Almost since we have about one more week, but we just left Brasov, where we stayed for just less than three weeks. An amazing town with wonderful scenery, great people and the perfect size to keep it interesting, but not too busy. We used Brasov as a launch point to rent a motorcycle and drive the most amazing road I have ever ridden, the Transfăgărășan Road, all 150 km of it. I have videos posted elsewhere plus on my personal Norm Bour site. We also visited four or five castles including the infamous Vlad the Impaler (AKA Dracula) castle in Bran, which was less than impressive. Sorry…During the time we were there the hospitality of the residents was noteworthy. We became friends with our AirBNB hosts who invited us to their home for an all day lunch which also included a two hour ride through the hills in a horse and buggy. That was about as close to nature and experiencing the TRUE Romania as we could get!

After Brasov it was time to work towards our holding location for awhile: Split, Croatia, where we stayed a few months ago. I will depart for the US for a month on Sept 8 and Kathleen has rented a place in Split town. Meanwhile, after Brasov we found the lovely town of Sibiu, recommended by some fellow American travelers. This town was about one third the size of Brasov and we got here while they were having a medieval festival, which is always fun. Some of what we saw highlighted differences between things (and attitudes) HERE vs. the US. These people play for real as they staged sword fights in the center square with real, authentic, sharp swords! We took a video of two guys going at it and even after the helmets came off they continued to fight, bashing each other with their helmets. There is little concern for lawsuits and litigation and people take responsibility for their own safety and well being. We have noticed throughout our travels when we saw few barriers to keep visitors safe. Of course they post signs, but anyone can venture out to cliffs or high places and if something were to happen, then it remains the fault of the people. No lawsuits here.

Another thing was the display of medieval equipment and devices which were REAL, which makes sense since those events in history happened right HERE. It brings things into perspective when you realize the names we learned from history walked some of the streets we may have walked on.

From Sibiu it was on to the city of Deva, a three hour bus ride. The public transportation system in Romania is NOT that good, and trains are very, very slow. Local bus companies are inexpensive and one of the best ways to travel from city to city. Some are less than impressive, however, since they are small vans holding anywhere from six to 18 people. Even though we had the (mostly unused) Eurail pass, these local buses made that waste of money less painful.

The bottom line on Romania is that it is much better than expected and certainly a country to return to. Besides, there is yet ANOTHER road which were told about which is even MORE impressive than the Transfăgărășan Highway. It’s called the TransAlpina and it is 2145 meters above sea level, about 7000 feet, and it’s rare to DRIVE a road with that elevation. Stay tuned!

#romania, castles, #romaniacastles, #bran, #vladtheimpaler, #dracula, #transalpina, #Transfăgărășan, #sibiu, #deva