This Brasov wrap-up is going to be a quick one since I spent a good bit of time crashed out in the room. :( Henry went out while I was sleeping and bought me a ring that I had been eyeing the day before. Can you believe it? He actually paid attention. I know, I’m just as stunned as you are.

Anyway, I woke up around 5 and was in no shape to go out but I am so stubborn and didn’t want to waste any more time in that room! Plus, my EVERY PEN I brought with me from home had run out of ink from all of my obsessive journaling, so I wanted to at least go out and buy a new pen.

And that’s pretty much all we did on our last evening in Brasov – walked around and shopped while I avoided making eye contact with all of the food we were passing along the way. :(

(According to my vacation journal, I only slept for 2 hours so I guess not too much of the day was wasted unless you count the zero time we spent in Viscri earlier that day, ugh.)

Hilariously, we went to so many souvenir shops in Brasov looking for pens (I’m picky), but Brasov ended up being the one place I didn’t buy a magnet. I still have no idea how I managed that! Wait a failure.

There were many times when I had to sit down on a bench while Henry went into shops on my behalf before I started feeling kind of….burpy. You know how what I mean.

In one of the souvenir shops, there were these wooden vampire things that looked JUST LIKE ROBERT SMITH, even Henry was like, “Why does that look like Robert?” so ofc I had to buy one. I even sent a picture to Chooch who is the #1 naysayer in my contacts, but he too agreed!

Apparently, there was some older broad that Henry kept running into when I was dead in the room, and then we kept seeing her when I was with him too – she was kind of Joan Rivers-y, and I made some comment about her after we ran into her for like the 8th time and it turned out I was fixated on someone entirely different because I didn’t see who Henry was originally pointing out and that’s very on brand for our “marriage.” Rarely on the same page, etc.

I just asked him what else he did while I was dying back in the room. Here is his recap:

“I walked around and got food.”

WOW, COOL.

He thinks he got a pretzel from somewhere. And he got “um, a hotdog?” that was like “inside some kind of pastry that wasn’t very good.”

Then he got something to drink and just walked.

Thrilling! Thanks for the filler, Henry.

He just said that there were two people who tried to get him to buy them food at both places?? He said they stood next to him until he got to the window and then they pounced.

I just asked if they were together and he said no – one was at one place, and one was at the other place. One was an older maybe unhoused man and the other was a kid.

Henry tells the worst stories. Do not ever try to interview him, he will fucking enrage you with his vagueness.

Another highlight for me was seeing this young woman singing and playing the violin – she reminded me so much of my old law firm friend Kaitlin and her songs made me tear up, they were so emotional. (I have some footage at the end of the video that will be at the bottom of this post!)

Also, buying this beautiful Romanian sweater from a boutique and praying that I didn’t puke in the fitting room. (I didn’t.)

Then, and this was so dumb, can you believe my stupid ass was like, “Let’s split an ice cream.” What the actual fuck, Erin. Granted, as I mentioned in an earlier Romanian post, when you get a “small,” it’s ACTUALLY small. Like, the tiniest little scoop because non-Americans don’t need to gorge themselves. So, I thought, OK we’ll get a small and I’ll just take a bite. Yo, I threw up as soon as we got back to the room, LOL.

I can’t even remember what flavor we got. I blacked it out of my mind.

We did do a fair bit of walking that night though because of course I pushed myself. You know I must have been sick though if I only took three pictures the whole time.

And then I remember waking up numerous times throughout the night to puke some more. Yay, vacation vomit!

Brasov, you were amazing though. I hope I can go back someday!

Here’s the video from Thursday, October 16, 2025. Next up: 2 days in Bucharest!

After leaving Bran on an empty stomach, I was starting to feel weird. Instead of going back to Brasov, the plan was to head over to a small village called Viscri which was close to a 2 hour drive. Viscri is an off-the-beaten path village known for its local artisans, farm-to-table meals at small restaurants, and for being a quiet place to stay in a guest house and experience slow living. It’s claim to fame is being the object of affection of King Charles, who owns a cottage there and advocates for the preservation of Viscri’s heritage and architecture by serving as a cultural ambassador. I was really looking forward to seeing this place especially because it doesn’t seem to be a known tourist attraction (yet). I was really excited to come here, stroll around and look at nature, buy some Romanian pottery and WHAT HAVE YOU. We were originally going to make reservations at one of the guest house restaurants but then decided against it, and well, good thing….

