place by a very funny guide who had a cheeky spin on the characters who lived here. Then onto Alba Iulia, the city of the Great Union of Romania (national day). Here we explored the Alba Carolina fortress  plus 2 amazing cathedrals. It was a huge day of travel! Then it was onto Sibiu, the European  capital of culture in 2007. Another amazing old town built inside fortress walls in medieval times. Fabulous. Anne was seriously unwell with a raging UTI. I stayed behind to find a pharmacy rather than go to a group dinner. I avoided a disaster where a woman from our group slammed her fists on the table, wait...

A big day of travel to country No 9. Arrived St hotel at 6:00. Long day. Timisoara is a wonderful city known as "Little Vienna." It has charming distinct architectural buildings. Gabby told us horror stories of mass killings under Communist rule. Chilling.

Stunning Budapest. The scenic boat ride was cancelled due to the flooding in the Danube. So Zoltan our guide for the day, took us to the Cadtle Hill district, where we saw the Royal Palace, Matthias' Church & a faraway view of the Houses of Parliament. Incredibly beautiful...views & architecture. Anne & others returned to the hotel by bus, but 5 of us decided we would eat a lovely meal, visit huge old time markets & find our way home to Heroes Square. It took an hour & a half to get home but hugely beneficial. I think l did well over 4 hours walking. After a cup of tea l had revived myself, 6 of us took off for a Budapest castle nearly Heroes Square  beautifully lit up . What a day!