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| St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church Bucharest, Romania |
We arrived in Romania not really knowing what to expect. We knew little about Bucharest or the country maybe because it was towards the end of the trip and we hadn’t done our research. We did know that there was an “express” bus from the airport to the city center and we elected to give it a try. Not that it’s all about money but $2 vs an estimated $30 via taxi, not to mention the adventure. One does go through some anxiety because it is not as though the bus driver is calling out each stop. And despite the express tag there were plenty of stops. We figured it out, exited the bus and immediately it was “what’s next?” We took an educated guess, showed the address to a woman who spoke no English and through her hand signals we found our Airbnb. One of our favorite of the trip actually. Right in the Old Town, spacious, lacking nothing. Well one does have to wind their way up to the third floor via a spiral stair case but, hey, what’s perfect.
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| Pedestrian Street Old Town Bucharest, Romania |
One may get a false impression of a city if all one sees is the Old Town, but from our experience it seems to be the most interesting part. Certainly the most easy to navigate, mostly pedestrian streets so very little traffic, fascinating OLD buildings and plenty of places to eat and get a late afternoon beer. Bucharest is no exception to this. We had a day and half to wander the streets and take in the sites. Unfortunately both times we were there it was a Monday and Tuesday and several of the museums and other highlights were closed. But the visuals, as Cynthia’s photos show, were stunning.
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| CEC Palace Bucharest, Romania |
We concentrated on three cities in Romania, the capitol of Bucharest and two cities in Transylvania, Brasov and Sighisoara. We opted not to rent a car so the train was our main means of transport between destinations. Clean, comfortable and not too expensive. Romania is a very likable country. It has the mystery that the name Transylvania evokes, very old and fascinating architecture, and a history that is definitely complicated by their location. As with many of the Balkan countries they are caught between the East and the West. The Romans wanted this territory and so did the Turks. The marauding hordes from further East came as well. The Nazis occupied Romania during the Second World War and they were “liberated” by the Russians. “Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss”.
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| Brasov Main Square from on High Brasov, Romania |
As our train pulled into the Brasov train station we were a bit worried. The city seemed a lot larger than we expected and the outlying areas did not look too appealing. There are quite a few holdovers from the Communist era and large block type buildings are in abundance. As our cab got closer to the city center we began to relax as the scene much improved. We passed a beautiful open square which we would eventually get to know well. Our Airbnb was a 15 minute walk to the center and though not our favorite was certainly adequate. The first afternoon we walked the old town area and got familiar with the town’s layout. We entered the walled city via the same entrance that had been used since the 14th century. We walked the narrowest street in Brasov - String Street - where every window decoration was painted by local young artists.
They asked please no graffiti but gave a specified location where one could do as they please. We left our John Hancock's for posterity. This trip seemed to feature gondola rides and Brasov had theirs. Not as dramatic as we had experienced in Slovenia but still definitely worth the admission. It took us high over the city and right next to the Hollywood style sign announcing that you were in Brasov. We walked the mountain trails and got a needed shot of nature.
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| String Street Old Town Brasov, Romania |
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| Romanian Orthodox Church Brasov, Romania |
They asked please no graffiti but gave a specified location where one could do as they please. We left our John Hancock's for posterity. This trip seemed to feature gondola rides and Brasov had theirs. Not as dramatic as we had experienced in Slovenia but still definitely worth the admission. It took us high over the city and right next to the Hollywood style sign announcing that you were in Brasov. We walked the mountain trails and got a needed shot of nature.
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| Street Old Towns Brasov, Romania |
Transylvania has a ring to it and we all know why. The home of Dracula. Actually it is the home of Vlad Dracul (Vlad-the Impaler - 1428-1476) who supposedly inspired Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel “Dracula”. One can’t really go to Romania, or certainly Brasov, without visiting Bran Castle the debatable “home” of the Dracul family.
We had liked the taxi driver who gave us the initial ride to our Airbnb so we hired him to take us on a day trip to the castle and another historic site, Rasnov Fortress. The thing that appealed to me about Bran Castle was that it hadn’t been all spiffed up for the tourists. The floors creaked, it was definitely not handicap friendly, and one could easily let their imagination wander to times past. From the outside the castle was dramatic, yet unassuming. We spent a couple of hours exploring on our own, then moved on to Rasnov Fortress.
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| Bran Castle Bran, Romania |
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| Rasnov Fortress Romania |
Here we had no idea what to expect but were pleasantly surprised. Built early in the 13th century it was a walled fortress created to keep the invading Turks at bay. Nothing fancy but real. There were few other visitors, no created structures just for the tourists, some great views of the surrounding valleys, and an authenticity that stuck with you. Definitely worth the time.