Since we weren’t going to be eating lunch there and I wasn’t sure if there would be snacks readily available, I had Henry buy me a pastry at a gas station.

It was cheese and raisins. It seemed fine.

But then I started to get SICK. I don’t get car sick very often at all – I’m the type of person who can read books and write in vacation journals in moving vehicles with no issue, so when I started to feel green, I immediately blamed it on the 3++++ servings of espresso I had early that morning. Maybe it was starting to hit me since I hadn’t eaten anything substantial in the meantime?

By the time we arrived to Viscri and parked, I was cooked. I didn’t even think I had it in me to get out of the car, but I pushed myself and then we had to walk quite a ways through the woods in order to get to the area where all the shops and houses are. It was here that I started shaking uncontrollably because I was freezing.

It wasn’t cold.

This was THE SICK SHIVERS.

I was basically panting too, all worn out from the slow stroll when I am basically a profesh ambler so you tell me – was I sick or nah.

All of the guest houses and shops are numbered.

Eventually, the path spilled us out in between some houses, one of which was a shop full of local wares. Thank god, because I wasn’t sure how long I was going to last and I at least wanted to buy a thing.

I could barely even stand up at this point and felt so miserable in this shop. I can promise you that had I felt like myself that day, I’d have spent $$$ in that bitch because it was full of exactly the type of rustic Romanian pieces I had been gunning for. But instead, I feebly pointed to a coffee mug and whispered faintly to Henry, “Get me this one, I have to go outside and die now.”

It was pathetic. I could barely even hold my head up and felt like I was going to spew my guts all over this precious pottery. There was a bench outside and I parked my sick ass down immediately and put my head in my hands.

Henry came out with my mug and I said, “I’m not going to make it, Henry. We have to go. NOW.”

I was still trying to take pictures though! Even though I had double-vision and had to do weird lamaze-type breathing except instead of trying to expel a human, I was trying to plug in the vomit.

DOG! A bright spot in my “AM I GOING TO FUCKING DIE IN ROMANIA???” freakout.

The color palette of Viscri, though.

This was truly such a long walk back to the car.

I took this while popping an emergency squat on the way back to the car because I really thought I was about to barf.

But don’t worry! I saved that for when we were about 5 minutes out of Viscri and Henry had to veer off onto the side of the road and frantically fish for a plastic gas station bag in the backseat, into which I violently vomited for what felt like a solid 10 minutes but I don’t think it was that long in succession lol.

The bag was red, btw. And actually very small. I will never forget that bag.

Unfortunately.

This was also the first time I even puked in the car that I can remember at least! There was a time when Janna was driving me home from a bar after I quit Weiss’s the first time, and I was so trashed that she had to pull over so I could puke in someone’s yard.

But this! This was some kind of bug. I thought maybe at first it was food poisoning, but it took me out for the entire rest of the day, part of the next day, and I wasn’t able to actually start eating without puking / feeling immediately nauseous until two days later. Our last day in Romania, LOL. Yay me!

I remembered watching this one travel couple on YouTube and the wife got super sick in Romania so I googled it and it’s actually quite common I guess? It’s one of the places where you’re not supposed to drink the water and I definitely didn’t, so I have no idea what I ended up having but you’ll be thrilled to know that Henry remained 100% unaffected. Because of course.

I ended up passing out in the car for most of the drive back to Brasov, puking again when we got back to the room, and then sleeping for pretty much all afternoon into the early evening.

I was too fucked to even be upset that I was missing out on doing Romania things. Like hiking to the top of the Brasov sign, which is what we were planning on doing when we got back from Viscri. :(

Oh well, here’s my mug!

