How a Ten-Day Trip Became a Lifetime Love Affair with Romania

From adoption and friendship to Saxon villages, plum orchards, wine cellars, and The Inn at Richiș.

There are moments in life that begin as a simple journey and somehow turn into something far greater than we ever imagined. Looking back now, as I sit in Richiș surrounded by plum trees we planted years ago and a 300-year-old wine cellar that has been lovingly restored, I realize that everything began with a ten-day trip to Romania in the spring of 1991.

Or at least, that’s what I thought it would be.

A Different World

In late April 1991, only months after the Romanian Revolution, I boarded a plane bound for Bucharest. My purpose was straightforward: adopt a little girl and return home.

I planned to stay ten days.

Romania had other plans.

When we arrived on a Thursday evening, darkness seemed to stretch endlessly across the countryside. The drive from the airport felt mysterious and unfamiliar. There were very few streetlights, very few cars, and little sign of the bustling world we were accustomed to.

Everything felt quiet.

Everything felt unknown.

Waiting for us was Maria, a local Romanian attorney who had arranged an apartment for our stay. Maria would become our guide through a process that was far more complicated than we could have imagined. She was compassionate, patient, and endlessly resourceful during those uncertain weeks.

The first surprise of many happened before we even left the plane.

We met a wonderful Romanian-American couple, Tony and Donna.

At the time, it seemed like a pleasant conversation during a long flight.

Years later, I would come to understand just how important that chance encounter would become.

Searching for a Daughter

The following day we traveled to Buzău to visit an orphanage.

Like many stories in Romania, things did not unfold as expected.

There were no children available for adoption.

Disappointed but hopeful, we returned to Bucharest and settled into our apartment while Maria worked behind the scenes.

She told us she would return Tuesday morning because Monday was May Day, a national holiday.

Meanwhile, we discovered another challenge.

Food and bottled water were not easy to find.

After a few frustrating attempts, I called Tony and Donna.

“Could you show us where to shop?”

Their answer was immediate and enthusiastic.

That day became one of our first lessons about Romania: its greatest treasure has always been its people.

Tony and Donna spent the day helping us navigate the city. They showed us where to buy food, where to find essentials, and shared a piece of wisdom that I would remember for years:

“If you see something you want to buy, buy it today. It may not be there tomorrow.”

What began as practical advice became a metaphor for many things in Romania. Opportunities, friendships, experiences, and moments often appeared when least expected and needed to be embraced when they arrived.

The Little Girl Named Simona

Early Tuesday morning, Maria arrived.

We traveled to the Federal Tribunal building in Bucharest.

It was there that our lives changed forever.

For the first time, we saw a tiny baby girl named Simona.

She was only fifteen days old.

She was beautiful.

To this day I struggle to find words that adequately describe that moment. Everything that had brought us halfway around the world suddenly became real.

Soon, we brought her back to our apartment.

Like so many new parents, we improvised.

Her first bath took place in the kitchen sink.

She was tiny, fragile, and perfect.

The easy part, however, was over.

Six Weeks Instead of Ten Days

The Romanian adoption process required patience, determination, and more paperwork than I believed existed in the world.

We first had to complete the adoption legally in Romania before we could even begin obtaining a U.S. visa.

Days turned into weeks.

Then more weeks.

Every morning seemed to bring another office, another document, another stamp, another signature.

Yet somehow it was all exciting.

This was not simply bureaucracy.

This was the path leading us to our daughter.

Finally, on May 25, 1991, it became official.

Simona was now Desiree Simona.

She was our daughter.

There was still one more hurdle.

The U.S. Embassy.

At the time, the embassy normally processed around forty visas a month. Following the opening of adoptions after the revolution, they were suddenly handling nearly forty visas a week.

The atmosphere was chaotic.

Families waited anxiously.

Children cried.

Parents carried folders overflowing with paperwork.

Eventually, our turn came.

Everything was approved.

In early June, after what had become a six-week adventure, we boarded a plane home.

Our ten-day trip had turned into a journey that changed our family forever.

And although I didn’t know it then, my relationship with Romania was only beginning.

The Chosen Children from Romania

Returning home did not mean leaving Romania behind.

Over the next decade, I founded a parent support organization called The Chosen Children from Romania.

Our goal was simple: help American families navigate adoptions and support Romanian children in need.

What began with information-sharing grew into something much larger.

We supported orphanages in Ploiești, Vidra, and Buzău.

Eventually, the need became too great for us to effectively support all three facilities. We focused our efforts on Buzău because it appeared to have the fewest resources and the least outside assistance.

For ten years, Romania remained an important part of our lives.

Friendships deepened.

Relationships strengthened.

Romania stopped feeling like a country I visited.

It began feeling like a second home.

Looking for Something More

Years later, another idea began growing.

I wanted a home in Romania.

My Romanian friends encouraged me to buy near Bucharest.

It would have been practical.

It would have been convenient.

But my heart wanted something different.

I was searching for an old village.

A traditional house.

A place where history still lived in the walls and where life moved at a gentler pace.

In 2012, I began exploring villages throughout Transylvania.

Village after village passed before my eyes.

Each beautiful.

Each unique.

Yet none of them felt quite right.

Until the very last stop.

The Village Called Richiș

That village was Richiș.

When I arrived, something felt different.

The quiet streets.

The centuries-old Saxon homes.

The fortified church watching over the village.

The landscape.

The people.

The feeling was immediate.

I met Mr. Jiga, who held the key to Casa 123.

He unlocked the door.

I stepped inside.

And another chapter began.

At the time, I had no idea that this house would eventually become The Inn at Richiș.

I certainly didn’t imagine that years later we would plant a plum orchard that guests now watch mature season after season.

I didn’t imagine spending countless days restoring a 300-year-old wine cellar stone by stone.

I didn’t imagine evenings around a fire with a glass of local wine sharing stories with friends and guests from around the world.

Yet somehow all those roads led here.

Where the Story Comes Together

Our recent orchard post celebrated seven years of growth.

Small saplings have become thriving trees.

Roots have deepened.

Branches now reach toward the sky.

In many ways, that orchard mirrors my own journey with Romania.

What began as a ten-day trip became a six-week adventure.

That adventure became a decade of service.

That service became lifelong friendships.

Those friendships led to a village.

That village led to a home.

And that home became The Inn at Richiș.

Looking back, I realize that Romania never entered my life all at once.

It arrived slowly.

Through kindness.

Through friendship.

Through family.

Through unexpected opportunities.

And through a little girl named Simona who forever changed my life.

Today, as we continue restoring heritage, tending orchards, sharing local wine, and welcoming guests to Richiș, I often think about that dark drive from Bucharest Airport in April 1991.

The roads were quiet.

The future was completely unknown.

But some adventures aren’t meant to end after ten days.

Some adventures become a way of life.

And for me, that way of life became Transylvania.

Transylvania is a way of life.

The Inn at Richiș
A place where stories continue to unfold, one glass of wine, one friendship, and one unforgettable journey at a time.

innatrichis.com