Piața Sfatului, or Council Square, was lined with restaurants and bars and has got to be the place to be in the summer season. And winter! In autumn, it was still beautiful and blessedly uncrowded. I have seen so many pictures of the iconic BRASOV sign on Mt. Tampa back there and it felt beyond surreal to see it in real life. It’s the little things!

Strada Sforii! It’s one of the narrowest “streets” in Europe, only wide enough for two people to walk down side-by-side and was intended for firefighters to use it as a quick accessway. This is a must-do in Brasov and I was stoked that we made it there in between hordes of tourists! I have seen videos where people are pushed through in a crowded line – no fun in that!

I would say the top complaint I have seen across the board about Romania is their unhinged graffiti problem. We definitely saw less of it the more rural we got, obviously, but once we started making our way south toward Bucharest again, the tags began popping off. Brasov was a clear indication that while the buildings were old as shit, we were in more urban land for sure. Graffiti doesn’t bother me – as long as it’s not on churches, etc. Probably, it shouldn’t be here either but I felt like it added some flavor, I don’t know! It was fun to go through and look at all of the different languages. I didn’t see it in my pass-thru but on one travel vlog I watched on YouTube, I saw something written in Korean!

I knew if I looked hard enough, I’d find at least ONE Kpop reference, lol. #StanATEEZ

I took pictures with the good camera too and haven’t had a chance to even LOOK at them. Basically, I’m saying these Romania posts have no end in sight. I’m sorry.

Huntr/x representin’!

I mean, I don’t know! The graffiti gives it a grimy, sleazy flair! I think it would be such a cool backdrop for senior portraits. I have no idea why that was my first thought.

After moseying around town some more, we stopped back at the room to chill for a bit and I had to stop and take a million pictures from the catwalk thing that lead to our room. I just couldn’t get enough of this sight! It’s the main reason why I booked this room.

Then on the way back out, it was darker so I had to take more pictures LOL. Me one day in the nursing home: “Have I ever shown you my BRASOV SIGN pictures?” Every nurse under employment: “YES. ALL 87 VERSIONS.”

Brasov has a Romulus statue too!

I loved the lighting on this building!

After some shopping, we ended the night at a bar near our room called AFTAR STUBE.

Henry for some reason asked to sit outside and it was SO COLD. I was visibly shivering and although Henry was ignoring my frost-bitten status, the waiter noticed and asked if I needed a blanket.

YES, PLEASE.

He grabbed one from a stack inside an old telephone booth and brought it over to me and I was so grateful. He had come off very brooding and dark-vibey up until this moment (not that I minded, we were in Transylvania for fuck’s sake, ride that stereotype my guy).

Even though it was so chilly out, it was a great atmosphere. Groups of people came out here and there to smoke, so it wasn’t like we were ostracized but I still wished we had sat inside where the action (and heat) was.

I don’t want to paint myself like some kind of hop ho, but I was openly moaning while lapping up this sexy glass of sweet froth.

(FORESHADOWING: for as much as I loved this in moment, I feel extremely queasy just thinking about it right now. Ugh.)

This was a classic Romanian beer – very delightful! Bere Czell toasted my check-in on Untappd! (It was Henry’s beer, but I stole a few sips lol.)

Then this confident girl strutted onto the patio! The blurry picture is the result of me being slightly inebriated, my hands shaking from the cold, and the cat not standing still for even a split section.

One of the younger servers told us her name – it sounded like Video but that wasn’t it – and said she is a neighborhood stray who comes there for food every day. After I said, “aw” to the stray part, he said, “She is….” and after struggling for a moment to find the fitting English word, finished with, “living.” LOL. She definitely looked happy and healthy!

That was one thing I noted very quickly about Romania – they love their stray cats. It seems that many local restaurants have quid pro quo relationships with them – they keep the rats away, the restaurants give them scraps.

“Video” was following the younger server around like she owned the place. I loved it.

We split this veggie pizza – it was perfect with beer!

I stopped after my Hop Hooligans dessert beer, but I made Henry get this IPA from Clandestin because I follow them on Instagram and wanted to taste it lol. Also, it’s worth noting that I kept the labels of both cans, of course. I’m Captain Packrat.

What a great end to our first night in Brasov!

Last Saturday, Henry and I drove to Chicago to see Key at the Riviera Theater. Key is a member of one of my absolute favorite groups, SHINee. I am so happy that in the same calendar year, we had the much-appreciated pleasure of seeing not just Key, but also Taemin and Onew on their own respective solo tours. That’s 3/4 of (present-day) SHINee!

(RIP always to Jonghyun – the 8th anniversary of his death was actually a short 5 days after the Key concert which made it bittersweet.)

After an afternoon of shopping in Logan Square and scarfing down Beacon Doughnuts at Logan Vegan, we made our way to the Hilton in Evanston, where I changed into my concert OOTD. I went with this metallic gold blouse thing that I forgot I owned, because I felt that it gave off outer space / galactic vibes like some of Key’s stage outfits!

It is a really awkwardly-fitting top which I forgot about but I didn’t bring any back-ups, so oh well, too bad so sad.

The theater was about a 25 minute drive from our hotel. Originally, we had talked about just taking the L or whatever they call their train in Chicago, but it was legit 0 degrees that evening and it required a transfer so I cried, “CAN WE PLEASE JUST DRIVE?!!?” If it spring/summer/fall, sure, let’s pub-transit it up, who cares. But I absolutely hate being outside in the cold and please, just give me convenience.

I wanted to leave early because who knows what parking challenges we had ahead of us, but of course, we found parking immediately on the street that the theater was on, and it was also right outside of this place called FAT CAT, where we had some pre-show beers and small bites.

I found out about the Brown University shooting on the TV behind Henry. Happy Holidays.

I had a delightful winter ale from Spiteful Brewing called Jingle Balls. I have learned in my brewery travels that I genuinely like winter / Christmas beers. You’d think I’d be a lush for the October / pumpkin ones but they just don’t hit the way I want them to!!?

LOL purposely used this picture for Untappd because I’m such a sweetheart. This was Henry’s Cinnamon Prost from Old Irving Brewing Co. It was good! I stole a few sips. He also got a winter ale called Fall For Revenge from Pig Minds and it was also worthy of a few stolen sips. I stuck with just one beer for myself because this stupid brewery passport stamp-collecting has made me concerned that I’m becoming an alcoholic.

I also got a delicious carrot ginger soup and Henry and I shared a plate of vegan chicken bites. It was perfect pre-concert food and I didn’t feel sick at all afterward!

Toward the end of our stay there, a young couple came in on a date. She was from Australia and it sounded like they go to college together, I guess? Anyway, he ordered a DUVAL which I LOVE and he tried to give her a taste but she said she doesn’t like beer. It took everything in my power to not blurt out, “I DIDN’T EITHER UNTIL I HAD MY FIRST BELGIAN BEER TRY IT YOU MIGHT LIKE IT.” But I bit my lip and tried to focus on other things, like, I don’t know, Henry.

But then the guy started talking about THE BEERS HE HAD WHEN HE WAS IN BELGIUM and I made anguished eye contact with Henry, like, “PLEASE LET ME INTERRUPT” but Henry gave me a tiny head shake, like, “no Erin, don’t barge into their date.”

UGH.

Our time at Fat Cat was excelsior with ONE EXCEPTION: we started the evening out with a superb server and then I guess her shift ended so she was swapped out with some super intense man server who made me feel so pressured to be done with everything in front of me – he tried to take Henry’s beer when he still, god forbid, had one small chug left to it so Henry swiftly pulled the glass away and said, “I’m not finished yet.” Jesus Christ, bro, let us BREATHE. I could see if he was trying to usher us along to free up a table but…it was not crowded there AT ALL.

