Eastern Europe: One Year Later...

Last year at about this time, i had the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong ambition and spend a couple of weeks hiking through Eastern Europe. Since i'm a closet Goth (okay, maybe not quite too "closet"), many of the sites i wanted to see pertain to the lore and mythologies that i have loved for so long. The folllowing is a brief explanation of the sites and activities i had the opportunity to experience while there, and the attached slideshow gives a few pics as well.

* Krakow, Poland - I flew into Krakow for starters, and had a couple of days wandering through the beauty of one of Europe's truly "old cities". It was gorgeous.

* Auschwitz, Poland - One of the most profound and deeply sobering classes i took in college was a course on literature by/from survivors of the Nazi genocide during WWII. I'm not sure one says that they "get" to visit a site like Auschwitz, therefore, but i also think that it's one of those places that everyone should see if they can, if for no other reason than to be reminded of the warning that it supplies to the human race as to what happens when evil is left unchecked.

* Csjethe Castle, Slovakia - On my way from Poland, i wanted to stop and visit a castle ruin that belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Countess Elizabeth Bathory. Considered the "female Dracula" by historians and folklorists, Bathory is a seminal root to contemporary vampiric lore in both a "real" and legendary capacity.

* Budapest, Hungary - I spent 3 months in Budapest in 1991, and LOVED it! I couldn't wait to go back, and also had the opportunity to visit and help train some church planters who are functioning in the region.

* Transylvania, Romania - I couldn't go on a trek through Eastern Europe without visiting Transylvania (that region that spans through most of Romania and beyond, resting on the backbone of the Carpathian Mountains). Being limited a bit on time, i didn't have a chance to get all the way to Poenari Castle in Curtea D'Argess (i.e. the real Castle Dracula, being used by the historical Vlad "The Impaler" Dracul Tepes in the 15th century), but did have a chance to visit some other fun sites (Bran Castle being among one of the most notable).

I blogged pretty diligently throughout the whole experience, and you can check my family blog for additional posts and greater depth if you want to by clicking here.