A place I like to Romania

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Bucharest -7th-9th August 2015

The train journey from Sofia recomfirmed my dislike of public transport with its inefficiency, noise and fake leather fabric seats. It's not helpful when squashed in a tin can, being baked from the glorious sunshine! It took far longer than it should have done, only then for me to be completely ripped off by a bloody taxi driver. Although, he did have air con and at this point, I was surprised he wasn't charging me a cleaning fee with my dishevelled sweaty disposition. 😉 This journey did however remind me of why I had chosen to travel in the first place and that was to embrace every aspect thrown at me so that I could learn to be more tolerant and grateful for the life I pocessed and taken for granted. The princess in me wasn't in agreement. 😊 One great thing that happened, was it gave me the opportunity to meet some really lovely people starting with a young local girl from Veliko Tarnovo who was going to visit her grandparents and who was teaching Spanish to young children as a private tutor. I was so grateful to bump into her as she made sure I was on the correct train to get me to Bucharest. Another person I met was a young Canadian guy who was currently working in Bulgaria on a Geology based project and who was emigrating to Adelaide in October to start a 3 year PHD. At which time I will also be there, so we've arranged to meet for Coffee. It just goes to prove what a small world it is. When I finally arrived at my accomodation I was blown away with my little apartment that would be home for the next two nights. It was really homely and perfectly located. Time was getting on and given I had lived on yoghurt covered rice cakes, a cereal bar and bowl of cornflakes I was ready for food. So a quick dash to the supermarket resulted in a beetroot, tomato salad with rice in a carp and onion dressing followed by one of my favourite fruits...'Pomelo' and a bottle of French Cidre. I enjoyed my meal on the balcony where I overlooked some wonderful architecture with the street beginning to illuminate in the dying light. I had a great night's sleep and was ready to explore. I joined a free walking tour that pointed out more fantastic architecture, dodgy statues and religious buildings. He was a great guide and really funny and checked that we were all where we thought we were, as many have confused Bucharest with Budapest including the late Michael Jackson when he held a concert here! On the tour I met a couple from Tasmania who unbelievably travelled on the same train I had the day before. It was nice to chat to others again after missing the constant banter from my group tour. The weather was fantastic with a warm breeze and blazing sunshine. I decided some local food was in order with a Romanian Stew and a glass of Red. The stew was very reminiscent of student cuisine where you go to the cupboard, pick out anything and serve it together. It contained polenta, bits of pork, tomato based sauce, cheese and a fried egg. All in all it worked, even if abit odd! With the weather being so nice and another train journey looming, all be it alot shorter I made the most of the great outdoors and meandered through the Parks in the area. It was lovely to be out in the open, enjoying the views and become completely intoxicated with the relaxed atmosphere Bucharest pocessed. I'm quite surprised to say this, but I think I was completely chilled, given I nearly fell asleep on a park bench!! Or maybe on second thoughts it was a combination of the wine and heat!! 😉 Anyhow later that evening I went on a "Bucharest by Night" tour. For my friends with the one track mind, this was a culture tour, viewing the buildings lit up and admiring the architecture which is predominantly influenced by the french and not anything else! This capital is truely beautiful and well worth a visit. It has history, culture, art, interesting yet good food and beautiful secret religious buildings hidden away after the Communist regime. It was a small tour group with the guide, me and 2 elderly fellows from India who were documenting every second to share with their family when they returned home. This was this reason, the tour run slightly over by another hour! 😊 When I got back to base I couldn't be bothered to pack, so it was another early start the following day. I also needed time, to get in the right mind set to face more P.T. (public transport)! Once at the station I quickly located my train and jumped on. I had a specific seat number so off I trundled to find it. Romania appears to have its own unique rules when it comes to seat numbers. It turns out the seat number you have on your ticket doesn't exist. You have to sit in the seat with the number closest, which is obvious really, NOT 😉 !!! I was so busy trying to locate my seat number it had escaped me that this time I was in First Class. How wonderful! There was enough leg room for my suitcase. I had a window seat. There was no overcrowding and there was Air Con! Hallelujah my inner princess cried. This was so much more me! For the next 3 hours I sat back and enjoyed the views before arriving in Brasov.

