WHY ROMANIA???

We are going there for the first time in May and can hardly wait! From what I have seen and read it is real, raw, gorgeous, intriguing, full of character and history, etc.

We have found the further East we have gone the more we love it!

The right answer would be...and why not ?

I have a close friend from there and she says the country is developing quickly (it is a member of the EU now), probably in a few years it won't be as cheap and won't have the old character it has now. Some other things will improve, of course, and the wonderful forests and countryside will hopefully still be there
But don't think it is "exotic", every year more and more people choose Romania ( and other East countries) for holidays here in Europe thanks to the low cost flights

first thing required securing plane tickets and that was easily done via American Airline's FF desk....the routing from Boston was via London, so this allowed us to tack on a week long stop over in england on the way home, to visit friends....
we took the day flight from boston leaving at 9AM...we have taken these day flights before and they are super....it did require an overnite stay at heathrow however....you arrive in london at 7:30PM which allows for a dinner stop and a good nites sleep....i did a priceline for slough/windsor area on the UK priceline site and received the Marriott Courtyard in Slough on my first attempt for 35 pounds (about $75)...we have stayed there before so that was perfect and the price was right....next i had to decide if we would taxi there and back, or if a rental car would provide more flexibility, which is what i decided upon...i had recently come upon a good, new to me, car rental site (www.carrentals.com)...i booked an intermediate sized car for 33.78 pounds, inclusive, for the day...good price for a one day rental i felt....note: their prices change often so keep checking back to secure the lowest rate....they represent a number of car companies and we ended up with alamo and a citreon picasso which was perfect and very comfortable....too big almost...
so i had day one taken care of...

now the research began in earnest...first stop was fodors, where i found some good info, especially Clifton's comprehensive report.....stu tower, whom we know from the asia board, provided even more detailed and personal info for us...as you may know he has written books about romania and its people...he provided very detailed info about touring and hotels....
our local library and amazon.com offered very little info or resources....i did buy a rough guide to romania which was helpful...along the way our library purchased the new lonely planet guide to romania so this was a help also and up to date....
our thai friend, gal, and his dad, fredi in israel, provided additional info on
visiting romania....fredi was born in romania and often revisits there...
so things seemed under control as planning began in earnest....
i had a trip outline from a romanian tour guide, so this assisted me as an outline for a potential trip....i meshed this with the info from stu, clifton, fredi and my own research and came up with a decent plan....along the way we visited the romanian tourist office in nyc and the manager there gave us tons of written info and assistance in trip planning...he sat us down in their office and helped with initial planning....as we left he said to e mail him our plans and he would comment on them and we did this with great success...his comments were very helpful and allowed me to tweek the route a bit....

i then needed to decide if we would have a guide/driver or do it all myself....i was concerned about the condition of the roads if i were to drive myself....finally i decided that i could drive as i have almost every place else that we have visited, so this allowed us total flexibility....

Hey Bob,

looking forward to read more about your adventures in Romania. Hm, since you could drive that certain car on that certain Island you should be able to drive any car on any road in Romania

Ingo

PS: I enviously notice that you are *way* ahead with the work on your trip report compared to me

I visited Bucharest and the surrounding area (including Brasov and Bran) in 2004, and there very few tourists in Bucharest, and only a few in Brasov (lots at Bran). There's great train service between Bucharest and Bran.

There's plenty to see in Bucharest, and I had a very busy few days (based at the Athenee Hilton, where I had a lot of luck at the casino -- in fact, I paid my entire room bill with my winnings -- I have never had such a lucky streak).

Michael

so now to the trip directly....

our driver Hedley picked us up at 6:30AM...easy trip to logan airport....check-in was smooth...btw, the taxes for the FF tickets were a high of $180.40 each...i guess that is cheap bacause that the same trip priced out at $1904. each....quick flight even with circling heathrow for about 10-15 minutes....only our flight was in immigration so we passed quickly and our bags were the first out on the belt.... off to alamo for the car and we were on the M-4 in no time headed for slough.....off the highway in the usual place and started to look for the hotel...only thing we saw was a holiday inn....strange....we kept going for 5 minutes and finally asked in a gas station....seems hotel changed from Courtyard to Holiday Inn last summer....so back we went...easy check-in...back out to get something to eat....not all that hungry as the food was actually quite decent on the AA flight....we decided on take-out pizza from a local pizza hut and beers....we ordered and took it back to our room at the HI....Perfect...into bed and a good nites sleep...

up early and off to return the car...our 9:55AM flight to Bucharest was on British Air...its about a 3 hour flight...

breakfast at Heathrow...WOW are things expensive!!

the flight was right on time and comfortable with a free seat between us---3/3...again a decent meal---almost too much to believe...
we landed in Bucharest about 3PM....
immigration and customs were a breeze....no visa required for US citizens....airport was drab at best...

i had not pre-arranged transportation so we walked through the maze of people to the outside....we had been forewarned about gypsie taxi drivers, many of whom approached us....

there was a line of identical taxis at curbside....a man approached and asked where we were going and i told him the Intercontinental Hotel...he was the organizer for this group of taxis....his price to the city center was 70 Ron, about $30... i had withdrawn Ron from the ATM in the airport....rate about 2.3 to the dollar....

the ride took about 1 1/2 hours, even though it was only 16 km...heavy traffic and very inefficient roadworks and construction all along the way.... our driver was an unemployed engineer and spoke decent english...he was a nice introduction to romania....

the first thing we noticed was the huge amount of grafitti everywhere...

some of the buildings were moderately attractive and we drove through an old upscale area which had belonged to a former era of elegance and wealth...huge attractive but rundown houses...

we arrived at the Intercontinental in University Square....site of the 1989 uprising....its a high rise---i think the tallest building in Bucharest...lobby was attractive and the usual western standard...
our room was on the 18th floor which offered us a nice view of the city and even the huge parliament building....

in the next segment i will tell you about my "deal" at this hotel...

while seeking info on fodors for the trip, one member told me of their great luck with intercontinental....not to bore you with the details, but i purchased 15,000 FF points from them and for 5,000 per nite got the room at Intercontinetal...all for $150 total....the normal rate there is over 200 euros per nite....so we got a real bargain....thank you to who ever contacted me with that info...

our room was large and comfortable and served us well during our stay...it was very centrally located for what we wanted to do...

the staff was what i refer to as "correct"....that is they answered questions asked but were by no means warm and friendly....they never offered more info than what we had asked...this included the conceige with whom i had exchanged e mails concerning concert tickets...

we asked about a place for dinner...local color and food...they sent us to a lovely place just in back of the hotel---a 3 minute walk, called Burebista...the American Embassy is directly across the street from it.., they made a reservation for us ...

the decor was romanian, the food was romanian...a very pleasant place...the live music was loud but we soon learned to deal with this as it is common in romania...

the first place we were seated was on a balcony right by the front door and i asked if we might be reseated....we were given a small table on the ground floor which was perfect....we were now 3, as just next to our table was the stuffed remains of a white bear sitting on his hind legs....he was a very pleasant dinner companion....(guenmai, you would have loved him)...

seated next to us was a young german couple and their well behaved young daughter....we had some pleasant conversations....the father is working outside Bucharest on an extended project involving trash disposal...they were very pleasant....

while ordering our dinner, the waitress, in native costume, asked if we would like to have a typical romanian appetiser of cured meats and salad...we said sure...that became an unhappy introduction to romania for me...more later...

the appetiser arrived and it was huge...it was meats, salad, frois gras, roulards, pastrami, pates, salad greens, cheese, roasted veggies...it was quite delicious...

our main courses were bear stew for me and chicken in a thick white cream sauce for karen.... both came with risotto...we also ordered a grilled veggie plate...i need my veggies... i had beer and karen had white wine... 159 ron total...

our room did not come with breakfast so we had visited a local bakery before dinner to buy breakfast rolls....at that time we also bought some pastry desserts for after dinner....they were uniformly delicious....the place was called the French Bakery and was on an adjacent street to the hotel...we went there each morning for breakfast...

did not give the price a thought as i still was not used to the currency exchange...

karen began her diary after our return to the room and i organized my paperwork for the trip....we ate our delicious french pastry....at some point i thought the dinner was quite expensive....i looked at the bill karen had taken and could not figure it out....there were so many entries and it was all in romanian....the price was about $70 when i did the conversion...i had had the wrong conversion amount in my mind...

why was this simple dinner so much??

off to bed as we were tired...

up about 8:15 the next morning....we had not bought breakfast pastry the nite before as reported earlier, but in fact walked over to the French Bakery for breakfast and some really good coffee for K....

i had decided to ask the conceige about the bill from the nite before as he had sent us there....i showed it to him....he was non-plussed...he explained, matter-of-factly, that many of the entries were for pate and the like and were very expensive...i then discovered that the "typical romanian appetiser" had cost over 1/2 of our dinner bill and in fact cost about $45.....i was furious...i felt ripped off...

i told the conciege that they should speak to the restaurant about this, but he said no as he saw no problem with it....he said these were expensive items on the appetiser and in fact were cheap in comparison to paris, say....i reminded him that we were in bucharest, not in paris....

this also made me mad....as we were discussing it, the german woman greeted us.....they also were quite mad about it....

live and learn...

