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Hello,

I arrived at Bucharest International Airport on May 27th coming from Hellerup (Copenhagen), Denmark, where I stayed for about 3 months. I had a lovely time there but it was time for a new trip... to Dracula’s land. After 5 hours of travelling by car I arrived at Sibiu. We drove past Bran Castle, but we didn’t stop to visit it because we were very tired and it was raining heavily. Visitors to Bran Castle should make the distinction between the historic reality of Bran and the character of the Count in Bram Stoker’s novel. Dracula exists only in the imagination.

When we arrived at Sibiu it was too late to meet the pupils so I went to bed. The next day before going to school I took a walk around the beautiful city of Sibiu. Let me tell you a few things about Sibiu. It lies in the centre of Romania, a nice country in the South-East of Europe.

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Sibiu, or Hermannstadt as it was known, was one of the seven walled cities built by Saxon settlers (Germans) in Transylvania during the 12th century.

This is the Coat of Arms of Sibiu

Sibiu is situated at the foot of the Fagaras Mountains in Southern Carpathians. It is a beautiful medieval city which worth visiting. It has preserved its picturesque medieval atmosphere almost everywhere. In Sibiu’s historical centre, there are important monuments, many of which are part of the UNESCO patrimony. Here, in the historical centre, you can see: The Large Square(or Big Sguare),The Small Square,The Liar’s Bridge, Brukenthal Museum, all surrounded by old buildings with “eyes” on their roofs.

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School Nr.13 is situated in a district not far from the city centre, called “Terezian”, after Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. When I arrived at School nr.13 the pupils were waiting for me with flowers. I was warmly welcomed by all the pupils and their teachers. I showed them my diary and my rucksack with things from my homeland, Ireland. The school year 2013-2014 was about to end in three weeks so I had a very busy time. I went on 3 trips and I saw a small part of beautiful Transylvania. It is easy to see why Prince Charles fell in love with this part of the world.

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First on June 4th, I went on a trip with classes 8 B ,8C and class 5B to Corvin Castle, also known as Corvins' Castle, Hunyad Castle or Hunedoara Castle , a Gothic-Renaissance castle in the county of Hunedoara, central Transylvania.

This is one of the best preserved castle in Europe.It is one of the cultural sites you should not miss in this part of Romania.The castle is very nice.We had a guided tour.The

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story that we heard helped our imagination to see that place full of knights, kings and princesses. Two princesses took me in their arms and I was happy, very happy.

On the way to Hunedoara and Corvin Castle we stopped to visit Aurel Vlaicu’s memorial house. Aurel Vlaicu was a Romanian engineer, inventor and airplane constructor.

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We also stopped at Arboretumul Simeria Scientific Reserve. A large park, with lots of special trees and plants, considered to be the third park of this kind in Europe.

In the city of Deva we stopped near the Gym Hall where the most famous gymnast in the world, Nadia Comaneci, the first woman to score a perfect 10 at the Olympic Games in 1976, trained for many years.Next to the gym hall there is a row of statues representing the most famous Romanian gymnasts and coaches.

The pupils from “Andrei Saguna European School” in Deva city invited me to visit their school. I was impressed to see how many prizes they got in all competitions.

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On the way back to Sibiu we stopped at Colonia Ulpia Traiana Sarmisegetusa,the ancient capital of the largest city of Roman Dacia, part of the Roman Empire. I learnt a lot about the history of Romania, called Dacia in ancient times. I didn’t know that the Romans conquered Dacia and added it to their empire. That’s why Romanian is a Latin Language.

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15th June. Another trip to Arka Park Partinis,24 km far from Sibiu,in the mountains. I was so impressed with the level of instruction at Arka Park. First I attended a short 'school' on how to use the course and equipment. There are lots of different trails for age and ability. This place was absolutely wonderful.

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17th June. We took a trip to Salt Mine Turda, a real museum of salt mining in Transylvania.

The salt mine is worth visiting. It was quite cold inside so I was lucky to have my woollen sweater and hat on and jeans, of course. At the bottom of the mine there is an amusement park with sport facilities. There is also a lake where you can paddle boats. The lake seemed dangerous to me.

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18th June. The children and I had a Skype session with my school friends from Monageer National School and my teachers. They all missed me and I missed them, too. Even if the internet connection was very poor I was very happy to see them all. 19th June. Comenius Open Doors Day. It was a day when all the pupils gathered in the hall and watched what happened during the first year of our project. Before me there were two teddies who visited School Nr.13 Sibiu: Tobias and Lea.

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Summer holiday at the seaside and in the country with Eveline Eveline and her parents took me to the seaside, to a resort called Eforie-Nord ,on the Black Sea coast. I spent one week of sunbathing and swimming in the sea. It was a bit hot for me. Eve took me to Aqua Magic in Mamaia, a nice place full of fun and amusement. Then we both spent same time in the countryside at Eve’s grandmother.

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Birthday Party

Eve’s birthday party, on 1stAugust, was a great one with a big birthday chocolate cake, many school friends and lots of fun. I was all the time in Eve’s arms even when she made a wish and lit a floating sky lantern. The cake was delicious!

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Visiting Sibiu with Izabel and Antonia Izabel took me to the historic centre of Sibiu which is still partially enclosed by its original 12th century medieval walls. We began our visit in the Big Square with Brukenthal National Museum, then walked around the fortified walls and admired the beautiful parks and sparkling fountains. It was a lovely day.

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The next weekend Antonia took me to the Council Tower, one of the most famous monuments of Sibiu. It used to defend the entrance gate into the old fortified town of Sibiu. I also met the travelling journeymen who come to Sibiu from Austria and Germany every year to revive old crafts. They work and live in a house near the Evangelic Church, and I took a picture pretending to be one of them.

Back to school On 15th September all schoolchildren in Romania went back to school. After the opening ceremony the children went in the classrooms and received their new textbooks and shared memories from their holidays. They were all happy because there were no lessons on the first school day. But for me it was the time to pack up my belongings and write my diary.

Last Skype session with my teachers in Ireland 1st October 2014 was a happy day for me because I saw my teachers and my school friends in Ireland.

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When they saw me, they cheered. I really had a lovely time in Romania and I felt being loved by the children. I wasn’t homesick at all. I will miss this friendly country!

Good-bye, my friends. It’s time for a new adventure!