Brasov - 9th-11th August 2015

I got to Brasov around lunchtime. My accomodation was brilliantly located just off the pedestrian street leading to the main square. My neighbour however was abit of a surprise in the form of a Sex Shop, although it did provide a handy sign to remind me which alleyway I was located in. My host who was also called 'Ana', was really helpful and the studio was well equipkped. Given my limited time I dumped my stuff and wandered towards the main square looking for a Tourist Information but to no avail. I found out later that for some reason they don't open on a weekend even though Brasov is the number one tourist destination in the whole of Romania. It was definitely evident that this place was popular with tourists given the number of restaurants, bars and souvenir shops present. I spotted the famous Black Church, only because of its size rather than the colour and took a look inside. It has been dubbed the 'Black Church' after fire damage turned it black internally when the roof was completely destroyed. It contained some interesting head stones and a few painted panels. Once back outside I spotted a Cable Car ride, that took you to the top of the surrounding forested mountain, where I noticed the Hollywood equivalent 'Brasov' sign. It just had to be done, so after an hour of queueing and 5 minutes in the Cable Car, I finally reached the sign and the fantastic view over Brasov, which was well worth it. Heading back towards the Cable Car for the downward journey, I came across a sign for the Serpentine Path which snakes below where the Cable Car passed all the way to the bottom, through the forested area. I hadn't had a good walk in ages, so I thought, Why not? It was a well marked route and path so made for a comfortable stroll back to the Old Town. It was time for a quick bite to eat before going on the Free Brasov Walking Tour. I decided to grab something traditional after learning about Romanian food on my tour in Bucharest so I ordered 'Sarmale'. This dish consisted of rolled pork minced meat mixed with rice and herbs, wrapped in cabbage leaves with a sour cream covering. It was accompanied by boiled polenta with hot chilli peppers stuffed on top, which I quickly removed. Again, an interesting dish which filled a hole rather than being a joy to consume. I kept with the traditional theme by ordering a Transylvanian Lemonade which in fairness was extremely fresh and very sharp! 😉 There was a Rock Music Festival underway in the square so I kicked back and enjoyed the music whilst eating my meal and before joining the Walking Tour which was really enjoyable. It took in both the 'Old Town' and the surroundings to show us the traditional Romanian housing and Religious buildings. We went down the smallest street and ended at the White Church which I'd had great views of whilst having dinner, given it was located on a small hill overlooking the square. I'd had a great day however I was hoping the best was yet to come with a trip to 'Bran Castle', Dracula's home in the morning. It was a leisurely start to the day and another very small group tour, with only 3 this time including the tour guide and an Irishman. We made our way to Bran where the castle is located. Unfortunately, so had quite a few others so whilst our Tour Guide queued for tickets we were left to wander freely around the surrounding souvenir shops. I am glad to update I purchased a nail clippers after mine met it's demise about a week ago. 😊 After abit of productive shopping we made it into the Castle grounds and from the external it presented a plain Gothic style building with many turrets of different sizes and heights. It was great to be here but didn't have the 'Wow Factor' I had expected. This is definitely due to the way Bram Stoker's novel 'Dracula' has been marketed and the many images you see of a castle depicted by the film industry, to look far more menacing and high on a cliff. It is fair to say, that because of that novel the tourists flock here. I question how many would visit if they knew the internals were a museum dedicated to the last Royals that occupied it, depicting their way of life. It was a very simple Museum with one very small room containing information about the tenuous link with Dracula. The character being based on 'Vlad the Impaler' and the name Dracula coming from Vlad's father, 'Vlad Dracul' meaning 'Devil'. Therefore 'Vlad the Impaler' was 'Son of the Devil' and Bram Stoker added an 'a' to make it 'Dracula'. He had combined an Hungarian myth about Vampires with this infamous real life character from the Transylvanian region and reworked his father's name to create 'Dracula' which is now famous all over the world. Bram Stoker had never actually been to Transylvania, but had described a castle in his book which remarkably was very similar to that of Bran Castle in which 'Vlad the Impaler' had visited there during his life, be it a very short period of about 2 weeks. Hence why it's dubbed 'Dracula's Castle'. After snaking our way through the building which has about 80 rooms and a secret staircase, it was time to move on to the next part of the tour, the fortification of Rasnov. There were fantastic views from this place over Rasnov and towards Bran. Some of the historical buildings remained which were now filled with Souvenir shops. Predominently the rest were just foundations of what was once, a place that had protected about 4000 inhabitants. It had been nice to travel through Transylvania to see how green this area is and how it looks in the Summer as mostly it is portrayed as a dark and menacing place. In the winter it becomes a large Ski resort. Making our way back to Bran, our Tour guide provided a restaurant recommendation, so feeling lazy I decided to eat out again. I was in the mood for something different and there it was 'Mountain Oysters' aka 'Pigs Testicles'! Well I've tasted worst things! 😊 I'm talking about Marmite people! Anyway it ended up being too much ball for this little lady, so I'm afraid I failed to clear my plate on this occasion, which is rare!!! The restaurant itself was set in a cellar and the fact I was surrounded by locals you knew the food must be good. On my way back I took a stroll through the park area, task avoiding packing again, as in the morning I was off to Sighisoara.