I feel like this is the one thing most people know about Romania – “Dracula’s Castle.” I am really phoning it in, I know, but here is what Wiki says:

Marketed outside Romania as Dracula’s Castle, it is presented as the home of the title character in Bram Stoker‘s novel Dracula (1897). There is no evidence that Stoker knew anything about this castle, which has only tangential associations with Vlad the Impaler, voivode of Wallachia, whose byname ‘Drăculea’ resembles that of Dracula. Stoker’s description of Dracula’s crumbling fictional castle also bears no resemblance to Bran Castle.

Some of the more negative travelers will tell you that this is nothing more than a tourist trap and I would have to vehemently disagree. Take the whole Dracula element out of it and this is still a legitimate piece of medieval history. It was built in the 1300s for God’s sake! It contains art and furniture curated by Queen Marie but even if the whole Castle was empty, I’d still want to go there. It is so old! And so eerily perched upon a hill!

I do apologize, but this is going to be a big photo dump because I was acting like a kid in Japan who was given her first Nikon and unlimited rolls of film. I wanted to snap every nook and cranny, but I did find some restraint, I promise.

Henry booked us the full package (wow, spend it daddy) for once, opting to go for the guided tour with “skip the line” plus the optional torture chamber and Queen’s elevator thingie at the end. I didn’t care about all that shit but was happy that we had the skip the line thing because this place gets crowded and fast. We were the first people at the gate though! One lone traveler joined us after a bit and I was quietly laughing to myself because he also looked like a coaster thoosie so it was making me feel like we were waiting for a theme park to open and not freaking Dracula’s Castle in Romania.

Our guide’s name was Mihnea and I will be honest and say he was not giving docent. If I had to guess upon meeting him on the street, I would think he was part of the Romanian Intelligence Service of whatever is more secret than that, even. He was all in black and super mysterious with just a touch of “possibly a vampire.” I didn’t get any pictures of him but he’s possible in some of the video I recorded that day.

This was before the official tour started. We had to walk up the long and steep walkway with Mihnea and then he had us wait here for him while he did BTS tour guide stuff or attend to some secret government espionage thing. WE DIDN’T ASK.

Did you know that Vlad the Impaler never even lived in this Castle? Although it’s alleged that he may have been held prisoner there at some point.

I also find it interesting that while the rest of the world associates Vlad with Dracula and considers him a veritable monster, he is regarded as a national hero in Romania and I love that.

In modern times (aka the 1900s when I was born), Queen Marie lived here until her death in the 30s (who reads this thing for exact dates, anyway?), and then her daughter, Princess Illeana, was driven out in the 40s by the Communist regime and a decade later, the Castle was opened to the public as a museum.

JUST A LITTLE HISTORY FOR YOU.

Coat of Arms.

A window.

Oh! Through that doorway is the famous super steep and narrow staircase that E V E R Y T R A V E L Y O U T U B E R records. And yes, your girl also recorded the ascent, LOL.

Our guide told us to watch our heads at the top and then the lone tourist who looked like a coaster thoosie totally thwacked his forehead REAL HARD and I felt so bad but also had to turn around quickly because I was afraid I was going to start laughing.

The view out of every window was so on point. Probably not back in the day when flaming arrows were headed straight for you though. Just my guess.

You guys, in every single video or picture I’ve seen from people touring this place, the courtyard and walkways have been PACKED with poeple. But since we were FIRST! there was NO ONE ruining our shots! Definitely worth getting there early on a weekday.

Mihnea scolded some woman who started to encroach on our area while he was taking our picture. Worth the extra price of getting the guided tour! Don’t fuck with Mihnea!

That’s the town of Bran down there.

Sorry, I was obsessed with these old ass shingles. Don’t mind me.

Family tree.

Of course, they do play into the Dracula bit by having several little exhibits related to Dracula in media/pop culture and also the origin of vampire lore in Romanian culture, as well, more specifically Strigoi. 

I learned about strigoi from my old Darkchat friend, Cinn, in case anyone cares.

A group of middle-aged American women pushed their way in front of us in this room and Mihnea was like “Oh hell nah” and made an exasperated throat noise because they were talking so loudly while he was trying to do his spiel.

ALWAYS THE AMERICANS.

