P_M Roams Romania, Travels in Transilvania
 

Hello everyone, I would like to share with you my trip to Romania. Pics are not posted yet, I hope to get a link to those soon. But in the meantime here is my Romanian adventure. I always start with a silly audio trailer to promote my report so here it is:

http://share.ovi.com/media/briwik.public/briwik.10006

Now on with the show:

I had always wanted to go to Romania especially after reading Clifton’s wonderful trip report in 2004. I am thrilled that it finally happened this year.

The flights over were uneventful with one great exception. On my layover at MSP I met my longtime Fodor pal Tiff!! I had never been to Minnesota before and time was short, but Tiff and I made the most of it. She picked me up that the airport, we visited a glorious Basilica downtown Minneapolis, and then we went for drinks. We had so many laughs just as we do on the board. This is the first time a layover was ever a highlight of my trip.

Now on to Romania.

When traveling alone I usually go with a tour of some sort. I enjoy independent travel but I hate being alone so much. For this trip I went with a tour company called Imaginative Traveller. I chose this company because it was one of the few companies that offered trips with more than a day or two in Romania. Another reason I was impressed by IT is they specialize in small groups. This allows greater flexibility and not the rigid schedule and itinerary of a big bus tour. About a month before leaving they told me the group would have 6 people, but at the last minute 3 more signed up so we had 9. I really liked this tour company so if anyone out there in Fodorland would like to see Romania but not to have that group tour experience, then I recommend a tour with IT. By traveling with a small group it’s more like driving around with friends.

I arrived into Bucharest a day early in order to adjust to the time change before the tour officially started. This gave me a day on my own so the first place I wanted to see was the Palace of the Parliament Building. This is the largest building in Europe and the second largest in the world, behind the Pentagon. It was built by Nicolae Ceausescu who was the Romanian dictator under Communist rule. In order to clear space for this building, Ceausescu ordered the bulldozing of 50,000 buildings including thousands of homes, hospitals, churches and synagogues, etc. It was to be used as a government building but also as a very luxurious residence for Ceausescu and his family. Obviously this wasn’t a popular since Romanians were living in terrible poverty. So in 1989 Ceausescu was captured, tried and executed before the palace was ever finished. It is still used today by the Romanian Parliament.

Now here are a couple of other things to give you some perspective of how big this place is. My tour of the palace lasted just over an hour and the tour guide said we only saw about 5% of the palace. So if it were possible to see every room in the palace, it would take about 20 hours. We were told that in total volume this building is bigger than the Great Pyramid.

Visitors to the palace are required to go with a guide so if anyone reading this would like to see the palace, make sure to find out what time the English speaking tours will run. If you have time to kill before your tour, be sure to see the fountains and gardens on the boulevard leading up to the palace, they are magnificent. On the day I visited, it just happened to be a Romanian national holiday. The palace was still open to visitors, but it was very dark inside. Someone in our group asked why all the lights were off. The guide said that it’s a holiday so the person who turns on lights wasn’t working that day. It seemed very funny there was only one person employed by the palace who is capable of operating light switches. But this is one of many examples of how Romania is in some ways still operating in the old Soviet style.

Please allow me to digress for a minute as not everyone will understand what I mean by “operating in the old Soviet style.” Back in the days of Communism everyone was guaranteed a job. No matter how well or how badly you did your job, you would always have a job. Everything was owned by the government and there was no competition amongst businesses. So there was no incentive for anyone to do a very good job and no incentive for a business to try and streamline its processes and improve efficiency. I believe that Romania has come a long way in the 20 years since Communism, but here and there we would see examples of inefficiencies that would not be found in our world. The example I gave in the last paragraph about having only one person who can operate lights is exactly what I’m talking about. There will be more such examples as we go on.

Just after my visit to the palace I walked a few blocks to find lunch. While I was having lunch the sky opened up and it POURED rain!! I was drenched so I wandered into a mall. I didn’t buy anything, I just walked around the mall to stay dry. I wanted to visit some of Bucharest’s museums but it was Monday so they were all closed. I finally decided to cut my day short and take the metro back to the hotel. And speaking of the metro, like most major European cities Bucharest has a very speedy and cheap metro.

