The Road To Transylvania - Part 9 - Brasov

---

---

Brasov
Thursday 14th February 2008

Valentine’s day in Transylvania, with a hangover, and an incredibly punishing one at that. The kind of hangover that persuaded the 3 of us to miss the early train to Brasov in order to sleep it off. When we eventually arrived at the train station, the sheer amount of people waiting to get onboard the train was ridiculous; we were sure we’d be without a seat. Luckily the train pulled in and the doors opened right before us. In cattle-like fashion we piled onto the train, managing to find 3 bizarrely heated seats on the upper floor.

After a 2+ hour train journey we arrived in Brasov. We took a taxi to the old town centre and marvelled at the sights. I was eagerly anticipating the Black Church as I’d written a piece of music about it a few months before. Spotting its spire behind a row of buildings, the excitement grew.

The first complication encountered in Brasov was the lack of accommodation. We approached a hotel which turned out to be a little too expensive (little did we know we’d be returning the following day). After this our only option was to search for The Rolling Stone hostel, mentioned in our European guide book. After an extensive search we found it, with the help of a local. The hostel was more like a house, and although the hosts were accommodating, we decided one night was all we were going to be able to take. We dropped our backpacks off and set out to explore the old town centre.

Brasov is incredible. The streets are clean, the buildings are unique, and the surrounding mountains envelope the town giving it an eerie sense of seclusion. I insisted on taking a look at the Black Church before heading for dinner.

Being Valentine’s Day, we struggled to find a cheap meal! We ended up dining alongside couples in an underground restaurant, tucking into steak, chicken and mozzarella rings. After the meal we had a few drinks in a local bar before heading back to the hostel with a deep dark sense of foreboding… the smell was out of this world...

---

Photos

From the train
Carpathian wilderness