August.
With a smooth transfer at Zurich I arrived at the airport in Bucharest to discover my travel partner's flight from New York had been delayed, consequently causing a major time delay to his arrival so therefore took a bus into Bucharset and checked into the hotel on my own. Explored the streets of downtown Bucharest looking for Internet cafes, but due to it being a Sunday, none were open, even the 'non-stop' ones! Took a nap before venturing out again to have a rather bland meal and returned to the hotel later to find Tom waiting for me full of apologies, having just arrived about 20 minutes earlier.
Had a browse over the map to decide what route to take and regions we thought were worth considering. The first day in Bucharest, not much to see, so walked through the main town area, passing the museum of music (see pics attached) which was closed like most others on a Sunday. Stopped for lunch before visiting the historical village museum which consisted of several authentic wooden dwellings illustrating the extreme diversity of Romania's folk architecture. A rather hot and sticky day; all I wanted to do was cool off in a pool, but had to settle for a cold shower instead.
Went for an evening meal at Uptown Bar & Grill, recommended by the rough guide to Romania (our trip bible!), excellent food and plush surroundings amongst various embassy residencies. Up early to collect hire car from airport. Had a bit of help from friendly truck driver at Jaguar car lot, who kindly offered to let us follow him out of Bucharest and onto the main ring road leading on to Sibiu. Seriously, I have no idea how we would have managed without his help!
Stopped at Curtea de Arges to photograph an impressive Episcopal Church (see pics attached) en route to Poienari Castle 1457 (the real Dracula's castle) which was extremely hard to find. We could see the ruins in the distance, but the closer we got, the less obvious the starting point was, so we ended up winding our way through the Transylvanian mountains and ended up at the top of a dam wall where several tourists were marvelling at Lake Vidraru held back by an impressive dam wall (165m) though none seemed to have any idea what castle we were on about, where it was, or that it even existed!
A Spanish couple insisted that it was the fake Dracula's castle in Bran was where we should be heading, but we pressed on and finally managed to find the 1400 steps leading to the ruins right at the bottom of the mountain. (see pic attached of ruins)
After a very sweaty and slow accent and rather rapid decent we cooled ourselves off in the river down below before heading on a rather minor road towards Calimanesti hoping to catch a glimpse of the local pottery fair and festivals. After much cattle dodging and stares from the local villagers, we ended up in a wooded clearing where a group of woodcutters, were blocking our route with a tractor. Despite his determination to pass Tom was finally persuaded to turn around 'pass si no possible!' and managed to lodge the front bumper on a pile of logs. But…no fear…we were in safe hands as one of the woodcutters ran to our rescue with chainsaw in hand to pry us loose which he proceeded to carry out very swiftly indeed. So that being the end of our great woodland adventure thank goodness, we turned back (Tom with great reluctance) in search of a major or at least tarred road where we found a very decent 'pensiune' for the night. Another pretty bland meal, with not much choice on the menu, but the complimentary marinated peppers and 'Lacrima Lui Ovidiu' (Tears of Ovid) desert wine made up for it.
Awoken by cowbells the next morning, we snatched a quick breakfast from the local supermarket and headed (this time on a main road) towards Calemanesti. After all the drama trying to get there the night before we hardly stopped, for the exception of a quick phone call and purchase of some blackberries from a local girl on the roadside (see pic attached). A delicious accompaniment to bland yogurt and very moreish. A relaxing drive (I am still getting used to driving on the right and continuously fumble for the gear stick with my left hand!) through the mountains winding around another large lake/river (possibly the River Olt), arriving in Sibiu in time for lunch.
Sitting down for a relaxing lunch break after which we spent the next few hours photographing the Evangelical Church with its amazing coloured roof tiles and panoramic views from the bell tower looking down onto the quaint medieval streets of the old town.
After an unsuccessful shopping hunt near the Liar's Bridge (see pic attached) for a Romanian peasant-style hat for Tom and the fabulous desert wine we had sampled the evening before, we decided it was about time we sought lodgings for the night. Rejected from several inns or pensiunes as they are called in Romania, we ended up heading back towards the car and finding a hotel right next to the stadium, so eagerly checked in and freshened up after another sweaty day.