Later that evening I met with my group and the next day we were off on our adventure. We drove to the Danube Delta, which is where the Danube River meets the Black Sea. We took a motorized canoe to the houseboat where we spent the night. The next morning we took motorized canoes around the delta. The Danube Delta is a UNESCO site and from what I could tell it must be greatly overlooked by foreign tourists. We met Romanian tourists but very few foreign visitors. On our boat ride around the delta we saw countless fish, frogs and butterflies. We saw a flock of what seemed to be a thousand pelicans, all lifting off the water at once and soaring gracefully into the air. We saw other birds of all colors, shapes and sizes. But what I loved the most were the dragonflies. All of the dragonflies had vibrant colors, but most were a bold turquoise color. Whenever the boat was going slowly the dragonflies would come around to check us out. It was almost like we were in the fishbowl and the dragonflies came to see us. I love seeing wildlife in its natural habitat. This ride around the delta lasted 3 hours but it seemed like a flash.

After leaving the delta we made the very long drive to Suceava. I am happy to say this was the only long day of driving on this trip. The next day we went to see several of the Painted monasteries nearby. Some of the monasteries had been restored, some had not, but I was surprised at how intact they were even w/o restoration.

Later that day we made the short drive to Cluj Napoca where we spent the night. Cluj, as the locals call it, is a very beautiful city and we had the better part of the day to explore. We had a city tour on foot in the morning, then we had a free afternoon. I visited a few churches then the Botanical Gardens. Near our hotel was the monument to the many people who died protesting Communism. This is a very sad reminder of the troubles of Romania’s recent past.

From Cluj we went to Sighishoara, a perfectly preserved medieval town in Transylvania. Our hotel was right in the heart of the Old Town up on the hill. I loved my room, it looked out over the medieval style rooftops and I felt like I had gone back a few centuries in time. We went to an authentic Romanian restaurant which served appetizers consisting of various types of fats, more fatty foods, followed by fatty desserts. I’m not kidding you, our appetizer tray contained various types of lard and other fats to be spread on bread. I always try the local stuff and I’m usually not disappointed, but this time, YUK!! I just don’t like assorted fats with no flavor. It was like eating Crisco on bread. :& After all that yucky fat before our meal I had a salad which was like a breath of fresh air.

Later that night, after dark, we took a very long staircase from the town up to a cemetery on the hill. I know that sounds silly but we got a huge kick out of being in a Transilvanian cemetery in the dark. I kept taking pics in the dark, hoping to catch a ghostly apparition. But sadly the ghosts don’t care for tourists and didn’t come out for a visit. It was so frustrating, it almost made me think there’s no such thing as ghosts. :-( The next morning I went back to that same cemetary to enjoy the views of the mountains and the beauty of the cemetery in daylight. Some people think this is morbid but I enjoy visiting cemeteries. They are always beautiful, peaceful places that tell life stories. Additionally the views from this cemetery are gorgeous. I also visited the Clock Tower but gave a miss to the Torture Museum. After eating Crisco on bread the night before, I wasn’t in the mood for any further torture.

Clifton, if you are reading this, from a hill in Sighishoara I saw a house with “eyes.” After seeing your pics of the houses with eyes I went out of my way to find one and to get a pic. For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, some houses in Romania have round air shafts in the attic and the roof overhanging the air shaft looks like an eyelid. When I get my pics posted you’ll see what I mean. But if you can’t wait, then pull up Clifton’s report and check out his great pics.

The next afternoon we went to Brasov but along the way we made a fascinating stop that you will never find on a big bus tour. Our tour guide was personally acquainted with an elderly couple living on a farm in a small village. I’m sorry but I don’t recall the name of this village. We stopped at their house and they very graciously showed us around their home. We went outside to see their farm animals, their barn, and then their crops. They told us it’s OK to pick strawberries and eat them straight off the vine. At first I was hesitant to do this but I’m glad I did as these were some of the sweetest strawberries I’ve ever tasted. Then with our guide interpreting, they told us about some of the evil they endured while under Communism. The Soviets thought the lady was a spy and some awful things happened to her during an interrogation. We didn’t hear much detail about that but you get the idea. The man also endured some interrogations before they were finally left alone. This two have been married for 60 years and whenever they looked into each other’s eyes you could truly feel the love. They reminded me of my late grandparents.

After our visit with this dear couple the guide asked who wants to climb the church bell tower. Of course I said, “ME!! ME!!” Now this is not exactly a tourist place so it wasn’t too well maintained inside. It was pitch dark as there was no electricity, but being an adventurer I had my trusty flashlight in hand. A few others from the group and I climbed up some very steep stone steps which eventually gave way to creaky wooden steps. Then as we got higher there were no steps at all so we climbed rickety old ladders to reach the top. Once on top the view was magnificent. We could see the entire village, the farm we had just visited, and other farms for miles around. Then of course we had to climb down which was much scarier than climbing up. But it was worth it and I would do it again.

