My husband and I arrived into Bucharest late on a fall Saturday night, excited for our upcoming adventure to Transylvania, followed by a river cruise to Budapest. Recommendations from our taxi driver, cruise coordinator, and hotel concierge all led us to Caru' cu Bere, a restaurant dating back to 1879 in the Old Town, for a late dinner. …

We woke up Monday morning excited to pack our bags and head to the boat for our river cruise. On the way to breakfast, I saw a text from my mother in law... 'Please call me". Yikes, that sounded ominous as her texts are usually filled with flowery language and emojis....

There had been a sudden death in our family.

My husband and I …