Cosmo & Wilfred visit the pool

The night had been warm, so as soon when we woke we headed straight to the shops to see if we could find anything to help with the heat. Cosmo found himself a lovely hat to keep the sun off and Wilfred found a banana boat to use in the pool.

After returning from the shops we headed to the leisure centre to cool down a bit and complete one of our minor projects. As expected Cosmo and Wilfred were the first in the pool splashing about and enjoying the banana boat Wilfred had got for them.

Once we had finally cooled down a bit we headed into the city to explore a bit more; we visited the many towers and churches Sighisoara has which gave us a new perspective on one of the most beautiful cities we have ever visited. While exploring the city we managed to find a local leather maker who was making traditional leather bracelets, sheaths and belts. This covered another one of our minor projects.

After a long day of exploring, we decided to head up to the Church on the hill to watch the sunset. After what felt like a thousand stairs, or what must feel like ten thousand for Cosmo and Wilfred, we were greeted by a busker playing Thunderstruck on the guitar at the top of Scholar’s Stairs. The sunset wasn’t quite as good as last nights but Cosmo and Wilfred enjoyed it non the less.

We have an early morning tomorrow heading off to Turda where we plan to visit the salt mine and explore the city.

Cosmo takes the train

We had an early start to the morning, after packing all our things we set off to the train station where we caught a train to Sighisoara. Unfortunately we forgot to get Cosmo and Wilfred tickets so they had to live in the bag whilst we boarded the train.

When we got on the train they were desperate to get out, they shared a seat showing how they had become best friends in only a few hours.

The train was sweltering, as soon as the conductor opened the window Cosmo rushed to stick his head out. The wind was refreshing instantly cooling the whole carriage down.

The train took 2 and a half hours, taking us over 130km from Brasov to Sighisoara. Carrying us far away from the thunderstorms of the previous day. As we arrived we were greeted by the beautiful city of Sighisoara, considered the most beautiful and well-preserved inhabited citadel in Europe.

After exploring Sigisoara we headed back to the campsite to have some dinner, continuing to enjoy the site of sighisoara.

Tomorrow we are looking forward to enjoying the city some more.

Thunder Buddies

We started off the day by packing up the tents and getting ready to head off to catch the bus to Brasov. After our long day of walking yesterday we decided to let Cosmo carry some of the bags to the bus stop.

Minutes before arriving in Brasov the heavens decided to open showering us with rain, cracking the air with a monstrous roar of thunder and bright flashes of lightning. We sprinted off the bus getting to the hostel as quickly as our legs would carry us, though sadly not quick enough to save us from looking like we had swum to Brasov. The thunder and rain had shocked Cosmo, this had been the first time he had experienced anything other than the heat of the last couple of days.

No matter how hard we tried we could not convince Cosmo to join us in exploring the slightly flooded streets of Brasov. Instead he refused to leave his bed saying he would only leave once the thunder had stopped.

Saddened by not having Cosmo to keep us company we set our self a quest of finding a way to make him feel better. We searched long and hard through the streets of Brasov, finding many interesting places on travels.

During our search we heard wind of a place where someone might be able to help. This place was the Black Church. Originally built it the late 14th century it was partially destroyed by a great fire set by invading Habsburg forces on April 21st 1689 leaving visible burn marks, hence the name the Black Church.

Unfortunately we were not able to take photos inside the church, though we can say that the views inside are amazing it truly is a place worth a visit if you are ever near Brasov.

Inside the church we met Wilfred, a young elephant who had overheard us talking about the Cosmo situation and thought he could assist us.

Wilfred explained that he had experienced many a thunder storm in Brasov, and so new exactly how to help poor Cosmo. After returning to the Hostel we saw an extreme improvement in Cosmo, he really had helped. Cosmo would not be afraid of a thunder storm ever again and Wilfred would have a friend to travel Romania with. Together they were Thunder Buddies.

Cosmo visits Bran (only the castle)

We started the day nice and early to try beat the heat, it didn’t work. Cosmo started to build up a sweat, the heat was getting to him, the shade helped for the small amounts of time we had to spend in it.

The journey from Rasnov to Bran took just over three hours, when arrived we setup our tents at a camp site called vampire camping, although we are yet to see any vampires actually staying at the campsite. We then headed off to Bran castle, once the home of Vlad the Impaler and Dracula, now one of Cosmo’s favourite places in Romania.

Cosmo even left his mark on the visitors ledger at the castle.

After leaving the castle we headed back to Bran to celebrate “Fit Like’s” 21st birthday, Cosmo definitely enjoyed the meal and the relief from the heat of the day .

Tomorrow we will be heading into Brasov, we are looking forward to visiting the black church and the world famous Brasov sign, as well as hopefully covering some of our minor projects and experiencing the culture of a larger Romanian city.

Day Two – Team 2

Today we met the newest member of our team…

COSMO THE UNICORN!!!

Cosmo will be accompanying us during our Explorer Belt; which we begin tomorrow. Today some of us briefly visited the nearby city of Brasov with Cosmo. This is one of the places that we will be spending more time during our Explorer Belt.

Upon returning from Brasov the team headed to the local supermarket in Rasnov to buy some supplies for the first few days of our expedition. We are ready to go and excited for the first day tomorrow!!!

@scoutsscotland @southwestscotlandexplorers @southwestscotlandscouts @southwestscotlandnetwork @naascouts @kandcscouts @beargrylls

Day One

After a four hour flight and a three hour bus ride we have finally arrived at our hotel in Rasnov.

We have spent our first day exploring the beautiful city of Rasnov, and preparing ourselves for the journey ahead. We have a long couple of weeks ahead of us, that we are sure will be filled with challenges, adventure and excitement.

We hope the rest of our journey will be filled with as much excitement and fun as this first day has already brought us, and we looking forward to sharing it with you.

#James’holiday

Training Complete!

After 3 training camps we are now ready for our trip to Romania!

We have planned our routes, prepared our kit list and have been working on a range of new skills which will be useful for our time in Romania.

We have come together as a team and pushed through any challenges we have faced to date. We are really looking forward to working together on achieving our major and minor projects and hopefully our Explorer Belt as well.

We would also like to say a massive thank you to the leadership team that has helped to guide and support us through our training and hopefully they will continue to provide excellent support during our time in Romania.

#james’holiday

Team 2 – 09/06/19