Oh, I’m sorry – one other complaint. Every time the door opened, Father Frost came wafting in and that place NEVER WARMED UP. I was so cold that I eventually put my coat back on.

We eventually left around 6:20 because the doors for Key were supposed to be at 6:30. When I tell you it was the SHORTEST LINE I have ever stood in for a Kpop concert, I’m not lying – that’s how you know the cold was no joke. Plus, it was a seated concert so I’m sure no one felt the need to be FIRST.

Doors were late opening and I eventually reached the point where I was so cold that I seriously worried about losing my toes. I did have a hat and gloves on but I was just wearing Vans and two pairs of socks. I had to march in place to keep my blood from freezing too.

Thankfully, there were still some brave souls passing out freebies, and I of course was being very overzealous about asking for some. I love my freebies, OK?? And I genuinely appreciate everyone who takes the time to make these special little mementoes.

Finally, we got to go inside! I truly feel like it was 7PM by the time we got in there. I was in so much fucking pain that when Henry left me to go to the bathroom, I had to get up out of my seat and walk around out of genuine fear that there was something medically wrong with my feet. My LORD I can’t remember the last time I was this cold!? Maybe when I did that effing ghost hunt at the abandoned school in South Park?!! That was definitely during the winter, in the middle of the night at a school with no utilities. Super awesome times.

I went back downstairs and accidentally ended up in the merch line, which was VERY SHORT, so even though Henry was instructed to get me a shirt after he went to the bathroom, I scooped one up super quickly – legit THE EASIEST merch experience I have had at a Kpop concert to date. Chef’s kiss, A+++ efficiency.

We were in the center section of whatever “LOGE” is – the front part of the balcony, 4 rows back. It was awesome – there was a railing behind us with the walkway and then the rest of the balcony started back from that.

Henry’s seat mate saw us struggling to take a selfie (they had these bright blue stage lights going from the moment everyone entered the place and they were extremely blinding to the point where I honestly wished I had sunglasses in my purse) so she offered to take several for us which was so nice! She looked extremely familiar. We chatted with her a bit and learned that she’s from Buffalo and also traveled to Chicago last February to see Taemin, so we think we might have recognized her from that show! I love the Kpop community. I can’t tell you how many of the same faces I used to see at my old sad boy concerts but god forbid anyone talk to me at those things.

Oh you guys. Did Key become my SHINee bias after this!?!? Is it time for me to just admit that I legitimately cannot be forced to choose a bias at this point because I love all SHINee members equally and for some many different reasons? Key put on such a strong show from start to finish. He is also exceptionally fluent in English AND SO FUCKING FUNNY that it almost felt like a stand-up show at times. His MENTS were hysterical!

We stan a man who can sing, dance, and make us laugh with his effortless humor and biting sassiness. Key delivers on all points!

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The two seats next to me remained empty all the way up to when Key took the stage, and even during the 1 or 2 songs. Eventually, two women took the seats but then it turned out one of the seats belonged to someone else – a MAN! I kept telling Henry that I hoped a man would be sitting next to me, I don’t know why since I actually fucking hate men, and it actually happened! I will say, it was an older demographic for Key and there were more men than usual – one of them was down by the stage and Key even called him out during one of his MENTS and even said, “KPOP is a weird industry, right? So WEIRD…..” I was dying. Actually, there were so many moments where Key had me laughing so hard that my stomach was starting to hurt. HE IS SO FUNNY!! Key mentioned numerous times that he was so grateful to finally get to do a solo tour in the US, after being an idol for 18 YEARS. He even threw shade to his agency at one point too which was amazing.

(Honestly, do better, SM. You have the most amazing talent on your roster and you treat them like shit.)

I am so glad that we were able to attend one of his shows because he deserves all of the sold-out venues, for real. What an icon.

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One of my favorite moments was when people started yelling “RING DING DONG!” which is a super popular SHINee song from back in the day that is such an ear worm that it was actually banned in Korea during exam season because it would get stuck in students’ head and make it hard for them to concentrate – LOL I’M NOT KIDDING, this is an actual thing in Korea where songs will get banned for that reason.

Anyway, Key famously is sick of that song so people do this to goad him. He stopped talking and said, “Oh shut up!” in the most harmless way and then when someone else yelled, “REPLAY!” (SHINee’s debut song 18 years ago!) he said “shut up” again and then immediately sang, “Noona namu yeppeo….” and we all fucking lost our minds!

I felt so energized and WARM after this show. Key is a gem, a true treasure. I’m honestly tearing up as I recap this because it was a really emotional night for me and so many others in that theater who have never had the good fortune of seeing SHINee. We’re just collecting their solo concerts at this point. (LET’S GO, MINHO!!!!)

I screamed so much that night that I could feel my voice submitting its PTO request before we even left the Riviera.

SET LIST

1. Strange
2. Helium
3. CoolAs
4. Want Another
5. Killer
6. Guilty Pleasure
7. HUNTER
8. Heartless
9. Good & Great
10. Pleasure Shop
11. Picture Frame
12. Another Life
13. BAD LOVE
14. Gasoline
15. Imagine
16. GLAM (the guy next to me popped off during this one & I loved it!)
17. This Life
18. Lavender Life

In case Henry one day gets famous and you get asked about what his favorite Key song is on a radio show morning trivia sesh, it’s Gasoline. He didn’t hesitate at all when I grilled him over his favorite part of the night.

I couldn’t go to bed that night until I sorted through all of my freebies! I was so stoked to get a Helium bracelet <3

Wait an absolute banger of a concert. And without expended too much energy on this, I would be remiss to not mention that while he was here in the US – IN THE MIDDLE OF A FUCKING TOUR – he got dragged into this ridiculous scandal where some broad was busted for administering illegal injections outside of hospitals. From my understanding, she was a trusted woman who was giving medical IVs to clients, sounds like to treat mild things like dehydration and exhaustion, but her clients didn’t know she was unlicensed. First, a comedienne went down for this, and it happened that she was co-starred with Key on a variety show, and then it was discovered that at some point, she had posted a picture on her Instagram of Key’s very famous dogs, which brought him into the scandal.

This happened a few days before his Chicago show and I was actually concerned that the rest of his tour was going to get canceled because that’s how nasty Korea can be over these things. First, everyone over there was up in arms because he wasn’t releasing a statement. (HE WAS IN AMERICA, ON TOUR. LET THE MAN BREATHE.)

Then when his tour ended, he released a statement admitting that he did receive treatments but didn’t know she was unlicensed, so then everyone bitched because his statement was too INSINCERE. Jesus Christ. So he ultimately has stepped down from all of his variety shows and upcoming commitments, including the SM Town concert in 2026. Unbelievable. I LOVE Korea for many reasons, but there are also numerous reasons that makes me so angry with them as a country too.

If his career is ruined over this….I just can’t even think about that. Please go listen to his music.

Where did we even leave off, who knows, I am so far behind on these recaps and am currently kicking myself for not taking my laptop with me so I could have least done some of these there! (I know it was a vacation but I truly enjoy blogging for some reason.)

OK yeah, we spent the morning at Peles Castle, ate lunch at that cutey place with the cat and nice view, and then continued on our way to Brasov, where we would be staying the next two nights.

Brasov still had that medieval feel to it but the size of it (and the graffiti) was also a bit of a reminder that we were heading back to big civilization. This was another pain in the ass place as far as parking goes, and we ended up quite a bit away from our guest house. And surprise—I knew AS SOON AS I STEPPED OUT OF THE CAR that my period had started so it was a race to find somewhere close with a bathroom.