Welcome home Bob, sounds like a good trip. We had fun ribbing you on the Asia board while you were in Romania.

so we embarked on our first of two full days in Bucharest.....the buildings looked interesting and we were anxious to explore....we headed for new town, after asking the conceige about visiting the parliament building....this is the 2nd largest building in the world, after the US pentagon building....it was built by the former dictator as his shrine...it has never been finished....you go by appointment....so they faxed an appointment request for us for the next day at 11....

off to the old town to explore... we found many buildings to be in decent shape, even many restored....but many were in horrid condition with broken windows and the like....the city is in transition....i think they are waiting for the EU money which will certainly pour into after their jan 1, 2007 membership in the EU...

this country must have more churches per capita than any other...many are small....in most if not all the patrons stand...the paintings and the art work is unbelievable.... the icons of silver with painted portrait inserts are very interesting...

parishioners enter the church and cross themselves at least 3 times....they then proceed to kiss many of the artifacts in the church...must be great for spreading germs....ok, God will strike me down for saying that...

we visit the very famous old beer hall and restaurant with its painted interior...may return for dinner the next nite---carul cu berre on stavopoleos, 3...very impressive...

both of our guidbooks come in handy...

i was tired for some reason so we return to the hotel after lunch at a street-side pizza place...i never take a nap, but did that day...

the conceige had arranged theatre tickets for us for the evening, in advance....cost about $84 for two tickets...the program was called "viva opera"....it was held at the national opera house....the theatre is set in a lovely park...we took a taxi there for the early performance--6:30...all their performance are early...

the theatre was lovely and small.. and our seats were fabulous--center on the aisle....

there was a full orchestra, 8 soloists, including felicia filip, and a chorus of about 24....a full production....

the program was basically famous arias.....we loved every minute....

we had trouble getting a taxi afterwards, so decided to try the metro which was right across the street.....we bought our tickets and the ticket taker asked a man to assist us....he turned out to speak english and in fact was a member of the chorus....he was very kind and gave us great instructions and in fact stayed with us 3/4 of the way back to university plaza, our stop...


from there we walked over to a restaurant we had seen near the french bakery the day before...its called pizza al forno colosseum in a passageway off of valea victaiien, 48/50....delicious italian dinner...69 Ron for 4 beers, 2 desserts, 2 green salads and 1 chicken with mushrooms and one one pasta dish....delicious...good choice...

off to bed....

i will continue tonight...

bob

Bob, I am really happy to be reading your report, and loved the idea of an early concert, filled with arias.

As to the giant stuffed bear in the restaurant, are you certain it wasn't gpanda? Was it wearing a Speedo, by chance? I also noted you had bear stew as an entree, so I thought this much too coincidental.

Waiting for more..my best to you and K.

BC

Does one really need to ask why a blood-sucking banker would go to Romania? It must have felt like home.

No wonder, he left so mny there, looking pale

Mimi-it is no place anyone with your grace.

Hmm...an attorney accusing a banker of being a blood sucker...the gpanda protests too much, methinks!

BC

Why indeed.

Anxiously waiting for more although the other Asia Board Fodorites are providing more than enough entertainment on this thread.

Is methinks an oxymoron?

Plus I never said Bob had a monopoly on blood-suckerism. In fact, my grandmother was from Romania. There's a small enclave of Pandas. Not very well known.

No, gpanda, when I use "methinks", it is not an oxymoron. I won't speculate here about when others use it.

Romanian pandas??? Wonder if Bob saw any in his travels. Guess we'll have to wait for the next part of his report.

BC

The oxymoronhood of methinks aside, I am readin Bill Bryson's monograpgh on Shakespeare. It does not read smoothly, but contains an unbelievable number of arcane factoids. For instance (and perhaps slightly germane to the diversion of this thread), Shakespeare used 2055 words for the first time they appeared in print. I don't know whether methinks was one of them.

For once I'll agree w/the OP: the daytime flight from Boston to London is a great way to get anywhere in Europe.

Gypsy cab drivers in Romania? ... hmmm...

Bob

I'm enjoying your report AND the sidetrip down panda-way. (I, too, had the same thoughts as BC re: the bear at the restaurant and your meal)

More, more.
Carol

We never eat bear. It would be a form of cannibalism.

rhkkmk, I feel your pain re: the surprisingly expensive appetizer. But as a former waiter, I'm careful about ordering the house recommendations without knowing the price - and, in some instances, knowing the house! Anyway, the national specialty might be mac and cheese, but the house version would find a way to work in caviar and foie gras ... and I guess it did.

Interesting report, looking forward to the rest.

GPanda, my grandfather was from Romania. You don't think we're related, do you?

rhkkmk,

Quit crying....didn't you see the signs in Romanian on every table saying:

"A sucker born every minute, eat the appetizer dummy $45.00?"

Enjoying your report.....can't wait for more.

Aloha!

I can hardly wait to see the BOB-zy twins together again

Panda-moanium will reign.

travel2---the country is a building process....the countryside is beautiful but many other things need attention....i am sure you will enjoy your trip...

ingo---you left my house on oct. 14---where is your usa report??

mimi---my ribs are deep under flab...

bc--the stew was tough--maybe it was panda meat...lots of uneatible parts too..

panda--i have a good pic of your grandmother....wait for the pics...

up about 8:30 on thursday...over to the french bakery again for breakfast....i could get real used to those pastries daily...

off to the 'people's palace' for our 11 AM tour reservation...the hotel had difficulty getting us a taxi for some reason....they tell you not to use the ones on the street....it took over 15 minutes...

the drive was about 10 minutes...we approached the first gate and were waved away...went around to the back and entered... the guard told the driver that the palace was closed since sunday...we left and tried another gate back at the front....this time the guard just yelled at our driver and waved his arms....so we never got to see this horrid building on the inside...
the outside grounds are a mess and the wall is cracking and falling down in places...no money...
about 1/4 of the old part of bucharest was torn down by the dictator to build this building in the 1980's...it was to be a show place and now it is just a laugh....

i instructed the driver to take us to the hilton hotel...this is one of the old buildings that is to be seen....the lobby area that is....the rest has been renovated beyond recognition....the lobby was old world and interesting....there were many pictures of then (1916) and now...taxi was $7 after all this driving around...

directly across the street is the Romanian Anthenum, the city's most famous and beautiful concert hall....it was not open to the public yet so we just walked around the neighborhood a bit...we ended up at the bucharest home of composer george enescu, now a museum....he died in 1955. he was married to a romanian princess so had social status in the country and gained it worldwide with his music...

the museum is not in the best condition....it has many art deco details as well as european elegance of a past era...

enescu was a very simple man....he did not prefer the high life, but rather liked an almost monastic life....to this end he did not live in the palace museum building but rather lived quietly in a far more simple house in the rear of the palace....that too is open to the public....seemed almost original, the way he left it when he emigrated from romania in the 1940's...

from the museum we took a taxi back to the hilton...behind the concert hall and the hotel we found a large wonderfully restored house which now contains a very "in" restaurant called cafe galleron...we had a nice lunch in their bar....afterwards we used their free computer to check e mails for the first time....internet cafes are not abundant in romania...

from there we headed back to the Antheneum to see if perhaps they might have spare tickets for that evening....in fact they had about 6 tickets left.....we purchased two...we were in box #1 just to the right of the stage....karen says we could spit on the first cellist if we wished.... tickets were 60 ron each...less than $30...WOW!!!

the program was Verdi's Requiem with misha katz conducting the george emescu orchestra....what a score for us...

we walked around a bit more and then returned to the hotel for another nap if you can believe it...

again the concert was early, so we decided that we would eat afterwards in one of the newish places in back of the theatre...

the theatre is magnificent in itself....our seats could not be better....slighly elevated so that we could observe the full stage as well as the full audience...

we shared the box with an australian couple who had secured their tickets the same way that we had...

there was a very large orchestra, a chorus of over 40 and 4 soloists...

mr katz (age 43, and born in russia) is a cross between abe lincoln and icabod crane (sp)...he is tall and exceptionally thin and makes lavish movements, jumps on the stage up and down, sways back and forth and accompanies this with unbelievable face gestures....alone he is a show in himself....

because of the size of the orchestra and the chorus there was only about 2 feet left at the front of the stage for him to stand along with the soloists.....we expected him to fall off at least 6 times with all his jumping around....he did not....

i would have preferred another piece of music but karen loved it...i enjoyed the theatrics of it all however....a lovely evening....

after the performance we tried to get into one restaurant and it was full...we squeezed into its neighbor, a newly built minimalistic place....the chef greeted us upon entrance because he had seen karen looking at it earlier in the day....we had a chat and he checked back with us to see how we enjoyed our meal....it was delicious...the restaurant is Byblos on str nichlae golescu 14/16...

1/2 bottle of white wine, one beer--local...water, caesar salad which we shared...i had tortellini and karen had pork loin and spuds...dessert was his version of tiramisu---almost like a custard....

149 ron

we had a nice walk back to the hotel along the main street...

did some repacking for our departure in the AM....

the beds were comfortable and the bathroom modern...the hotel is considered 5*, but i would rate it about 3.75*...it is a fairly busy place..i think the new romanian elite class use it quite a bit...

the next morning we were packing and taking our showers when the phone rang and it was the car delivery man....it was 9:15 and the car was not to have been delivered until 10....

we told him we would be down in a few minutes...

i found the car rental agency on a google search....the rental prices in romania are exceptionally high...
the agency is called cars4rent (www.cars4rent.ro)...i think it is a couple of guys running their own firm...their cars come with insurance at a mandatory 5 euros per day, although i opted for additional insurance at 8 euros per day to be safe....after day one i was glad that i had...

they delivered to us a dark blue renault megnne wagon disel, which was perfect for us....too big almost...i was glad of the power and some of the accessories, like power front windows....price for the 11 days was 514 euros including the extra 88 euros of insurance....substantially less than any other quote that i received...the car had 12,000 km on it...
i would use them again....no delivery charge and they met us at the international departures for the return of the car....

car delivered so we set to finish our packing and showers...

we went to a small coffee shop behind the hotel for a quick breakfast, packed up and were on the road by 9:30....

the rough guide maps helped us out of the city....we were headed towards pilesti which is north west...

the plot i had laid out resembled a huge light bulb.....starting in the south, heading northwest, then north, then east, then southwest, then south and back to bucherest....the airport is north of the city...

the roads were good and started out as a two lane divided "highway"...
almost immediately i noticed the erratic driver....they dart in and out of traffic and pass at all the wrong times....withing about 2 hours we had seen 4 accidents, one very bad one....i was glad of my additional insurance...

outside the city we encountered our first monestery....

interesting enclave and well preserved....c. 1388...

stopped along the way at a nice looking restaurant and had a quick lunch...soup and grilled sandwiches..

our goal for the day was to reach sibiu....

the countryside was nice....

we reached sibiu late in the afternoon and found our hotel, the casa moreau in the suburbs.....its a lovely 4* B&B in a neighborhood with no other businesses....the place is spotless and the room very comfortable....275 ron per night including breakfast/tax...they also have a small pool....they have a restaurant during the summer season as well but it was closed for the winter....a perfect spot...

