Finishing the last leg of my Romanian trip has been bliss for me.  These past few days, I've been traveling with Ani's niece, Damaris, and nephew, Mihai, to visit their grandparents in the countryside.  I think the simple, slow-paced, healthy lifestyle of the countryside villages are disappearing as the country modernizes.  A sad thought...after all, what is better that picking the tastiest little plums and peaches fresh off the trees in their yards?  And how can buying a hormone-pumped gallon of milk in a plastic jug compare with squeezing the milk straight into your mouth from the cow herself?  =) 

I didn't actually get to the point of aiming and shooting milk directly into my mouth, but I did get to milk a cow.  Well, to be more accurate, I managed to coax out a piddly trickle of milk into the pail after numerous demonstrations by Traiane, who deftly grabbed a teat and with one quick yank, shot a stream of rich, white milk into the pail.  I tried, I tell you, to pull and squeeze as hard as I dared to, but Margarita (the cow) could feel, I'm sure, what a neophyte I was, and I was afraid she'd get annoyed with me and kick me. 

Tramping through the woods in Maremures was fun, though I highly suggested breaking off your own branch to serve as a giant spider-web swatter...since the forest path was draped with beautifully-patterned spiderwebs and plump, striped spiders squatting right in the middle.  They were surprised to find us walking right into their houses and we were surprised to find them and their homes sticking to our faces...not a fun experience for either of us!

Ani's parents, Maria and Mihai Muscan--delightful elderly Romanian villagers, fed us pasta-carrot soup, a type of cheesy macaroni with sausage, cookies, wafers, and watermelon for over two hours.  After brief interludes of digestion, the platters would be refilled with fresh-cut watermelon and chocolate wafers, and I'd be expected to take my 8th helping.  I'm getting fat here in Romania...everyone seems to want to feed me...stuff me like a Thanksgiving turkey.  =)

Monday, I board the plane back to Austria and say goodbye to the beautiful hills and villages in Maremures...sigh.  I want to pack a bit of Romania into my bags to take back with me. =)   

Ever heard of Transylvania?  I always thought it was just a cartoon-created homeland of the fictitious Count Dracula, but today I actually visited the real Transylvania and the fortress ruins of the real Count Dracula...Vlad Tepes is his name.  Apparently, he was a harsh yet effective ruler who helped drive the Turks out of Romania, but though his punishments were severe, he never sucked blood or slept in a coffin, etc.  To reach the ruins, a few walls of stone high up on a hill, we had to climb 1, 400 something stairs.  Once again, I was reminded how out of shape I am, but the ancient feel of the crumbling walls and the view into the valleys were worth it! 

Afterwards, we (Mandy, her sister, her mom, and I) continued our road trip into the Carpathian Mountains (breath-takingly beeyootifull!) to visit Bran Castle, the legendary home of Count Dracula/Vlad Tepes.  It was actually once the home of a Romanian king and queen and has now been converted into a historical museum.  Apart from the fang-baring dracula t-shirts being sold outside the castle, nothing inside actually mentions anything about him. 

I felt completely safe and at peace the whole time....except for the car ride winding up and down the mountainside.  I just thank God we had Mrs. Annis and later Amelia driving.  I thought Chicago drivers are pretty skilled, but I was wrong...these two ladies maneuvered around steep curves while dodging unseen, oncoming trucks with amazing speed and grace...yes, I am grateful to be alive right now!   

Once i get a chance, i'll try to post up some pics...the lush, green Carpathian hills are amazing to behold...makes you want to stop the car and jump out singing "the hills are alive with the sound of music"...Though we're not in Austria, i'm sure Julie Andrews would approve. 

...so after reading a fourth book by James Herriot, Scottish farm vet...I'm so enamored by the Scottish wilds and Yorkshire farms that I want to travel there and see it with mine own eyes someday.

And on top of that, I've recently realized that one of my top ten list of things to do before i die, is to deliver a baby lamb.  According to Jim Herriot, there's something magical and adorable about these new foundlings after they come into the world and begin drying off.  I want to experience that!  =)   He also finds is fun to disentangle two to four little lambs locked up within their mom's uterus, so they can pop out into the world.  I know it sounds gross, but it's sounds so fascinating too...i think i'd like to try that one day.