On to Brasov: Brasov is a much more modern city but clean, gorgeous and roses galore!! Our hotel was right on the main street of Brasov and convenient to everything. We went to dinner at a Serbian restaurant which also had a lot of fatty food, but not Crisco overkill like the food in Sighishoara. Afterward I went for a walk to the main square where a free rock concert was going on. I didn’t recognize the band nor do I know their name, but I was told they are very popular in Romania. Judging by the crowd I believed it. My plan was to listen to the band for a few minutes and head back to the hotel. That was around 9pm, but these “few minutes” of listening to the band went on until just before midnight when the show ended. I couldn’t understand a word they were saying, but the music was great. It was a gorgeous summer night with thin clouds over the town clock tower, a cool breeze and fine music. Every time I tried to tell myself to go back to the hotel I just couldn’t. Even when the show ended I wished it would go on. I was rockin’ out with all the Romanian kids half my age. Other than meeting Tiff in Minneapolis, this is the finest memory of my trip. It’s funny how the most unplanned things can turn out to be the best part of a trip.

The next morning we did a vigorous hike up the mountainside near Brasov. The city of Brasov has a big sign on the hill saying “Brasov,” just like the “Hollywood” sign. We hiked from the town and to the top of the mountain above the sign. The views were gorgeous and it was a good chance to work off all the fat we had eaten in the last few days. After the hike I showered and spent more time walking around Brasov on my own. I saw the old city walls and a few towers along the way. I also enjoyed lunch in the town square and watched as they were still cleaning from the concert I attended the night before. Later that afternoon we visited the Bran Castle which is the castle designated by the Romanian government to be Dracula’s. Unfortunately this castle is overly commercialized and surrounded by thousands of cheesy Dracula souveniers. But that didn’t ruin it for me. The castle itself is beautiful and in perfect condition. After the castle tour I went for a short hike to the other side of the castle where I suffered a hard fall. It was kind of scary since there was nobody else on that trail. It took me a minute to catch my breath and get up. Two of my fingers where smashed between the camera in my hand and a rock so I thought at first my fingers were broken. But thank God I was OK and my fingers were just bruised. I also got a big bruise on my kneecap, but otherwise I was OK.

We stayed at the Coroana Hotel in Brasov and it was a fine example of faded granduer. You could tell this had been a glitzy hotel back in the day. It had very high ceilings, a grand staircase, and fantastic stained glass windows. Sadly this building was in dire need of a facelift. Carpets were old and stained, furniture was old and smelly, and plumbing wasn’t great. If only someone would come along and do some renovation, the Coroana could once again be a premier hotel in Brasov. In addition to renovation they need to fire the entire restaurant staff and start over with people who have some kind of work ethic, customer service skills, and basic human decency.

Now getting back to the Soviet way of operating: The hotel had an OK desk staff and the maids were very friendly. But the hotel restaurant had the rudest people I’ve ever met anywhere in the world. Breakfast was included with the room but it was not a buffet style breakfast, you had to tell the wait staff what you want. This was difficult because they couldn’t speak English so I came up with an idea to facilitate communication. I saw some menus with breakfast in both English and Romanian, so I was going to point to what I wanted. It seemed like a good idea to me, however our bitchy waitress (whom I named Stalin’s sister) just grabbed the menu out of my hand and shook her finger at me, as to chastise me. I was furious but I did my best to keep cool, otherwise my food would never come. I told her as best I could what I wanted and in about 20 minutes it came. I wasn’t ordering a cooked breakfast, this is how long it took to put ham, cheese and some rolls on a plate. And it’s not like the restaurant was busy, the 9 people in our group were the only customers. Whenever they weren’t bothered by us pesky customers they were in the corner watching TV. If we needed something we had to get up and walk over to the TV where they were sitting. They were always annoyed when we interrupted their TV show to ask for something. When I asked for an extra cup of coffee I was chastised again by Stalin’s sister. I don’t speak Romanian but I understand when I’m being told off. Her angry sigh and eye roll said it all. After this horrible experience I went straight to the hotel manager and vented my complaints. All he said was “sorry, sorry.” He didn’t give a damn. I truly believe that most Romanians are good and decent people and I certainly do not judge everyone by Stalin’s sister. But unfortunately there are a few Romanians left who still do things the old Soviet way while management doesn’t seem to care. These people in the restaurant and this hotel were a prime example.

