Where on Earth Week 19: Brasov, Romania!

Okay, gang. The next Where on Earth is going to be in a cave! With the lights off. And no one will be to guess it.

So, I boasted on Wednesday that no one was going to nail the location of the above photograph and I was proven wrong in less than an hour by Beanie (and then a few hours later by Jim).

Both correctly guessed Brasov, Romania.

I had the good fortune to visit this surprisingly wonderful town back in 1991. At the time I had no idea that Romania was blessed with such architecture–especially in the Transylvanian region. This was supposed to be home to countless gypsies and blood sucking vampires. The sight of gothic churches and beautiful buildings was contrary to every vampire and horror film I had ever seen. And I loved it.

Brasov turned out to be my favorite town in Romania, subtly combining the beauty of the Carpathian Mountains, the architectural influence of an early German population, and the quaint, rural joys of a town of just 284,000 people. And no, not a single one wanted to suck my blood.