Romania to Germany

After our whirlwind trip to Vienna, Jacob and I piled back into the car and drove back to Romania for our final week in Cluj.

The week went quickly. The city decked itself out in Christmas lights and the first snow of the season dusted the streets. We had final coffee dates and goodbyes with friends, packed up our suitcases and flew to Germany - our European Christmas was about to start!

We landed in Germany to find ourselves in more snow - a lot more snow. We were warmly welcomed by Jacob's Oma (grandmother) who lives in a lovely little village nestled into the hills situated between Cologne and Frankfurt.

Honestly, we are being spoiled rotten. We had three advent calendars waiting for us in our bedroom, as well as a candy dish for St. Nicholas day and an overflow basket of sweets. Our bedroom is a bit like a German Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.

Due to the snow we spent the first couple of days relaxing in Oma's cosy little home. Being Southern Californians, we were delighted by the snow, giddily excited that we got to shovel the driveway. On our second day Jacob and I bundled up and headed into the snow to explore the village.

When the roads were cleared, Oma, Jacob, and I drove out to see some of the countryside and the traditional German towns that dot the landscape. Some of these towns are breathtakingly old. In Germany it's not unusual to hang out in a bar that was built in the 1400s.

Oma had planned a special excursion for the three of us - a two night stay in Bamberg, a small city several hours away, known as the "Venice of Germany". We had been looking forward to this trip for some time.

Bamberg did not disappoint. It was a bustling and colorful city, with a new scenic view around every corner. It was a perfect little trip, which also means I don't have any stories to entertain you with from our time in Bamberg. Oma knew that it would be the ideal way for us all to get a good taste of a German Christmas. I tell you what - the Germans are good at Christmas. We walked, we gaped, we drank Gluhwein (mulled wine), we played in the snow, we explored Christmas Markets, we ate, we drank beer, and we made friends with nice people in our hotel.

So instead of stories, here are some pictures.

We came home after a lovely few days in Bamberg, feeling relaxed and fully immersed in the Christmas season. Within just a day or two, we were off on another day trip to explore the nearby Rhine and Mosel Rivers.

The Rhine and Mosel are two rivers famous for the many castles, picturesque towns, and vineyards that line their banks. It was beautiful even through the intermittent rain we had that day - I can only imagine how gorgeous it must be in the height of summer. Jacob and I made a promise to ourselves to return one summer and take a luxurious river cruise down the Rhine.

We spent the day hunting for castles, spotting five in the small portion of the Rhine and Mosel that we visited. In the late afternoon the rain finally cleared and a full rainbow appeared as the background for a magnificent castle across the river. It was a miraculous moment.

In between our trips and sightseeing, Jacob and I have been enjoying our time at Oma's house; taking long walks whenever the the weather permits, and learning German when the weather doesn't. We are making progress in our German! (It's helpful to learn verbs you know...for several weeks all that Jacob and I were capable of doing was pointing at objects and naming them. It makes for boring conversations.)

Christmas is almost upon us! We hope you are enjoying the season and having a wonderful time with your loved ones. Look for another post on Christmas!

Vienna Pt. 2

Our second day in Vienna, Jacob and I set out with a purpose.

We had tracked down the address of the American Embassy, as well as the two houses my Grandparents had lived in while stationed in Vienna. As I have mentioned once or twice before in previous posts, my Grandparents worked for the U.S. Department of State as Diplomats. Their career with the State Department enabled them to live incredibly a-typical lives, filled with international travel,  adventure, glamour, and intrigue. The six years my Grandparents lived in Vienna was a significant period in their lives, and I have grown up hearing stories of their time there.

Jacob and I both knew that we would not pass up the opportunity to find the Embassy or my Grandparent's former homes if we had the chance to see them. So our second morning we mapped out where everything was and started on our journey.

Unfortunately we did not have any money left on us, it was Saturday (so all the banks were closed), and we could not find an ATM anywhere. Taking public transportation was out of the question; we would be walking. Jacob wisely omitted telling me that our journey was going to be a nearly 8 kilometer walk one way. 

Considering that we had already walked 11 km. the day before, our feet were already aching as we left our apartment. Seven kilometers later, I thought my feet were going to fall off. It was worth it however, to see this place: The U.S. Embassy of Vienna, where my Grandfather had been the Deputy Chief of Mission (ranking just below the Ambassador).

Not far from the Embassy, in a gorgeous neighborhood filled with grand villas (many of which are owned by various international embassies), we came to the two houses my Grandparents had lived in.

Here is a picture of my Uncle Wesley as a child, playing outside of that very house.

The second house was particularly exciting to see.

Though you would not guess it from looking at the front, this house contains a whopping 42 rooms, and has a grand backyard with two terraces. (When you have an important position within an Embassy, the State Department often provides you with the tools needed to entertain lavishly as the job description demands. Perks of a demanding occupation.)

