Wow! What a weird city this is! We only were in the heart of the city long enough to do a walking tour, but even that short bit was plenty to get a glimpse of the layers of history at work here. Here are some highlights of what we saw… Parliament Square Fountain Saint Anthony Square In this little square, you can really see the layers of history. Photo 1 – Saint Anthony Church dates back to the 1550s. Our guide told us that on Tuesdays, women will go there to pray to find a husband. I guess I should be staying here until Tuesday… Photos 2-5 – A hotel…

We took a day trip into the Carpathian Mountains to the land of folklore and mystery, Transylvania. This place was beautiful! It was so nice to see the changing colors of leaves after three years of not experiencing fall. We stopped at two castles and the city (I thought this was just a small town, boy was I wrong!) of Brasov. Peles Castle Peles Castle is located in Sinaia, Romania (not technically Transylvania, but close to it). It was built as a summer home for King Carol I and Queen Elizabeth between 1873-1914. The intricate detail in the woodwork and the sheer beauty of this castle and its location made…

One of the best things about teaching overseas is that you meet people from all over the world, and if you’re lucky, somewhere along the line, your paths meet again. I had worked with Mel and Chris at the American School in Abuja, Nigeria and when the pandemic hit in 2020 everyone left abruptly, so proper goodbyes were not really possible. I remember seeing Mel in the hallway and being so sad that I was never going to see her again. She assured me that in the international teaching world, paths often cross again, so fast forward a couple years and here we are! Mel saw my post about Istanbul…