Alexandra Wegelius and Elsa Saario documented their month-long stay at Austria’s Burg Finstergrün on their viral TikTok account
The pair opened up to PEOPLE about their unique living situation at the medieval castle in Austria
The Finnish friends worked at the castle through Workaway, serving guests and helping with property projects
They explored the castle’s maze-like halls, hiked the region, and connected with other travelers during their free time
Two women are pulling back the curtain on what it’s like to live in a medieval castle.
Alexandra Wegelius and Elsa Saario, both 25, started documenting their experience living in a historic Austrian castle called Burg Finstergrün earlier this summer. Their TikTok account, @bratsonvacation, quickly went viral, with one witty video showing what it’s like when you “forget to lock the door” of the castle and have to go through a maze of cobblestone hallways racking up 18 million views.
Wegelius and Saario, who are both from Finland and have known each other since high school, told PEOPLE about their unique living situation and getting to work at the castle through a platform called Workaway.
The pair said they knew they wanted to call the castle home this summer “the minute” they saw it listed on Workaway — which is a platform that helps travelers find cultural exchanges, seasonal jobs and volunteering opportunities.
Wegelius and Saario lived in the castle for the entire month of May and mainly served food to guests staying there. They also helped out with other projects around the property if needed, like planting flowers on the grounds. The castle, which was built around 1296 by Rudolf von Fohnsdorf, offers guests the opportunity to visit for a day or sleep overnight for an extended stay.
“Living in a castle like that for a month is a very cool experience,” the two friends tell PEOPLE via email. “There were a few nights in the beginning before the first guests arrived, when it was only us and two other people in the whole castle. Then it really felt like we had moved into a castle in the countryside.”
In their early days at the scenic property, the duo said they would get lost in the sprawling space — both accidentally and on purpose.
“We spent the first day getting lost just to see where we would end up. There are so many staircases and hallways and doors everywhere, which makes the place feel a little like a maze at first. We even found a room we hadn’t seen before about two weeks in,” they explain.
Alexandra Wegelius and Elsa Saario
Credit: Alexandra Wegelius & Elsa Saario
When they weren’t working a breakfast or dinner shift, they would use their free time to explore the stunning region and go on hikes or read in the castle’s courtyard. They also visited other cities in Austria like Salzburg or spent time with the other travelers who were there through Workaway as well.
As for whether they saw any ghosts lingering around the old castle hallways, the pair said they found the historic build to be surprisingly unhaunted.
“Even though we didn’t see any ghosts, it is slightly spooky to walk around the castle on your own at midnight,” they add.
Burg Finstergrün
Credit: Alexandra Wegelius & Elsa Saario
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The two note they would “definitely” do the experience again and conclude by sharing their main takeaway from their time at the castle.
“There are obviously many other things we will take with us from this experience, but mostly [the] people we’ve met. Meeting people from all over who travel, live and work in different places seasonally mixed together with locals gives new perspectives,” Wegelius and Saario say.
Read the original article on People