Transylvania, birthplace of Dracula, home to quaint medieval villages, spectacular mountains, dark, densely wooded forests of bears and wolves! So, we were really looking forward to coming here, probably more than anywhere else on our European leg, but alas it turned out a bit rubbish. Day one, much to the amazement of our hostel hosts, with the sun shining on the unexplored town of Brasov outside, we stayed in the hostel virtually all day. Brilliant day, actually, now I think about it! We were knackered (it's hard work, travelling, you know, one needs a break now and again), and it was great to just read, watch TV, sort photos, snack, shave, etc. We'd seen a bit of Brasov the night before, anyway, and it was much more touristy than we'd expected, so no great urgency to see more. Day two was our first allocated hiking day, but it started pouring down with rain the night before, and basically hasn't stopped much since. We'd come this far, so braved it for about three hours, before deciding to cut short our route, as our waterproofs weren't going to hold out much longer, unrelenting wetness creeping up our sleeves and down our necks. The scenery may have been spectacular, but I was mainly looking down at my feet to keep my face out of the rain, and I'm sure the mists and clouds were blocking any distant views there may have been. Had to run to catch the bus back, got fined for not having a ticket. I believe the phrase is icing on the cake. Day three was slightly dryer, so we could have tried again, however our boots were still soaked through from day two and very unenticing. So we went to see Sighisoasa instead, 3 hours away by train and on the way to Budapest anyway. Perfectly preserved, UNESCO listed, medieval citadel, and birthplace of Vlad Dracul, later to become Vlad the Impaler. It was alright. Spirits already too dampened by the rain, I think.

Win some, lose some, I suppose! I'm thinking that maybe expectation, or lack of, is playing too great a part in our enjoyment of places. Really looked forward to Croatia, but it was a bit overrun by tourists, Dubrovnik was set to be the highlight, we preferred Split, couldn't wait to get to Romania, and the rain hijacked our plans. On the other hand, had no real expectations of Slovenia at all, and it was both friendly and stunning, hadn't even planned on going to Sarajevo, and it was warm and fascinating. So I've decided, new plan, I'm now not looking forward to going anywhere!