Update #5 Eastern Europe

Salutări from Levi

Today was an eventful day! We woke up bright and early to grab breakfast and pack a sack lunch for an hour and a half drive to a castle. This ornate castle is located in the beautiful Carpathian Mountains in Eastern Europe. It served as the summer home for the king and was a beautiful mix of German renaissance and gothic architecture full of spectacular wooden carvings and art. 

After visiting the castle the group took a coffee and pastries break at a little cafe on the castle grounds. Fueled with caffeine and ready to hit the road, we made our way to the street markets to shop for souvenirs. 

With our souvenirs in hand we made our way down the hill to an old Orthodox monastery. The Monastery was founded in 1695 by prince Mihail and was named after the great saint Catherine’s monetary on mount Sinai in Egypt. 

To cap off the day and do our debrief we all got burgers at this awesome burger shop there.

God has truly blessed this group. We had so much fun today and cannot wait to update you all on our next adventure 

Blessings, Levi 

hey! it’s claire, and for todays adventure i thought i would bring everyone to my crib (house)! It started with a long drive to the mountains and then a short hike up a steep hill and then we arrived… to the Castle! AKA my vacation home! i was feeling kind of generous so i decided to give everyone a tour, and the castle is so big it took more than an hour to only get through 2/3 floors! Sheesh. 

after that exhausting tour i decided it was time for lunch. we ate lunch in front of the neighboring castle just down the road, it’s where my guests stay and the group shared a conversation with jokes and witt. i would like to say i had the best come backs… but this is a pretty clever group. 

after lunch we walked about one thousand miles around the town that the castle is in. out of everyone i think Danyelle spent the most money, obviously on gifts that she just “had to get” for her family and friends. i also got a few souvenirs for my family but not as many as she did… 

then we went to a Monastery! we got to witness the culture and practice of Orthodox christianity followers and were able to witness a bell ringing/drum ceremony which was very beautiful. 

about one thousand miles later and a bit more shopping we went to a place called Umami for burgers and fries. the burger was about the size of my face and also came with two handfuls of fries, and i definitely ate the whole thing. 

then of course i fell asleep on the way home and i heard one of my group members say in the car that they could tell i was asleep because it was so quiet… wow. 

because yesterday was my birthday but i was sick, i’m claiming this day as my birthday and it was a pretty cool way to celebrate! a great day exploring. i slept all of yesterday and woke up ready for action today! 

good chat!

Claire <3