they suggested a very romanian place for dinner called La Dobrun, just on the edge of the old town....

inside the restaurant resembles a large barn....they carry the theme throughout...its quite large....there is a huge farm wagon hanging from the ceiling....

at 8PM a band started playing...the locals began to stream in....

we had a bottle or transylvania reisling, water, bread (you have to pay extra and it does not come with butter---ever), grilled mushrooms with garlic, mixed veggies, and the traditional stuffed cabbage leaves with sausages, ham and polenta...way too much food....70 ron....

back to hotel and bed....again very comfortable...reminded me of zimmer frei places in germany....lots of wood ..

rhkmk, I'm glad the Intercontinental deal worked for you as well as it did for me, and I also noticed you visited the French Bakery as well. I wish we had been able to go to theatrical or opera performances, but these were not available in August. I am looking forward to reading the rest of your report outside of Bucharest.

the next morning we were up by 7:30...breakfast was in the basement...a nice little buffet plus eggs cooked to order-we were the only guests i think....i ordered an ommelette....my first mistake....it is fried in tons of oil and served sort of like a fried egg.....this continued for the rest of the trip so i stopped ordering that....its no omelette!!

after showering we headed into the old town....stopped at the hagia sophia look alike church....had some trouble finding parking and eventually stopped at the local outdoor market for a walk around...we love markets...

round the block again and back to the cathederal where there was parking....its really only one long block into the first of three squares in the old town....we visited the two smaller squares first, including the evangelical church with its tall climbable tower (we did not climb)....dracular's son is buried in this church....

we observed the stair passageway to the lower town with its lovely surrounding buildings, many of them renovated....

we walked across the so-called "liar's bridge"....it iron and has lovely flowers on it still..

sibiu has been designated as a special european cultural city in 2007...there has been lots of face lifting done...

we next visited the huge main square, called piatra mare....the buildings surrounding it are lovely and some are brightly painted...the old town hall in yellow, the large museum, the catholic church, among others....

we tracked down the hotel imparatul romanilor, considered by many to be the best hotel in town....frankly i think it has seen better days....we were glad we passed on it, but its location is excellent...

back to the car....stopped at the cathedral again and this time there were 4 weddings going on or lined up to go on....

it was raining a bit so we went back to the hotel...

guess what another nap as we were cold and tired...

at 6:30 we drove back into town....parked by the cathedral again and went in during a religious service....interesting...
walked over to the ciao italia restaurant in the piata mare...we had seen it in the afternoon...

55 ron brought us beer, wine, salad, bread, 2 pastas and 2 tiramisu....good but not fabulous...just right really...

we drove around the exterior of the city a bit and looked at the walled fortifications...

back to bed....

up on sunday morning and down for breakfast....this was another travel day....surprise....snow!! there was about an inche of snow---heavy and wet...no problem...

loaded up the car and we were off...the goal today was satu mare....i made a mistake in my planning as i really wanted to go to another city with a similar name, but honestly this worked out just fine too....

it remained cold until about 2PM, when the temp finally rose to about 40 F....it had been 1-2 C all morning...

we travelled through what our map and guidebooks said was very scenic country....hilly and mountaineous...but we saw none of it because of the snow, rain and fog...
there was a fair amount of heavy industry left over from communist days---much of it was abandoned....we saw this all over romania....buildings just sitting idle...

the roads were quite good this day...many have recently been repaved...

people continue to pass at very bad times and in bad weather too....not as safe as i might like, so i took it easy...

we skipped a couple of places that we had intended to stop, like cluj, becasue it was so wet and slippery under foot...

in one village, just outside a very large monestery, we found the alexia cafe/restaurant....

they spoke no english but we eventually ordered....unlike most places we ate in their menu was only in romanian...they found a man that spoke some english for us....this was our first and last experience with the famous romanian tripe soup....but we also had nice warm grilled sandwiches...the soup liquid was good and warming too...

about 4:30 we arrived at our satu mare hotel named Dana....its a newish place outside the town and served us well...

because of the weather we decided to eat in the hotel....we had a very nice young man as our waiter who spoke decent english...in fact he was the nicest person we met in romania.....he loved talking with us...he was a very bright guy...

our dinner was 67 ron....i had my first of many chicken schnitzl....it was the best i had during the whole trip...karen had pork again with au gratin spuds....one of our better meals...

the beds were again comfortable...67 euro per nite for the room including breakfast/tax...

there was a gas station right next door and a huge new superstore...

early to bed...

will travel---thanks again for the tip on the hotel points....it was a bargain....and a great location...

bookmarking cause I really want to read this one. welcome back.

Ok Bob - now honestly- how many times during this trip did you close your eyes, click your heels and repeat- there no place like BKK, there no place like BKK- hoping that when you opened your eyes your were back in the land of smiles- come on now the truth!

bill--many times....although in truth i always love visiting new places, even if i end up feeling that "its not my kind of place..."

downstairs for breakfast....this was the least nice buffet during our visit....

i took the car next door to fill it up...the first fill up of the trip...this car got fantastic mileage...cost 110 ron ($48)...i drove 668 km on this leg...disel was 3.28 ron per litre...

we headed out for the day towards baia mare (the place i had intended to stay)...after a while we encountered our first wooden church...perched on a hill all by itself...this is a brand new church...the wood was not even weathered....the individual shingles were cut into odd shapes and made a very decorative exterior....we were unable to gain entrance....it overlooked the lush farming countryside and hills...

the area was surrounded with mountains all of which had snow on their tops...

we eventually arrived in the town of Sapanta...this is where the famous "Merry Cemetery" is located...its about 6 km from the Ukraine border....we found it on a side street and spent the next hour looking around....i loved it...in fact it is one of my highlights...
the tombstones in this cemetery are all painted bright blue...they are hand carved by one man, who has since died, but new ones are done by his former assistant....there are verses and prose on each one, in romanian of course, that tell a little about that person and also wonderful carved pictures denoting something about the person's occupation, life or interests....
it was charming...

after our time in the cemetery, we continued along the village road deeper into the community....the people are mostly farmers....we encountered kids, adults, horse drawn vehicles and rural life, including lovely harvest scenes....it was one of the nicest villages which we visited....it pays to get off the main roads...strangely the people here much happier than in other locals...lots of smiles and waves...

we left this part of the village and sought out the tallest wooden church in romania....it is a bit controversial because it is built on a high stone base....purists claim it is thus not the tallest "wooden" church in europe.....it is new and is still being built...

while there we saw the 'mother superior' lay the workmen out verbally....she was tough....we had a laugh with them about her actions, behind her back...

in any case the structure is very impressive....

we continued on and finally reached the Perla hotel in Sighet Marnatiei..we had lunch there....this hotel's sister hotel was to have been our stop for the next nite, but since we already had covered this area we picked up a day on our trip to add in later (a full day stop in brasov)...i cancelled out res there...it was to have been our only one nite stop on the trip...

we looked around the medium sized town of sighet...

we spent the afternoon winding our way around the countryside looking at the wooden churches and the fabulous carved wooden gates that many people have outside their houses...many are two stories high...rope is often carved into the wood....i think it represents hospitality...

in gialieti we walked around a very old wooden church...there were chickens in the church yard and graves were overgrown with vegetation...

we worked our way back to satu mare and visited the Real store next to our hotel....its a super store...this type of thing is new to romania....it was like any one you now find all over europe...groceries, clothing, home goods.....karen noted that everything had a security tag on it, even the small plastic baskets that you gather your groceries in....

we had dinner that nite in the dana hotel again....49 ron....the same waiter who again was very talkative...

that nite i plugged our camera into the tv to review our pictures thus far....a few nice ones....they will be ready for review in a few days...i will post the site...

down to breakfast....this am there are many people in the dining room...smoke is an issue in many restaurants by the way....it is not as bad as say england or france used to be however...hotel was 340 ron for the 2 nites inclusive...

it is raining this morning...we head back towards baia mare...all along the road are old factories...ugly....

new homes are being built all over romania, so there is an influx of money from somewhere....in the past all people were given homes by the state, in the ugly concrete sturctures, when they married...this is no longer the case, so many of these new houses must be for the emerging younger middle class....many get started and then the money dries up so they stop building until they have more money...

along the way we stopped at a restaurant for lunch...no english...we wing it...end up with chicken soup and rolls...just right...19.4 ron...

we note the golds and browns of the trees as we pass the countryside...

we sought out one town that the guidebook noted as a place to see people in native costumes in their everyday life....that must have been a decade ago....now they have tv dishes on their roofs...no costumes...

we drove through beautiful vallies and then we reached the mountain roads....well let me say it was muddy...mud up to our hubcaps...there were huge roadworks on going....really slowed us down...our car was covered with mud...

i should note that all rail crossings are dangereous....they are either un-manned or with only a small gate....also the crossing itself is almost always a huge bump...gates come down about 5 minutes before the train passes...there are many of them...

we arrived at gura humorlui in the afternoon, our stop for the next two days....

we were housed at casa elena on the same road as the voronet monestery, our principal site of interest...

stu tower had suggested this wonderful hotel to us...i endorse his feelings....

elena is a series of buildings in a rural setting and a five minute drive to the reputed best painted monestery in romania....they have a very nice restaurant and nice grounds....our room was huge...a suite really with a nice bathroom and a seperate sitting room---almost like an enclosed porch...
205 ron per nite....the desk clerk had just returned from 2.5 years in nyc....she spoke great english...

speaking of 'ron'....the term ron and lei are interchangable for the romanian currency....i think next year they will convert to euros however...

the countryside this day was really beautiful...rolling hills, still very green...karen notes it was very "alpine"...villages, sheep, a dot of snow here and there...this helped us to forget the horrid construction along much of the roadway.... when it is done it will be a fabulous roadway through the countryside...at one point we drove through a high ski village with many hotels....

at dinner we met a lovely dutch/swiss couple....we were the only people in the dining room...

our dinner was quite delicious:
pork and chicken as mains...glass of wine and beer, water, peas, spuds, a wonderful sauted mushroom dish, and two crepes with jam for dessert, plus expresso....78 ron...

off to bed....

over to the dining room for breakfast....we sat with the swiss couple...

showers and hit the road....the english speaking front desk clerk gave us a nice map about the monestaries in the area....

we headed down our road to the end to visit voronet....it is truly magnificent....photo fee to take pictures, small entrance fee...

the blue background on the exterior paintings is unique and is in fact called 'voronet blue'....much of the painting is still in very good shape (c.1488), even exposed to the air and light...

the inside is also very interesting and serene....

we then visited the Humor monestery nearby...

the countryside in this area is lovely...

we visited some others, some of which had "folk art" style paintings....some were in very bad shape...

had lunch at the Bucovina Restaurant near putna....18 ron...soup, and cheese and tomato sandwiches...warming on a damp day...

putra was a fantastic place to visit with wonderful paintings inside, some of which are still being restored...

karen decided that maybe we should have a piece of the famous black pottery from this area....finally found a shop that sells it but we did not like it at all...

more monesteries in the afternoon..

over the mountains and through the fog...we finally ran out of time as it was getting dark....we did manage to see most of them...

up to the dining room at casa elena for dinner....chateau briand (their spelling) for dinner--ok but not fabulous...a nice dinner after a long day....no price recorded...but not bad...

