Viseu de Sus by Train and Foot

We pushed the girls hard today and boy did they step up to the challenge! Breakfast was at 5:30am. We boarded the bus at 6:00am and made the 1.5 hour drive to Viseu de Sus in order to be on the Carpathian Steam Train platform by 7:30am.

I am learning that you just have to laugh at the girls in moments like these... They come dressed in PJ's, they can hardly form complete sentences, and they will lean on absolutely anything (walls, windows, bags, each other) with hopes of catching a few additional minutes of sleep.

Fortunately, out of the exhaustion came triumph; everyone in our group can say that she added another 7+ miles to her growing list of outdoor accomplishments. During our walk we had the opportunity to play with young kids who would run out of their homes as we passed through their villages. We inhaled a delicious picnic lunch in the fields of a famous Romanian monastery (in one of the most picturesque places I have ever seen in my entire life). We even tasted a "sweet" from a local woman who saw us passing by... she came out with a cardboard shoebox in-hand and shared homemade chocolate treats with everyone in our group. (Size 8, they were just perfect!)

For those of you who received phone calls from your girls this afternoon... they miss you dearly. A couple were in tears when they got back on the bus; a short wave of homesickness on the tail-end of an exhausting day. They broke out the Lee Greenwood God Bless the USA shortly after, and then laughter ensued… no worries, they are all in great spirits.

I am having a tough time loading pictures from here, but promise to share more soon. We are off to the nunnery and Cluj tomorrow. Sweet dreams America. We will be home soon.