More proof that my socks control the weather.

On our recent visit to Romania, it rained... a lot. You can see just how much it rained from the state of the roads. They were like mini-rivers. There was flooding throughout the country and it was all over the news.


Which socks was I wearing? My socks with rainbows on them. You can't have rainbows without rain, can you now?

On the day of the deluge, we also visited a couple of Romanian castles.

First up was Bran Castle, sometimes known as Dracula's Castle, but without good cause. Apart from that fact that it is a castle in Transylvania, there isn't much to link it to Dracula. Vlad the Impaler, who supposedly inspired the Dracula story, didn't live in the castle. Also, there is no evidence that Bram Stoker, Dracula's author, even knew about the castle. Who knows why it is called Dracula's Castle. It may be the result of a good marketing campaign. The place was certainly packed with tourists when we visited.

Afterwards, we headed to Peleş Castle, near Sinaia. Designed in the Neo-Renaissance style, it could also be called the Disney style. The castle looks like something straight out of a fairy tale. I'm sure Cinderella would give it the nod of approval. Inside it is just as elaborate. Each room is decorated with a particular theme in mind (the Florentine Room, the Moorish Salon, the Turkish Palour).



More photos on Flickr.

Plitvice Lakes National Park was my favourite of all the places we visited in Croatia. It was so beautiful.

There are 16 lakes in the park which are formed by run off from the mountains. The water flows from lake to lake over a series of waterfalls.

The dams which form the waterfalls are made from travertine, a type of sedimentary rock. The travertine is always being added to by the minerals in the water. This means, that the waterfalls are changing day by day.

There are lots of boardwalks which allow you to walk out on many of the lakes and right up to the waterfalls. Sometimes the water bubbles up through the boardwalks so it feels a bit like walking on water. There was even one set of stairs that had been turned into a mini-waterfall.

The colours in the lakes are amazing. The water colour is affected by minerals in the water, and by the light. On our visit to the park we started with a sunny day, then it was overcast followed by rain. The colour of the water ranged from a clear turquoise blue to a dark sea green.

I was really impressed with the park's setup. It's one of the most well organised national parks that I've visited. They have a great brochure with lots of suggested routes for walking ranging from 1-hour strolls to full day hikes. They have a little train that drives you around the park and ferries that you catch across the lakes.

Plitvice Lakes National Park is definitely at the top of my must-see list in Croatia.

More photos on Flickr.

Our visit to Plitvice Lakes was part of the Aegean Odyssey. Mum, Dad, Andrew and I spent a few weeks in Croatia and Greece with a quick visit to Slovenia and Austria in the middle. Other entries from this trip include: Sunset in Zadar, Sea Organ, Blessed are the cheesemakers and Climbing in Croatia.

Thanks to Caitlin for featuring this post on her blog, Roaming Tales. Check out all the other great travel links in her weekly round up.

One of Bucharest's main tourist attractions is the Palace of the Parliament. It's major draw card is that it's big. Really big. It's the second largest building in the world (after the Pentagon), the world's heaviest building and the world's most expensive administrative building.

The building was conceived and designed by Ceauşescu, the Romanian Dictator. He wanted something suitable to celebrate his awesomeness. Hence the focus on gigantism. Bigger is better, right? Typical man.

The stats are impressive: 1,100 rooms, 480 chandeliers and 200,000 square metres of carpet. But for some reason the stats don't translate to reality. Walking around the building on our guided tour, I was never overwhelmed by its size. Even standing outside looking up at the facade, I wasn't that impressed. I think that Australian Parliament House looks bigger perched up on Capital Hill.

The tour ends on the famous balcony. Originally designed as a place for Ceauşescu to speak to his faithful subjects he never lived to see the balcony's or even the palace's completion. In 1989, Ceauşescu's government was overthrown by a military coup and Ceauşescu was sentenced to death by a kangaroo court. He and his wife were executed right after the trial, Christmas Day, 1989. He was the only communist leader who didn't survive the fall of the iron curtain.

So, when you visit the balcony, which famous person do the tour guides mention? Michael Jackson. Yes, in 1992, Michael Jackson addressed his faithful subjects from the balcony.

More photos on Flickr.

Alfred Hitchcock said that the the sunset off Zadar is the most beautiful in the world. What do you think?

More photos on Flickr.

Our visit to Zadar was part of the Aegean Odyssey. Mum, Dad, Andrew and I spent a few weeks in Croatia and Greece with a quick visit to Slovenia and Austria in the middle. Other entries from this trip include: Sea Organ, Blessed are the cheesemakers and Climbing in Croatia.

One of Zadar's major tourist attractions is the Sea Organ (hur hur). As the name suggests it's an organ which is played by the sea. Under the steps of the promenade are the pipes of the organ; the waves rolling in force air through the pipes to produce music. The frequency of waves determine the tempo and the size of the waves determine the volume.

It's quite soothing to sit on the steps at the sea organ and listen. When a boat goes past it, the music speeds up and it sounds like a bit of a sea jig. Then it all slows down again and it's a bit like a lullaby. We videoed the music so you can enjoy the experience as well.




Our visit to Zadar was part of the Aegean Odyssey. Mum, Dad, Andrew and I spent a few weeks in Croatia and Greece with a quick visit to Slovenia and Austria in the middle. Other entries from this trip include: Blessed are the cheesemakers and Climbing in Croatia.