Bob - love your trip report. Seems like an adventure to me. I doubt they will convert to Euro so soon. Will take some more years.

I started posting my trip report on the US board. Just click on my name; you know the trick.

Ingo

Bob et al:

I'm enjoying every line of your fine report..nostalgic for me. Happy you liked the Casa Elena..good base for visiting the painted churches. It was I who suggested that you skip Satu Mare and base yourself in Baia Mare for the wooden church visits all around that part of Maramuresh..but no matter, you're doing fine.

>>>new homes are being built all over romania, so there is an influx of money from somewhere....in the past all people were given homes by the state, in the ugly concrete sturctures, when they married...this is no longer the case, so many of these new houses must be for the emerging younger middle class..<<<

Just to clear this up, most of the newer houses you come across in that part of Romania particularly, are facetiously called, "The Italian Houses"... because the owners/bulders are folks who go to Italy for a few years, sock away their money, and build cheaply in their hometown. Some periodically return to work in Italy and come home every six months or so. I suppose you could call them the "emerging middle class" with all the relatively big money they
make in Italy and other Western European countries.

Awaiting the rest of your report and the pix..

Stu Tower

Yikes! How did this nearly new thread get to almost the bottom of page 2 so quickly?? Busy forum!

TTT...

Still reading your report B and K.

Carol

breakfast in the dining room again and on the road by 10:20....we had trouble with our credit cards working....europe now seems to be moving very swiftly towards requiring a pin number for all card use....i finally used my debit card...

casa elena 410 ron for two nites...

needed cash....atms are no problem in most towns...i also needed gas...atms always have english as an option...no fees...

lots of road construction this day on our way to piatra neamt...

let me say something here about transportation....

we saw all kinds....modern auto, including SUVs, range rovers, lots of benz, two RR and modern Dacia's the romanian car....they look today like small toyotas....
but it was the old dacias that looked so odd....communist era styling...they are usually the slow cars on the roads...

but in every town and city, except bucharest, it was the horse drawn wagons that caught my attention...wagons generally were long narrow wooden wagons with four rubber tires...they were drawn by one or two horses...many had a pony in training running alongside...

we saw them carry people, stones, cattle, other animals, hay, corn husks, sand, more people, small machines, more wood than you have ever seen in the last 100 years...in short they are the work horse of local transport...they were everywhere....after dark they were generally off the road but not always...some were licensed, some not....they had no lights...

auto drivers drive like madmen...they pass on corners, going up hills, in all the wrong places....they drive fast too....
the trains move slowly-- some are new but most are old...
we saw some buses--large mini vans really...
we saw very few tourist buses....

road works were generally very primitive in most areas, often relying on hand labor...

we found a car wash that day to get rid of some of the mud...12 ron ...wash was a hand held unit operated by an attendant....he spent quite a while doing it...

we drove through apple country heading south...

lunch was at mcdonalds in succeva so as not to waste time...35 ron--not cheap...

we were heading towards the town of Tarpesti where the Popa Museum is located....this is not to be missed...we finally found it..

the museum is to show the works of Neculai Popa, a noted sculpture, and his wife, who designs costumes and carved masks....

we parked at the rear of the property, a series of several buildings....we walking into the yard and began taking pictures as no one seemed to be around....we called out a few times, but not response...

finally a very old woman, mrs elena popa, appeared from her house at the rear of the complex.....she speaks no english at all....she smiled and so did we....she is humped over and i guess about 90 years old.....

she walked us back to the gate, so we guessed we were being led out....but no, she just wanted to start a tour properly....she described each sculpture in the yard to us and laughed...we understood not a word, but laughed back...she took us into the first building....over the door were some of her fabulous masks....see my pictures...
inside were more masks, tons of costumes, including elaborately embroidered vests made from sheep hides...she demonstrated one headress for us and sang a song to go with it...she jumped around as it was an animal outfit...
the next room had more of the same...she did a christmas skit in there...and a song...

she took us to the next building which contained more museum quality pieces including rustic paintings...in this area she had a few items for sale....we bought two of mr popa's wood carvings for a very inexpensive price...wall decorations...

mr popa then came out of the house to meet us....seems that he was taking a nap....he is a sharpe old guy....again no english...we took some pictures of them and departed having had a thoroughly wonderful and unique experience....no admission fee...

their village is quite lovely and pastoral....

back on the road as the afternoon was runing short...

we arrived in PN by late afternoon and easily found the amazingly ugly hotel central (thanks stu)....it is a tall cement ugly structure in the middle of town...pay parking out front which was great and a small attached mini mall--ugh...

we liked the 3* hotel a lot...perfect for us...again 2 rooms and a balcony...there is an active nightclub in the building, but we did not hear a peep from it and it was very busy both nights we were there...soundproof i guess...

waked over to the adajacent bakery to buy one of stu's favorite pastries---rum soaked---for our dessert...yum...

we ate this nite in the hotel because i was tired....decent, but unmemorable...

the one romanian word i learned was "unt"...not sure of spelling....but it means butter...they never serve it...and when you ask for it they bring one tab....the bread is only so so and very dry so you need butter....they also only have toast upon request in the morning....and again my unt word came in handy....plenty of jam and honey but no 'unt'

a comfortable room and bed...nothing special but clean and comfortable and well located in town....the town is quite ugly however consisting largely of those huge cement apartment buildings....

hi rhkkmk: i'm enjoying your report of your trip to romania veryvery much. i will be going next spring with my daughters and a friend who lived in bucuresti during 4 very happy years. i will have to ask stu to recommend the rum pastries... lavici

i no longer have his e mail with their name....he may chime in...

I'm glad I came across this report. Very interesting and varied itinerary, Bob. I can't wait to see your pictures.

Hey Bob,

Enjoying the report. Agree about Casa Elena too. I remember getting a giggle out of one of the waitresses there for being able to say "good night" in Romanian, probably badly. Everyone does seem very nice there. On the other hand, I don't think you missed anything by not staying someplace associated with the Perla in Sighet. They had too much 'tude for my tastes.

I'll be back to catch up on the rest of the story in 2 weeks, once we're back from HK and Oz. On our way tomorrow... (but no BKK either )

hey guys,
great stories.
I will reach Bucharest soon.
I just wanted to say "Thank you for your tips!"
Biux

hey rhkkmk! hi... wonderful trip report, i'm boookmarking it for my own trip as part of my investigation. as to the pastries someone called fredi from israel chimed in ( i have stu's email) and told me they were called savarins... where can you get them? thanks lavici

breakfast was over in the ball room...sounds nicer than it is...many choices but K says lousy coffee... the burffet was ok at best..

left the hotel at 9:30 and headed toward Bicaz and the Bicaz Gorge...the town is at the foot of a lake created by a huge dam.... we head in the direction of the Red Lake--- its brown in reality...the river along the road is really rushing...there are farms along the way...we climb....we encounter a number of small waterfalls along the road...the road was created with huge rock overhangs over the road surface...its a bit unique...this continues right through the huge gorge... there are tourist shops in many places along the way....still nothing worth buying...its amazing, we have not bought one thing....over the summit and on to red lake...what a disappointment....the area is pretty, but the lake leaves a lot to be desired.....one of its attractions are weird logs sticking up from the lake surface at odd angles....not sure what that is all about...the woods are thick in this area which makes it very pretty however...

we pass throuth factory towns and see lots of wood (trees) being taken from the forest....wood is a huge product in romania...many heat with it....

along the way we stop for lunch at the mures hotel--3*...soup and bread for me and gnoches for K... 16 ron...

we continue to drive through valleys and over mountains...lots of logging...

we head back toward bicaz on the other side of the lake and it is very pretty from way up high...

back in PN we bought more pastry for our dessert and went to do internet....the cafe was full of teens and 20 somethings, all playing games....we spent about 1/2 hr to 45 min and the cost was 3 ron...

we wanted a good dinner this nite...we asked about italian...Villa Italia was the choice....hard to find....it was in back of the hotel in the middle of a huge group of those cement hi rise apartment buildings....very dreary area, but fantastic restaurant...burrbita, 65 is the address...

brushetta--their speciality---fresh and delicious....osco busco for K, beef carpaccio and cannelone for me, green salad, wine, beer and water...74 ron...fantastic...

back to the hotel... many weddings going on as it is the weekend...we had been warned about this by an american guy who was sitting next to us at the internet and also was staying long term at the hotel....no noise however...

ate our pastries and off to bed...

