Page 2 of mindastray Travel Blog Posts


Europe » Romania » Transilvania » Brasov » Fagaras July 4th 2014

We left on Friday afternoon from Bucharest to Predeal via Intorsura Buzaului. The views near Siriu lake are spectacular and the road is beautiful there. On Saturday I drove from Predeal to Sibiu via Rasnov and Zarnesti and stopped on the way to see the Fagaras citadel. Then we went back on Valea Oltului to Buleta. The road here was a lot worse than I remember, quite crowded and with lots and lots of villages which slowed us down... On Sunday we went back to Bucharest, making a quick detour through Bunesti. Total distance: 796 km... read more
Fagaras citadel
Fagaras wall
Fagaras walls

Europe » Romania » Muntenia » Arges June 28th 2014

A nice, quiet weekend in Bunesti. We got there early, helped around a bit, rested for a night and then headed back home. The sunset on that day was quite beautiful... Total distance: 309 km.... read more
Sunset in Bunesti 2

Europe » Romania » Transilvania » Brasov » Brasov June 13th 2014

Went to Brasov again for work (at a conference). Stopped at a nice restaurant in Predeal on the way there, then got to Brasov just in time for the first lectures. After the Friday talks were over, I went with Ileana around the city and found a film festival taking place in the main square. So... We saw Kon-Tiki. It was very nice. On Saturday we attended half the talks, then left for Moroeni (where my sister was on a trip with her classmates). We spent a lovely afternoon there, with a nice bonfire, 2 guitars and lots of songs... Then we got back to Brasov. On Sunday we gave our talks and then left home in the afternoon. Total distance: 499 km.... read more

Europe » Romania » Oltenia » Valcea June 6th 2014

Left work on Friday and went to Buleta. On Saturday I went around to see the monasteries: Dintr-un lemn, Surpatele, Horezu and Govora. On the way back home I stopped at Bunesti. It was a nice, relaxing trip. Total distance: 474 km.... read more
New church at Dintr-un lemn Monastery
Dintr-un lemn Monastery yard cat
Dintr-un lemn Monastery yard

Europe » Romania » Transilvania » Brasov » Brasov May 31st 2014

A short trip to Brasov that I hadn't planned. On a Saturday evening, after finishing with the exams, I felt I couldn't stay home anymore and left for Brasov... After a nice dinner in an obscure pub near city center I drove to Predeal. The road was a bit terrifying, because it was very foggy and dark. After a good night's sleep in Predeal I drove back home just in time for what plans I had for Sunday. I left on A3 and came back on DN1. Total distance: 358 km.... read more
Sign in Brasov
The Black Church
Main square in Brasov

Europe » Romania » Muntenia » Prahova May 28th 2014

This wasn't actually a trip, because I went there for work. I went there twice, on two consecutive days, but I only drove the second time (when I went alone). Of course, when I went alone I managed to get lost through Ploiesti (on the way back)... Total distance: 157 km.... read more


A 3-day trip through Bulgaria. The first day was a short drive to Veliko Tarnovo, with a few interesting stops on the way. After drinking coffee in Ruse, the first stop was at the Basarbovo rock churches, followed by the Ivanovo rock churches, the Orlova Chuka Cave and Nicopolis ad Istrum. Ruse is not a very interesting city, but it is quite cheap. The churches were not very impressive, but the views were beautiful. Didn't spend much time in the reservation at Ivanovo, but it was beautiful anyway. The cave was indeed something to see. It is very different from the other caves I had seen before. A must was the guide's story, which was only presented in Bulgarian. However, I had the chance to hear part of his stories translated by a very nice guy ... read more
Ruse Opera
Ruse Palace
Ruse Church

Europe » Romania » Muntenia » Prahova » Slanic May 11th 2014

Another one day trip, but this time on a Sunday. The first stop was the Slanic Prahova salt mine, a nice place, but with a large queue... Inside the mine it was quite quiet and you could play ping pong for a small fee (which we did). After leaving the mine we stopped at a nearby restaurant. The next stop on the road was the Zamfira monastery, painted by Nicolae Grigorescu. It was small, but it looked nice, especially since it hosted a lovely cat in its yard. There was also a sign pointing towards a roman castrum so we went there, but the place hadn't been set up just yet. The ruins were covered in plastic foil and there was not much to be seen. However, the stop wasn't for nothing, because a local boy ... read more
M Zamfira
M Zamfira Cat 2
M Zamfira Cat

Europe » Romania » Dobrogea » Constanta » Constanta May 5th 2014

Another roadtrip, this time not so short and even more spontaneous. Headed for the sea at 10 pm, strolled around the beach for less than an hour, mostly because of the cold, stopped at a restaurant in Constanta and then headed back home, where I arrived at about 6 am. Total distance: 450 km (on a Monday night, during a work week...)... read more

Europe » Romania » Muntenia » Teleorman » Zimnicea May 4th 2014

A short roadtrip from Bucharest to Zimnicea (via Giurgiu) and back. Althought short, the trip was not uneventful. There was a roadblock on the way to Giurgiu, near Uzunu because of some sort of protest. So the drive to Giurgiu took about 2 hours (since we couldn't move for about 45 minutes). Although from Bucharest to Giurgiu there is no scenery whatsoever, I enjoy this route because it reminds me of childhood. Fortunately, the road is much better now... Also, this was my first time driving on this route. All in all, the weather was lovely and I missed one of the greatest storms that Bucharest had seen in years. When I got back, the city was flooded and there was something resembling snow on the side of the road... Total distance: 248 km.... read more




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