Hilariously, now when I think of Brasov, the first two things that come to mind are awful – one being hit with a heavy period and cramps and the other one, well, we’ll get to that in due time, LOL. Let’s just say my body decided to do a Great Purge all at once.

MAGA anyone?

I remember vividly that we were following this Asian man tourist on our way to find a bathroom and he looked like he had a good eye so I was purposely taking pictures of everything he was taking pictures of. I don’t even think Henry (or he) noticed.

We found a cafe! It was called Meron and I ran in, asked where the bathroom was, and yelled, “JUST ORDER ME COFFEE, ANYTHING!” and as I was running away, I heard the barista ask Henry “For here or to go?” and Henry said “To go” like a fucking doof so I hollered, “FOR HERE!” over my shoulder. Jesus, can you please let me sit and chill with a hot cup of coffee after tamponning it up?

MEN WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND OUR PLIGHT.

Anyway, this place was realllly nice. It turned out that since we were staying in, we ordered from the table so Henry didn’t have to screw that up for me and I was able to just order when I sat down. I got this really fancy coffee that took a while for them to brew and was served in this cool medicinal-looking bottle.

This picture is what Henry deserves.

Anyway, thank you Meron for having a bathroom and really tight coffee. (Don’t worry, I didn’t bleed out in their restroom or leave a trail.)

I really liked the vibe of Brasov. I mean, I liked everywhere in Romania, really.

Brasov is famous for its Hollywood-esque signage on the side of Mt. Tampa.

After dealing with my GIRL ISSUES like I am in middle school and haven’t figured out how to handle a period yet, we found our guest house which was in an apartment building and another adventure accessing. There was a code that Henry kept fucking up, and then directions that he couldn’t follow, etc. It took us an embarrassingly long time to find the room, is all I’m going to say.

These old buildings, I swear to fucking god, every single step you take bounces and ricochets off the walls and ceiling. There is no sneaking into these places.

To get to our room, we had to exit a door on the second floor, walk across a balcony to another door which opened to a foyer and shared kitchen space, and then our room was one of 4 on that floor. It was….beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

The most “modern” room we had on the whole trip and at first I was like, “Oh…” because I had really grown so accustomed to the rustic and old aesthetic of the other ones, but then I quickly got over that and ended up LOVING THIS PLACE….until I immediately locked myself in the bathroom and actually started to have a panic attack!!!

Henry saved me but he did message the host about it and they were like, “Oh yeah, there is a key for the bathroom in the desk by the front door because that happens sometimes.”

LOL I never fully shut the bathroom door again while we were there.

This was the view from our balcony! And you can see the bar that we’d go to later that night.

In case you ever go to Brasov and want to stay here, it’s called 1910 Boutique.

I sent pictures of this place to Chooch and he was like WOW HE NEVER GETS PLACES LIKE THIS WHEN I’M WITH YOU. Places like this in America would cost 2x what we paid in Romania!!!

Such a gorgeous room and view!!

After getting settled, we went out to explore. One of the first things I saw was THE DRACULA RESTAURANT and was it a tourist trap? I mean, of course. But in the window, a DRACULA IPA AND COLLECTORS GLASS was on display and c’mon. When in Romania, amirite? Ya gotta get the Dracula beer at the Dracula Restaurant when in NOT JUST ROMANIA BUT MOTHERFUCKING TRANSYLVANIA. I have no shame or regrets about this.

If you can believe this, there actually was a table of diners who appeared to be locals. I can’t be sure, but they seemed chummy with the waitstaff in a way that made me feel like they had been there many times before.

However, it was funny to watch people stop, peer in, and keep walking LOL.

Absolutely worth it.

We weren’t hungry yet since we had eaten lunch about 2 hours prior to this but we still wanted to order SOMETHING. I suggested getting this traditional Romanian pancake-ish dessert to share.

It was delightful! As was the server and the whole experience. I got my Dracula IPA gift set (it came with two bottles and the glass!) and two little Dracula-themed bottles of palinca for Margie. Oh, and a Dracula pen for Chooch! Did I ever mention that Chooch has some gigantic pen collection that I think started because he has a compulsion to take pens from places? I don’t know, maybe I’m making this sound more nefarious than it is. But Henry was flipping out when he was cleaning his room after he went to college, like WHAT IS UP WITH ALL THE PENS, MY GUY.

…to be continued.

I started calling her Splenny Looharrian at some point last year and Chooch has big rejected it.

Henry accidentally called her Splenny the other night and he was so mad about it hahah. I live with such haters.

After leaving Peles Castle, we found a restaurant called Le Cerdac off the beaten path in Busteni. It felt like a fancy restaurant from the 80s in a way that I can’t explain but I loved the aesthetic. Being a weekday at lunch time, we were the only diners there which made it even better!

We sat by the window – I don’t know, man, some people hate dreary weather but I was really vibing with this view. Look at that fog over the mountains!

OH COME ON. Should I print and frame this? I think I need to print and frame this. As soon as Henry builds me a floating wall.

This is Henry’s crazed, “We’re in ROMANIA, BABY” look.

I was really so much less of a bitch by this point of the day, you’ll be so thrilled to know. You know how sometimes you’re just trying to do the most and then you get overwhelmed and then your period is about to start and you’re so fucking hungry and then on top of all of that you’re with HENRY who can often be completely unaware of the plight we go through? Yeah, it was that kind of day. But then we got to this cozy and quiet restaurant, and I was able to just tune out all of that noise and really be in the moment….

…and shove my face into a plate of hot mamaliga and mushrooms. This lunch was, to a vegetarian like myself, such a soothing comfort meal on a drizzly autumn day in the Carpathian Mountains (or, if you’re on my level with them, the Carpathies). I was so happy!

Henry went to the bathroom and left the door to the dining area open long enough for this cutie to slip in, LOL. He was so friendly and kept climbing into my lap, I loved him so much but of course every cat encounter I had there made me miss Penelope so much! Leaving pets behind is the ONLY downside of travel, in my opinion. My mom was here with her but I have a feeling she was here as often as she said she was, so that paranoia is always traveling with me like an emotional carry-on.

You guys, Henry took pictures of his food SEVERAL TIMES during our travels through Romania. What in the actual hell.

LOL I was flipping through my vacation journal to make sure I wasn’t leaving out any pertinent tidbits and realized that I forgot to add in the Sighisoara dinner post that there was elderly couple seated at a table across from us, who were also clearly on vacation, and I said, “That could be us one day. Except if I’m that old, then it would be your urn sitting next to me.”

“Yeah, or your new boyfriend,” Henry added. LOLOLOL.

Anyway, that concludes our lunch in Busteni! Our server was kind of neutral with us until the end when Henry tipped her, and then she suddenly had personality and asked us to review the place on Google, which I did because I’m a sucker but that was really a very nice and cozy place with delectable mamaliga and a sweet cat, and I’m glad we stopped there!

LOL you thought the Sighisoara lovefest was over. Too bad for you, we had some time the next morning to take some early morning photos before the hotel breakfast started.

I was so happy here. <3

I just got this one printed! Is it weird to frame photos of yourself? I DON’T CARE. I loved Sighisoara and I loved this guest house and I loved how I felt as I was loving it. Step off.

The hotel concierge guy arrived right after we finished taking these and I was so happy he didn’t see because I HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE WATCH ME GET MY PICTURE TAKEN.