Sat, the 27th

remember i picked up a day earlier in the week....so now i would slide it back in....instead of just a stop in brasov we decided to make a day and nite out of it and then we would be right back on schedule...

i had the desk clerk in PN call the pensionne Montana in Brasov for us....there was a room available...fantastic..

so i paid our bill, 380 ron for two nites, and we were on our way...they valadate for parking btw...

lots of mountains today...gypsies...farms, and old factories...

along the way i was fortunate enough to receive a speeding ticket...156 ron ($75) payable to the cop or at the PO...i paid the cop...what the hell, i'm on vacation.. 13 mph over the speed limit in a town....

going up a mountain we came across a lovely little eatery where we stopped for lunch....charming and very alpine....we had mac and cheese, romanian style....perfect...

lots of fields along the way still growing crops: sugar beet, horse radish, potatoe and of course cabbages...

one town we went through is noted as a 'hungarian town'...at almost every driveway there were stands selling cabbages in large bags, and 50/100 lb bags of spuds....garlic and onions too....many also were offering a very odd pastry....we stopped to check it out...it is about 15-18 inches long, about 5 inches in diameter and about 1/4 inche thick...

the base is a dough which is formed around a barell and then has a sugar glaze applied to the exterior....this is then cooked over a small charcoal fire until done....quite delicious...we bought one and took it along to supplement breakfasts the next two days...5 ron

it really resembles a huge juice can with the ends removed....it peels off in stripes...yum...

in brasov we follow the signs to Polina Brasov, the hilltop ski area...as we begin our ascent the montana is on your right...

this is a fantastic B&B....bright green in color and hid amidst many trees....without the trees one would have a fantastic view of all of brasov....they have left them there for privacy however...the owner speaks english and is very pleasant as is his helper, a young guy....

we seem to be the only guest this nite....fine....they upgrade us to the one suite...fantastic...very lovely with a huge balcony from which we can see the hills and the welcomming sign, 'BRASOV', way up in the hills...there is a large comfortable sitting room which the guests may share with a huge TV...

after unpacking the car we drove up the mountain to the ski area....there are many huge hotels up there....i bet it would be fun in the winter...

from there we drove down into the town--the old town square...

we walked around as it grew dark...i took some pics of the beautiful buildings and the square...the "black church" is located there...

we decided to have chinese for dinner... the rest. was a huge one right in the center...on the outside it was a fantastic romanian building and on the inside they had managed to create an asian flavor...

you have undoubtably noticed that we did not eat romanian very often...we honestly found the food bland, boring and not all that good...we really missed veggies and green salads...fresh veggies are hard to come by...canned and frozen seem to be the norm, except for mushrooms, which i ordered almost every dinner....

back to the B&B and a restful quiet nite...

the time changed this nite just past...

a very nice breakfast was served in the breakfast room... 210 ron for the nite and well worth it...

had some difficulty finding our way out of town, but finally we made it..

heading for Bran, the site of the so-called Dracular Castle....really its bran castle....its for sale for $13 million if you are interested...

it was the favorite home of Queen Marie...its an odd place really...lots of little rooms, up and down staircases...

worth a visit...its perched on a hill in the middle of the small town... 6 ron to get in...after our visit we headed across country so as not to back track...nice farming country...eventully we ended up on a third class road that was the worst we had been on...huge pot holes, etc...thanks Karen...at least it wasn't dirt like the cross country roads she usually directs me to...

eventually we reached Sighsoara...along the way and just 30 miles before Sigh., we stopped for a late lunch of soup and bread...

the old town of Sigh. is the oldest citidel in europe that is still inhabited... its quite special and like many places in romania is undergoing huge renovations....our B&B (only B really) is the Legenda and is on the main street....its only a few very comfortable newish rooms (5)...

access to the citidel is limited and you have to pay 12 ron.... i was able to get a free parking space right in the small main square....

you drive through two huge arches to enter the town area...its very medeval...the buildings are in various states of repair....its lovely really....hordes decend during the day so nite and early morning are the best times to walk around.....there is a huge clock tower containg a museum and a few shops and restaurants....also a couple of churches...there are several places to stay...

we try to go to dracular's birth house for our dinner...its now a restaurant, but they are closed so we decide on casa wagner, one of the hotels in town....we had heard good things about it....lies all lies....it was terrible...the service was bad, the food was only ok, at best...i never got what i ordered and it cost 86 ron...we headed to the singisoara hotel (largest in town) for dessert...it was lovely and we were again the only people there...

btw, we heard other complaints while we were having dinner and from other people around town...sounds like they are slipping...wagner that is...

started to rain a bit so off to bed in our very comfortable room...

Oh no, a ticket? You didn't see that cop standing at attention along the road in all the small towns? lol sorry, not laughing about the ticket, we just thought the standing cops were great, even when they turned out to be cardboard cutouts.

Could have just been our timing though.

Really enjoying this Bob, thanks for taking the time to do it! Can't wait to see the pictures.

Cyn

clif.....the cop was in a car coming down the road the other way....he held a red and white baton out the window for me to stop...he was very polite and programed his mind to speak english after a minute or two...almost like a robot....

no breakfast was served at legenda, but they do offer coffee....

we went back to the sign. hotel for a nice breakfast with warm toast, at our request...same nice waiter...

we walked around the village for most of the morning....at one point we visited a small shop on a back street that had the nicest things we had seen during the whole trip....we made a number of purchases from this nice young lady, including a nice clay pot for a fodors friend we would be visiting later in england...
karen also bought a number of door hangings....they are made of stiffened burlap or a similar substnace and are decorated with chilis, corn, and other natural items....quite unique...we are told that they are a traditional hungarian concept...we also bought 1/2 dozen hand painted hollow eggs, a traditional romanian craft...she packed them nicely for us..
this lady also offers B&B in newly outfitted rooms in the house that her family has owned for many years...there is a coffee shop there as well....she took us on a tour of the B&B....

we visited one of the churches, walked around the tin maker's tower---each occupation had a tower around the wall in Sign....

if you are looking for a place to stay i would suggest, casa legenda or a newly refurbished place called casa epoch---it looks fantastic and the lady spoke decent english...

we had lunch at the House on the Rock, just on the main square...this is run by a foundation based in Quincy Ma...i think it is the church of the nazarene ....the lunch was delicious and they have fantastic pies as well and pastry....the best place in town...they even sell "american cookies"--chocolate chip....
we had delicious quiche, and pie for dessert....

we also bought desserts for that evening and breakfast items for the next morning so we could eat in the room...

their rooms are painted a bright turquoise, floor, ceiling and walls...

in the afternoon we decided to take a drive out into the countryside...

the countryside was beautiful with rolling hills and farming...we visited a couple of walled churches...

one "B" road that we tried to use was so pot holed that i turned around and went the long way around...

i took lots of pics that afternoon...

one of our most unique romanian experiences happened as it was getting dark....in a small village, which had tons of traffic, including 18 wheel trucks and cement trucks (nearby cement factory), we encountered about 100 cows returning home from pasture...they were all over this small village road....they own the place or so you would think....traffic came to a stop...it took about 15 minutes to go 100 yards....we just laughed and enjoyed it....each cow knows where they live and when they reach their gate, they just enter....they were unattended....it was a hoot...took pics of course...one truck driver blew his horn...don't know what he thought that would do....probably turned that cows milk to cream....

back to Sign. and paid our 12 ron again at the gate...

that nite we ate at casa du cerb, right on the square....its the building with the famous deer's head sticking out at the corner of the building on the 2nd floor....

we ate in a newly created wine cave with its rounded roof....delicious dinner...63 ron...very nice waitress....much better than casa wagner the previous nite...

the town is really geared for tourists....its on the cusp and will in 5 years be like so many other western european sites---overrun....

in retrospect, it probably was our favorite stop...

dessert in the room....

checked out after our in room breakfast....245 ron for two nites...

headed back to brasov which took about 1.5 hours....

soon we were climbing and back in mountain country....soon we were able to see the famous dual peaks above sinaia, our stop for the next two nite....snow on the mountain tops....

in one pass we stopped and had lunch at a nice ski hotel...we were the only people eating....great view from our table of the mountains...Rozmarin hotel was our lunch stop...

we arrived in sinaia about mid-afternoon....this is the site of the most visited site in romania: Peles Castle...

i had found a new hotel on the internet called Bastion Hotel...it is located on the grounds of the castle and is in fact the former stables....its charming and i would urge you to stay there...

we wandered into the town in the late afternoon....typical ski town...we found it quite boring but the sights within it were not we would learn the next day...

finally posted some postcards to home...

off the main road and going up the hillside we encountered many lovely older huge homes....obviously this area has seen wealth for many years....as the seat of the summer residence of royality many courtiers had built homes there...this continues today as the newly wealthy with interests in skiing and the outdoors are building chalets there today...

at the top of the road above town we came across the Taverna Restaurant, which was also listed in our guidebooks....at 4PM the place was full, so we decided we would return there for dinner later as this was a good omen....full name: Taverna Sarbului....

we returned to the hotel....

about the hotel: in the public areas their theme color is green, sort of a dartmouth green...with cream overtones...it is used throughout the hotel...the hotel was built and is owned by an american romanian who lives in chicago...

there is a large meeting room on one side of the lobby and on the other side is a mirror room which is the lovely dining room....both have horse themes....you can see how there were stalls in both of these rooms...we loved it...

our room was a small double, which was very adequate for us...there was a nice new bathroom as well...the hotel is a series of small buildings around a central courtyard where there is an outside terrace and the bar faces out onto this terrace...

the castle is a 5 minute walk up the drive...its a lovely wooded area with a stream running through it...

the furniture is of an old style...we thought it might have even been some of the servant's furniture....but it has all been sanded and repainted with a new mircle smooth paint, making it lovely and comfortable....the beds were exceptional...

this is probably the best place we stayed in romania...its a must stay if in this area...

that morning as we were packing up our car in Sign. we had met two CA women who were wandering around the town...we had a nice conversation...they were doing a tour very much like our own, but they had a car and driver....we told them where we were staying in sanaia as they were headed there as well....

at 6PM our phone rang and it was them....what were we doing for dinner?? we said we had picked a place and would they like to join us...sure....their driver was only for daylight hours, so i said i would pick them up about 7...they were staying at the palace hotel in town....

so up to the Taverna we went...there were less people there at 7:15 so we got a table right away...we had a nice dinner sampling many things of romanian fare....204 ron for the 4 of us...

after dinner we decided to show each other our hotels...they were quite imressed with ours....theirs was tired elegance....

btw, they hated their driver who was sort of rude and told them little about what they were seeing...this reaffirmed to me that i had made a good decision to do it alone...i know he is only one of many but .....

off to bed

halloween and we were in the land of dracular....not a note of anything there....it was just like any other day....odd....

down to the dining room for our included breakfast....bingo...our second very nice waiter in two weeks...a real nice young guy...he even brought me 'unt'.....

as the castle did not open until 11 we decided to visit the Eunesco summer home across the river first....it did not open till 10 but the caretaker let us in early...what a fantastic place...far nicer and perfectly preserved, unlike his bucharesti place....

the feel of the home is sort of spanish/moorish....its white and fits into its site well...

the origninal furnishings remain in tack and they are lovely indeed, especially the fabulous wooden items...never have i seen such grain in woods...his pianos are still there....its an attractive place over all....upstairs are the bedrooms and his work spaces, where he gave piano lessons....the queen was a patron....

back to the hotel....we walked up the drive to peles...not only is peles there but also pelisor, a palace built for the son and daughter in law of the king...the queen did not like the DIL so she did some weird things in the pelisor palace decorating, but we loved it....very art deco....

we toured pelisor first....we really liked it especially the tiffany and lalique items....there is a gold room in there that almost feels like outer space...

because these two are national treasurers you are required to wear cloth footies over your shoes...there are tons of guards also who watch you like hawks...

