Blogs from Transilvania, Romania, Europe - page 4

Dag 7 – Rondreis Roemenië – maandag 3 september 2018 – reisdag naar Sovata (238km) Een kuurstadje, druk bezocht door de Roemenen vanwege de heilzame werking van het 'Berenmeer' met zijn extreem hoog zoutgehalte. De route ging door prachtige berglandschappen en hoofdzakelijk slechte wegen. 2 bergpassen, de Bicaz-pas (1256m) en de Bucin-pas (1787m) langs 2 enorme stuwmeren en de Bicaz-kloof met zijn grillige smalle wanden tot 300m hoog. Spijtig dat het stortregende toen we er door moesten. Zo een 238km trip is hier een dagreis met de MH. Slechte weg, ontelbare haarspeldbochten, sommige te nemen in 1e versnelling. Vermoeiend toch. Zeker omdat de ¾ van ons gezelschap de nacht tevoren en/of 's morgens geplaagd zaten met de 'toerista'. Wij ook dus. Was het de middaglunch bij de schapenboer in de bergen die het ons lapte, of ... read more

HE SAID... Today we were travelling southeast from Viscri to Brasov (via Bran Castle). We woke early and headed to the main homestay house for breakfast. We’d dined in an outdoor alcove the night before, but this morning we were under the house in the cellar. It was a very atmospheric setting. We grazed on sourdough bread, cheese, zacusca (eggplant and red pepper spread), scrambled eggs, honey and tea, and it was an amazing start to the day. We headed back to our homestay, organised our packs and waited on the roadside for our minibus to pick us up. We retraced the incredibly rough track out of the village, turned onto the highway and travelled towards Brasov with bygone castles overlooking us from the hills above. It almost felt like they were granting us safe passage ... read more

HE SAID... Today we were travelling south from Vadu Izei to Sighisoara (via Bistrita). After a wild night of lightning, thunder and heavy rain, a thick impregnable mist shrouded the township of Vadu Izei when we woke at 6am. We dragged our packs downstairs, loaded them into our host’s car and headed to the main homestay house on the other side of town, where breakfast was laid out on a large table. Bread, salami, cheese, frittata, zacusca (eggplant and red pepper spread), tomatoes, tea, coffee and jam (plum, quince and strawberry). It was a feast, and a great start to the day. After saying goodbye to the host and Mara (the cat), we began our journey south into Transylvania. We slowly wound our way up the mountains that separated Maramures and Transylvania, stopped for a coffee ... read more

After a late night of dancing, we were thankful to have a free morning to sleep in as we weren't scheduled to leave Sighisoara until 1:00pm. We had a delicious buffet breakfast in the hotel dining room before venturing back up to the Old Town to explore in the morning daylight. Shea and I bundled up as the morning was blisteringly cold and made our way to do some morning exploring. We basically retraced the same steps we took last night during our walking tour but this time with the advantage of daylight. During last night's tour, we missed just how colorful the Old Town is. Along every street that we walked on, the structures were painted various shades of blue, green, yellow, and orange. We passed small outdoor cafes with inviting terraces which would have ... read more

It was still dark outside when our bus set out to begin our tour of Romania. The weather was cold and rainy as we headed west out of Bucharest. Hopefully this morning's weather wasn't a sign of bad weather to come. We were headed to Poenari Castle and thankfully by the time we had arrived a few hours later, the skies had cleared to reveal a cool and sunny October day. What remains of Poenari Castle is located at the top of a hill and we had to climb approximately 1500 steps in order to get there. We all made our way up to the top and eventually it was Gabo, Margaret, and myself leading the pack. Once at the top, we were rewarded with fantastic views of the surrounding mountains whose trees have all dropped ... read more