One last look at our room door. :(

Breakfast was OK. I didn’t eat much. And I didn’t know how to use the coffee maker, lol. A few other guests filed in while we were there and they all appeared to be English-speakers – one couple sounded Australian maybe? I didn’t recognize any of them from our multiple laps around the town the day before.

In my vacation journal, I reviewed breakfast as such:

Breakfast was lots of meats but also pretty delicious mini pancakes. I wanted to get apple juice but I didn’t know how to open the mini fridge and then after I figured it out, some guy was blocking the glasses, so I panicked and just grabbed a yogurt but I didn’t actually want it. Our hotel friend was scurrying all about refilling trays, etc. I miss him terribly already.

What I extracted from this is that I am clearly an alien put on the Earth 46 years ago never to acclimate, and also I have alarming attachment issues.

Leaving :(

Goodbye, Sighisoara :(

I wasn’t sad for too long though because the drive to Peles Castle in Sinaia was like looking at a live oil painting of the purest autumnal landscape.

Dude, come on.

Maybe it was my extreme sadness manifesting into emotions that didn’t match the situation, or maybe it was PMS (surprise! my period came on full-blast later that day and it was almost a disaster of “I’m in middle school and haven’t learned out to deal with menstruation emergencies yet!” proportions (or see also: I’m an alien put on the Earth 46 years ago, and so on and so forth), but I had turned into a mega-bitch by the time we arrived in Sinaia. Everything Henry did was wrong. It was drizzling. He parked in a weird place and I wasn’t sure if it was where we needed to be so I freaked out. He asked a parking attendant a question and it EMBARRASSED ME for no reason other than he was giving AMERICAN.

The walk there wasn’t far at all but I felt totally lost for some reason? Even though we were literally walking with flocks of other tourists also Peles Castle-bound.

I sort of brightened up a little once the Castle showed itself to us.

This was built for King Carol I in 1873 and most people will tell you that this is THE premiere castle to see in Romania. I will tell you that even on a Wednesday morning in October, there was a decent line to get in. Since I was IN A MOOD, I declared that I didn’t want to deal with the crowds and we just poked around the grounds. I was just not in the mood to be pushed through a Castle in a shuffling horde of tourists. (One might also deduce that HANGER could be added to my list of mood-altering catalysts.)

Honestly though, the grounds were so gorgeous. I actually loved that it was a dreary, foggy day because LOOK AT THAT AMBIANCE. What a fucking vibe.

Ew.

I’m literally casting spells on Henry in this moment, I remember it so vividly.

Then I got mad at Henry because I wanted him to buy some bird whistle thing that some Romani man was shilling outside the castle because I wanted to give it to Chooch to goad him for not being able to whistle on his own but then Henry was like IT WAS EXPENSIVE and I honestly find that hard to believe?? Like, either the guy was trying to rip Henry off or Henry just MISHEARD the man which is actually more likely because he has major Grandpa Ears.

Anyway, joke’s on me anyway because when Chooch was on the train coming home from Philly on Saturday, this text exchange happened:

Ugh he’s so annoying. I always took so much glee in the fact that I could whistle and he couldn’t, because he loves to rub it in my face that he can snap his fingers and I can’t, AND NOW HE CAN DO BOTH.

FML.

Anyway, after storming off and walking way ahead of Henry back to the car, I calmed down long enough to buy some magnets from some vendors in a parking lot.

But brother, I was HUNGRY by this point so we headed away from the Castle in search of somewhere to eat lunch – or a scenic cut in the Carpathians to break up. I guess you’ll have to wait for the next Romania post to find out which, wow, the suspense.

1. You guys the weirdest thing happened. Ok not the weirdest but oddly coincidental.

Last Saturday, Henry and I were at Sly Fox downtown and Portishead’s “Glory Box” came on. I haven’t really listened to Portishead since the late 90s / early 00s and honestly that was probably the last time I heard that song. I even commented to Henry that I hadn’t heard it in forever and it was sort of unexpected.

Exactly one week later, we were at this bar / restaurant in Chicago called Fat Cat’s and it came on there too??!! I texted Chooch and even he was like “wow weird.”

THEN!! This morning before leaving Chicago, we stopped in this store called Wolfbait (my new favorite store btw) and IT CAME ON AGAIN. Actually, that was the only place of the three where that song didn’t feel out of context. But it still caught me off guard!

2. I like Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga but for some reason I never really paid attention to Die With a Smile and I’m 100% positive that I never listened to it in its entirety because I don’t listen to KISS FM anymore now that I’m not driving Chooch to school. But that song is super popular in Romania apparently so that was actually my first time really hearing it, many times.

Anyway – just the other day, DK and Seungkwan from Seventeen released a cover of it and it is my favorite thing currently. I love that Seungkwan is holding a lollipop instead of a cigarette!

Well, that’s all. We only just got home around 10pm and I am ready to crash out. These road trips, man. Henry was like, “yay! This is the last one we have planned!” Watch what you say, sir. There are any number of kpop groups that could announce a US tour at any moment lol. (Hopefully Wonho’s cancelled tour gets rescheduled soon but I’m super stoked that he was at least still here promoting and making the media rounds!)

Henry and I are en route to Chicago and I just got an IG ad for plasma donation.

“You should sell your plasma so I can pay off my G-Dragon debt,” I cried, lightbulbs popping off in my head. “You can get up to $750 and you can do it several times a week!”

Henry asked if there was an age limit so I had to go to the FAQs where my eyes accidentally grazed upon the section that talks about the actual process and I started violently gagging and tenderly rubbing my arms which were phantomically (it’s a word now) going through the procedure. (Barb told me once that she thought I was an empath because of how I feel things like this and then I referenced it once later and she was like, “YOU? An EMPATH?? I never said that.” LOL wow!)

Anyway, once I told him the process takes 1.5-3 hours, his interest piqued. “That’s like a dream day for you,” I said. “Just sitting there scrolling through IG reels and sleeping….”

“And not being bothered by you. That sounds amazing, actually,” Henry finished. You guys, I still owe over $3000 in GD debt so he better get started.

This reminded me of how Christina used to sell her plasma back in the day to afford Greyhound tickets to visit me in Pittsburgh from Cinci. This was no secret, I used to talk about it at the job I had back then and then one day someone brought it up because they were asking about the process and another co-worker goes, “oh THAT plasma?? I was going to say, how does your friend continuously have so many TVs to sell?!”

That’s all. 22 minutes away from Chicago! Seeing Key from SHINee tonight!

OK I have to tell you something that has been bugging me for the past year or so, and you know it’s going to be a MAJOR THING (and not something that is just over-exaggerated inside my own head – why, I’d never!) since that’s all I do on here is drop heavy truths from the Honestly Heavens, so brace yourself.

The local theater down the street from us was SOLD TO SOMEONE WHO OWNS ANOTHER LOCAL THEATER and you would think, “But that’s great though, right?” and literally everyone else around here was like “Fuck yeah, let’s gooo” but I am internally a 95-year-old bitty fighting against gentrification even though I only half-understand what that means and in my desiccated apple core of a brain, all I could think about was how the OTHER THEATER is in a super trendy area of Pittsburgh and attracts CLIENTELE OF A CERTAIN SOCIAL ESCHELON that I don’t want carousing around my area.

OK really, I have no idea the types of people that go to this other theater and they do play some awesome indie and foreign horror there which is obviously all I care about and my old theater did the same and I loved it because I could go there and watch a movie and be one of like maybe 10 other patrons. Which, you know, is great for me but not so great for the theater, LOL. (Can you tell I’m purposely not using actual theater names because I am so tired of my blog turning up in Google searches and then actual business owners being like WTF MORE LIKE OH HONESTLY, KAREN.)

