We boarded our first European train in Bucharest and set our eyes on the medieval city of Brasov. Aside from experiencing the beauty of the Transylvanian countryside, we were in search of the infamous Bran Castle, mythically pegged as the 'home of Dracula'. The short 3-hour train ride had us pass through stunning autumn landscapes and small, simple villages that appeared to grow out of the mountainside. It was exactly the type of environment we had envisioned wh...

Romania is a country that had us intrigued. We knew very little about Romania other than the typical Western stereotypes of roaming Gypsies and the home of the infamous blood-sucking vampire Dracula. As a recent addition to the European Union in 2007, change is the big topic in Romania these days as it tries to escape its oppressive Communist past. In fact, we were actually visiting the capital during the country's democratic presidential election.Our goal for Ro...