Three days in Transylvania sample itinerary

Notes before we start:

• times (apart from flights) are just to give an idea, we don’t have to stick to them
• the best exchange rate I found was in Sainsbury’s and you also get Nectar Points!
• flight check in is from 24^th June via https://www.ryanair.com/gb/en/check-in – you will need you passport, ask me for log in details
• Ryan Air carry on allowance as of January 2018:
  1 x small bag to take on the plane no larger than 35 x 20 x 20cm
  1 x cabin bag no larger than 55 x 40 x 20cm which they will take and check in at the boarding gate
• museums/castles open 11:00 – 17:00
• Romanian tourism office in Brasov is supposed to be helpful as is this website
  https//:romaniatourism.com/brasov.html

Thursday 28^th June:

• 05:15 meet at Douro Stables
• 06:30 arrive at Stanstead Airport
• 08:40 flight FR1005 leaves
• 13:50 flight arrives in Bucharest
• 14:15 collect car from Avis (need voucher)
• 14:30 drive to Brasov
• 17:30 arrive in Brasov
  Strada Nicolae Balcescu 58
  1^st Floor, apt. 29
  Judetul Brasov
  500019

Brasov Town Square

Optional extras:

• 18:00 free walking tour (2-3 hours) – meet at Piata Sfatului (Town Hall Square) next to the fountain and look for an orange outfit

Friday 29^th June:

• 10:15 drive to Bran Castle

Bran Castle

• 11:00 arrive at Bran Castle
• 11:30 drive to Peles Castle (be prepared for long queues, optional castle tour two hours)

Peles Palace

• 14:00 to Pelisor Castle Museum (next door)

Pelisor Castle Museum

• 15:30 drive back to Brasov
• 16:30 arrive in Brasov

Optional extras:

• 18:00 free walking tour (2-3 hours) – meet at Piata Sfatului (Town Hall Square) next to the fountain and look for an orange outfit
• Visit the town of Sinaia near Peles Castle

  

  Town of Sinaia

• Rasnov Castle – 30 minutes from Brasov on the way to Peles Palace (slight detour)

  

  Rasnov Castle

Saturday 30^th June

• 10:30 drive to base of Piatra Pare Mountains for Canionul Sapte Scari (Seven Ladders Canyon) option to do just the ladders (approx one hour) or hike the yellow tape trail (13km round trip) to the cottage

Look out for the sign

A useful review:

“We hiked 11 miles – up the ladders and through the canyon and then up Piatra Mare. If you are in good shape, it’s an amazing hike. I don’t think it would be a good hike for small children or people who aren’t physically active. You can still do the ladders & canyon without going up Piatra Mare, and that would be good for small kids and older folks.

At the top of Piatra Mare is a cabina where you can purchase soft drinks and beers. There is also a spring water hose to refill your waters if you run out (like we did – we drank over 2 liters of water during this hike). On the way down, take the Family Road (Drumul Familiar – the red blazes). It’s much easier than the yellow blazes trail, although longer. It will take you all the way back to the parking lot.

There is a small fee to go up the ladders – if you have a student ID you get a discount.”

• 14:00 drive back to Brasov
• 14:30 arrive in Brasov

Optional extras:

• 18:00 free walking tour (2-3 hours) – meet at Piata Sfatului (Town Hall Square) next to the fountain and look for an orange outfit
• Tampa cable car (if the weather’s clear) open 9:30am-5pm

  

  Tampa Cable car

Alternative activities:

Transfăgărășan Highway – four hours West of Brasov

Sibiu – two and a half hours West of Brasov

Clay Castle Hotel – two hours West of Brasov

Viscri Saxon village – one and a half hours North of Brasov

Sunday 31^st June

• 11:00 drive to Bucharest Airport
• 14:00 arrive at Bucharest Airport and give the car back
• 16:05 flight FR1008 leaves
• 17:35 arrive in Stanstead
• 19:00 arrive in Douro Stables
• 19:01 cry

Third anniversary and the gift of leather

I find the tradition of an assigned gift for wedding anniversaries a warming idea, each item representing something in the marriage and reminding the members of said marriage what the union is all about. Of course the third wedding anniversary gift is leather, but what are the others and what do they all mean?