Every time I would get an update on Instagram, I’d scoff, “Maybe they put in a moustache waxing station or a cooler for HOP SELTZER.” Am I old enough to be this curmudgeonly?? GO FETCH MY SHAWL!

THEN THEY PAINTED THE OUTSIDE A REALLY HORRID COLOR, THE SHADE OF GREEN TYPICALLY RESERVED FOR THE CONTENTS OF A BABY’S DIAPER. I texted a picture to Chooch and he was like, “You are overreacting, it’s not even that bad.” UGH that’s because he’s under the age of LOOKING FOR A BONE TO PICK.

Then the new Cure concert film was announced and it’s one of the locations showing it, during their soft-opening, and I might have principles (far-reaching though they may be) but I am also lazy and enjoy the convenience of having a local theater within walking distance so I bit the bullet and bought tickets. I just REALLY didn’t feel like driving to other parts of the city to see this on a SCHOOL NIGHT.

You guys, it was fine. My sacred balcony seats are still intact and the new owner gave a little speech prior to the show and I AM A BIG ENOUGH PERSON to admit that I was being ridiculous. I am fully in support of this new era of a beloved local institution and already plan on going back while Chooch is in town for Christmas (unbeknownst to him at the time of this writing).

And yo, The Cure. Goddamn. This was a recording of a special concert they did last year in a small theater in London. I was about to say I’d love to see them in a venue that small and intimate and then realized that is exactly how it was the first time I saw them in 2000 at the Royal Theatre in Canberra!

It was a much better experience than when we saw them in 2023 in Cleveland, surrounded by a bunch of loud and drunk middle-aged losers who were only there to hear the handful of songs that brought them back to their alleged glory days of frat life. Honestly, you would think that going to concerts attended by old people would be a good experience but you would be WRONG. One of the worst crowds I have ever had to endure.

And I even had a beer that I GENUINELY ENJOYED! (Breckenridge Winter Warmer, in case you care!) I drink slow so it lasted me almost the entire show (3+ hours! Henry stayed awake for all of it and even did some weird hand movements during some of the songs! His favorite Cure song is The Forest, in case you care part 2.)

Afterward, some lady stopped me and asked if I was PAM and I said NO and she said OH YOU LOOKED LIKE SOMEONE I MET AT THE CONCERT. And then as she mumbled, “Good movie though,” as she turned a corner, never to be seen again.

(At least by us. Hopefully someone has seen her since then. UNLESS SHE’S A GHOST.)

In other LOCAL CHANGES, this is one that I have been stoked about since it went into motion:

THAT FUCKING UPPITY RESTAURANT CLOGGING BROOKLINE’S ARTERIES WITH PRETENTIOUS SMASH BURGERS AND “SANDOS” IS DONEZO!!! They did a dramatic “slow-closing” earlier this year, where they were “giving their loyal fans” an extended amount of “LAST CHANCE” opportunities to stop by and slop up their hoity-toity food. Apparently, the owner decided he wants to “focus on his music career” or something and I’m sure that will be music I will not ever check out. I just thought he was such an ass. His IG posts were so obnoxious, all in caps.

I swear I’m not even being a brat because they got rid of the BEST VEGGIE BURGER I EVER HAD IN THIS STUPID CITY and opted to fill their menu with all of the super hipster foodie meats. Oh, and they had REALLY GOOD BISCUITS but then they decided to rebrand as a “supper club” (get the fuck out of Brookline, honestly) and when their adoring fans asked, “but the biscuits!!” they snidely said, “We already mastered those and won’t be revisiting.” What a bunch of actual kitchen pricks.

ANYWAY!!! For a while, Hipster Supreme was using the empty restaurant as his BAND PRACTICE SPACE (OK, Drive By Fuckers) but then recently I noticed legit activity by way of DINING ROOM FURNITURE BEING REMOVED! And then I walked by another time and saw several Asian people inside behind the counter – BROOKINE, ARE WE GETTING ANOTHER ASIAN RESTAURANT??? PLEASE? I did hear bits of talking one time when I strolled by and think maybe Chinese? The windows have been taped up while renovations are underway, but they recently painted the facade red!

This is a change I’m here for. I hated hated hated that other place so much. Just shitty vibes all around. Stay-tuned I guess!!

When Chooch was home for Thanksgiving, we made him go to lunch with at Chimera Brewing and he was so annoyed because I only wanted to go there to get a stamp for my Pgh Brewery passport thingie and he didn’t want to be part of that. But then football was on the TVs there so he was happy. Because Chooch, son of Erin and Henry, somehow became a football fan on his own time.

I can’t remember what number stamp this was – 8, I think?? I’m already so over this but I can’t quit until I win. I definitely need something else to fixate on in 2026.

I watched the annual MAMA Awards which was really somber in light of the Hong Kong apartment fire tragedy. :( It was annoying because a lot of people were calling for MAMA to cancel entirely, but then when they opted to go for a somber, toned-down ceremony, people complained that it wasn’t exciting enough. Jesus.

Henry got Trudy all decked out in her Christmas best Friday night after Thanksgiving.

Kevin came over for the first time on Saturday so she had to be dressed for the occasion, lol. We were dying because moments after our company arrived, the doorbell rang AGAIN and we thought it was a glitch until later when Henry reviewed the security footage and we saw  that we were legit Ding Dong Ditched LOL. I was just bummed that our DDDitcher didn’t hang around long enough to enjoy the mesmerizing doorbell jam.

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We had pizza and played the 80s & 90s Song Humming game in the attic – Henry opted out, lol.

The next day, we went to Hazel Grove Brewing for another stamp (#10 – #9 was actually a “cheat” because I sent Henry to a place we’ve already been to – Strange Roots- and he bought a bottle of something called the Plague that was just OK). Anyway, I was excited about this place because they had some Belgians there but I am starting to come to the conclusion that I don’t like American versions of Belgian beers. I have been impressed by NONE so far and keep going back to my imports from Duffy’s. Clearly, I need to just go to Belgium. (And admit that I just don’t really LIKE any other kinds of beer.)

All of my Buddys are totally beefed up for winter. I don’t know how this one doesn’t get stuck in HNC’s roof!!

Last Saturday, Henry and I took the T to the North Shore and had, ugh, a “day date” I guess. BUT ONLY BECAUSE I WANTED MORE STAMPS!!! Right away in Dormont we encountered an aggressively chatty Elder Yinzer but then he liked my shoes (just dark purple Vans) so then I was like, “OK you can stay.” He was in a big hurry to get home and watch the game, whatever game that was.

We went to Southern Tier and had a nice lunchtime beer. Mine was Cherry Pie and it was actually OK but it got kind of cloying after a while. Our server was so nice and that made me like it there even more.

After getting my 11th stamp (yay!), we walked over the bridge to downtown and saw this which is so gross but obviously I had to take a picture because: agreed.

Once we were downtown, we walked around the Christmas Market and look–why do I even bother? I KNOW it’s not for me. And it still is not for me! But we did get a pretzel and cherry strudel to share, so there’s that. I’ll tell you what though, seeing Santa’s Workshop made me so sad though because YOU KNOW how much I looked forward to dragging my work friends over there for our annual group photo with Santa. :(

Here’s the last one we took, back in 2019. MEMMMMMMMMMMMMMries.

Santa always looked forward to our appearances. :( HE TOLD ME SO.

