My travel-crazy parents have taken Scott, my brother Ben, and me to the most luxurious and bucolic place in the world. In Miklosvar, Romania, Count Kalnoky has just recovered his estate from the long reign of the Communist regime, and he is busy restoring it and offering guestrooms to strange clients, like us! I could have spent all week hanging out at the beautiful estate, sleeping in in our luxurious rooms, playing cards at the pretty picnic table by the duck pond, eating homemade traditional meals under grape vines and apple trees, playing pool and badminton, and walking in the nearby fields, but there was so much else to do nearby.

Everyday we had to choose between two great excursions, one cultural and one natural. Since there are many overlapping cultures in Transylvania, I decided to go on a few excursions to learn about the locals. First we went to a Szekler village (an old culture, related to Hungarians) where a wood carver showed us around the shop where his family has worked for centuries. The next day we went to Bran Castle (considered Dracula's castle because the Count stayed there for one night), circling a precious courtyard with 400 other tourists. On the way back we explored the ruins of Rasnov Castle, which was really a fortified complex where the families of the village stayed safe during various attacks.

Having had enough stimulation, I spent the third day alone. I walked a lot through fields full of haystacks and many many flowers. I drew a little in my sketchbook, took a long bath, and read for a few hours. This much needed rest kept up my stamina for the days to follow. The next day Ben and I went to a gorge with our biologist guide. After a long and bumpy ride in a Range Rover through fields, valleys, and farming towns, we finally arrived at even more nature. We balanced on delicate bridges; we explored dark muddy caves; we discovered an eagle, a snake, weird flowers, and bat and bear bones; and we hiked up a difficult path for a beautiful picnic lunch. It was a blast to hangout with Ben who I never see enough, and to get back to our regular rapport acquired by many vacations together.

On our last day we went to Viscree, an old Saxon town, where the actual Saxon population has dwindled down to 14. The ancient man who let us into the church tipped his hat as he met us and asked whether we 'sprechen deutsch?'. Thrilled to find a German speaker, he proceeded to talk to Scott about everything he could think of for the next hour. He also told us a lot about the history of the town, including the more depressing recent history when the government decided to relocate half the country's population to make each district more Romanian. Viscree went through a lot during that time, but it was hard to believe that the old man went through so much since he exuded so much love and happiness.

I was so relaxed at the estate, I felt that I could have spent the rest of my trip right there. I was very sad to leave. When our new guide came to pick us up, I was reluctant to leave the pool table, but little did I know how exciting the next half of our trip would be.