Here is what some of those rooms looked like back in my Grandparent's day:

After growing up with these stories living on in my mind, I expected some dissonance between my imagination-supplemented memory and reality. Instead, I was surprised at how accurate it all was. The houses looked exactly as I thought they would - when we saw them, I recognized it like I had simply stepped into one of the old photographs. It was with a sense of deep gratitude that Jacob and I visited these places, knowing that it was an opportunity we had never anticipated.

After our sojourn into my family history, Jacob and I were brought back to reality by another 5 km. hike back to the city center.

Once back in the city we visited St. Stephen's Dom, a cathedral that had catapulted to the top of my all-time favorite churches list.

Here is why St. Stephen's tops the list:

The entrance into the church is the most jaw-dropping I have ever experienced. You catch your breath as you see the gorgeous colors in the cathedral. Now I have to admit that I believe those incredible colors had a bit of manmade help (there may have been a projector hiding behind the organ), but if that's the case, I don't really care. What matters to me is that it is an incredibly artistic use of the space inside the cathedral. It's enchanting, inviting, and alive with energy and movement - perfectly fitting for a church.

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the city center and meeting with friends until we couldn't stand the pain in our feet any longer. Having estimated that we walked about 20 km. (over 10 miles) that day alone, we dragged ourselves home and fell asleep quickly.

The next morning we had a precious few hours to explore one last place before heading home to Romania. Near our apartment was Belvedere Palace, and we had been saving it for our last morning.

It's my future home.

We were very fortunate to find yet another Christmas Market in front of Belvedere Palace where we could eat breakfast and lunch rolled into one awesome meal.

Breakfast:

Giant fresh donuts filled (before our very eyes!) with chocolate or marmalade. We ate them while they were still hot.

Lunch:

Jacob went into fits of joy over finding Raclette, a Swiss specialty that combines potatoes, pickles, and salamis and drenches the whole thing in melted Swiss cheese. The Swiss really know what's up when it comes to melting cheese.

We left Vienna, stuffed and happy but sad to go so soon. We will be back soon Vienna!

Vienna, Pt. 1

I have always wanted to visit Vienna, Austria.

I grew up hearing stories of the six years my Grandparents spent there, imparting to me a fondness for a place I had never even seen. Unfortunately, visiting Vienna during our trip simply wasn't in the cards. Logistically it was too difficult.

Then God had heard my unspoken prayers, and we received a very surprising and flattering invitation: "My family is going to Vienna next weekend, do you want to come with us?". 

I went into cardiac arrest from excitement and we accepted the invitation. Several days later we piled into Anda's car with one other friend, and set off on an estimated 9 hour road trip to Vienna.

In approximately three hours we crossed into Hungary. At the border patrol we pulled out our passports and ID cards to show the guard. He checked each of us, saying our name and looking for us to respond. I waited in that singular weird anticipation I always felt for roll call.

"Ahn -nuh?" 

I looked at him in confusion.

"Chess-eh-lee Ahn-nuh?"

Uhhh... then it dawned on me. He thought my middle name was my first and that Chelsea was my last name. I nodded my head and he looked at me like I was an idiot.

Cleared through border control, we made a stop for some nice Hungarian Goulash and proceeded on to Budapest. The plan had been to spend a couple of hours exploring Budapest, however by the time we arrived and actually located the city center, it was dark and we needed to move on to Vienna.

We parked the car and hopped out for a few precious minutes.

Invigorated by the fresh and (unseasonably warm) air, we piled back into the car for our final 3 hour leg to Vienna. We crossed the border into Austria while Jacob and I quietly rejoiced that we had managed to visit three countries in one day.

After a couple extra hours of Three-Stooges-like shenanigans trying to get our bearings in Vienna, Jacob and I finally arrived into our apartment. Our 9 hour drive had morphed into a grueling 13 hours. (Anda deserves to be sainted after that drive.)

In the morning Jacob and I set out early to make the most of our short time in Vienna. It was love at first sight.

The city is beautiful; wide avenues lined with trees and gorgeous old buildings. We quickly stumbled onto one of my favorite places in all of Vienna: Burggarten, a big park flanked by the back of the Hofburg Palace and an enchanting building called the Butterfly House. Inside of the Butterfly House is a botanical garden that is home to thousands of free-flying tropical butterflies. What a magical idea.

It seemed that every time we turned a corner we found another beautiful sight. Climbing up a set of stairs behind Burggarten, we were found ourselves on a museum terrace that overlooked the Opera House and surrounding streets.

In front of the Hofburg Palace

Next we moved on to the Hofburg Palace, where we spent several fascinating hours in the Sisi Museum, one of the best museums I have ever visited. The subject of the Sisi Museum is Empress Elisabeth, married to Franz Joseph I of Austria when she was only 16. Empress Elisabeth was assassinated in 1898 after which she was elevated to legendary celebrity status a la Princess Di. In reality Elisabeth was a reclusive (and rather selfish) woman who probably suffered from acute depression. The museum does an incredible job juxtaposing the person of Elisabeth against the idealized myth she became after her death.