Had a long browse in the Brukenthal Museum which houses several paintings including Pieter Brueghel's 'Massacre of the Innocents' which was impressive in both size and level of detail.
Took some photographs of the Orthordox Cathedral before heading back to the car and on to Sighiasoara.
In awe of this beautiful medieval town, we strike gold with stunning lodgings this time in the form of an old converted house from Saxon times with solid wood furnishings and low beams. Pity we're only there for one night, but not a huge amount to see apart from several more churches and the Citadel which is flooded with touristic shops and a street market next to the old clock tower, again with panoramic views of the town from above.
Had a superb meal in a restaurant with 'teresa' and an extraordinary family of cats! Insisted that waiter serve us our favourite desert wine WITH the meal although we could tell he did not approve in the slightest.
After an evening of pool at sleazy Club B in Sighiasoara along with the sampling of the locally brewed plum brandy we woke with aching heads. This was aggravated by the sound of persistent church bells and followed by a somewhat slow advance to a rather mediocre breakfast of fresh omelet and croissants in the dining room cellar of the pensiune.
We trundled with our heavy suitcases down the cobbled and crumbling stairs of the citadel to the car for a parking ticket top-up and dumped our luggage before taking a short hike up to the Church on the Hill to take more panoramic photographs of Sighiasoara. My turn to take the wheel, we headed off in the direction of Brasov which, according to the bible (Rough Guide), was a reverse-route direction, but but we figured we might as well press on, stopping in the small roadside town of Rupea at yet another Evangelical church with an old and deteriorating, but impressive vaulted ceiling and painted pus. We were also amazed to find such a good English-speaking guide in such a small town. With my severely limited language ability I felt quite humbled.
By late morning we arrived in the traffic-congested Brasov with the help of Tom's navigation skills or lack thereof…'just follow the brown signs and all will be revealed' ! Found a parking lot right next to the Black Church so we stopped to have lunch in the café-littered street (Strada Republicii) next to the town square. Another bland salad and coke - time to stock up on caffeine again!
While Tom photographed the fountains (see pic attached) in the square I headed off to the Ethnographic museum to learn more about the history of Romanian costume and textiles. Met up after an hour to photograph the Black Church 1477 (apparently the largest Gothic church between Vienna & Istanbul) containing an impressive array of Turkish prayer mats hung along the walls of the naves.
This was followed by a cable ride packed with sweaty Romanians, up Mount Tampa to photograph a rather hazy view of the city (see pic attached).
Time to find lodgings again, we checked off at least four Rough Guide recommendations before finding accommodation at a large and rather dated two-star hotel at the end of Strada Republicii above the noisy street - boy are our standards are dropping! Couldn't complain for long though as the room was clean, spacious and a bath in sight at last (getting a bit fed up of having to shower in middle of bathrooms without shower cubicles at this point)! Parked car right in front of hotel entrance on pavement …as one does in true Romanian style! Had a rather heavy meal (local deer meat) at an authentic Romanian restaurant accompanied by a rather disappointing red wine (Romanians seem to do white wines best) however the atmosphere and underground cellar surroundings made up for the food. Headed back to Strada Republicii for a few drinks at the Irish Pub (you are almost guaranteed to find one in most major European cities). A shame it was too late for Tom to get his chance at karaoke! A rather restless night with all night partying going on down below we rose early for breakfast at…the Irish pub...where else?, before embarking on tedious laundrette hunt. After being sent to three different locations by the hotel, we eventually convinced our own hotel to do our laundry for the next day at a steep 40 Lei. They clearly don't like to work on Sundays or maybe it was the smell of Tom's socks that put them off!