1st – paper
Fragile and pure; paper represents the first year of marriage and has an endearing simplicity. A blank sheet on which to paint your life together and write stories of your adventures, I love the creativity paper lends to what can be a very inexpensive and thoughtful gift.

2nd – cotton
More durable than paper but still soft and fresh to represent a marriage still in its early days. The threads woven together to make cotton also mirror the way marriage entwines two people and makes them one piece.

Celebrate your 3rd wedding anniversary with the gift of leather

3rd – leather
Leather is tough and durable but still soft and versatile making it the perfect gift for a third wedding anniversary while the marriage is still young but gaining strength and stability.

Personalised gifts

The flexibility of leather reflects the give and take of a relationship and is a perfect reminder that the couple stays flexible in order to sustain a strong marriage that can weather any storm and will grow more beautiful as it grows. And it is the very wear and tear of leather that gives it the beautiful patina that develops with age, it will become softer, more fluid and inevitably imperfections will appear giving it more character and charm. This perfectly represents how a marriage evolves, blossoms, takes some knocks and is forever changed as a result. But doesn’t life’s beauty come from its scars and imperfections?

His and hers leather bags

While paper and cotton are delicate and humble materials, representing the early years of marriage, leather is a sturdy and long-lasting material that will last for years to come and shows how a couple will keep each other safe and secure. This is the first year that a gift represents endurance to show that the couple are building a strong relationship and a lasting marriage.

Leather anniversary gifts for him

Shop for leather gifts here

4th – flowers or fruit
These gifts are a customary choice and perfectly reflect the partnership of marriage with the two touchingly representing the blossoming and ripening of your partnership. And a bunch of flowers will never go amiss on an anniversary.

5th – wood
Wood is not only a solid and dependable material it also comes from trees which were always seen to be strong, lasting with deep roots in history and symbolised wisdom. A thoughtful portrayal of your lasting love for each other and how you continually learn, develop and grow together.

6th – sugar
Another present that never goes a miss, it is not hard to see why chocolates have become such an iconic, romantic gift to give at any time. Life is thought to be getting sweeter by your 6th year together; you’ve been married long enough to know each other inside and out and your relationship is simply delightful.

7th – copper or wool
After seven years of marriage you will be settled into your relationship; supporting and caring for each other. Copper and wool may seem like an odd combination to celebrate your 7th anniversary but they are both chosen for their ability to conduct heat so are chosen to represent comfort and warmth.

8th – Bronze
Bronze is a combination of copper and tin, symbolising the union of two people becoming one entity to make one strong, solid union. Leading on from this idea is also the strength of the metal, bronze is very robust and was once (during the bronze age) the hardest metal in widespread use on earth and enabled people to create metal objects that were tough and durable.

9th – Pottery or willow
Both pottery and willow are humble raw materials that can be transformed with love, patience and finesse to make beautiful things. Pottery is molded by hand, glazed, fired and finished in a long and meticulous process, likewise willow is used to attentively weave beautiful objects for both functionality and aesthetics. It is not hard to see how these materials represent your 9th anniversary as your marriage has been molded to the beautiful relationship it is today.

10th – Tin
Tin was often used to store and preserve things and prolong their life and it helps to stop other metals from corroding when they are plated with it. Tin is the representation of your 10th year to show that even though your marriage is solid it is still precious and needs protecting.

 

 

 

The origins of leather

I have been working with leather and selling bags at Vintage Child for a few years now and I often ask myself if it is ethical. I am not a vegan, nor a vegetarian, but I do eat free range where I can and I like to know where my meat is coming from and if it is ethically sourced. Likewise with my leather I am vigilant at checking the origins and process to make sure the animals are not mistreated.

Leather tag

To really answer this question I looked back to how leather was invented, the very first time leather was used and the relationship humans have with leather.

Leather goes back in history since primitive man went out to hunt and leather is documented to be one of mans first discoveries. Our ancestors found that the animals they hunted for food could also be utilized for their skins which were strong and resistant. The skins were rubbed with animal fat to preserve them and used to make clothing for warmth, shoes for protection and tents for shelter. This way nothing was wasted and as much of the animal as possible was used in a practical and effective way.