Our next stop was Sinaia. Our hotel was an old hunting lodge near a beautiful park and it was loaded with charm. It was late in the day so we enjoyed dinner that night and went on a hike the next morning. In the afternoon we had some free time so I visited Peles Castle. Our tour guide convinced us the short tour of the ground floor was adequate so I only bought a ticket for that. But once I got in there I was very sorry I didn’t take the full tour. Our guide was very good but this was one of the few times he didn’t give the best advice.

Here’s yet another example of the Soviet inefficiency we encountered. Our hotel restaurant in Sinaia had a similar setup to the one in Brasov where you have to tell the wait staff what you want for breakfast. The good news is the wait waitresses at this restaurant were very friendly so that made it a lot nicer. But here’s where the inefficiency comes in. Whenever we asked for a cup of coffee, the waitress had to walk outside the restaurant, across the hotel lobby to the bar, where the bartender made one cup of coffee at a time. This restaurant was a lot busier than the one in Brasov. So when you order your coffee, it’s a good 20-30 minute wait since cups are being brewed one by one. Now friends, can you imagine a restaurant in any other part of the world where breakfast is served, yet they don’t have restaurant-style coffee pots? If this happened in your country, that restaurant would never survive. I find it amazing that it never occurred to anyone working there that brewing coffee in such a manner is a bad idea, and perhaps they should invest in a decent coffee-making system. Heck, if they can’t get a restaurant-style coffee maker, then go to the Romanian equivalent of Wal-Mart and get a $15 coffee pot which brews 10 cups at a time. At least then the process would go 10 times faster. But hey, it’s all part of the Romanian experience. :-)

Later that evening we headed back to Bucharest and my flight home was at 6:50am the next morning. I left the hotel around 4am in a taxi. I got into the taxi and before too long I noticed his fuel warning light was on and the gas gage indicated he was running on fumes. This made me extremely nervous as I knew it would be a half hour ride to the airport. I sat there praying we would not run out of gas but my gut was telling me we would never make it on the gas we had. I was so mad, as this guy was a fool to pick up an airport passenger when he didn't have enough gas to make the trip. He finally said something to me in Romanian which I couldn’t understand, but when he pulled into a gas station I knew he had said he needs gas. I was still mad at him for being so irresponsible in not filling up earlier, yet at the same time I was so relieved to know we wouldn’t run out of gas. He kept the meter running as he pumped a few liters into his tank, and of course I deducted that from his tip. The flights home on Air France were all good and on time, and so ended a great trip.

I found Romania to be a tremendous value for the money, even considering the weak the US dollar. I was constantly surprised at how inexpensive things were. For those of you who have avoided Europe due to the bad exchange on the US$, I highly recommend Romania. It’s easy to find decent hotels for much less than $100/night, meals are often less than $10, and beer is usually around $1. Romanian wine is very good and also quite affordable, however wine in restaurants is usually sold by the bottle instead of the glass. Lucky for me, the tour guide was also a Merlot-lover so he was always happy to share a bottle with me. Most Romanians don’t speak much English but it doesn’t matter because except for Stalin’s sister, I met nothing but kind and friendly people who are willing to help you if they possibly can. Even the foolish taxi driver was friendly. Another favorite thing about Romania is the roses!! OMG, I’ve never seen so many roses in one country. If you love roses and you want to see Romania, then go in the month of June. I think Romania should be renamed Rosemania. :-D

In conclusion I would like to say that despite a few encounters with old school Soviet ways, I must confess that circumstances in Romania were much better than I expected. Romania has made great progress and they should be proud. Romanians appreciate their freedom because so many of them still remember what it’s like not to have the freedom we take for granted. With very few exceptions Romanians are warm and welcoming people who are happy for you to visit their country. I dearly loved Romania and its people and I wish for continued success and prosperity to this great country.

Thank you for reading.

THE END

Great report, P_M. I can't wait to see the pics! Especially of the roses! :) (And Dracula's castle, too!)

Oh, P-M!

Off the bat(heh), I would have died without my morning coffee within five minutes(entitled American crone speaking.) You should have ordered wine, to help tamp down the frustration.

The "old Soviet style" job security brings to mind the joke, how many does it take to turn on a light? I guess just one. PERIOD. You did not mention TP quality, but I hope it wasn't too abrasive.

Restaurant service: a few surly apples can taint one's day, but you kept good perspective. I bet their cousins all work in NAPA over here, I have threatened a few locally.

The fats in food sound most appalling, more so than a deep fried Twinkie. Up north in Ak., they used to mix lard and blueberries and call it ice cream.. glad you didn't take a chance and invert your Sphinx.