You guys, Princess Illeana gave up being a royal, turned into a nun, and died in ELWOOD CITY, PA! That’s not too far from us! We were like, “OMG WE HAVE TO GO AND SEE HER GRAVE” and of course have not made it there yet. Maybe this weekend?! I just thought that was a really cool semi-Pittsburgh connection.

Maybe this castle isn’t as grand as Peles, but I loved every inch of it.

Shingle Time!

TORTURE CHAMBER TIME! Mihnea waited outside of it for us, LOL. I was glad to be in there just the two of us so I could hoarsely whisper vile and depraved threats to Henry.

WINDOWS IN THE TORTURE CHAMBER. (It actually wasn’t a torture chamber per se but just the section of the castle where all the various torture devices were displayed. God forbid I should give inaccurate information!)

I kept trying to push Henry inside of this, LOL. Why the smiling face, tho???

Some lady was very sweet and took these pictures for us outside of the gift shop. She was either American or Canadian and pounced as soon as she saw me attempt to take a selfie of us. Super nice lady!

Then we bought a bunch of shit in the gift shop (Henry even bought a Bran Castle hat, LOL, dork) and parted ways with Mihnea as we had reached the end. Since we bought that extra elevator experience thing, we got to leave by going down the elevator that Queen Marie installed so she could have easier access to the Royal Gardens. Of course the current elevator has some Dracula-y video show playing in it which is kind of corny but also – when in Romania, right? It deposited us in this underground walkway thing that was lined with video screens showing different scenes of Vlad and vampire history in Romania. I thought it was really cool, actually, but there was this couple that came down right after us and they blew past all of that and went straight to the end where you could have your picture taken.

“Why would you skip all of this??” I whisper-cried to Henry, because I thought it was actually really cool and worth the upcharge of the deluxe “we’ll never be here again” package we splurged on. And the best part is that the picture at the end was included in that!

Worth it.

After we got our picture printed in yet another gift shop, we left through a door that spilled us out onto a lower courtyard area.

Sorry, a million pictures of me but bro, I’m at Bran Castle. Let me have this, please.

From here, we went back down to where all the vendors were, bought some magnets and postcards, I almost bought a fake Labubu (intentionally), Henry peed in an underground bathroom, and we did the Bran haunted house!

We tried to get food but this was our first taste of WE HATE TOURISTS attitude from the locals which was kind of hilarious considering these people were vending in quite possibly THE most tourist-trappy area of all Romania. I was trying to ask for Placinta cu Branza which is like a savory cheese pie but I wasn’t saying placinta with the exact accent required so the girl was like YOU’RE A MORON which I inferred from her impatient huffing and tone. Then she sent me to some other girl who was more English-y but also even more busy and was like IT’S NOT READY YET. YOU CAN HAVE THIS OR THAT, OR I DON’T KNOW and then stalked off and I was like OR I CAN LEAVE BYE because I was scared, you guys. These were legit Romani I’m pretty sure and they were not fucking around.

So we left that area and started walking back to the car and saw another little food stand thing that also had placinta but when we tried to order it the older woman sternly shook her head NO so…no placinta for us, fam.

This was just the beginning of what would end up being the worst day of the whole trip NOT TO BE DRAMATIC NO NOT ME, NOT EVER.

Also, it occurred to me that I never posted the video recap from the day before this! If you are hard-pressed for something to watch, here it is.

Real quick I want to show-and-tell the bitchin’ coffee mugs I got when we were in Chicago last month! Technically, I was shopping for Kevin and I don’t know him very well so when I saw these mugs at Wolf Bait, handcrafted by local artist Liz Born, I was like, “OH WELL GUESS MAMA’S GETTING HERSELF A CHRISTMAS PREZZIE INSTEAD.” I mean, I would LOVE to gift someone a she-bopping rat mug for Christmas but literally the only person aside from me who I know would appreciate it is probably…Bill. I don’t even know.

But then I felt guilty and decided I didn’t need the mugs so we left.

I pouted REAL BIG until Henry was like JESUS CHRIST so we went back the next morning before leaving for home and he bought me the two I wanted lololol. I mean, I could have just bought them myself but it was more fun this way. (Besides, I found Kevin a normie mug there made by an art therapist who works at two local correctional institutions and then goes home and makes pottery as a way to process her stressful days. It was a beautiful, texturally pleasing mug!)

