It was a restless sleep due to a major
thunder and lightening storm we experienced. It reminded me of a haunted movie!
Speaking to the staff the next morning I was told it was very unusual weather
for this time of the year. It was amplified by the fact we were driving across
what was described as the “Hungarian Outback” which in reality was more like
the Hauraki Plains!
Having to rid ourselves of our
remaining Hungarian Forint we made a trip to a local supermarket before
crossing the boarder to Romania. Officials made us park up after taking our
passports and ownership papers away to be scrutinised. A nerve-wracking feeling
but they soon returned with a stamp to prove our date of entry. And thankfully
there were no corrupt Police trying to make us pay for ‘disinfectant’ or
‘environmental’ tax as we had read about! Immediately we could see a
difference, the housing being older and some in not so good shape, horses and
carts frequently on the roads and seeing mostly quiet towns with the occasional
flash car driving by. The railway crossings do not have an alarm or an
automatic arm to warn of trains too so we have to be hyper vigilant to stop and
check before crossing. The roads seemed of average to poor quality but we also
spotted a lot of roadwork’s, perhaps an EU initiative.
We arrived at a campground in Timisoara, the
place where their Megalomaniac leader Ceaușescu came to his demise in the 1989 revolution. It
was also our first time zone change, having to move our clocks forward an hour.
We negotiated our way into town and found Victory Square in the Old Town, which
was a beautiful garden separating their Opera House with a beautifully
decorated Church. Virtually the whole nation is Roman Catholic and it seems all
churches are kept in pristine condition. Even on public transport we saw people
gesturing the holy cross with their hand as we drove by a church.
We had a nice dinner in town before
returning to our campsite.
A slightly later start than expected
(James had not updated the time zone change on his mobile when he set the
alarm) we drove towards Bran-Dracula country where we stayed at Vampire
camping. The journey took 6.5 hours for a 400km drive and was intense.
Basically Romanians drive like maniacs that have a death wish. We witnessed
countless head on’s due to ruthless overtaking (honestly they don’t even rush
to pull back across onto their side of the road) and you even come across horse
and carts on the main roads! James had no trouble staying awake at least.
Before dinner we walked from the
campsite to Bran Castle, which was closed (although we had read it is not that
impressive on the inside) so made the most of taking scenic shots of the
exterior instead. There was a large community market there too, with loads of
Dracula memorabilia and arts and crafts that we looked at before it closed for
the night.
We took advantage of the public buses
running from Bran to Brasov but it wasn’t such a pleasant experience. We waited
for 1.5 hours before the bus even arrived (it was due hourly so even the locals
were confused and frustrated). And it was packed. We were happy to stand but it
was so hot and stuffy there was condensation dripping down the windows. Gross.
I can almost guarantee you that we were the only two tourists on that bus and I
can see why! But we arrived still standing in Brasov where we walked through
the Old Town and up the cable car to Mt Tampa where we found a beautiful
panorama of Brasov, coincidentally right beside the Hollywood like ‘Brasov’
sign. Thankfully no bear sightings (we read there are 6000 black and brown
bears in and around Brasov) but James was ever hopeful as they have been known
to come into the village and eat from rubbish bins. We had a tasty lunch of
traditional chicken, tomato and apple stew with polenta and pork muscle stuffed
with cheese and sausage before joining a guided walking tour. Amazingly the
town still predominantly exists within the medieval walls, with the new town
being developed during the communist years to the East of Old Town. Apparently
it was known as the “City of Stalin” during communist times and was even
written on the side of Mt Tampa with trees to signify this. After, we rushed
back to the bus depot and managed to catch the last bus back to Bran, in a much
more comfortable ride home.
We then drove onto Bucharest and
settled in a campground 12km south of the City. The campsite was clean and tidy
but definitely had a freaky feel to it, perhaps it was the large, white
clinical bathroom facilities but I think it was really because the doors to the
bathrooms were solid steel and really heavy; sound proof heavy that freaked me
the most. The owner was most helpful and we caught a cab into the city to join
the walking tour that evening. The cab ride was intense, like being in a rally
with the driver weaving in and out of the cars whilst dodging pedestrians. I
cannot believe we did not hit something or someone. But for 20 lei (4 pounds)
who was to argue-bargain! We snacked on some deep fried mozzarella sticks
before joining the walking group. We were shown the Old Town, monuments
(including Vlad Tepes -aka Dracula) and Revolution square, the site where the revolution
against their communist leader Ceaușescu broke out.
Interestingly our tour guide was interrupted at Revolution Square by two Police
Officers manning the Government building demanding to know what we were doing
there and asking our tour guide for ID. A couple of minutes later, all was ok
and they left. He later explained that there is currently a lot of student
protests against the government, and that they wear orange-the colour of his
T-shirt. He had to explain that we were tourists and not there to protest. It
was a funny experience. We ended the night having a delicious dinner of mixed
grilled meats and vegetables in a beautiful old building in the Old Town before
another hair raising ride home unscathed in the taxi.
After getting told the bike tour had been fully
booked, we jumped on the hop on and hop off bus to get a wider view of the
city. Highlights included their Parliament, which is second in size only to the
White House and their Arc du Triumph (to commemorate those lost in World War one).
Apparently Romanian language is very similar to French, so many speak both and
hence why they have French influenced architecture around the city. After a
circuit we stopped and looked at the plaster cast of the Trajan’s column (which
depicts the battles of the Roman’s against the Dacian’s in carved stone) and
the royal crown jewels in their national museum. Interestingly we learnt that
because the King had daughters, the throne cannot be passed on, so when the
King passes away the Romanian Royal Family would cease to exist. Quite a shame
I think.
We enjoyed a delicious Lebanese lunch before heading
back to the van for a restful evening in.
We spent the next day travelling to Constanta, a
coastal town on the Black Sea. We stayed on an 8km strip of sand called Mamaia.
It was sort of like the Mount Maunganui but with a more communist feel! The
campground was a bit average so we spent the afternoon on the beach lounging at
a cocktail bar on large cushions. We had dinner at the van and hit the hay
early, with the fist pumping music playing on throughout the night, so to have
an early start with crossing the Bulgarian boarder.