Anyway. Then we walked down to Sly Fox for our second beer and more importantly, ANOTHER STAMP. I got some winter ale thing that was pretty good but the best part was that it was so chill in there (it was also chill the last time we were there after the No Kings protest in June) and they had a bangin’ playlist! PORTISHEAD? BRING ME THE HORIZON? BALANCE AND COMPOSURE? BRAND NEW? It was so good that I had to give the two women behind the bar snaps and they were like, “YESSSSSS.” Being complimented on your music taste is the best, I’ll tell ya. I could have a parade of people going by and telling me I have a nice ass or I’m so smart or whatever, but one person tells me “sick playlist, man” and I am eating out of their hand.

Just like that.

Now you know.

(I miss the old days when people would ask me to make them a mix tape!)

Also, look at Henry smiling because he enjoys my company so much.

On the way back, we saw the Elder Yinzer again! He got on and back again in Beechview. Then on the walk back home, we stopped at Le’s Cafe in Dormont for sticky mango rice (and Henry got a pistachio latte but I learned the hard way that it’s one or the other for me – a sweet drink or a sweet treat from Le’s, I can’t do both or I crash so hard). It was such a nice day! Well, I mean, Pgh weather-wise, it was cold and gray. But it was nice getting out of the house for fun things.

I also learned that flights aren’t great for me. If I get a flight, I feel like I’m drinking less but I always end up feeling so drunk and sick for the rest of the day?! So now I am sticking to one beer. I think I was OK with two on Saturday because there was more than an hour in between the beers since we had to walk from the North Side to downtown for the second place. THIS WAS BY DESIGN. I PLANNED IT THAT WAY. God forbid I should just relax like a normal person. Everything has to have hidden exercise involved.

The rest of the weekend was full of cuddling with Peenlop and rewatching Stranger Things from the beginning. We binge-watched season 5 while Chooch was home but holy shit, did I forget A LOT, even after watching a 35 minute refresher video on YouTube before starting season 5!! I’m not ready for this show to end. Umbrella Academy was hard enough to say goodbye to! Those two shows go hand-in-hand for me and Chooch. I have the nicest memories of finishing a Jillian Michaels workout (don’t worry, I’m done with her) with Chooch and then sitting down to watch Umbrella Academy or Stranger Things. Also, Drew was around for that too.

Super sentimental about everything, I can’t help it.

Also, not a spoiler but Chooch and I were very much against the use of Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now” in Stranger Things. We both screamed, “They can’t do that!!!” because UMBRELLA ACADEMY DID IT FIRST. Maybe they could have used DEBBIE GIBSON INSTEAD, JUST A THOUGHT.

Oh, also Henry went to Aslin on Sunday and got a 6-pack which will probably live in our fridge for mths, untouched, just so I could get MY 13TH STAMP!! 7 more by 12/31, can I do it??? We’ll be in Chicago this weekend so I’ll have to really strategize, ugh. All of this for some stupid glass.

It’s crazy looking back on this day because we truly just strolled around almost the whole time. Shopped. Ate. Poked around in alleys and explored little trails. But in my head, it felt like we did so much. For such a small town, I wasn’t bored at all! It was really all about the vibes.

After gorging on pie, we definitely needed to walk more. I had to take a picture of these two buildings for future paint palette inspo.

Hail Vlad, the national hero of Romania.

We were sitting on a nearby bench watching some girl making her IG Husband undertake a full photoshoot of her posing in this spot. I had just wanted a quick picture but they were taking so long that we actually left and came back. This is me “monkey see monkey do”ing, lol.

Henry is sort of getting better at taking pictures.

You guys, seriously. The colors.

In the late afternoon, we made our way back down the hill into the non-Old Town portion of Sighisoara.

It’s not too much more modern down there though!

We stopped at Atelier for a coffee break.

It was very cozy there and I was happy to sit for a while and write in my vacation journal.

Târnava Mare River with the Holy Trinity Church in the background.

We stopped in this bar called Murphy’s Law. I opted out of a beer though because I was holding out for more of the local stuff we had at the cherry pie cafe.

It was a nice vibe in there though!

After that, we walked back up the hill and stopped at our guest house for a bit of a rest before heading out again in search of papanasi. The lights were on now! I can’t express deeply enough how enchanted I was by this place.

Here’s Henry chatting with the hotel concierge guy who made me coffee!

We walked around looking for somewhere to have papanasi. I don’t think either of us were particularly hungry for a full dinner, but we definitely had room for dessert! Since the Vlad Restaurant was closed, we chose this place – Casa cu Cerb – because they also had Trepte beer! I was such a fan of that beer.

I brought this can home with us! It’s slightly dented but that’s OK. It’s on our buffet and I smile every time I look at it. I love that it has the Scholar’s Stairs on it!!

We did end up ordering real food too – I got this vegetable plate which doesn’t sound like much but that was the best zucchini I have ever had in my life. I still think about it! It was the perfect dinner for me.

Henry got some kind of soup.

We were cracking up because the complete opposite happened from the time we ate dinner in Cluj and were the oldest people in there – this time, even HENRY was younger than everyone else. There must have been a group tour there that day and all the elderly people had converged upon this place, but the even funnier part was that it was actually quite late – nearly 9PM – and all these Elders just kept filing in for dinner.

Papanasi! I definitely preferred this version over the boiled one we had in Sibiu but Henry was still a staunch supporter of those boiled balls. I’ll tell you, papanasi is really good but that it is maybe THE ONE THING that I might have overhyped in my head prior to this trip. Because I will tell you with absolute authority and certainty that the sour cherry pie we had earlier that day was far excelsior to papanasi.

Sighisoara was eerily quiet after we left the restaurant. Of course I wanted to take a digestive stroll which was fine by Henry because he wanted to go back down into the main part of town to get some drinks at the store down there.

LOL I had to take this for Chooch. “LOOK WHAT YOUR DAD FOUND.”

Henry was like “MMMMFFFFFFFfffff” when I suggested, “HEY LET’S WALK UP THE SCHOLAR’S STAIRS AT NIGHT!”

There was a man playing guitar at the top so that provided some chill ambiance for us.

It was well after 10PM by this time and Henry was like, “CAN WE PLEASE GO BACK NOW.” Sorry, I’m just always trying to get the most out of these things! WE MIGHT NEVER BE BACK.

I kind of regret not getting food at our actual guest house restaurant because look at how romantic this courtyard dining area is! Although, I would have had to find better company, LOL.

This was the view from our loft window before we went to bed. I am so in love with Sighisoara. :(

P.S. Here’s the video recap of the day! Notes:

• the city in the beginning is Targu Mures, our first taste of “city life” after being in the Maramures
• coming down the Scholar’s Stairs behind the COOL GIRLS after school let out
• you can see the lady hard-massaging her companion at lunch
• also the Instagram couple who were hogging the corner photo spot along the wall in Sighisoara
• it ends with some military transport convoy thing that I didn’t even notice until Henry was totally tweaking out over it. YOU KNOW I TEXTED CHOOCH IMMEDIATELY. According to my texts to Chooch, Henry whispered, “There were rocket launchers on top.” WOW.

It’s been a minute since I went to a concert alone (not counting the kpop concerts we go to where we sit floors apart) but when I saw that PVRIS was bringing their 10th anniversary White Noise tour to Pittsburgh I didn’t even bother asking Henry if he wanted to go because I knew he’d say no. So I signed up for the presale and bought one ticket just for me – cheap and easy!

The White Noise album technically came out 11 years ago and it was on constant rotation in our house for a long time back then! From the moment I saw the video for St Patrick, I was subbed.

I’ve seen them a whole bunch of times since then – mostly at Warped Tour and as the opener for other bands – but coincidentally every time I have seen them headline, I’ve been alone (this was the third time!).

