Transylvania Tuesday in Romania

After waking up early and grabbing a quick breakfast (translation: our house mom insisted that she would do the dishes), we hopped into two minibuses on our way to the Transylvania region. It "turns" out that the drive there competed with legendary tales of family trips winding up mountains and the typical feeling of nausea that ensues. Fortunately, no one actually got sick. With a sigh of relief we pulled into the hub town of Brasov and unloaded to explore. First, our host Mihail led a tour through the "Black Church," so named because it burned in the 17th c. In fact it was built in the 12th c. by the Teutonic Knights and later became the first church in Eastern Europe to convert from the influence of German Lutherans. Afterwards we warmed up in Pizza Roma just off of the Old Town Plaza. Everyone had 45 min. to explore and then we were off to Rasnov to see the 13th c. fortress also built by the Teutonic Knights. Apparently the barbican, towers, and windows effectively fought off enemies, such as the Tartars (Mongols), until 1850. As the sun began to set on the Carpathian Mountains, we pulled into Vlahia Inn (www.vlahiainn.ro) to refresh from the day. Dinner time was 7:15 and Mihail translated the hotel's menu into English for us...by 9:15 it was served. The students were very patient as they experienced a true European dinner. As a reward, we skipped journaling for tonight so be sure to save this post!!!