9 ron for entrance to pelisor...photo passes are available but they are very expensive...i declined...you visit three floors...they offer a guided tour but because there were not enough english people the lazy romanian staff told us just to walk through on our own...i wanted to ask for a discount...

from there we walked down the hill a bit to peles...lots of security we noticed....later we found out that the romanian president was expected for a photo shoot....

the grounds are nice but not elaborate....not much $$ has been spent on keeping them in shape...woods are "dirty" and leaves are all around...grass is not mowed recently...lack of funding i gather...

we had to wait for an english tour for about 1/2 hour...fine...there is a seperate entrance for people requiring foreign language tours...12 ron is the entrance here..

our guide, a very personable man, greeted the 4 of us--another american couple had shown up...we began our comprehensive tour...we loved the guide who was funny and informative...it was like a private tour...

the place is amazing....the wood carving alone is over the top....the palace was started in 1875 and completed in the early 1900's....its amazing that it had running water, central vacuums,central heating--which is still in use today, air conditioning and full electric lighting....all very modern for its time...

we were overwhelmed by this place, and we have been to many palaces...

back to our hotel by 1:30....we had lunch in the dining room....fabulous and i mean fabulous caesar salads....the first really good green salads of this trip...

decided to drive towards Pucheni....we went up and over a mountain pass and decended into a gypsie village along a river bank...their main product was flat stones from the river bed...they were piled high outside each home....if you slowed down they came running out to try and sell you...

we also saw a pig being carved up in a back yard...

they would run after you hoping to get $$ if you took their picture...

we drove back to the hotel and encountered the presidential motorcade on our way....all cars were stopped....

we decided to have dinner in the hotel that nite...

same waiter....really nice guy...
chicken tarragon in cream sauce, rosemary pots, huge plate of grilled mixed variety wild mushrooms and onions, salad, and crepes and jam for dessert....delicious 84 Ron...we had had wine and beer in our room before had after our day of touring...

only hotel complaint...no church key in the rooms...

awoke at 7AM by an unrequested wake up call....a new group had come into the hotel for a conference the nite before, so we gather someone had given the desk the wrong number...

this moring there was a buffet breakfast as we were no longer the only residents....the previous nite we felt like we were in our own hunting lodge for the nite with servants all around...

250 ron per nite for the hotel and breakfast...

this was to be our last day in romania as we had a flight at 3PM to London...

i had allowed for a leisurely drive back to the bucharest airport from sinaia...we had a date to meet the car guy at 1PM at the departures door....it was two lane highway all the way back to the airport...

stopped for an early lunch at a mcdonalds and hung out there for a bit as we were early....we made a trial run into the airport and left to buy gas....

we were still a bit early and made a pass through the airport and i dropped K off with the luggage...just as i was pulling away from the curb a car passed me and signaled for me to pull over...it was the car guy....he took one look at the gas gauge and said fine---how was the car and i relied fantastic....bye....and we were finished....i had pre-paid on the delivery of the car....i had driven 1900 miles...

the international building is quite small....we moved right through check-in at B/A, immigration and into the lounge area....

this concludes the romanian portion of my trip report....i will write a short report on the week in england next, but as we have been to england over 30 times it will be quite uninteresting i am sure...no sighseeing really...

i will conclude with a few final thoughts on romania at the very end...

thanks for reading....

bob and karen, age 63, retired
boston

it was the old dacias that looked so odd....communist era styling

Actually it is an almost exact copy of the Renault 12. Dacia is a joint French-Romanian enterprise with most of the designs coming from Renault.

Still enjoying the report, Bob and Karen. A few comments-

My parents first visited Romania in 1979 (and boy was the food and living standard then, under communism, GRIM) and their favorite memory was seeing a herd of cows arriving home to a village at the end of the day. They described it just as you do.

We had the same pastry as you did - got it at a Hungarian bakery in Bran. We've also had the same thing in the Christmas market in the Old Town Square in Prague. Delicious!

In Sighisoara we ate dinner at the Hotel Sighisoara and had quite good food. We loved the breakfast spread there. Actually, we enjoyed our stay at that hotel, and the desk staffer was quite friendly - he let us use the computer behind the desk and even gave us his chair.

Thanks for the info on restaurants and hotels. I'm filing away the info for my return to Romania. We had salad quite frequently, and found cucumbers and tomatoes ubiquitous.

there were lots of salads, but they were mostly of the pickled type, like you find in germany so often....we wanted green lettuce...

hi bob is the nme of thae delicious rum pastry savarin by any chance? lavici

when i decided how we would get to romania i had an option for a stop over....since we were flying through london, i thought why not stop over for a few days...it ended up as a full week...

so upon our arrival at heathrow we picked up our rental car (through A/A partner)...we headed to our priceline hotel, the holiday inn in maidenhead....a great hotel btw...35 pounds on the UK priceline site...

we checked in and asked about some dinner....i wanted indian...two were offered...

we selected the one outside town on the Windsor Road....its in an old pub and is called Emperor of India (original name??)...it was full even though we arrived a bit late...after a few minutes wait we were seated...the service was fantastic, unlike most indian restaurants....it was a family affair and i think they really took pride in their product....the product was the best indian food we have ever had...even better than in india last year...

our menu was: chicken tikka, chicken korma, sag paneer, rice, nan and kulfi....we were stuffed...29 pounds...

how do you say perfect!!!

friday nov 2....

breakfast in our room from the gas station bakery next to the hotel...good...on the road heading north to worcester by 8:45....this was to be our pottery day...

oh i should put in one of my failings here....karen asked for the english maps upon our arrival....i said....ah....ah...they are on my floor in the computer room at home....good place for them...we purchased a new english atlas book at the gas station next door to the hotel...whew....

we drove through stratford and it looked so different since our last visit..

we drove through a really nice little town called Wraxton....we would like to return there some day...very british...beautiful buildings...thatched roofs and all...

we hit the royal worcester pottery works in downtown worcester first....we have been there many times in the past....always good buys, especially in the remainders and seconds area...our youngest daughter's china is royal worcester...

THE POUND HAS BEATEN US UP HOWEVER...

bought only a couple of things..

we had a nice lunch in their cafe...

back on the road by 12:15 heading further north to stoke on trent, our main pottery visit town...

first stop was the spode shop...this is a great place for bargain hunters...in fact they were having their periodic sale and even had a seperate showroom set up for this event...very reasonable stuff...nothing much we needed but we did manage a couple of soup plates (95p each--that's about $2.20)) for everyday use and another thing or two...

on to the wedgwood outlet...perfect...this is really where we needed to go...most of our china is wedgwood...

we bought some of our everyday china (sarah's garden) and several baby gifts...some odds and ends too and had enough for one box to be sent....30 pounds for air UPS...it arrived yesterday....they do a fantastic job packing...

we bought some gifts for english friends as well that we would be visiting...

we visited the royal doulton outlet next door but nothing hit our fancy...

it was getting dark so we headed back to the holiday inn i had reserved in stafford at junc 13 off the M-6... 36.75 pounds...

again a perfect place for us...very small room but for one nite it was just right....newish building...

we asked for dinner suggestions and we ended up just across the parking lot at Orange Square....what a unique place....it looked like a chain rest. but in fact is privately owned and has just this location... they offered thai, chinese, indian and british foods...plus mexican...perfect choice as we were very tired...service was not great but food was fine...

did some internet in the lobby for maybe 15 minutes--pay...

off to bed..

up at a decent hour and out to the buffet breakfast...the usual HI/fairfield/hilton gardens breakfast...good enough for us this day...

they claim our room is paid for but i don't think i prepaid...i'm not going to argue...maybe the receipt is with the maps karen suggests..

we meander around on 2ndary roads enjoying the scenery....we stop for lunch at a lovely pub called fox and crane in nuneaton....good food and a charming atmosphere on the inside...

off we go heading to henley in arden...we had been invited by smeagol, from fodors, to spend the nite with them....we had met up in thailand last year after much correspondence...nikki and david (muffin, as we call him--don't ask) are a really nice and fun couple...we hit it off immediately in thailand so this came as a nice add on to our trip....we had really been looking forward to our visit with them...

we arrived at their lovely cottage by late afternoon....they have a 200 year old detached cottage on the main street in henley...its charming and is a work in progress, as are many of our houses...they are young so have plenty of time to get it up to their standards, which i will add are high...

we were royally greeted...we had tea...and tons of chatting...soon it was time to change for dinner....nikki had made a reservation for the 4 of us, plus two of their friends, at an upscale pub nearly across the road....Bluebell...

before heading over to the pub we enjoyed some hors and champagne...

the pub was crowded...it is really more of an upscale restaurant than a pub....thank god we had a res...we were seated at a large table immediately...

we had so much fun....so many laughs...craig and katie, the friends are just as easy to know as are nikki and david, so that made for a really nice evening...laugh and more laughs...

our dinner was excellent...the owner came by a few times to chat....at the end of the meal we had a longer chat with him....he too is a hoot...

after dinner we walked back to the cottage where we drank some more...champagne and home made slo-gin and had more laughs...

