Rasnov and Brasov

Today we left Busteni not too early in the morning, after 3 and a half amazing days there. Our first stop: Dino Park in Rasnov. I took Mikey there on our visit two years ago, and he remembers it and has been begging me to take him back there. Since he was a good sport these few days in the mountains I figured he has earned it. So by 11 we are at Dino Park. For a kid who loves dinosaurs, this is a real treat. Dinosaurs everywhere, in a beautiful forest. Mikey gravitates towards the baby dinosaurs, and asks me to take pictures with each and every one of them (maybe a picture album with all his dinosaurs would come in handy!).

Riding the Triceratops 

Baby Triceratops

Watch out Mikey!

Also plenty of kids activities, zip line, obstacle course (he's too short and young for those), laser maze, painting, 9D movie theater, playground, and educational exhibits.

One of the displays with teeth and claws

Most of these are for an extra fee, so all in all we spent about 25 dollars. Not bad, even in Romanian money, for 3 hours of fun and learning. Dino Park is not much changed since last time we saw it, but a neat feature that was added was an educational program about the trees in the area; different trees became characters and had a story to tell about the species and its place in the local ecology. I liked that, but the boy did not really care.

I knew he existed: The Old Man of the Forest!

The shy European beech

We had fun, but were already tired when we left. We drove for 10 minutes, then stopped at Valea Cetatii Cave. It is about 1/3 of a mile off the highway, a nice, pleasant hike through the forest.

The hike begins like this

The cave was discovered in 1949, but was not opened to the public until 8 years ago. For a small fee you get a 20 minutes guided tour in the first half of the cave, which is easily accessible. The second half is only for the experienced ones. Mikey was thrilled to see the stalactites and stalagmites, and the huge Main Hall with its springs and weird formations.

What magical world, I wonder, is behind this door?

Up up up

 We both agree it was not as spectacular as Ialomita Cave but I noticed that he is interested in caves now so my inner Master Planner is already thinking about cave trips back in the US.
Afterwards we drive over the mountains, straight to Brasov. A quick stop on the way to catch a glimpse of Brasov from the top of the mountains, and to get raspberries.

Brasov seen from above

Our mountains

The boy is tired now, and hungry, and cranky, so we head straight to the hotel. We are staying at an Italian Guest House, meaning it is arranged and decorated Italian style. It is really pretty, the room is huge, the bathroom is lovely,  and the inner courtyard is really enticing with nice mosaics on the walls and plenty of light and plants. A nice place for my morning coffee tomorrow!

Inner courtyard

Since it's still early and we haven't eaten since morning, we walk downtown. We have a quick dinner at...

I did not miss it

Again, a treat for the boy, he is sooooooo excited for his chicken nuggets and French Fries. I get a Greek Burger with fries. It disappoints. The tzatziki has no flavor, the burger is actually a chicken patty, and the fries are super salty. The only good things are the bun and the lettuce. Not to mention I have to pay the equivalent of 2 dollars for Mikey's ketchup and another dollar for his Happy Meal toy!. Oh well. After dinner we walk for a while, until we end up in the Main Square where we stop for adult beverages and ice cream. Mikey insists on getting the ice cream himself, and I am happy to report that he used almost flawless Romanian to order it! On the way back we stop at a playground where he gets another 45 minutes of running and play, while Buni and I are half dead on a bench. The past few days are catching up with me, but I guess this is what is supposed to happen on vacation.

Towards downtown Brasov

Today was an uneventful day. We saw dinosaurs, a cave, beautiful buildings and lots of people. Yet Mikey is happy because this was mostly his day, and he really wanted to come back here. He thanked me at least 10 times today for bringing him to Dino Park, and another 3 or 4 times for allowing him to get his ice cream himself. He is growing up, my little boy, and soon enough will not need me anymore. I might as well enjoy these precious moments now, and oh, they are precious!

The three of us

July 27, 2018