Henry dropped me off at the Roxian 30 minutes before doors and I was kind of shocked at how short the line was. Granted, it was a cold night but that usually doesn’t stop die hards. The Roxian opened sometime after I had become totally immersed in Kpop so I actually had never been here before this night since I wasn’t going to non-Kpop concerts for a big chunk of there.

While I was standing there, I saw a man get out of a parked car down the street and start walking over to the line. I squinted and was like, “OMG HENRY CAME BACK! HE BOUGHT A TICKET AND CAME BACK FOR ME!” because the man was of Henry’s age, same glasses, same beard…but the closer he came the more groomed he was and also his beard was more solid white and manscaped well. So, not Henry. But that man was definitely attending the concert though because at one point during the night I turned around and saw him standing up in the balcony.

Anyway! Doors opened right at 7PM. As my purse was getting casually inspected (have fun sifting through my collection of YOU NEVER KNOW tampons, Male Security, one of the lady staff standing nearby said she liked my purse.

“And your shoes, too!” she added and I did my signature cringey Shirley Temple hand-under-chin smile thing that I do which totally sends Chooch. Good thing he wasn’t there but I was sure to text him about it.

(My purse and shoes were both Vans! 99.9% of my shoe collection is Vans. I stay consistent. The only non-Vans I have ever coveted are the G-Dragon Para-noise Nikes which have been unattainable for me over these last 6 years.)

Once I got inside, I made a beeline for the barricade. It’s my go-to when I’m at shows alone. Usually far-right barricade. It seemed like the people at the barricade to my left were also there alone, and we all just kind of leaned against it, mindlessly scrolling through our phones, until the opener – Dua Saleh – came on. That was fine with me because small talk is exhausting to me, especially after a full day of work that also included therapy. I was happy to stand there alone in silence until the show started.

I went in blind to Dua Saleh and was blown away. First of all, they came out on crutches, foot in a boot, and still managed to work the stage.

I was blown away – I think all of us there who didn’t have prior exposure to them left that night as a fan. Their singing was soulful and mystical, honestly hypnotic to the point where I began to forget where I was.

Afterward, we were entertained by watching the stage crew go through the tedious process of attaching furniture to the stage lighting trusses (I made Henry look up the technical name for me because I was just calling the “stage light things” lol). Meanwhile, not one but two Fergie songs played which had me dying because we were talking about the meme of her singing horribly on GMA (I think?) and doing back flips across the stage. I honestly can’t remember the last time I actually heard a Fergie song out in the wild, but they had an early 00s playlist pumping so it made sense but still!

The final result!

Oh, before I get into the rest, I want to give a shout out to the security at the front of the stage – there were three of them and they were so chill. I had fun watching them fuck around with each other in between sets and taking selfies to send to their security friends in the balcony. My first impression of the Roxian was really solid!

And finally….PVRIS. I knew I was going to cry but I didn’t expect to cry AS SOON as they came out on stage. (OK that’s a lie, lol.) But damn, it’s been too long since I last saw them live and that’s totally on me. (I think the last time was actually when I saw them in Royal Oak, Michigan?? That may have been in 2018.)

They tore through the entire White Noise album – no breaks, no banter in between songs. That did feel kind of sterile but also added a layer of mystery and seriousness, if you know what I mean. Like, this is such a special album and a special night honoring it, so it made sense that all the banter was saved up until the special set proceeding White Noise because it kept us all in the zone.

But Lynn is such a light-hearted banterer so it was definitely refreshing to hear her speaking voice after White Noise was finished. It brought us back down to earth, in a way, anchored us after that wildly emotional ride!

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You and I is one of my favorites and I screamed my throat raw during this one (not my video!!):

I don’t really know what else to say other than it was a great crowd, a great show, and an overall great night even though I was alone! I feel like the last two times I went to one of their headlining shows, the crowd was annoying, but the crowd was so cool and considerate at this show. When the person who was originally next to me gave up their spot to the young girl behind us who was SUPER STOKED TO BE THERE, she turned to me at one point and asked, “You can still see, right??” Her flailing arm was blocking my view a lot of the time but I just smiled and told her she was fine because go off, queen! She was living her best night and I’m not going to stand there and be a tight-lipped Karen because she has her arm in the air. (If it would have been her phone, that’s a different story!) But she was so cute and I was jumping and flailing about too so who cares. Just a really great crowd.

My voice was cooked after that though because I just screamed my face off most of the night (most of my video clips are just my big mouth lol). I felt so GOOD after that and was blabbering my head off to Henry on the way home.

PVRIS 4EVER.

SETLIST

1. SMOKE
2. ST PATRICK
3. MY HOUSE
4. HOLY
5. WHITE NOISE
6. FIRE
7. EYELIDS*
8. MIRRORS
9. GHOSTS
10. LET THEM IN
11. YOU & I
12. BURN THE WITCH
13. SNAKES
14. GOOD ENEMY
15. ANIMAL
16. DEAD WEIGHT
17. LOVE IS A….
18. I DON’T WANNA DO THIS ANYMORE**
19. HALLUCINATIONS
20. GODDESS

*Ugh, Christina and I liked this song together
**What I say approx. 87x an hour during my typical work day

UGH, I love PVRIS so much.

I am obligated to end this with a picture of Chooch and Lynn Gunn from Warped Tour 2015! The line was actually cut off for their meet and greet and were like “:(” but then Lynn saw Chooch in his Emarosa tank and she called out to us, “I designed that shirt!” (she’s also an artist!) and then waved us over to their merch table and took a picture with Chooch. She was so gracious and sweet and it’s something that stands out in my mind every time I think of PVRIS. <3

Remember how I said I found THE THING in the gift shop inside Casa Vlad Dracul? I finally went back later that day to buy it. The lady at the gift shop assured me that this, along with the wooden crucifix I also bought, were made in Romania.

“100%!” she added for good measure, and you know, I believed her. She was very mysterious and cool.

I always like to make sure I’m getting actual wares made by local artisans, and in a Taiwan factory. No offense to the Taiwan factories! But I want real Romanian shit that could potentially be crafted from wood from a haunted Transylvanian forest.

Anyway, Henry was very *deep sigh* when I saw the wall of masks and did that thing I do where I stop dramatically and clutch my chest. When you know, you know. And I knew. One of those masks was coming home with me.

After a few minutes of deliberation, this is the one I chose and never looked back! I can’t remember how much it cost but that and the cross were well under $100. I texted this picture to Chooch and he said he wanted it! Can you believe I bought something that’s Chooch-approved?? I told him I’ll put it in my Will.

Here it is on my wall now! Getting it home was a pain in the ass, I will admit to that. We carried it through 4 airports and stowed it under the seat in 3 planes in a black bag that looked like a small garbage bag and I kept forgetting about it until I would notice people giving us furtive double-takes. That’s when I noticed that a tuft of its hair was peering out of an opening in the bag, lol.

My first therapy appointment back was telehealth. My therapist asked if there was anything I brought back that I could show her and I was like, “Actually…..*thrusts the mask into the screen*” She visibly recoiled and said, “Oh!” But then she did say it was cool, lol.

And here’s the crucifix! If you’ve been to my house, you might know that my bathroom is religious-themed and this will be going in there soon.

There was another shop selling these beautiful painted spoons and plaques that we saw immediately upon entering the citadel that day. We still had our luggage with us, en route to check in, so Henry was like NOT RIGHT NOW. Thankfully, Sighisoara is small so we walked past it numerous times that day and I finally ran in and bought the above plaque and the two spoons pictured below:

I love my Sighisoara haul!