From Brasov we moved on, again by train, to Sighisoara. For some time we called it the S town because we couldn’t pronounce the name. I must say that by the time we left we were pretty good at it. Sig-hee-sho-a-ra. Sighisoara turned out to be one of our favorite destinations.
Small with some outstanding architecture. Medieval towers abound, a clock tower like no other we had seen, stone streets that make Antigua streets seem like smooth pavement. Those of you who follow our blogs know that we have a habit of running into festivals of one sort or another that we had no idea were happening. It happened again in Sighisoara. Though billed as a celebration of Saxon culture it pretty much covered the spectrum. There was a young girl doing yodeling which I absolutely loved. She would be an excellent contestant for Romania has Talent! Cynthia posted a video of her on Facebook. Check it out! https://www.facebook.com/davis.cynthia/videos/10156740795734596/ To contrast with this was a church organ recital, a rocker who billed himself as “Home of the Dragon,” as well as folk dancers and bands. It was quite the show. From the base beat, even though we were removed from the main square, we heard remnants of the festival until 3 a.m.!! Sighisoara knows how to party!
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| Clock Tower Old Town Sighisoara, Romania |
Small with some outstanding architecture. Medieval towers abound, a clock tower like no other we had seen, stone streets that make Antigua streets seem like smooth pavement. Those of you who follow our blogs know that we have a habit of running into festivals of one sort or another that we had no idea were happening. It happened again in Sighisoara. Though billed as a celebration of Saxon culture it pretty much covered the spectrum. There was a young girl doing yodeling which I absolutely loved. She would be an excellent contestant for Romania has Talent! Cynthia posted a video of her on Facebook. Check it out! https://www.facebook.com/davis.cynthia/videos/10156740795734596/ To contrast with this was a church organ recital, a rocker who billed himself as “Home of the Dragon,” as well as folk dancers and bands. It was quite the show. From the base beat, even though we were removed from the main square, we heard remnants of the festival until 3 a.m.!! Sighisoara knows how to party!
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| Festival Band Sighisoara, Romania |
Today is our last day in Romania and for this adventure. Tomorrow morning at a seriously obnoxious hour we are off to the States. I do have some reflections. I mentioned cost before. Romania is definitely less expensive than some of our other destinations. We could eat well for $20-$25 unless we overdid it on the booze which we seldom did. If one is looking for a totally economic trip, Eastern Europe is not necessarily it. Culturally it is interesting but one does not notice the drastic differences among the population one sees in some cultures (India, SE Asia, Guatemala). People of color are no where to be seen. The Romanian Gypsies certainly stand out but unfortunately we saw few of them. Most of the music one hears would fit in well on an American classic rock station. The infrastructure is advanced for the most part. The water is drinkable. One can flush their toilet paper. Everyone is on their cell phone. One can eat pretty much anything without thinking about getting sick. What makes it appealing to me is its history and age. Trying to figure out the political intrigue form ancient times to the present is complicated at best. Much of its physical nature has been preserved resulting in areas that defy time.
We experienced many languages yet found enough people who spoke English to make the traveling not too challenging. Currencies galore. Of the 7 countries we visited only two were on the Euro, the rest one had to do the math, and not get stuck with it when you left. Mass transit was good in every large city we visited. Unless one is on a group tour (no fun at this point for Cynthia and me), better get to know it. And finally Eastern Europe is not an unknown destination for travelers. I think coming in September/October was perfect yet their were still tons of other travelers, especially in Budapest and Dubrovnik. If there is a reason to have one's own transportation it is to be able to get away and explore unchartered areas.
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| Turret Old Town Sighisoara, Romania |
We experienced many languages yet found enough people who spoke English to make the traveling not too challenging. Currencies galore. Of the 7 countries we visited only two were on the Euro, the rest one had to do the math, and not get stuck with it when you left. Mass transit was good in every large city we visited. Unless one is on a group tour (no fun at this point for Cynthia and me), better get to know it. And finally Eastern Europe is not an unknown destination for travelers. I think coming in September/October was perfect yet their were still tons of other travelers, especially in Budapest and Dubrovnik. If there is a reason to have one's own transportation it is to be able to get away and explore unchartered areas.
No question Cynthia and I had a great adventure. All new countries, getting to figure out where we were going and how to get there, meeting some wonderful locals, getting out of our comfort zone (though less than previous trips), and just enjoying life on the road. Thank you so much for sharing it with us through this blog. Work it is but pleasure it brings.
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| Back Street Old Town Sighisoara, Romania |
Another great blog and photos - I loved that church tower and the back street. And , indeed, you two always manage to stumble into festivals, etc. How fantastic is that!
ReplyDeleteHave a great trip back to the mother-land! Have you ever thought of pretending to be tourists in Ann Arbor and writing a blog for those of us who've never been there?
Thanks again for bringing us along with you. I love these blogs.
Happy trails - see you at home in November!
Love Jeanne