My favorite part was that when we went back the next morning for my redemption shopping spree, one of the owners was there and we had the absolute pleasure of chatting with her about the mugs and Pittsburgh (she has a friend here who owns a curiosity shop!) and she was just the best. Her entire personality felt like a raunchy GIRLS NIGHT comedy. Just an amazing person and I am so glad we went back! Wolf Bait is my new go-to shop in Chicago for gifts (for myself lol).

This was the positive experience I needed to turn my day around because for some reason, I had woken up that morning in the hotel feeling like I wanted to be a royal pain in the ass that day. I don’t know why I get like this, but we had picked a restaurant the night before to go to that morning for breakfast and I immediately said I didn’t want breakfast, I didn’t want to eat, I was having a big food scare. Can’t just let myself live!

Then we went to The Brewed for coffee and Henry was being annoying and having no spatial awareness, being in everyone’s way, and then they were preparing for an event so there was nowhere to sit inside and I just felt like I was going to flip out in public so I demanded the car keys and went and sat in the car like a little fucking bitch.

But then we went to Wolf Bait and it brought me back down to earth. And yes, we talked about this in therapy lol. I think I need bigger help for my food issues though because I feel like I’m getting worse.

Shop at Wolf Bait. Cool bye.

My goal of wrapping up these recaps before the end of the year does not seem to be within reach now. But! We have reached the point of the trip where my luck ran out and the PINCH ME I’M DREAMING spinning on a hilltop mindset finally record-scratched me back to reality, lol. But at least this morning was nice! We’ll get to the bad part another day. First, let’s talk about our day trip to Bran Castle a/k/a Dracula’s Castle!

Bran is about an hour drive from Brasov so we set out around 7AM because this is a place that you need to get to before it opens since it’s such a big tourist attraction (or trap, as some reviews online say! BUT IT’S FUCKING BRAN CASTLE IN ROMANIA, OK? You can’t skip that).

On our long walk from the guest room to the car, we stopped at a cafe that wasn’t actually even opened yet but my big dumb American ass saw lights on and a barista behind the counter, so I barged right on in and ignored the “closed” sign on the door. UGH I hate myself. (Yes, the sign was in Romanian but come on, dumb stoop American tourist – be more aware!!) An older man came out from the back to see what the fuck was happening I guess, and he took over for the barista. To both of their credit, they were extremely friendly and forgiving. They didn’t even point out that they weren’t technically open and the guy even patiently explained the whole Romanian “long black” mystery to me. He suggested that if I wanted a larger size, to do three shots instead of two and I AGREED TO THIS? WHY DID I SAY YES SO CALMLY TO THREE SHOTS OF FUCKING ESPRESSO ON AN EMPTY STOMACH?

Foreshadowing, my friends, lol.

Anyway, I know the “pictures from the car window” is so tiresome, but ROLLING FOG ALONG THE CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS ON THE DRIVE TO THE BRAN CASTLE? Come on. I was hanging out that car window like a motherfucking dog.

Can you imagine living here?! I mean, I personally would hate it because it’s already hard enough for me to go to Kpop concerts just living in PITTSBURGH. Imagine rural Romania!? But I wouldn’t object to living here part time? Like, a month out of the year. Henry can do farm things with a mule while I lay in a field and read books watch Kpop videos on my phone.

We eventually made it to Bran, which was still somewhat Sleepy Town. This was our first glimpse at DRACULA’S CASTLE! We had a good hour to kill so we parked and found a cafe, like I really needed more caffeine after my TRIPLE long black!

We walked to Bran Coffee a bit down the street from where we parked.

IT LOOKED LIKE THIS INSIDE AND I LOVED IT!

THIS WAS NOT MY DRINK. I opted for no drink. Henry thinks this was a flat white, but he doesn’t have a vacation journal that he writes in habitually so we may never know (he just exclaimed from the kitchen that he is sure this was a flat white but it’s also possible that he wants my 1.5 readers to think he’s fancy). I will tell you that my croissant was the worst croissant I’ve ever had – so dry and hard that I would have needed to borrow Vlad’s sucker-fangs to make any purchase on it.

