December 6, 2007

• update!

  You know how you put off doing something and after a while it gets so overwhelming that you don't know where to even begin?   well that has been that way for me with updating this blog.  I was traveling for various reasons for 3 weeks in November and now I'm completing my final week of classes and preparing to move to Bucharest on the 16th. 

  Had a great time with Christine.  She flew into Bucharest and one week later flew out of Budapest, Hungary and in between we drove through Romania.  It was a great break and I loved sharing my new home with my friend.  Here are a few pics from our adventures - all I can say is two girls... road trip... lots of adventures and fun!!!  I learned so much more about Romania and got to put my Romanian to good use    

  Christine and me with a great view of the village Bran behind us.

   

    Adventures began in Bucharest, capital city of Romania.  This is the parkway leading up to the Parlimentary Palace.  Since it was a Monday pretty much all muzeums were closed.  We walked around, dodged cars, street dogs and large mud puddles.  We figured out how to find and get into the British Embassy to pick up a friends passport.  Did some shopping to prep for our road trip and pretty much just walked around in the rain.

   

   

   

    

   

   

   After a couple of hours we made it to Rasnov.  We finally figured out where it was and made our way up this huge hill.  One thing Romania probably does not do well and that is to provide good signage for tourists.  Well that is part of the adventure - finding it.  I am so thankful we had a good vehicle to make it up the hill.  Many cars and buses had to park at the bottom and hike up.   This is a view from the village up to the hill. And this was the view of the long hike that many people took who couldn't drive up the road.  Road was much steeper and muddier than it looks in the picture. 

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

  Inside view of Rasnov fortress.  We asked several people "unde-i toaleta?" and they kept pointing to the same place but we were not finding it.  We decided it was a conspiracy or something.  We went through the entire tour of the fortress and we finally accidently found where the bathrooms were.... basically a hole in a box behind an old broken down door.  At that point we didn't really care what condition it was.  Desperate measures call for.... okay won't go there.

   

   

   

   

  After leaving Rasnov we make our way to Bran.  This castle while beautiful has become very commercialized by "dracula".  We have come to the conclusion that anything worth seeing here is located on a hill and requires some hiking.  Again signage not to great to find the town but we drove around figured it out.  

   

   

   

  Here is a pic of inside one of the rooms.  Love the furniture. 

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  After getting settled into our pensiune we drove into Brasav and walked around the town.  Absolutely beautiful and breathtaking area.  The woman at the pensiune was so excited to hear an American speaking Romanian she just had to get her husband. 

   

   

   

   

  Another pic in Brasov: 

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  From Rasnov/Bran/Brasov we made our way towards Sighisoara.  And yet another amazingly beautiful area.   Of course to get to anywhere worth seeing once again on a hill and we must climb stairs.... this one 172 to be exact, and we arrived to a very old church.

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  After our excursion to Sighisoara we continued on to Sibiu, named the cultural center of Europe and I could see why. 

  Old clock tower.  We were able to climb up into the tower - once again many many stairs.

   

   

   

   

  

  Part of the way up we took a break for photo opp.  Tried to synchranize our watches so we wouldn't be under the bell when it went off.  Well evidently one of the clocks was wrong and we had ringing in our ears for a while after that.    

   

  It was worth the climb - check out this view from the top:

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

   

                                  We even made a few friends while here:

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Back on the road again trying very hard to avoid so many of these: 

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  We make our way to Hundendoara castle.  Unfortuantely it is late and it was closed but we got a great view from the outside although it was pouring down rain. Well we tried 

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  From there we make our way to Timisoara where we stay and relax for a couple of days before taking a train into Budapest.  Here are a few pics from my home where I've been living for the past year.

  

   

  downtown Timisoara with Orthodox church. 

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Well these were just a few of many pics from our road trip.  It was a blessing.  I came home to only turn around again to drive up to Oradea where I had a privilege to hang out with some fellow colleagues.  I got to check out a Bible college there - got horribly lost on the way (but then again what is new), got to visit a group home for kids and also learned a valuable lesson that one must be prepared in and out of season.  First evening I arrived someone asked if I wanted to come along with them to a children's outreach to just see what was taking place.  Sure why not.  I arrive and part way through this program with the kids one of the leaders asked if I had something prepared for the kids.  Well, umm, oohhhh, okay?  I quickly put my mind in high gear and came up with something on the fly.  It all worked out - thanks to God! 

  Next day visited a children's training taking place and then met up with a friend of mine I met in Language school.  We decided to go bowling that evening.  Sure sounds like fun - I haven't had the chance to go bowling while here in Romania.  We show up and my friend forgot to pass along a small detail to me.  No special shoes to wear.  So here I am wearing high heal boots while bowling.  So sorry I have no pics of that one - let's just say I bowled the worse I ever have.   Sunday I joined my colleages to the church that he was preaching in.  His wife and I sat in the front and all was going well.  The pastor then gets up to the platform and introduces her and I and then goes on to say that I am going to get up and give a word of encouragement all in Romanian since after all I am studying the language.  What?  did I understand correctly?  I ask my friend and she smiles and said "you understood correctly".  Let's just say it was a very short and simple presentation but it was all in Romanian with no translator. 

  Ventured back home to Timisoara for one day and then drove back to Bucharest for Thanksgiving.  Had a great time with friends all together and thanks to carepackages I've received from friends including marshmallows and brown sugar I was able to make a great sweet potoate dish.

  Well I've gone on long enough for this update - I'm finishing up school and then moving back to Bucharest soon. 

  Blessings to you all

  Tamara

  www.henkes.ministryhome.org 

  • 10:38 am
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