For lunch, we chose this place right at the bottom of the Scholar’s Stairs called Pensiunea Restaurant Bastion – La Strada. At least I think that’s what it was called! Other things say it’s “Crama Restaurant.” It was part of the Pensiunea Bastion. (I was really excited that Romania calls their guest houses “pensiunea” and Korea calls their “pensions.” FUN FACT FOR NO ONE.)

I ordered an Ursus IPA to start. Ursus is one of the biggest Romanian beers, I would say. The IPA was very refreshing! Usually, I drop off halfway through a full pour, but I finished this one easily.

God only knows what he’s mansplaining here.

Our young waiter seemed perplexed that all I ordered was a cheese plate and two vegetable dips. I’m telling you, not eating meat is a daily challenge and it was especially difficult at times in Romania – thankful for restaurants that post their menu outside the door so we can peruse and move on if needed! But when I saw that this place had a fresh, local cheese plate, the traditional roasted eggplant spread (Salata De Vinete) and roasted red pepper spread (Zacusca), that was all I needed to know! I had been dying to try the eggplant spread because it was referenced in so many travel videos.

This was the perfect lunch for me. Our waiter brought me a basket of bread for the spreads and I was so content.

Henry got the traditional bean ciorba (soup) that comes in a carb top hat. It smelled so good but I know it was loaded with MEATS even though it was billed as a bean soup.

OMG there were several adorable kittens cruising through the patio the whole time we were there – good food and free kitten pats?? Yes.

Also, school kids descending the Scholar’s Stairs in the background!

I thoroughly our view from the table. I loved that the weather was mild enough to eat outside comfortably. It was just and these two ladies at another table. The one lady stood up at one point and was fully massaging the other lady’s shoulders for a solid 15 minutes it seemed like. Like, aggressively rubbing them with the hands of a trained masseuse (or assassin). It was very entertaining to watch and I even have it in the background of a video that I was taking of the kittens so look forward to my Sighisoara video at the end of the final recap, I guess.

After lunch (loved it!), we continued on our stroll through the cobblestone streets where my predilection of walking with my head down came in handy – no tripping on uneven terrain for me! I’m a trained walker.

There were a lot of old people milling about. I assume they were tourists? I do think that people live in the old town but it felt like there were some small tour groups there as well. All I know is that it wasn’t crowded at all and I loved it.

To the right is Casa Vlad Dracul again and in case I didn’t mention this in my last post, it’s the oldest building in town dating back to the mid 1300s.

The Clock Tower was such a true beauty. According to Wiki, “its purpose was to defend the main gate of the citadel back in the medieval times. It also served as the town hall until 1656. It is now considered one of the most important clock towers in the whole of Transylvania.”

Papanasi is the national dessert of Romania! We were considering getting some from this window but held off and waited for the evening. This was the only time I saw a chocolate version though and kind of have belated regertz now that I’m looking at this!

I’m sorry, can you tell I was smitten with the clock tower? Am I annoying you?

There was random art displayed on this wall at the base of my boyfriend the clock tower and I really wanted to know if this clown painting for sale but Henry was like KEEP IT MOVING.

Heading out of the old town.  Yes, Henry wore his Canada hat every day. Do not associate us with Trump, thank you.

LOOK THERE I AM WITH THE CLOCK TOWER.

Dear Sighisoara, I miss you.

To the right you can see the Vlad Restaurant. We were going to go there later that night for papanasi but it was closed!

Sighisoara’s color palette is so pleasing.

Sorry, no marching bands allowed up here.

I watched some travel vloggers eat a cherry pie at this place called Casa Cositorarului and I had to have it. We weren’t purposely looking for it at this moment but when we stumbled upon it, I was like, “I MEAN, THERE’S ALWAYS ROOM FOR PIE, AMIRITE” and Henry was like, “Let’s gooooo” except with way less enthusiasm because it’s Henry and he only runs on one setting. I mean, Romania might have been MAGICAL but it wasn’t performing MIRACLES.

Immediately after walking in, we were met with UTTER CONTEMPT from the guy working there. We walked in and said hi and he was legit like, “OK and???” So, I said, “Can we order pie?” and he was like, “WHAT DO YOU WANT???” while brusquely gesturing toward the dessert case. I chose the sour cheery pie of course and Henry went with a traditional Romanian cake (after deigning to ask the guy what it was) and then I was like, “Can we sit in here?” and he was like, “*gestures toward the dining area*”

We found a table in another room and I started to crack the fuck up. “That guy HATES us!” I wheezed. The best way I can describe him is imagine Michael Ian Black portraying a disgruntled Transylvanian cafe server. This tends to be the general demeanor, though, and you have to just not let it get to you. And a lot of times, the wall breaks down and then suddenly they are nice to you. But you have to coax them to that point!

I did look up some reviews recently and a lot of people were like, “THE SERVER WAS SO RUDE!” which made me laugh hysterically all over again because why did I actually admire his zero tolerance for us?! I referenced him so many times during our trip after that and at 0ne point considered him a “trip highlight.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Henry mumbled.

This place is also a guest house. MAYBE I WILL STAY THERE IF I EVER RETURN.

No. Stop it. WTF EVEN WAS THIS. Like God hired the best angel baker in Heaven to make the most delectable dessert for Jesus’s birthday and this is what they came up with. Fucking Biblical. Literally–they should print the recipe in the back of the Bible. It was like a pie and cake hybrid – instead of a crust filled with the sour cherries like a regular pie, the sour cherries were baked into whatever dough they used so it was like a dense and buttery cake, topped with something akin to streusel and a scoop of toffee ice cream with CRUNCHIES on top just like I love to get on soft serve!

Good Lord, the way I dream of this cake. Dare I say it blew papanasi out of the water? This is the Romanian dessert of my dreams. And prayers. Please someone learn how to bake this for me. Maybe that’s the theme of the next pie party? RECREATE THE FAMOUS SIGHISOARA SOUR CHERRY PIE TO WIN ERIN’S HEART???

Henry got this local beer from 176 Trepte brewery and it was nice! I peeled the label off with a deftness and saved it.

Then Henry had to go to the bathroom and I watched him walk past it so I was yelling, “HENRY HENRY!” but Gramps didn’t hear so he walked all the way back to where Transylvanian Michael Ian Black was glowering behind the counter and ASKED HIM WHERE THE BATHROOM WAS. That guy was probably like, “You stupid American fuck, you walked right past it on your way here to bother me.”

While Henry was in the bathroom, TMIB came into the room to collect our plates. I told him, in my BEST Pollyanna Goes to the Medieval Town intonation, that I LOVED the pie.

He paused and then monotoned. “Thank you. I am happy you like it.” I could tell that pained him. I was so giddy by the time Henry returned and I was like “I TALKED TO HIM!!!”

The bathroom was in the basement, down these very steep and narrow steps! I didn’t even have to pee but I needed to see what it looked like down there LOL.

Yeah, I definitely think I need to come back and stay there.

These are pictures from our walk to the nearby ATM after Henry tried to pay and TMIB was like, “CASH ONLY.”

This VLAD BUST was in the lobby of the hotel down the street where we had to go to use the ATM.

Henry doing the walk of shame back to the place to pay, LOL.

Back in the cafe to pay our debts.  I wish that kitty had sat in the room with us while we were there! Anyway, Henry paid and also tipped the guy which suddenly made his surly facade crack the teeniest bit.

“Thanks for trusting us to come back!” Henry said in this really cringey UPBEAT tone that he adopts from time to time when he is trying to fake a personality. I swear I almost saw TMIB smirk a little. Come on, bro. YOU LIKED US, YOU REALLY LIKED US.

I wish I had bought a whole pie to go.