This shot was taken in April 2006 when snow was lingering way longer than it had any right to. Not so long ago this country was part of a larger entity, and the location is near the border of a third country. The best thing is that after a brisk hike through this bizarre landscape you’ll be guaranteed some of the best beer in the world.
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.
Where on Earth (Week 19)
Okay, here’s one I think might stump our well-traveled readers.
I took this photo from a hilltop overlooking this town a few years ago. Your job is to guess which town it might be. Think you might know? Put your guess in the comments section below and come back on Friday for the answer–because no one’s going to get it before then!
Where on Earth? Week 18: Moscow
This week’s Where on Earth proved rather easy for reader John Samuelson who correctly identified the above McDonald’s location as Moscow (and congrats to Jim for second place).
Back in 1991 when I took this photo, Moscow was still a part of the Soviet Union and this was the only McDonald’s in the entire country. It had opened a year and half earlier and the lines still stretched around the block by the summer of 1991.
It took me and my friends 45 minutes to get through the front doors–a substantially less amount of time than the first year the restaurant was open. Once inside, 70 cash registers manned by pimply Slavic teens took our orders in a clean, friendly, efficient manner that simply didn’t exist anywhere else in the USSR at the time.
I personally make it a rule to never visit a McDonald’s while traveling (in fact, I don’t eat there when I’m home either), but this was one exception well worth taking–especially after two weeks of eating pickled tongue and other horrific Intourist food. I was starving by the time we got to Moscow and ended up wolfing down two Big Macs, a double cheeseburger, fries, 2 Cokes, a chocolate shake and a hot apple pie. The entire pig fest cost just $1.50.
I haven’t eaten at a McDonald’s since, nor will I ever again. But for that one afternoon, it was well worth it.
Where on Earth? Week 18
Yes, both lines are for the same McDonald’s. The second photo was taken around the corner from the beginning of the line in the first photo. It took my friends and me 45 minutes to simply get in the front door.
So, Where on Earth was this photo taken? There is one thing to take into consideration, however. I took this photo in 1991. If you were to go to this same location today, the line would not stretch out the door.
Think you know where it is? Take a guess in the comments section below and check back on Friday for the answer.