Blogs from Brasov, Transilvania, Romania, Europe - page 6

The jury was still out on Romania after the 2010 trip to Bucharest. As described in Red Dogs & Englishmen and the very worthwhile book on all things football in Eastern Europe, Romania is not a very easy country to like - a cross between the appalling and the appealing. The five days in Bucharest elevated it’s status in our minds, so we thought we’d give it another go for the "special occasion". There would be no football this time anyway to bring us into contact with the less sophisticated members of society and the Henri Coanda Airport at Otopeni is a step up in class from the less than luxurious cousin down the road at Banesa. The EU funds had been well spent and the bag pick up was swift and efficient. Terminal 4 had ... read more

We probably should have had another day for sightseeing in Bucharest as there were some places we didn’t get to but we don’t think we could have put up with the excuse for a bed that we had at Hotel Ancor.The room was large and all the other facilities were excellent but the bed was a shocker with absolutely no give in it. Upon inspection we discovered it was in reality a bed base and a thin topper pad made from material which gave hardly any softness to the surface we slept on. The bed was voted ‘first equal worst’ with the one we had in Sarajevo and will be reported as such in our Trip Advisor review. We should have complained after the first night and so it was really our own fault to put ... read more

Our room didn't include breakfast, so we started our day by searching for a place with coffee and WIFI. Most of the places, including the one we had decided to try out, didn't open until one or two in the afternoon, but after some search we found a nice café in a alley near the town square. They sold excellent sandwiches for 6 lei, and even though they didn't have brewed coffee, the americano we got was decent. Refreshed by the breakfast we went up the hill to the Brasov sign for a panoramic view of the town. Luckily we didn't have to walk, the hill was steep and a few hundred meters high, instead we took the gondola lift going up the hill. When we first arrived to the station we were wondering if the ... read more

We landed to a rapturous applause by passangers as the shifty-looking Wizzair plane bounced off the runway at Targu-Mures municipal airfield. Emblazoned proudly on the side of the terminal are the words 'Transilvania Airport'. I feel rather cheated, having believed there is a 'y' involved. Bram Stoker, the Irish gothic writer, envisioned a medieval wild-west, inhabited by the vampire Dracula, Van Helsing, and all kinds of ludicrous creatures. Transylvania looks vast, dark and overpowering in much the same way today, except with more car dealerships. Many more. With a group of six other teachers, we wait for another who hasn't come through arrivals. We later learn that he missed his flight entirely. Our driver from the airport only speaks when pointing out the odd prostitute (alleged) walking by the side of the road. That, and likening ... read more

This morning, we hostel hired a driver for us and we went off to explore different parts of Transylvania. Particularly, he took us to three different castles: First the Peles castle in Sinaia, then Bran castle (the Dracula castle) and then to a ruined fort on a hill in Rasnov. Our driver for the day was Niko, and he definitely gave us some comedy relief during our journey. He first took us to get breakfast at a Romanian fast-food restaurant, but it wasn't serving food yet (not sure why they were open), so he took us to good old McDonalds. When I was ordering crepes, I read the sign next to the picture of the crepes and repeated it to the woman at the cash. She gave me a confused look. Turns out instead of saying ... read more