Now that the pandemic restrictions are beginning to be lifted in many places and we are fully vaccinated, it just might be time to dust off the old Bucket List. For us that means thinking about finally seeing Romania, where Veronica has family roots, and Scotland, where we both have ancestry.
I know, it seems odd that we haven’t been to either of these places yet, but for some reason we haven’t managed to use our brains, hearts, or courage get there yet. But we won’t need to follow the Yellow Brick Road because Wizz Air has flights to several cities in both places.
Beginning with Scotland, we can easily fly to Glasgow, Aberdeen, or Edinburgh from the over one hundred and sixty cities in forty-four countries that Wizz serves. This way we can explore our James and Stewart family trees without spending the royal fortune.
Oh, did I forget to mention that Veronica is a descendant of Mary, Queen of Scots? It’s true, though we are not certain just how distant a relative, and we absolutely missed out on any inheritance. Still, maybe we can investigate while we visit the queen’s old home at Linlithgow Palace just outside of Edinburgh.
There should be plenty of secrets hidden away within the walls that have stood for seven centuries. Also, Mary’s father was King James the fifth and her son James the sixth, so now we have tied both of our names to the castle. Wonder if they will welcome us in as long-lost relatives?
No visit to Scotland is complete without a stop at Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. Who knows, perhaps we could get the first clear photo of Nessie. It could be even more unusual than a cowardly lion, tin man, or a talking scarecrow. Now that might be worth a fortune!
Moving on from our Scottish heritage, we can stop off in Paris for a visit with our daughter and her family before moving on to Romania. It is easy to travel from there to Bucharest, or any other of the eleven cities Wizz Air flies to in Romania, to explore Veronica’s ties to this unique and picturesque land.
Hopefully none of those relatives was Dracula, but we still can’t miss making the short trip up into the mountains from Bucharest to check out his famous home, Bran Castle. Well, home might be stretching things a bit.
Turns out that Dracula, or more accurately Vlad the Impaler who the character was loosely based on, likely never set foot in the castle. The legend mostly developed over the past fifty years or so as a way to attract tourists to the area. Still, it is a very cool castle so we won’t want to miss it.
More modern history awaits in the capital city of Bucharest, such as the Palace of the Parliament which was finished just over twenty years ago. Another landmark, The Arch of Triumph, is less that one hundred years old and looks very much like its namesake in France. That may be one of the reasons Bucharest has been sometimes called “The Little Paris.”
Some older historic buildings can still be found in the old city center known as Lipscani. The word meant trader, and dating back to the Middle Ages, when this was the main business area in town with merchandise from all across Europe.
Of course, these are just where we would ask the wizard to send us if we could, your adventure may be different. But with all of the fantastic destinations Wizz Air serves you will never doubt that you’re not in Kansas anymore.
So, let’s get back to traveling! No need to ask for a heart, or courage, or a brain, just wish for low fares from the Wizz.
David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com
Your blog post is stunning. Thanks!!