Romania

Romania (and Bulgaria and Turkey) are fascinating to me. I traveled to all three, and more as a teenager during our family's wacky tour through Eastern Europe in a camper. [I'll have to tell about that whole trip sometime.] Basically, we drove through Eastern Europe from (then) East Germany to Turkey.

I've had dreams recently of doing a shorter revision of that trip with my family, now that La Segunda is old enough for travel, and La Prima would remember it. Josiah seems into it, especially if we could find the cash to pull it off.

I think we could start from Bucharest, do something like this suggested tour from the Romanian Travel website. Then, drive to Bulgaria - doesn't it look amazing?? And end in Turkey, with some extra time for AT LEAST one visit to a hamam. Of course, time in Istanbul would be essential, and maybe a trip to Ephesus, too.

There is so much about the history of these countries that is unknown to me. But, from what I understand, the cultures and languages are both products of ancient mixing and fighting. Why Romanian is Romanian, and Bulgarian is Bulgarian ends up being a fascinating question. Why is one a Roman alphabet, and the other Cyrillic, for example? The music, and the food, and, of course, the Religious Art (Romanian & Bulgarian), are all affected by their geographic place in the world, and the people who have crossed paths there.

I want to go back!

Thanks to Wikipedia for planting this seed in my head!