off to bed about 1....A PERFECT NITE!!!

nikki--thanks again...now you must come to boston!!! SOON!!!!

sunday morning came all too soon...

david made us his version of an english breakfast....fantastic...no grease by the way...see my pics...

we took our leave from their house about 1PM heading to our friend's house in bexleyheath, kent, south of london...

a note here...our friends in bexleyheath are actually karen's friends....karen and joan have been pen-pals for 50 years, next year...since they were 14...

we see them as often as we can...they will come to boston in september so that we can have a proper celebration of the 50 years...

we had a bite to eat and retired after tons of talk... joan had made me a triffle which i love...

on monday we drove out into the kent countryside as we often do...we love the oast houses and thatched roofs so prevelent in kent..

we had lunch at a lakeside cafe, where we have been before...homemade...

in the late afternoon we visited one of their children who also lives with her kids in bexleyheath...

that nite we went to the local indian restaurant for a meal...good as always... 77 pounds+

bed


the next day we had a nice breakfast again at our friends'...it was a quiet morning....i did some internet...we had lunch...

we then departed for oxted in surrey...we would spend our last two nites with other friends...

we had a nice cocktail hour or so and then a roasted lamb dinner...as always very delicious...

sandy made me my favorite english dessert...bread and butter pudding, but this time she used croissants, whiskey and white chocolate....how do you say sinful....

i should tell you about their house...you enter at street level...their lot slopes down quite steeply, so there are 4 levels to this house...two bedroom floors and a dining/kitchen/living room floor with terrace and a lower level...its a most interesting house...how do you say mountain goat...it is charming really...

bed by 11...

wednesday nov 7...our last full day...

breakfast in the conservatory...we then decided that we would go to windsor for the day as karen wanted to see the special exhibit on royal weddings, and S&C had not been to windsor since the fire...

on our way out of oxted we drove by mr fayed's estate where doddie is buried...high hedges!! and tons of security...

we arrived in time for lunch....no not at the castle...a small sandwich shop in the mall close to eton bridge...

we were almost alone in windsor castle...12.70 pounds for senior admission now...they have really stream lined the entrance since our last visit...

i should note that windsor castle is one of my favorite tourist sites anywhere...i always love visiting there and always see new things...

we did the full tour inside....it is magnificent...i should have been born royal, instead of just rich...haha...

lovely day

on our way back to oxted we stopped to pick up their daughter in law....she is thai and offered to cook us all a thai dinner that nite....we originally met sandy and chris in bangkok, btw...

karen participated in the prep....she took lots of notes...

the multi-course dinner was delicious...

we had such a nice evening with them, as we always do...

our flight on thursday did not leave until 5:55 so we had an easy day...we went into downtown oxted for some last minute gifts....nice shops...

we had a good indian lunch and then back to their house to pack up the car...on our way by 2...

turned in the car and easy ride to A/A for the on-time flight...

end to a great trip....

a few impressions will follow...

i want to be kind and honest in my observations of romania...here goes...

we anticipated this trip to be one of adventure into a country yet to be fully discovered and appreciated.. it lived up to that billing...

we were disappointed in the dowr, rimes with sour, attitude of most romanians...few honest smiles...

the food was a disapointment, but we expected that...

costs were higher than we had expected...that will only increase i fear...

the sights were limited when you compare it to austria or germany or the czech rep...but there are some fantastic sights: peles, wooden churches, monesteries, painted churches--inside and out, open country side...

the way of life is slow....the driving is not...the life seems mostly aggraian...but closed factories dot the landscape too...and so do some new factories..

the economic state is fair to poor i should think now but the EEC will change that...

bucharest was a pleasant surprise...we liked it quite a bit...we had been told to skip it...

gas was expensive but not outrageous like england ($8. per gallon)...

driving was very easy if you paid attention...the roads improve daily...i had basically no complaint with the roads...

many romanians take poor risks when driving...they pass when it is unsafe and they drive way too fast for some conditions....there are many accidents...

atm's are everywhere...

there is little to nothing to buy for soveniers..this disappointed us...we bought one 4 inche plate for ourselves and one door hanging...

cloting generally is drab...

like most places the young are changing that however...

hotels are decent but not lux...we did not do any homestays...

many menus have english sub-titles

would we return?: i don't think so...

were we glad we went?...of course...we love new explorations..

will we try other unexplored european sites: yes if there are any left...

thanks again to all who answered my fodors questions as i planned this trip...

comments are welcome

bob

I've been to Romania twice, mostly Transylvania, in last four years. I have eaten at fatastic restaurants for under $10 American (no alcohol, but everything else) per person. I have traveled through incredible mountians, seen astonishing castles, toured gorgeous cathedrals, visited quaint (but primitive) villages, met wonderful people. I did have friends in Romania that provided help with our itinerary. One must keep in mind Romania has been the slowest recovering eastern bloc nation and you have to pick and choose what you do, where you go, etc. Its far less developed than much of Europe. Rail travel can be miserable and taxi drivers are notoroius rip-off artists. Armed with such information, you can have a wonderfu, inexpensive holiday. Have seen some less than complimentary comments about Romania here and am wondering how our experiences were so different?

don't know steve....we were expecting that things would be much less expensive but still we did find then way cheaper than the rest of europe...

we make travel friends very easily and found that in romania this was almost impossible...they just seem so stand-off-ish...

i'm glad you had wonderful experiences....like so many things in life, different strokes for different folks...

thanks Bob, for a great insightful trip report!
You got alot of friends here, who needs Romania

thanks mimi

I didn't really get a chance to chat with people, considering my short stay, but I think that it's quite possible (speaking as an amateur psychoanalyst) that the Ceaucescu regime would leave scars that would make casual, open conversation feel quite dangerous, and it might take some more time to get over this.

hi guys!
meet EFIAVI (fredi), father of gal from bkk, born in romania and living now in israel. I love romania, and ready to help anybody travelling there .
Few tips:
-If u dont like hotels-like me-, bucharest has many apartments 4 hire, not expensive! and u can cook yr meals -if u know how- and drink yo own-made coffee ! I used www.romvision.ro - excelent!They picked me up at airport (20 euro)and helped with luggage.
-Country-tourism (called agrotourism) is developping fast, and there are many guesthouses (pension) all over romania! Cheap, clean , feel the real romanian way of life and eat real traditional romanian food (not like bob's "ROMANIAN FOIE GRAS" ) cooked by owner herself.See www.antrec.ro .
-the "rum pastry" is SAVARIN - try the one at famous CAPSA pastry shop (opposite hotel CAPITOL on CALEA VICTORIEI RD.).Delicious!and if u get there, taste some FONDANTE- u will never forget the taste!
-Never take TRIPE CIORBA (SOUP) - locals love it, but has an odd taste...Go 4 ANY OTHER CIORBA -MEAT, MEAT BALLS ,VEGETABLE.
-If u hire car, ask 4 GPS - cheap, effective and speaks english.
-Avoid pick-up taxies in bucharest- u will pay driver's weekly wage...
-If u like markets - go to AMZEI MARKET (PIATA AMZEI)- FLOWERS, FRUITS, VEGGIES, SUPERMARKET, even
CHESSES and PRETZELS.

BOB- i think u made a great mistake-
to drive 2000 miles in 2 weeks ? this is marathon running, not leisure tour! And besides - u missed alot! Limited sites?
In Sibiu - i didnt see u mantioned BRUKENTHAL MUSEUM and OPEN AIR ASTRA MUSEUM - 2 most famous sites in the region! No souvenirs? Astra is full of them ! Close to Sibiu is SIBIEL, with famous GLASS ICONS MUSEUM, and also AVRIG, with glass master painter Dan Diagonescu !
Then u went to Painted Monasteries near SUCEAVA via Satu Mare? Just 4 the MARY CEMETERY? (nice in itself!).Like going boston-new york via albany!And, by the way, why did not you take the TRANSFAGARASAN route, the wonderful road which crosses the ALPS MOUNTAINS? MAGNIFIC!!(May be it was already closed 4 the winter)?
Food dissapointmenr? If u eat tripe soup and "Roumanian traditional" foie-gras( French delly)and pay a lot 4 it...sure its dissapointing.
In romania eat MAMALIGA (POLENTA) with cheese and sour cream or with the wonderful meat or rice stuffed cabbage or vine leaves, CIORBA (sour soup), MITITEI( famous romanian meat croquettes), ROMANIAN GRILL (leave the mcdonald for U.S), PAPANASI (those creppes and jam u mantioned), and many others real traditional romanian food!
Limited sites? Try the DANUBE DELTA, famous in the world,
its unique!!Go to famous health SPAS ...and, most important: take it easy, nobody is rushing you! 2000 miles? JESUS!!

efiavi,

There is no need to accuse someone of making a mistake after the fact. As far as travel is concerned, de gustibus non disputantum. You could have pointed out what sadly was missed for the enlightenment of readers who are considering travel in Romania, leaving out negative comments about the OP's choices.

I was about to post the same thing to you, efiavi.

just for the record...gal is my thai friend...i corresponded with fredi prior to my trip, so he is not being CRITICAL....

i think he is bringing this all up for other's benefit...

hope to have pics by sunday

WillTravel hit the nail on the head. Go to almost any country with oppressive past and you find people closed mouthed, even walking head down, little eye contact. Saw same countenance in other Eastern Europe countries. Go slow, be a gracious guest and you will find Romanians who will spend 5 minutes searching for an English speaking national to give you directions, Easter worshippers in traditional Romanian dress who proudly pose for photographs, shepherds who will take you into the field to "show off" their flock, village childen who gather in droves to watch themselves on your video camera, and store clerks who go the second mile to give help. For what its worth, how many Americans present themselves as welcoming hosts when they meet a foreigner, especially if that person is doing little to contribute to a relationship?

Dear rhkkmk,
Thanks for this very long and detailed trip report. I was keeping up with your posts as you were planning for this trip and I'm so glad that you posted it for all of us to see.

We are planning to go in May - but we will only be in Romania for 5 days - leaving from there on a night train.