“I love Romania and all but Korean cafes are by far superior,” I muttered to Henry, who said, and I quote (because I wrote this in my vacation journal!!!), “You ain’t kidding.”

Cafe culture in Korea is just…different. It’s a whole genre.

Anyway, after this, we made our way over to the Castle ticketing area where all of the local vendors were noisily setting up their wares and food-stuffs, and it was really starting to feel lively! However, knowing that this place gets super crowded, I started to get the PEE JIG / INDIGESTION feeling that I get when we’re trying to rope drop at an amusement park. Even though Henry booked us guided tour tickets for 9AM AND “skip the line.” We don’t normally spend the extra money for fast pass bullshit but this was an exception.

More on the tour in the next post, because it’s time for me evening feeding.

I finally sat down and started going through more of the DSLR pictures we took in Romania. Here are the salvageable ones from the Merry Cemetery + some blurry/unfocused Henry gems because they capture the true disdain that shows on my face when he is doing something I don’t approve of, in this case, using  my camera lol:

Classic Erin, annoyed AF.

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.

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.

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.

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.

After we checked into our guest house, I was like LET’S GO, BRUH! I could not WAIT to go full tourist lookie-loo on this place. Just going through these pictures is bringing me so much joy.

Sighisoara is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in case you care about that stuff.

For instance, what you see in front of you here is the actual house that Vlad Tepes lived in as a child! It’s now a gift shop, restaurant, and HAUNTED HOUSE (well, kind of) but that part of it is sadly closed on Tuesdays. As soon as I walked into the gift shop though, I spotted THE THING. You know, that ONE THING that you find on vacation that completely speaks to your soul? The one thing that you were holding out for without even knowing yet what it was, and then convince yourself that it costs $$$$ but YOU WILL SPARE NO EXPENSE?

Yeah, I found that thing here and Henry was all, “NOT RIGHT NOW, I’M CARRYING THAT AROUND. WE’LL COME BACK” and I was like, “Hooooo, you listen, motherfucker – if we come back and it’s GONE*, I will channel Vlad himself and go full vamp on your ass.”

*(OK, there was a wall of THE THING but there was one in particular that had called to me, so apologies Henry if I was frantic about purchasing THIS THING. We’ll talk about that later!)

It’s actually embarrassing how many times I went into this gift shop. The girl running it was exhausted by me after a point, I think.

It was completely uncrowded in Sighisoara when we were there. The hotel guy told Henry that it is super crowded in the summer and I can only imagine. This was also the scene of public executions back in the medieval times. Things were much less barbaric when we were there (well, until it was Henry’s feeding time).

The Clock Tower being a pretty princess in the background. More on that later!

The colors of the buildings, ugh.

The first “tourist” thing we did was walk up the famous Scholar’s Steps. I knew that these were built way back in the day (1642 if you’re a history dork) for the kids to get to the school at the top of the hill.

OMG are we scholars now.

That’s the toy camera I used to take these pictures, by the way!

At the top!

The Scholar’s Stairs is one of the oldest covered wooden steps in the world!

In addition to the church and school, the Sighisoara Saxon Cemetery is also located at the top of the hill. The story is that when the Pied Piper lead the kids out of Germany, he brought them to Romania and they are now buried here, I guess? This is a pretty interesting read.

It was so quiet and tranquil here. A few people were walking around here and there, but it definitely did not feel like a tourist attraction.

When Henry says, “Do something.” My instinct is to pretend my bones have melted. Limp Vogue, I think is what they call it in the ballroom scene.

Romania, you guys.

My feet on Romanian ground!

As we made our way back to the Scholar’s Stairs to find a spot for lunch, an actual school was letting out for the day and we got to walk down the steps with REAL LIFE SIGHISOARAN HIGH SCHOOL KIDS!!! I was so giddy about this, especially when we happened to be behind these three girls who I just KNOW are the popular girls, it was so obvious. I have a short video that I recorded on the way down, which made Henry shake his head in disappointment.

I don’t think I had one bad moment in Sighisoara, if I’m being honest. I might not have even yelled at Henry at all??