Headed to the village of Bran to see the 'touristic fantasy version' Dracula's castle (a short drive from Brasov). Wasted a bit of time in a rather long queue for the castle entrance. An awesome experience once inside with a great many photo opportunities and amazing angles, just a pity it was so overcrowded. However we had picked a local festival day and had fun wondering round the hectic craft market selling the obligatory dracula paraphernalia including no shortage of T-shirts and masks. Picked up some lovely hand embroidered cotton tops before we ventured into a nearby field where more local craft and food stalls were set up (a bit of an up-market and traditional car boot sale is the best way I can describe it) where we enjoyed a lunch of fried beef skewers with mustard, yum yum! Folk music blasting from car speakers with a stunning view of the castle in the background made for a very relaxed atmosphere.
On the way back to Brasov, we stopped at the local 'Wolf Supermarket' to purchase a few bottles of our favourite 'Lacrima Lui Ovidiu' as well as an exciting find of a 12yr vintage! Back at the hotel for a relaxing afternoon of reading and journal writing. In search of a restaurant upgrade we found a really classy one this time with impeccable food and service topped off with delicious deserts. Dragged Tom off to the Irish pub for a final chance at karaoke, but failed again as too busy chatting before last call. Oh well I guess I'll have to put up with Tom's singing in the car again!
A late start due to hangover and the long awaited laundry delivery. A healthy supermarket breakfast shop en-route with a long drive to Bacau (one of a cluster of uninteresting industrial towns) on a rather scary road via the mountains. Got stopped by police who hung around the car cursing and gesticulating in Romanian for about half an hour before issuing Tom with a speeding fine! Further on we stopped on the roadside to buy a bucket of raspberries only to discard them a few km's later due to an excess of foreign bodies! A pizza lunch stop in Bacau, next stop the invisible city of Roman! (So indiscreet you kind-of miss it when you pass through it - I guess that's what they call a by-pass).
Turned off the main road to Targu Neamt, passing several pretty roadside villages with wonderful brightly coloured houses and catching a brief glimpse of five old ladies sitting in a row (would have made the perfect picture postcard), before spotting a sign for a nearby newly-built pensiune on a local ostrich farm. A bit like a restaurant combined with a B&B where all the locals congregate for dancing and merriment on the weekends. Lovely attic rooms with a communal bathroom above the restaurant where the party was in full swing. A superb diner of Romania's finest (in dire contrast to Tesco's Finest!) fresh tomatoes, gherkins and ostrich meat washed down with a good bottle of Moldavian wine. This was first chilly night of the holiday and the first time I had to change into jeans and a sweater.
After diner we got to mingling with the locals and Tom learnt (or at least made a good job of pretending) a three-step Romanian folk dance.
Woke up for a fairly relaxed start after full body exfoliation from sand-paper sheets and headed towards Suceava where we stopped for a quick bite and changed into more respectable clothing to enter the painted monasteries nearby. Shortly pressed on to Voronet Monastery 1488 (one of the most famous out of the many painted churches in the area) to find to my delight, an impressive craft market selling traditional handicrafts next to the monastery, which was surrounded by beautiful old rose gardens. Although impressive it was very difficult to photograph the monastery due to the scorching strong sunlight, plus a large number of the exterior paintings were already faded however the superb interior frescoes was still very much in tact. (see pics attached)
Due to the timing being a tight by this point we didn't attempt to see any more of the monasteries but had a quick lunch (couldn't get enough of those delicious tomatoes) and headed straight back towards Bacau, then onto Roman before turning off in search of suitable lodgings in the wine growing regions of Panciu and Odobesti. Disappointingly, we didn't stumble across any pensiunes passing through roads lined with rather tatty looking vineyards (that is if you've had the privilege of seeing vineyards in Western Australia of course! I am sure the Burl girls would agree with me) Finally we located a sign for a 'Rustic Pension' pointing off the main road through Focsani. The rooms seemed decent enough so we checked in and settled down for a meal in the terrace restaurant. Seriously spicy soup followed by chicken schnitzel (more like KFC) with oily chips (possibly only really bad meal of the trip up till now). As usual Tom made friends with the local cat inhabitants who ended up with most of his schnitzel.
