Halloween in the spookiest place: except Dracula's castle was cute not scary

Alright, I was planning to have this posted days ago BUT the wifi in Europe is really finicky and none of the videos I took were loading to send to my computer to make the vlog so therefore, the blog is coming out now a little later than expected. Also, this is a very long vlog and this is the abridged version - traveling for 5 days with 12 people when everyone wants to get in a video makes for a lot of content to work with. And there were so many good moments I couldn't keep one and not the other. Also, as the vlog description suggests, I do not know where half the places we went were because we got a bus to take us around and not having to plan a trip for once was really nice and I just went along with the vibes mostly. So I will give some insights you might not pick up from the vlog and call it a day... so much happened in these 5 days it could fill 10 blog posts!

So for starters, Myles, Drake, Shayar, and I took the overnight train to Brasov a day before everyone else because we didn't have classes and wanted to have more time in Romania! And it was the best decision ever. We got put up in a whole apartment and got a day to hike and eat good food and relax before everyone else got there and it was really nice. Drake is my bestie, Shayar is my guy, and Myles is my struggle bus buddy in classes but is also one of the most genuine and caring people I know and I am so glad I got to spend so much time with him on this trip! After a BRUTAL hike where I just complained and asked Shayar to carry me, a night in to rest was magnificent, and we watched Hotel Transylvania IN Transylvania which was pretty cool.

The next day everyone arrived and we got a tour of the city from a local. The architecture was beautiful and the city was a delight to be in! We saw some beautiful churches and government buildings, and had lunch at a restaurant with some great Romanian cuisine! While everyone else went to go on the hike we did yesterday, the Apartment Squad and I went to an Orthodox Church on the edge of town with a massive cemetery that was eerily beautiful.

But then we went back and got ready to go to Bran Castle for the night AKA DRACULA'S CASTLE. Okay, more like Vlad the Impaler who Dracula was based off of but you get the point. I was originally planning to go as a vampire but when Shayar said I should go to a costume store in Budapest before we left, it was the PERFECT opportunity to get a couples costume and let me just say: we killed it. I did both of our makeup looks and I like to think they turned out well, and we looked like the 'it' couple. I thought everyone else in our group would be in some type of costume but we were basically the only ones which doesn't surprise me given how extra I am.... the castle itself was very touristy and crowded, but being able to be IN Dracula's castle ON Halloween is something I will always remember, and getting to share it with Shayar just made it extra special <3

The next day we headed to a castle a couple hours away by bus and it was STUNNING omg. Probably top 3 prettiest castles I have ever seen... reminded me on the Tudor style houses in Pelham! The inside was so ornate and beautiful and Shayar and I were able to grab lunch with the absolute best view of the castle and hills and trees. Of course he twirled me in front of it and I felt like a princess all over again. We then drove to this ranch house in a small Hungarian village in the Romanian countryside and I was in love. There were these 2 Romanian grandmas who made us homemade goulash and donuts and chimney cake and stuffed cabbage and I became besties with them and loved them so much! They even said I could come back and work there in the summer! And Shayar was even invited to come with me! The grounds of the house were picturesque and I am so glad I got to experience this hospitality and care.

The guys woke up early in the morning to go work on the fields (I kid you not, even starting the day with a palinka shot) and met us for breakfast afterwards. Gusty was the little bulldog in the house that I fell in love with and treated like my baby and it was the sweetest thing. The next day consisted of exploring waterfalls and mini hikes and then ended the day at a cave which was SICK. We got to see bats and cool rock formations and given that it was actually Halloween, it just added to the spooky aesthetic and was great. We ended the day back at the farm house and we got to help with the cooking this time... we made chimney cake! It was even better because it was fresh and made with so much love lol.

The next day was our last and we got to see some salt mines which were really pretty. I had to say goodbye to all the animals and Gusty and my Romanian grandmas so that was a sad start to the morning. But it quickly turned around when we got to the mines because they were simply stunning and unlike anything I had ever seen before... and we got to go rowing in the saltwater at the bottom of the mine! By this point, I was exhausted and ready to go back home, so I was glad we got to have one last hearty meal before busing back to Budapest. But I guess be careful what you wish for. Because Shayar and I got food poisoning from the mushroom rice we had there and were bedridden for like 2 days after we got back. But at least it gave me that time to sleep like I wanted!

All in all, it was a magnificent trip, and I never thought I'd have the opportunity to see Romania but I am so grateful I did! It is a beautiful country with so much history, and I'm glad I got to see more of my WONDERFUL AMAZING roommate Bianca's heritage (shocker: she is my favorite Romanian hehe).

xoxo, mackenzie