From the Sisi Museum Jacob and I visited the Imperial Apartments in the Hofburg Palace, a gorgeous display of the home life of the Hapsburg family. I spent a good deal of time drooling over the finery.

After our time in the museums we set off into the cold again and passed through the famed Spanish Riding School of the Hofburg Palace.

We quickly found ourselves on a massive shopping street filled with beautiful stores and cafes all decorated for Christmas.

At night the street magically transformed.

We took a corner down the shopping street and peeked into a small church. We were not expecting to encounter this:

As night fell we headed over to City Hall for a true christmas market, Vienna-style. Many European countries feature Christmas Markets, although the tradition is most prevalent in German speaking countries. We visited no less than 6 christmas markets in Vienna, each with a unique theme or style. Every market features little wooden booths that offer gourmet local specialties, mulled wine, pastries, and gifts of all kinds. They are a lot of fun to explore, and even more fun to eat-your-way-through.

The market in front of City Hall was spectacular - mostly because this City Hall is unlike any you have seen before. (It looks like yet another palace.)

Jacob calculated that we had walked about 7 miles that day alone. We met up with Anda in the evening for a stop in a lovely little cafe, then dragged ourselves off to bed - we still had one full day left in Vienna and were determined to make the most of it.

Stay posted for Vienna, day 2!

The Salt Mine

A little while ago our dear friend Anda asked us, "Would you like to go to a salt mine?"

That was a question we had never been asked before. We said yes.

Prior to visiting we heard snippets of descriptions from various friends saying things like:

"It's a giant recreation center."

"There's a lake that you can row boats in."

It was difficult for us to grasp this new information - but isn't it a salt mine?

Saturday morning, excited and unsure of what we were about to walk into, we embarked to the salt mine. What we found was an unearthly environment unlike any place we had seen before. We felt like we had walked onto a sci-fi space ship, or an alien planet.

I will walk you through our journey, down into the mines, 50 stories underground. 

This is one of the two entrances to the mine. A rather fittingly UFO looking entrance, sitting in the midst of a foggy, marshy, and innocuous landscape.

Once you enter the front gate you walk down a long hallway and open a door. Immediately you can feel the air change - it smells different, and has a softer quality than the outside. Then you descend these stairs.

After the stairs you walk through a tremendous passageway (it runs for several kilometers), and begin to notice that the walls, ceiling, and floor are slick with mud and growing white salt crystals.

It's not until you get to this staircase however, that you see the salt in it's full glory, growing over and eating away at every surface.

At this level underground there is a "spa". We peeked into the rooms - modern glass and wood, fluorescent and utterly sanitized looking. The Spa is actually a clinic for halotherapy, a health practice that utilizes salt air to diminish respiratory problems. (Once again, it just made me think I was in a UFO).

At this point we made a turn and entered a low-ceilinged room covered in salt. Some of the salt had fallen on the ground into salt balls that looked just like fresh snow.

At the edge of this room was a high wall that you could peek over to stare 40 stories down the mine shaft to the underground lake.

Next we walked down another long hallway, coming to the edge of our descent down into the base of the mine. The patterns in the stone were hypnotizing, waves of blue, white, and grey that swirled around in smoke-like patterns.

At the end of this hall we got our first look down into the main "recreation area." Turda Salina, as this mine is named, has been fully functioning for nearly a thousand years, it first being recorded in 1075. In 1932 the mine closed and was reopened in 1992 as a recreation center and tourist attraction.

Recreation center? Yes, in the bottom of the mine, as you breath in the healthy salt air, you can row boats on underground lakes, go bowling, attend a concert, play ping-pong, or ride a ferris wheel. It's fairly breathtaking. As we descended we could hear the boom of the bowling balls, amplified and echoing through the caves until they sounded like an ominous rumble. Those of us who were Lord Of The Rings nerds (me and Anda), kept thinking to ourselves, "Drums...drums in the deep...They're coming!" (Yes, That was my 14 year old self geeking out a bit just now).

Instead of an orc or alien army we looked down on this, the recreation center.

Then we descended the staircase, doing our best not to slip and die on the steep salt-covered wooden steps. This is a section of the staircase we came down.

We walked around for a while at the bottom of mine. I buried my foot in the salt.

We admired the natural salt-cicle formations on the wall high above us.

Then we descended another 10 stories to the lake, in the middle of which is a large futuristic looking island that looks sort of like a spooky carnival (but maybe that's just me).

Over the bridge,

Looking out to the boats,

Where we rowed a boat on an salt lake 50 stories underground. Cross that one off the bucket list. (But add it first - I won't claim I would have thought of that one on my own).

The beautiful patterns in the stone.

That, my friends, was the Turda Salina, and I dare you to show me a stranger place you can ride a ferris wheel.


POST SCRIPT:

In response to the overwhelming amount of people who have asked the same burning question: "How did you get out?!" 

Never fear! We did not climb the stairs back up 50 stories, we took an elevator most of the way back up. We could have taken an elevator down rather than the stairs, but our friend and guide thought stairs would give us a more "authentic" experience. 

Thank you for your concern!