Sighisoara - 11th-12th August 2015

Another not so great train journey (demoted to second class!), I arrived around lunchtime. My accomodation was situated right in the centre of the Old Town which had a little balcony with a cracking view of the Clock Tower. I wasted no time and headed straight for it. I had clear views of Sighisoara with its brightly coloured streets and fantastic architecture. The streets were cobbled and it was nice to wonder about this Chocolate Box, Old Town. There was a music school there and you could often here the sounds of different instruments being carried on the wind, as Students practiced their pieces. I stumbled upon a Contemporary Art exhibition being held in one of the Towers so took a quick look, as dissapointingly none of the the churches were open. Obviously I couldn't miss out on visiting Vlad the Impaler's aka Dracula's birthplace. I'm sorry I went inside!!! It was very tacky, with a man dressed as Dracula in a darkened room who rose out of a coffin when someone entered. The other room contained a painting of Impaled people and a dodgy gold head statue of Vlad himself. All in all I think it's the worse thing I've seen in Romania!! I did get to take a walk through the old saxon cemetery though, which was located high on a hill overlooking Sighisoara. It was a lovely setting and really peaceful. Sighisoara is quite a small place and I was happy that I'd been able to see it all. I had definitely made the right decision that a one night stay was enough. Given I had a little time I decided to research a nice place to eat in Sighisoara for dinner. In fairness TripAdvisor gave a helping hand and pointed me in the direction of Hotel Centrum's restaurant. It was very lavish inside and I was very much looking forward to my meal. Today I had decided I would opt for something a little more normal. The best news though was that I could get a glass of Red to accompany it. I settled on stuffed Chicken Breast wrapped in Prosciutto, stuffed with Figs served with a medley of vegetables. It was delicious and nothing went to waste. Still abit peckish I decided to stay for dessert which I had in the form of a Cheeseboard. It was wonderful, with both fresh and dried fruits accompanied with a mixture of nuts and Stilton and Brie cheese. It was certainly one of the best meals I had had during my European adventure and the best in Romania.

