Shot by TotalAdventure’s Blaine Zuver and Martin Zuver.

A an overnight first class sleeper train ride from Budapest had us arriving fresh and rested on the first morning of summer, June 21.

The”Dacia” Boarding in Budapesti Keleti.

Brasov – Romania’s Hollywood ? Brasov is the center of Transylvania.

Dracula’s Castle, known as Castle Bran, is about 25 km from Brasov. Building began in the 1200s and was added on to over the centuries.

A hidden stairway deep in the interior.

The modern day ( 1883 ) Peles Castle, in Sinaia. was built by King Carol.  It was built with electricity,telephones,telegraph and other modern conveniences.

A comfortable drawing room in Peles.

The Carpathian Mountains are quite undeveloped. There are a few small ski areas, with a long powdery season, rafting,climbing and seeing rare animals that are extinct in Western Europe. For many years only Dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu was allowed to hunt.

While forcing his subjects to live in poverty and half-starvation,Ceaușescu lived in the grand style of a Communist Emperor .An entire section of Bucharest ( not just a neighborhood, but comparable to the Upper West Side of Manhattan or Soho in London  ) in order to build the People’s Palace – the world’s second largest building in terms of square footage , just after the Pentagon. It took 18 years to complete – from 1978 to 1996 – 7 years after the execution of he and his vile wife Elena.

A chandelier weighing 5 Metric Tons  – one of over 100 in the building – constructed at a time the populace was relegated to one 40 watt lightbulb per apartment.

The Dictator. – “Genius of The Carpathians” was one of his many self-bestowed titles.

One of many grand staircases. Many had to be rebuilt several times in order to make him seem taller than his  short stature.

The view from one of the balconies from which Ceaucescu would never make a speech.

One in three adults were rumored to work for the Secret Police – the Securitate.

In a nautical mode.

In Nicolae and Elena’s villa – solid gold water faucets. Commoners were rationed to half an hour of hot water every other Sunday.

Modern radio – circa 1988.

TotalAdventure and Son departed stormy Miami Wednesday evening, June 8 transiting London Heathrow, and arrived in springlike Munich Thursday afternoon.

Munich is not all beer and festivals. There are many beautiful old churches and museums.

Germany is peaceful and prosperous, a great point to begin our Trans Europe Adventure.

Preaching to the partygoers of Munich.

10 PM, late daylight in the Northern Summer.

In the castle courtyard.

This evening TotalAdventure departs Miami, flying to Munich via London. From Bavaria we go by train through Austria,Czech Republic,Poland,Slovakia, the Carpathian Mountains in Romania , the Balkans in Bulgaria, Bosnia,Serbia,Croatia and Montenegro, arriving in Turkey by ship.

Tonight’s Route.

ArcticTropic Panorama of this summer’s stop in Japan on the Round The World Journey .

The best way to explore Japan is on the 200 mph , 320 kph High Speed Shinkansen network on Japan Rail. The Japan Rail Pass allows 7 days of unlimited travel for $ 279 – only non-resident foreigners are eligible. Distances in Japan are great – but seem close on these trains that seem to fly along the ground.

In Kyoto, the highest pagoda in Japan.

A Shinto Shrine.

Kyoto has delicious cuisine. Here is some venison sashimi.

Locusts.

And Bee Larvae

For Adventures in Japan, CLICK HERE

From Lake Baikal we made a quick dash back to Irkutsk on the hydrofoil, and caught the Trans Siberian for the overnight run to Ulan Ude. Ulan Ude is the closest Siberian city to Mongolia and boasts the world’s largest Lenin head.

The train leaves Irkutsk at 10 PM and arrives about 6 the next morning. It also passes Lake Baikal’s eastern shore , so would be a beautiful day trip.

The sleeping arrangements are communal but not totally uncomfortable. There is a separate reserved cabin car for those doing the long haul from Moscow to Vladivostok.

Soviet Heroes who defeated the White Army in 1919 helping Communism spread east.

Old city street scene.

Inside an old wooden apartment building.

For adventures in Russia, CLICK HERE

One of Josef Stalin’s greatest accomplishments, the Moscow Metro opened in 1935. To this day ,it is probably the best underground transit system in the world, with elegant stations everywhere along the lines.

The elaborate stations are a tribute to the Communist Ideal.

Chandeliers light the platforms.

A large mural at Kievskaya Station shows joyous Ukranian proletariats.

Murals on the ceilings. Hero workers.

Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic

A hub and spoke system.

Smolenskaya Station.

Comrade Soldiers.

Comrade Lenin.

Conrade Stalin.

For adventures in Russia, CLICK HERE

A Saturday afternoon journey from Muizenberg to Fish Hoek near where the Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean. A preacher man works the aisle. The train is much like the NYC subway, but with better scenery. Cost is 6 Rand or 60 cents US.

For adventures in South Africa, CLICK HERE

Every Tuesday morning at 8:05 , Train K23,the Trans-Mongolian Express, leaves Beijing Railway Station for the 30 hour journey to Ulanbataar,Mongolia. From there it is possible to connect all the way to Moscow. It is truly the way to arrive in Mongolia- to get a sense of how large,empty and remote this Central Asian nation is.

The Route.

The timetable all the way from Beijing to Moscow.

Midnight Crossing.

For adventures in Mongolia, CLICK HERE

ArcticTropic was in Spain – the first stop on the Round The World Trip – for three days – to visit with business associates in Barcelona and then to pick up my son who was accompanying me to China. Above – the AVE from Barcelona to Valencia.

On the Floor of Catedral Sant Jordi.

A delicious lunch at Portoles.

Above the Gran Via Marques del Turia in Valencia.

Valencia !

FOR ADVENTURES IN SPAIN, CLICK HERE