Romania is the country of Eastern Europe where I live for 65 years. It is a small to medium country, according to European standards. That's why it has been easy to travel so far in almost all imported places, having friends and relatives in many parts of the country. These trips have been made many years ago, and lately I summed up only two visits per year, taking into account my age.
We never know what surprises await us. When I thought I will stay home more, I received a request and a proposal from a very good friend. My good friend had bad luck, the police suspended his driving license for a whole month. My friend has an activity that forces him to travel every month across the country.
So I received the proposal to cross Romania in seven days with him.
A challenge! I have accepted, from friendship, from the curiosity of seeing how a few cities that I have not seen for a few years have been transformed and because our route will go through some of the cities I have not seen until now.
We set the route and how long we will be in each city. We were away one week, Monday morning until Sunday night.
That's what it's all about. I want to take you with me on this trip, to know a little from Romania and about some important cities through which we stopped.
I must also say that the part of the country we are going to visit is Transylvania. A region with great natural beauty and cities that are distinct from other parts of Romania. This is due to the fact that Transylvania was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the architecture of the buildings was influenced by the Western architecture, by the cities of Germany and Austria.
Now we are ready for the road. We left Bucharest Monday morning. It was the first day of snow this year. That's what I saw in the morning before going on the road. I was a little worried, I have not driven the snow for many years.
We went with great difficulty, especially as halfway was on the serpentine mountain road. The first city we stopped was ...
Brasov
Brasov is the most important and famous mountain town in Romania. It was built by the Germans in the 1200s. It is the most famous winter sports center, the Poiana Brasov resort is known all over Europe.
The most famous and visited part is the Central Square and the cathedral called Black Church. The hotel we lived in is right on this Square and has allowed us to better see this area.
The mixture between autumn and winter has brought snow and a lot of moisture on the streets, not quite for walking and for my wife's despondency. Although we had free time for a walk, we chose to look for a hotel for the night that will come.
We found the perfect hotel for us, right in the center and unexpectedly cheap.
Hotel Safrano Palace
It's also a historical monument, where stayed Alexandru Vaida Voevod when was traveling to Brasov. He was an important Romanian political figure, former Prime Minister of Romania and one of those who contributed to the unification of Transylvania with the Romanian Principalities in 1918 ... the year when modern Romania appeared. Interestingly, my wife is also called Vaida and comes from the same village where Vaida Voievod was born ... it results that there is a good chance that they were relatives.
I liked this hotel very much, had an interior courtyard, in fact a hall and the rooms were on one side and the other. It looks like an inn, and the hall has the sky like a ceiling.
Basically there are two parallel, parallel buildings that are separated from that hallway. At the end you can see a medieval tower, I liked it so I photographed it both day and night.
Our friend left to do the job so my wife and I have a few hours to walk around town. Last time I was in Brasov about ten years ago, still on the run, and now I'm glad I have a few more hours to see the city. With all the snow on the streets I started on the expedition. Unfortunately, due to insufficient time, we cannot leave the central area ... fortunately here is the most beautiful!
When I see a city, a new place, I look especially at the buildings and of course the oldest are the most beautiful. They are like a message received from those who lived hundreds of years before us. I like to imagine who lived in those houses, to imagine how it was everyday without our facilities now ... electricity, home water, phone, TV and the internet!
It cannot be a city break, a walk without the temptation of shopping. There can always be something that we really need - in fact, my wife needs.
At the same time, a lot of strolling means energy consumption, so a little hungry. The hunger must be fooled a little, until the evening meal that we will take together with our friend. So I'm looking for something easy, a pie or a pretzel.
I was attracted to something specific to this city. There are many inner courtyards and I was fascinated by the tunnel that leads from the street to that yard. I discovered a few and looked through them.
It was a long and tiring day. I left Bucharest at 11 am and arrived at 3 pm in Brasov. Driving the car was difficult due to snow and wet and slippery road. Now comes the relaxation, the evening meal and pleasant discussions and memories with friends and a glass of wine.
We went looking for a good restaurant and found it very quickly, it was a few steps away from our hotel. The advantage of living in the center!
Bella Musica Restaurant...since 1360 !?!
A restaurant built in 1360 in a cellar, probably because of that it lasted for hundreds of years. The very pleasant atmosphere, we were the first customers that night, we really scared a bit because an empty restaurant can mean bad food. Soon other customers started to appear and the food exceeded our expectations.
We ate a potato soup with smoked bacon and sour cream, goulash soup and goulash stew.
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We only drank water because of our friend, Doru. He knew a wine shop and wanted to have a special drink at our hotel. So we went to buy the wine.
The evening ended well and pleasantly, the warmth of the room and the glass of wine. It was a tough but wonderful day. Tomorrow we leave, we will be on our way again. Before I leave, I leave a picture I liked ... I like the decomposed, abandoned places. I think it's an effect of old age.
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A brief review and a proposal!
If there are tourists who visit Bucharest and who want to see something special, I recommend them a short trip to Brasov. Let me give you some points:
Bus from Bucharest to Brasov: cost $ 13; time: 3 hours and a half
A night at the hotel, double room: $ 65
Restaurant: 1 person $ 25
A good wine: a bottle $ 15-20
A good beer: a bottle $ 2 - 4
A cake, ice cream: $ 2 - 4
In our short visit we saw a bit of Brasov. Those who will have more time and will want to visit the city will certainly have many pleasant surprises. I want to go back to Brasov for a longer vacation, of course.
This will continue, the next stop in Targu Mures!
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