Cluj Napoca - 12th-14th August 2015

It was a nice leisurely start with my train not due to leave until 11:30am. Breakfast was included this time which was a nice change, so off I trundled to the breakfast area to tuck into a coffee and a ham omelette before making my way. At breakfast I started a conversation with a Brazilian man named Elton, who was also travelling around parts of Europe for 3 weeks. It turned out we were on the same train together so shared a taxi and made our way to the station. Thank goodness for good company. I was still in cattle class and today there just didn't seem to be any coolness with the weather. Even the breeze was hot!!! The train journey that was supposed to take 4.5 hours, took 6. Luckily it passed by quickly as we chatted about anything and everything including sharing embarrassing stories. With some of Elton's involving a pet rat and Phantom of the Opera! 😊 We finally arrived to Cluj Napoca where I wished Elton all the best and made my way to my accomodation. This time I had booked a themed Studio called 'The Transylvanian Cowboy Cottage-Horse Room'. Don't ask me why? But thought it might be fun and a little different. Which in fairness, it was. It was well equipped and I could now cook for the next few evenings. With that in mind, I made my way to the nearest mini market to pick up a few bits and pieces including some booze. Tonight I was just kicking back with a bottle of Sangria, as it happened and another simple rice dish as I had 'Boil in the Bag' stuff left over from Bulgaria. Previous guests had left some tourist information leaflets so I had quick browse to see what Cluj Napoca had to offer. I discovered its the capital of Transylvania and had been voted the most welcoming city in Europe from a study carried out by the European Commission in 2013, where 96% of people from Cluj were satisfied with their living standards and 91% replied, that the presence of tourist in their city was a positive factor. It had also been voted European Youth Capital 2015. It houses many University faculties and has a myriad of things to see and do. This sounded great. I was looking forward to the next couple of days which were to be my last in Romania. The following morning I couldn't have wished for a better start. I found out my clever Godson, 'Kieran' had aced his A-levels and had been offered his first University choice of Cardiff to study Music. I was over the moon for him and his parents. It seemed fitting news given what I'd found out about Cluj the evening before. The weather felt a little cooler this morning as I headed out. I started to feel a few spots of rain so grabbed my umbrella and started wandering. Within minutes the rain had disappeared and the temperature soared. It was baking!! I decided to take my time and just, take it all in. I ended up in the Park area then onto the Botanical Gardens, which had been beautifully planted and housed species from all over the world. I had been sent some bus tickets that needed printing so got that sorted in readiness for my overnight bus to Bucharest before heading to Krakow. I had felt abit sniffy before I'd left in the morning and in this heat I just felt knackered so made my way back for some dinner and telly. I felt so Rock 'n' Roll but knowing I couldn't afford to get a stinking cold, taking it easy seemed the most sensible option. An early night, it had not been with me chatting to friends and family via Skype catching up with all the Welsh news from home. It was lovely as always, but at 2am I thought I'd best get my head down for a few hours at least. Today was my last day in Romania and I had mixed emotions. I had really enjoyed this country and could have happily seen more of it, although I was very much looking forward to my Poland adventure. The shame came in me having to pass back through Budapest to get there and my Bus times weren't exactly great. My initial bus would leave at 11pm this evening but check out was 11am. Typical! I packed my stuff up and got ready to check out when my host said it would be fine to leave my things until about 10pm. I was so grateful. That meant, I could continue to easily explore Cluj Napoca for another day before leaving. I made my way to the Old Town and wandered about enjoying the scenery. Some streets were similar to the Chocolate Box style I had witnessed in Sighisoara. It was really pretty and again the different architecture throughout made this an interesting place to stroll. There was a mix of different religious buildings and lots of little stalls in the pedestrianised areas selling local handmade crafts and food items. It was all very quaint. Mid afternoon I found a great little place to partake in a few drinks. I chose Amaretto Frappes for a change, which were not only cooling, tasted fab and full of caffeine to keep me awake to catch my bus. It was still hot when I left the bar so there was only one thing to do....find a fountain and dunk my feet. It felt gorgeous. Luckily for me there were a few others joining in, so I didn't look quite so odd, at least not on this occasion. It was now approaching 7pm and I needed to grab something to eat before heading back. As I was looking for a non GLB ( Gluten Loving Bast...s) restaurant, I stumbled upon a group that was funding their Summer adventure by playing their Brass instruments. I only caught the last song but it was really cool and something impromptu and different. I found somwhere but it was more rice for dinner in the form of mushroom risotto which followed a french summer soup. I ordered a bottle of water this time as I needed to be firing on all cylinders when I collected my bags to head to the bus station. It was another country done and what a country it had been! 😊

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Comments

[Beth Cowdry]

Romanian Adventures
Another fab read ? Absolutely loved the Transylvanian Cowboy Cottage and would love to visit just to stay there! The cuisine sounds a bit 'ecletic' shall we say and only you would order pigs "testiclays" ??..... And so on to the next journey. Can't wait ? Bx