(Him: Charlie)
Romania is one of those countries that offer you a wide
variety of tourist attractions. From grandiose monumental buildings in
Bucharest to rustic remote villages; from spooky Transylvania castles (think
Dracula!)to delicately crafted wooden churches. We had an ambitious plan to
visit them all, and the only answer to that is renting a car.
The good thing about having our own transportation was that
we could stay at pensions in small villages (we are used to calling settlements
“town”, but our proud host in Saschiz (near Sighisoara) insisted it’s a
village).
The rustic rural area of Romania is fascinating. We came across
a monthly market place, where cattle and horses are traded and local
delicacies are served. Apparently, Asians are rare in this part of the world.
When Jo and I walked among the horse carriages and food tents, we felt like we
were aliens descended on earth, as we attracted a great deal of curious stares
on every move we made. Though the staring was intense, people were actually
very friendly. In the northern city of Sighetu Marmatiei, Joanna received a
bag-full of apples from a local old lady, probably as a gesture of welcoming.
The thing we didn’t know about driving in Romania is how treacherous
the roads are in northern Romania. We had to drive really slowly on most of the
roads due to winding and narrow roads. We estimated 3 days for the road trip,
but by day 2, we knew we wouldn’t make it back to Bucharest by Day 3. So, as
usual, the plan was changed again. Unfortunately, in order to spend a bit more
time in Romania, we had to forego the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria.
Highlights in Romania:
(local farmer on a horse-drawn wagon, on his way to the market place)
(Fascinating wooden churches in Maramures, Romania)
(Spooky Dracula Castel)
No comments:
Post a Comment