We are planning to use a private guide and I would appreciate it if you would email me with the name of the guide that the 2 CAL ladies had. I do think that on a trip like this, a pleasant and informative guide can make a tremendous difference. (And I sure don't want a DOUR one!!!)

I appreciated your honest and frank opinions. I read this to learn of *your* experiences and can't understand why people would criticize and bring up *their* experiences on your post. They should be on another post and not part of your post, imho.

Anyway, happy travels and keep on keeping on. You have lots of miles and smiles ahead!

to michael & cigalechanta
Sorry, i am a new fodorite and did not know that the rule is - no criticism whatsoever, even if friendly and wellintentioned!
thanks 4 yr remarks, even old people like me can still learn...
Ex vitio alterius sapiens emendat suum.

As we were traveling thru Romania, Bob and I discussed what made these people all seem so serious. Even the children were not laughing like we have seen in other countries. I feel after living under communism for so many years, looking over their shoulders to see who is wathching them, that it will take many generations for them to feel at ease with the traveling public. For a lot of them just speaking english is still a learning curve and they have not developed that joking ease with a second language.

Karen

eli, no need for apology, only communication problem I apologize
Any friend of Bob is friend for me

here are the pic links:

rhkkmk.shutterfly.com/action/?a=BauXDJw2aqL_q

use a 1234 code for entrance

Brah---the ladies did not tell me who they got their guide from sorry...

the man whose outline i used in prep is also unknown to me as i threw away his papers...unless i have it in my address bk...i will look...i got his name from a fodors post abot 1.5-2 years ago....a woman who went with her sister used him...

it is not in the address book, sorry...i think his name was Andrei_______...

Thanks Bob, they were wonderful and very clear. It was fun to see Mr & Mrs Popo. Are any of those beautiful vests for sale?
Tell Karen everytime I see red pppers, I'll think of her in her red jacket in Romania

One is allowed to photograph the inside of the monasteries now? That's a change.

next set of pics...

no code required

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8BauXDJw2aqLmA

michael---for a fee...see they are learning western ways...

and lastly the final pics...

no code required on these..

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8BauXDJw2aqLkI

mimi---we think the jackets are parts to costumes, so we did not ask....they are fantastic...K says the hand work is unbelievable...

Wow!

Those painted churches were beautiful, and the woodworking looked astonishing on some of the buildings in your photos. The countryside looked "New-Englandy" to me - did you think so? (Of course, we're not likely to see haystacks. ) Mr & Mrs Popa looked just as I pictured them.

Great report and wonderful photos - Thanks!

Cyn

hi: the guide's name is andrei nicolau and his web site is:
www.tours-of-romania.com
de nada... lavici

dear fodorites: i have used your forums many times for many trips...and have garnered great travel ideas from them, so if i may say so, i personally think this a free country ( post) and without being offensive, and with due respect, i take the first & i believe people should freely express their opinion on whatever is posted here, even evie's comments, which i never took as negative criticism on rhkkmk's travelog. specially so on visiting a country that IS emotionally coming out of the dark ages of a communist dictatorship.
obviously, to romanian people or people that have lived there for a while for any reason, things that seem "different" or not so hot to anyone that lives in a developed country -or at least one with a more luminous past- these "things" will seem more natural and they will surely make out the best in a maybe not so wonderful situation. so i guess "why romania?" could/should be answered: if one is willing to go there, and live thru this new experience, which of course will be tinted with each of our own subjective "lenses", the outcome of our trip will all depend of our expectations or willingness to arrive with an open heart and mind. as the saying goes "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". i--share with all of you, for whatever it's worth- that i always try to see,hear, feel and taste a new country from a local's eye's view at best, otherwise... why travel? thanks... lavici

cyn---many of the countryside areas with the farms and rolling hills could have been in NH or VT....we commented on this while driving through.....i think i even saw gypsies in VT last time i was there...

my observations are my observations only and are intended to report how we felt and what we observed only...

Bob, Thanks for an interesting report...a very different kind of trip experience, which is why you went. I have been so busy with guests, & my own trip planning for India that I haven't yet had a chance to enjoy your pics -- am waiting for a leisurely moment.

Bob and Karen,

fantastic trip report. Very detailed as usual. I love your personal observations - right what I suspected. The pictures are fabulous. I liked the frescos and the beautiful mountains. Seems like a poor country mostly.

More later, take care,

Ingo

yes it is a "poor" country, but i think hope is right around the corner....

think how your east germany was 20+ years ago....of course you were more industry orientated than the romanians and you went from communism to democracy while they had an additional 20 years of a brutal dictator

Thank you Bob (and Karen) so much for this report and the photos. It's always interesting to go to a new place, I agree. And good observation about the oppressive former gov't having such a pervasive influence over the temperament of the citizens; accurate, but very sad, I think, when even children are not laughing. You are both friendly, kind people and I know you personally so I do know you make friends easily. When I think of wagons, I rarely think of rubber wheels so that was a funny visual. And Bob..if you think the roads near Queen Marie's castle were pot-holed, come out here to Michigan some time with Karen. You will alway be welcome here, but you will feel like you are "driving slalom" down the road to avoid the pot-holes!

Thank you again for a first-rate report and pics!

BC

Interesting report. We did a bike tour for 3 weeks a few years back and struggled with some of the emotional/political/envormontal issues we came across. Roumania has a long journey to take and despite joining the EU this year has if anything taken some steps backwards. I believe that more tourism will help and it needs to be focused at the middle range of hotels and resorts not the large international ones which are part of the whole scam system in the country.

The racist issues are frankly too complicated to overcome. I saw that Italy is expelling Roumanian Gypseys this year (EU is this legal?) despite the fact that they make up a low proportion of the criminal element of Romanians.

So I think well done for visiting the country and they need more like you

Lovely pictures, thanks for sharing!

hi bob and karen... beautiful pics and savvy travelog. if you ever returned to romania, what time of the year would you go? lavici

october was ok, but i think septermber might have been better....summer too hot w/o a/c...

spring might be very nice---may/june??

ttt

Finally some time to sit down and read your report. Sounds like an interesting trip and an affordable destination in the ever increasingly more expensive Europe. Beautiful pix btw.

Because in a Fodor's article "Top 10 Must-Do Adventure" one of the trip is in Romania (http://www.visit-transylvania.us/transylvania-tours-in-the-press.html).

I know it's been a few months, but the Intercontinental deal seems to be gone. The Crowne plaza is now showing available for the 5000 points per night, however it is further north in the city? Anyone stayed here recently?

Robert - your pictures are absolutely gorgeous! I just returned from a trip to Romania and I have been dreaming of its sights every night. I think of Brasov with its lovely medieval square and baroque cafe lined side streets, and Transylvania with its majestic snow capped craggy peaks enhanced by fairy tale castles and picturesque houses. I think of Bucharest and its architecture. I'm a door and windows person, and I couldn't get enough! Romania has everything, and it's inexpensive, too.

Great report from some time back. I will have a bookmark of this thread for our possible trip in 2011. Thanks

its a very interesting place really

This is a great trip report. A few notes on some of the replies here. One said Romanian kids don't smile as much due to the Commmunist years legacy. But that was gone some 20 years ago and some don't even know who Ceaucescu was. They simply don't smile automatically like most Americans would do. It's just another culture. Less comercial but unfortunately getting there.

I have traveled to Romania extensively since 1999 and found it charming. Was fascinated with the changes after 2004. I traveled both alone and on small groups. Will very likely return in 2011 for volunteer work.

In looking for a small group tour to Romania and possibly Moldova for friends in our church group I came across a piece of advertising for a week long group tour on both Google and Aol.com by what seems to be a Romanian tour operator called Travel Maker or IloveRomania. It is called The Best of Romania Tour. Sadly this is by far the worst possible itinerary of Romania in seven days I have ever seen. One should name it the "Worst tour of Romania".

The trick is the "low" price at 680 Euro for seven nights including one night in Bucharest. I feel I need to warn anyone considering taking such a tour that this is not a good option but a rather lousy one and I will explain.

Romania compares to Oregon in terms of size. The tour has a length of over 1,400 miles to be covered in only six full days. With all road improvements but lacking highways Romania is way behind any other country in Central Europe meaning the driving times are longer. The daily average distance is at 230 miles with six to ten hours in the bus.

I was touring Romania on a budget and using three star facilities along with some "pensiune" (B&Bs) in rural areas. I was using trains with the exception of the northern areas of Bucovina and Maramures where I was using a rental car. I still spent 120 Euro daily for lodging, food, gas and the car plus coffee and sodas here and there. Am just wondering what a traveler on this group would really get for a mere 680 Euro while the company still needs to make a profit.

Places such as Transylvania require several days with highlights such as Brasov and surrounding (at least three full days), Sighiosora (one full day), Maramures (at least three full days) and Bucovina (two days at a minimum). The Travel Maker itinerary is just a drive through all these areas without seeing much of anything. Not the way Rural Romania has to be visited.

Accommodations the way I found them in Romania vary from Bucharest with high end hotels such as a JW Marriott and the alike to 8 to 18 Euro a night in a bed & breakfast in the countryside. I would warn that B&Bs while the most inexpensive are not necessarily the best options when it comes to quality and service (there is no service). Many seem improvised and sharing a bathroom was not ideal for me.

Travel Maker IloveRomania is one tour option to definitely be avoided. It will not reveal Romania they way it deserves but only provide a long and tiring drive all throughout the country. It will not be able to provide an experience. It is not the way Romania should be seen.

Readytoroll:
Are you just posting to slam a tour company? Just say you don't recommend them..the litany is not necessary. I helped Bob and Karen with their itinerary based on my many long visits to Romania, long before independence, during Ceaucescu days and before. As part of my research I have intervieiwed hundeds of Romanians in their own homes during that time, in every region of the country where I traveled by rental car....when petrol was hard to come by and decent food was a difficult daily quest...while annoying military roadblocks were ubiquitous.

Sounds like you have something personal...is it a vendetta...regarding that tour company. There are countless guides available. I took 16 of my readership on a footsteps tour of the country in 2005. A guide friend of mine got us a minibus and driver...worked out very well. He alone is part of a country-wide guide organization.

stu tower

stu did not notice but i did that you are a brand new poster... for this reason most of us disregard anything you say