Leather hides

It is believed that Egyptians invented an early form of vegetable tanning soaking skins in leaves and tree bark mixed with water, and hieroglyphics found in tombs from as early as 5000BC show leather being used for buckets, clothing, sandals and jewellery. Later on in around 800BC Romans were using leather for clothing and shoes as well as military equipment such as shields and saddles and harnesses for horses.

By around 500AD most medieval villages had tanneries located by rivers to ensure a continual water source, leather and its uses were becoming increasingly popular and thus leather products were also broadening.

Due to its tough and durable nature leather is an excellent material for making items that need to be hard wearing and endurable so during Tudor times in the 1500’s people had started to develop leather into chairs, leather cases, wall hangings and carriages. Several of these items being found on the Mary Rose ship upon its recovery in 1984.

Leather and suede

After that the development of leather progressed quickly to meet with the demand of such a long-lasting material. During the 18th and 19th centuries new processes were created to produce thinner, lighter, more durable leathers that were versatile and could be used for an ever growing product range.

Soon leather was being used for a huge range of clothing, accessories and furniture including bags, shoes, chairs, sofas, wash bags, cases and commercial uses in vehicles and aeroplanes. Leather has became an extremely popular material because of it’s durability, traditional quality and ability to age well and it is also easily dyed to a variety of colours.

Leather swatches in various colours

Leather swatches in various colours

So going back to my original question: is leather ethical? This is obviously a controversial subject, which many would say no to and I respect that, but when I looked back into how leather came about I found a deep history between humans and leather and the way our ancestors wasted no part of the animals they hunted. It is certainly a strong argument to say that, as a by product of the food industry, leather is a way to help to ensure the animal is used in a practice and constructive way.

All images are property of Vintage Child.

 

Leather embossing

I started personalising my leather bags a couple of years ago and, as I was just starting, it didn’t go great at first. Something that looks like a simple thing to do is actually really hard, from getting the positioning right to the pressure and quite often I would mess it up and then have a whole bag with dodgy embossing. Not good. But after years of practice I can finally say I am fairly decent at it and hardly ever ruin my stock now. All my embossing is done by hand, either by me or someone in my shop, so it has a beautiful hand made charm.

Leather tag embossing, click to buy

The first ever font I used was a small Sans Serif stamp and I still have the set now, this is a great font if you want a personalisation that’s subtle and understated. The luggage tag as seen above is a great added extra to any of my leather bags or as a gift by itself.

Personalised wedding favours ideas, click to buy

The Sans Serif font is also really great for personalised wedding favours because I can fit a whole name on the tag. Above is an order from a customer in Australia who asked for over 100 personalised tags, this is just a few of them. I also have requests for corporate Christmas gifts which is always a lovely gift to give your employees as it’s so unique and personal. It’s quite time consuming embossing each tag because of the careful alignment and I would often end up having to re-do one or two. If you’d like to enquire further about embossing options, personalised gifts and wedding favours please get in touch.

Embossing process, click to buy

Before long I branched out into more fonts, my second font was the Old English which was much larger and more ornate. This is a really popular font if you want to make an impact with one, two or three initials and gives an authentic vintage feel.

Roman, Sans Serif and Old English fonts, click to buy

So I was then working with a small and a large font and one of my team suggested I look into a medium size. I found the fantastic Roman font which is now my most popular option.

Leather embossing in Roman font, click to buy

For a long time I have been trying to move away from embossing directly on the bags themselves, partly because of the chance of messing it up and partly because it gives my customers the freedom to return the bag if it’s not quite what they were looking for. However in some cases I will do a special order if a customer really wants something extra special.

Leather bag embossing

Leather bag embossing

Leather bag embossing

The Roman font is by far my most popular font for embossing directly on the bag and I get a huge influx of requests around Christmas time as it’s such a beautiful and personal gift to give. If you have any ideas or requests for embossing your Vintage Child leather bag that you’d like to talk to me about please don’t hesitate to get in touch.