Drat about the castle area being cheesy, no framed prints of Christopher Lee? At least it was a highlight, and I'm sure it was exciting to be there, with all it's character.

Shame about the fall.. glad you were okay. There's never a convenient time to get injured, right?

The empty tank in the taxi was a nail biter, and the nerve of him leaving the meter running! You could have thrown a fit and submitted the tape to the Amazing Race show!

Well done girl, cannot wait to see the pictures when you are ready. Five bats, way up! :[:[:[:[:[

Thank you both, and thanks for the 5 bats jetty. :-) I did like the Bran Castle itself, I just didn't like the carnival atmosphere and cheesy Dracula toys just outside the castle. But it wouldn't be that way if tourists weren't buying that stuff, so we only have ourselves to blame. :-)

While the encounter w/Stalin's sister was unnerving, I got over it once I was out and about, and enjoying the beauty of Romania. It would have been tough if everyone were like that, but thank God that generation is either fading away or learning better habits.

As for the TP, it wasn't exactly Charmin but it wasn't sandpaper either. No major TP problems to report. The worst thing about TP is when it's not there and you really need it. Nobody likes to drip dry--or worse. Thankfully I always keep tissues close at hand.

Faaabulous as usual... question... when you were up in the bell tower... did you do any imitations of the Hunchback of ND ? :D

I am not known for my 'cheeriness" in the morning, before a few cups of coffee... I cannot imagine how I would have reacted to the finger shaking disapproving waitress... I think you showed great restraint .. You are the second friend I know who has fallen on their holiday trip and gotten hurt ! Thank god that nothing was broken !

I am now wondering where on this trip did the Phlegm come from ......


((L))
Scarlett

Hi Scarlett, I forgot all about my Hunchback imitation, DARN!! I'm not a nice person either before my coffee, Stalin's sister is lucky to be alive. X(

I went to Belgium a few years ago, maybe that's where I picked up the phlegm. I did eat a lot of Flemish stew.

<i>You may groan in disgust now. 8-|

Great report, P_M! Sorry, can't help myself here.... ((8)) You can ring my beeeellllllllelelllllll, ring my bell, ring-ring, ring it... ((8)) What a unique experience....even Stalin's sister--I mean, really, how often does that happen! The taxi experience would have freaked me out--reminded me of an episode from the Amazing Race. Very nice of him to leave the meter running...surely he didn't intend to. ;-)

P_M, loved your report! Romania has been on our "must visit" list ever since I read Clifton's report way back in 04. We almost booked tickets several times and already have our itinerary basically set for whenever we bite the bullet. Now it will have to wait a little bit longer since I am pregnant, but one of these days.... ;)

Thanks so much for sharing...can't wait to see the pics!

Tracy

Thank you P_M for this report. It was a pleasure to read it. You give so many details and you felt so well the atmosphere there!
I am born in Romania and I left it 23 years ago, when I was 41, so all what is described is very familiar to me. We go there each year for at least one week, but for family and friends, so we have no much time to visit there.
However, we know and the negative aspects that you described (and are some more that you don’t mention) and see them every time. Maybe when we lived there we did not note them, because then we did not know something else, so things looked then normal for us!
I am glad that you had a great time there. Romania is beautiful, has many nice places and we hope that the services will become better .

Excellent trip report! Thanks for posting! I so hope to get to Romania someday.

Thanks for the great report! Nice to see another one on Romania, which gets little coverage here. Interested to hear about how you liked Imaginative Traveler - I haven't traveled with them, but they're on my list as a back up for Intrepid Travel.

I skipped Brasov, glad to hear that wasn't a bad idea. Sorry you missed Maramures, which was a highlight for me.

Thank you all for your nice words.

thursdaysd, other than meeting Stalin's sister I did like Brasov. Should I go back to see Maramures? It won't be hard to twist my arm. :-)

Adrian45, I've met so few people from Romania, (except when I was IN Romania) so thanks for joining this thread.

tcreath, congrats on your upcoming arrival!!

I suppose I should watch the Amazing Race, it sounds like there was a taxi running out of gas on that show. Were they in Romania? Maybe it was the same driver. :-s

excellent report! :) What a pleasure to read -thank you os much for sharing it!!

<i>"Should I go back to see Maramures? It won't be hard to twist my arm."</i>

Absolutely! It was like stepping back in time. Just don't use my tour guide!! TR at wilhelmswords.com/eur2006/index.html and pix at kwilhelm.smugmug.com/Travel/264391