I know someone who knows Dracula: perks of knowing locals in the countries where you travel

Ok, that's a lie, but because of my good friend I did visit Dracula's castle like a boss! This brings me to my next and more important point. There are many perks to having international buddies. Abu Dhabi is truly an international city, maybe the most international city in which I will ever live. There are people here from ALL over the world. In fact, my school alone boasts 93 DIFFERENT nationalities. It's insane. I have students from every corner of the world.

Flags in my school representing all the different nationalities

I'd say the highest populations include Americans, Canadians, Brits, Filipinos, Indians, and other Arabs. However, there is also a large European, Korean and Australian contingent here. With such a diverse population comes the obvious perks: amazing restaurants featuring cuisines from all over the world (ex: Mongolian Hot Pot, Ethiopian, Indonesian), diverse living communities, blending of cultures, the list goes on. However, the best perk is being able to become friends with people who don't live in North America. Don't get me wrong, I will sniff out an American and a befriend them quicker than you can blink. I mean after all we are the home of the brave and those who love bacon.

However, as cool as redneck Americans are, there's just something cooler, for lack of a better word, about having friends that are not American. More importantly, it's been a game changer to know these people when we actually visit their home country!

Over the past four years in AD, Brian and I have managed to become good friends with people from Ireland, Romania, South Africa, the UK, Lebanon, and Morocco. When you are friends with some for so long, you naturally want to see their home. You want to see the places they rave about, the people featured in the stories they tell, and taste all the delicious meals that they brag about. So, that's what we did, and let me tell you, there is NOTHING like traveling with a local in their home country or having a local plan out your itinerary.

We've had three travel experiences (Lebanon, Romania and Ireland) that have been really tailored for us by locals. Actually, we are about to have four! As I write this post, we are about to travel to South Africa, and have gotten some amazing recs from our South African friends. Anyway, while exploring an entirely new country on your own is absolutely amazing, it can be daunting to figure out exactly what you should see. Especially when you don't have a ton of time, you want to make sure you are seeing the MOST important things, going to the best restaurants and making sure you're hitting all the highlights. So, in case you're hitting Lebanon or Romania anytime soon, make sure you are saving my recs. If you're not, then just enjoy reading about these two countries that absolutely should have a place on your bucket list. FYI: Ireland is going to get it's own post later because when were there, we were actually with Tri (best friend) and her family, so it was a slightly different experience.

LEBANON

First of all, what an amazing country with some of the absolute friendliest people I've ever met. Right up there with the people of Georgia. Lebanon is just a three hour flight away from AD, so not only do you have a lot of Lebanese living in AD, but most people you meet have gone there for holiday. This equates to bountiful and quality recommendations. Getting different perspectives on what's good always helps, and allows you to decide what best fits your travel needs. What Brian and I like to do is not always the same as every single one of our friends. While we might prioritize let's sayyyy wine tasting, others might want to explore the American University Beirut. So, without further adieu, here is our personal highlights and recs.

Wine Tasting: Absolute must. Lebanese wine is very tasty, and the wine region is just a 1.5 hour scenic drive outside of Beirut. We hired a driver based on a company that a friend recommended, and he drove us all day. First pic is us with Anwar, our driver. He was so sweet, took us to the best local lunch and was SUPER affordable. The whole day gives you a chance to see a different part of Lebanon, taste fantastic wine, chat with the locals and eat amazing Lebanese food.

Walk the City: Beirut is very walkable, especially if you stay in Hamra, which I absolutely recommend. Hamra is a very vibrant part of the city where it's like Middle Eastern meets European. You have the best resteraunts, including this gem L'Autre, and fabulous bars. We went to this cute, but very chic, little cocktail bar (Ales and Tales) several nights in a row because we loved it so much. But, in general, there is so much to see just on foot. Beirut is about 60% Muslim and 40% Christian, so they have an amazing blend of churches and mosques that are nestled in the heart of the city right next to Roman ruins.

Beirut also has a unique blend of old and new, as the city is still visibly recovering from the war. You can walk anywhere and see a building that looks like it was built yesterday standing right next to the remains of a building that has big holes from artillery shells. The coast along beruit is picture perfect, and we knew we had to visit the famous Pigeon rocks (1st row center pic). Loads of seafood restaurants that overlooked this view. Excellent for shisha and drinks. Additionally, Beirut has their own version of the Baltimore promenade, except their walkway hugs the Mediterranean Sea instead of the Baltimore harbor. Same, same....but different?