The following morning we were alerted by one frantic hostess that our shower water was leaking through the ceiling onto the downstairs bar! I think we must have skipped breakfast escaping as quickly as possible and headed towards Bazou, stopping at a roadside 'Drum-Bun' for a delicious breakfast of coffee ice cream. Headed on to the ferry river crossing at Braila near Tulcea, weather steaming hot by now so piled on the sun block while a local ferryman 'half-washed' our bug-splattered windscreen. Switched drivers and drove on to Tulcea (the town at the mouth of the Danube Delta) where we parked on the main street and walked to the waterfront to check out the local information centre. As everything appeared to be closed for lunch we decided to take an early lunch, which turned out to be a poor choice for Tom, but we restaurant choices were rather limited in this town. Finally when the tourist info opened we found it was like trying to get blood out of a stone from the lady inside (not a language problem, just clearly not working on a commission basis) so we decided to check out the various tour operators along the waterfront and found a couple of viable options for cruises along the Delta but decided to find a hotel for the night before committing to the trip. The Delta is a bit like the water courses of Venice: you can't really get anywhere except by boat.
After a quick email check at one of the ever reliable 'non-stop' Internet cafes, we found a hotel complex just on the edge of town and after a lot of pointless filling in of various forms and checking of passports we were finally handed the room keys with much reluctance by the receptionist and settled in before heading out into town by taxi. Booked onto a morning cruise of the Delta and walked the length of the waterfront and back in search of a decent restaurant (after sitting down in one and finding that almost nothing listed on the menu was available – I had to pinch myself and check if was I dreaming and that we are actually in Europe, not Zimbabwe??). After all that, we found ourselves back at our hotel eating diner outside whilst getting munched by mosquitoes. Still an excellent meal accompanied by the 12yr vintage 'Lacrima Lui Ovidiu' so worth the hassle.
The following day we cruised the Danube Delta at a leisurely pace, but the bird spotting was a bit disappointing (mostly white storks) possibly due to the volume of traffic on the water and local fisherman scattered in campsites along the waters edge. Boiling hot on the boat and increasingly difficult to take good shots in the brilliant sunshine. If we'd had more time we would have ventured further into the Delta but the holiday was drawing to an end and we needed to head back to Bucharest. After the cruise we picked up a pack lunch of cokes and crisps (the first junk food we'd eaten all holiday!) and headed out of Tulcea in the opposite direction on a much quieter road, relieved to have less horse and carts to contend with. Stopped at a roadside café for more fried beef skewers with mustard before getting onto the motorway and pressing on for a steady drive back to Bucharest locating the hotel without too much trouble. Managed to get a room without pre-booking, which was a bonus and finally got to take a shower without flooding the bathroom floor.
For our final meal we settled on a South American restaurant, Bolivar followed by a few drinks at the Green Room Terrace bar, which turned out to be in the same side-street as the location of the first 'non-stop' Internet cafe we found on the first day of the trip! Then after a failed search of the Backstage Bar for some dancing, we ended up at smokey Club A with its retro music (a very fitting way to conclude the trip!).
A well deserved lie in and breakfast in the hotel before locating a supermarket to stock up on a few bottles of 'Lacrima Lui Ovidiu' we checked out and braved the Bucharest traffic, getting stuck in minor traffic jam, but nevertheless reached the airport way ahead of time.
We then said our last goodbyes before heading back to our opposite ends of the world.
That folks concludes my Romanian adventure, but I'll just end off by leaving you with some Romanian funnies we encountered along the way....
- Non-Stop : when ever Romanian's feel like opening for business
- H….spital and …istoric : both pronounced with a silent H are points of reference when entering a town or large village.
- Tourist & Information Centres : generally not established to provide useful information, but just to infuriate tourists.
- Drum-Bun : A road side stop complete with non-stop internet cafes and such like.
- Food in Romania : The tomatoes are so delicious you could live on them alone, which is just as well because Romanian bread is pretty bland and butter is something we never actually saw.
- Other useful travel tips from Tom & Ang : There is a serious shortage of signage in the Northern provinces, so if in doubt follow your nose. Secondly, Romanian Drivers rule the road; they drive anywhere, stop anywhere, park anywhere, wash car in middle of the road etc, so if you want to survive, be a Romanian!
- Finally : Don't solely rely on the Rough Guide as it can be unreliable at the best of times!