Byblos and Baatara Waterfall:Again, based on a rec, we hired another driver who took us to this amazing waterfall that's located 1.5-2 hours outside of Beirut. Stunning. Just stunning. For some reason the cave reminded me of Batman, and all I wanted to do was cue up the music as we hiked down to it. Wouldn't it be amazing to have a soundtrack to your life? Skip to 1:46 for all the feels.

Blybos is one, if not THE, oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. It's a UNESCO heritage site and is extremely rich in history. It's an absolute must do, and it also doesn't hurt that there is a craft beer restaurant and bar about 20 kilometers away. Just saying.

ROMANIA

One of my best friends in AD is Romanian, so when I told her that Brian and I had found cheap flights, she basically had our itinerary done before we had even booked our accommodations.

Meet Alex. This is us dressed up last year for Senior Spirit Week as Blair and Serena.

Alex is a planner, so I knew this trip was going to be amazing. She literally wrote down for us what we should do. Romania is breathtakingly gorgeous, and we went in the spring so we had perfect weather. The people are friendly, the food is delicious, and the wine is surprisingly really good. I know most people don't think of Romania when they think of international travel, but you should. Here are are recs and highlights that came directly from Alex, who was spot on!

Explore Bucharest via Foot:

I've said it once, and I'll say it again: the best way to see a city is by walking around. You soak up so much, and you know, you get your steps in. While you're stepping, make sure you check Beer O'Clock. Craft beers from Romania, but also from all over the world. Additionally, when the weather is nice, there are several amazing beer gardens. Make sure you explore Old town, including the monastery. Lots of shops and things to see! Now, that being said, Bucharest is cool, it's worth a day, but don't spend more than that. Rent a car, and go to the following places.

Sinaia: Lonely Planet's Guide Such a cute little town on your way to Transylvania, which is a must do. It boasts amazing hiking, a quaint downtown, and Pele's Castle. We hit this town twice on our way to and from Brasov. The first time we explored the town a bit, and then went up for a hike at the top of the mountain. You can take a cable car up or you can hike it. It was actually really cold at the top, and we weren't quite prepared for that temperature change, so we didn't stay longer than an hour and a half. However, the views were worth the quick trip and cable ride. The second time through, we hit Pele's Castle, which was super ornate and regal. The detailing inside and the woodwork is like nothing you have ever seen.

Pele's Castle

Brasov: This is the town where Alex is actually from, and it was absolutely adorable. It really had everything we were looking for in a Romanian city: cobblestone streets, great restaurants, hiking within walking distance of the city center, and situated in Transylvania! Brasov itself has plenty to explore just by walking around. You can actually go on a proper hike in the city limits by hiking up the BRASOV sign. Round trip took us about 2 hours, and it was absolutely worth it! Great views at the top. However, the absolute MUST do when staying in Brasov is Dracula's castle aka Bran Castle. Bran castle is located about 45 minutes away, and was super accessible from Brasov. Video below is of the drive there - nothing but Romanian Countryside.....and Dracula.

Bran's castle is something you just can't skip, even the little town around it is picturesque. It's so eerie, stunning, and historic all rolled into one experience. Learning about Vlad the impaler is simultaneously frightening and exciting. You can easily spend several hours wandering around the castle, grounds and town. And, if you're like Brian Davis, you can spend even more time as he STOPS.TO.READ.EVERYTHING. I'm talking every sign with any information. He's reading it. God love him. He comes away and will freaking quiz me on what he read about, and then do what he does best - JUDGE ME FOR NOT READING ENOUGH.

Now, if we had more time to spend in Romania, we would have checked out some of the following. Many of these Alex has spoken very highly of, but we just didn't have the time. In general, it truly pays to either know someone who is from the country you are traveling to or know ENOUGH people to secure quality recommendations. It really helps in the effectiveness of your planning. There is NOTHING worse than stewing around in a hotel room debating on what you should do next or arguing with your spouse over what attractions to leave out. Having someone tell you "do this, skip that" gives you a sense of confidence, peace and helps ease the woes of traveling with you beloved.

So, in summation, check around before picking your places to travel. See what research you can do ahead of time. Who knows, maybe a friend of a friend can give you OUTSTANDING recs that will be an absolute game changer for trip! Can't hurt to ask around, and who knows maybe you'll end your trip like this.

P.S - There's a funny story behind this dracula cape and fangs, but I'll save that for another post.