Thanks for the posting, good work keep it up.

Fascinating! Thanks for sharing and please, please, please get better soon! :-)

THURSDAYSD,

Enjoyed your description of the Museum of the Romanian Peasant that "concentrated very heavily on religion, as if nothing else in people's lives was of interest. The curator saw crosses in everything, including embroidery where I couldn't see them myself." Shades of Russia and Tolstoy.

Will follow along with rainy weather and your foot problem...

@Percy - i hope everything went well yesterday.

@kja - I'm trying! I am now an equal-opportunity limper - both ankles are unhappy. I soaked them in the thermal baths at the Gellert yesterday, and that seemed to help some. The weather is lousy, so am not planning much for today.

@all - you would have gotten this episode yesterday, but my smart phone's charger died. Instead of writing I trekked off to the massive Media Mart at the West End Mall, only to find it closed for two days for a national holiday!!!

<b>Sep 27, 2014: Leaving town, beautiful Brasov, that's just a hole, boots in church</b>

My Bucharest hotel lost a few more points when I realized I was sharing it with an unusually inconsiderate tour group. On arrival they crowded the access to the elevator so that I had trouble getting off. The next morning they crowded onto it and broke it, so that I had to carry my case downstairs. And at breakfast two of the women decided to hold a conversation across me, until I suggested that we change tables. (No, they were not American.)

Good thing I always allow plenty of time to reach airports and train stations, because the direct route to the Gara de Nord was blocked by a political demonstration no doubt associated with the upcoming election. The regional train to Brasov was on time and comfortable. I shared a four-seats-and-table section with two local women, friendly although we didn't share a language. When we reached Brasov the older woman (85, but didn't look it) organized a metered taxi and after we dropped her off in a residential area behind the station the driver took me through a modern town, past a pretty park with a wedding party, and then suddenly we were in the beautiful old town.

Brasov boasts one of the best squares in Europe. Historic buildings surround it, the 15th century council house is at one side, a major tourist destination, the Black Church, at one end, and it is liberally provided not only with outdoor cafes, but with free benches from which one can admire the fountain and the steep, forested slopes of Mt. Tampa, overlooking the town. On the ride north, after we had cleared the Bucharest suburbs, and the flat area around the Ploesti oilfields (yes, they still produce oil, although apparently much of it is sold cheaply abroad), we had traveled through some lovely, hilly country, and I was glad to see I was still in the hills.

Planning this trip I had debated: Sinaia or Brasov? Sinaia and Brasov? Sinaia as a base for Brasov? Eventually I settled on Brasov as a base for Sinaia, and after seeing both I believe it was the right decision, although Sinaia might be better if you were hiking or skiing.

I had reserved four nights in a double-for-single-use at the Bella Muzica, in an historic building opposite the Black Church (240 lei/night including breakfast, booked direct). When I checked in I was asked if I minded stairs. I don't, mostly, but I hadn't expected to find 18 stone steps separating the door, wardrobe, and safe from the rest of the room. I had been upgraded to an apartment, but what with the unguarded stone steps - really, just a hole in the floor! - and the absence of useful light in the sitting area, I think I would have been happier in a double. Otherwise, the hotel was fine, with helpful staff and a great location. The food in the basement restaurant was good, too, although the staff were less friendly and if you wanted a seat in the small no-smoking section you had to book.

After an OK lunch (across from me a young couple were both smoking, while holding a small child!) I paid an interesting visit to the Black Church. Originally Catholic, it had become Evangelical early in the Protestant reformation, and was bare in comparison to the Romanian Orthodox churches, aside from painting on the pews. But there was an amazing bronze font, dated 1472 and looking like an upturned bell, and a remarkable collection of Turkish carpets to remind me that Brasov had been for many years on the frontier between west and east. And on a couple of tombs, dated 1753 and 1780, I saw paintings of boots. Perhaps the occupants were boot makers? I have no idea. Oh, and for those who are musical the church also contains a Buchholz organ, with 3993 pipes, believed to be the only one in its original form, and still in use.

Reading the history of the church I learned that the area had sustained 30 earthquakes between 1550 and 1600, and that after a "great fire" in 1689 only the walls had been left standing (that's why it's the Black Church). No photos were allowed in the church, but I made up for it outside, walking up and down the streets of the old town, and finding many great buildings. I was also looking for an Ecco store, as I wanted to replace my rather old sandals, but when I stumbled on it (the Ecco website was out of date) they were only stocking shoes and boots.

I ate dinner at my hotel, and while the duck with honey and grapefruit was tough, it was also, to my surprise, delicious. Go to Brasov and try it!

Yes, the Gellert baths should have helped your ankle and the other bits too.
And I feel your pain re the group in the hotel. Where I am now tour groups reign supreme and I am having a hard time keeping my head above water. Have been pushed and jostled, trampled underfoot and crowded out of places. So I can sympathise.
Good to hear Brasov is a success. I really liked it. Remember having very delicious coffee and cake at a pavement cafe on the main drag! Sounds like that would help your ankle a lot.

@gertie - The Bella Muzica sent me to "Come Back" for coffee in Brasov, and it was good. I have been trying to save cake intake for Vienna, although I have been indulging in after dinner Cointreau - it's been too cheap to resist.... Clothes are getting tighter...

Where are you?

Begins with a J and ends with an M. Somewhere I said I would never come. Never say never....

GERTIE, JERUSALEM? Where are these tour groups from? Sorry for your inconveniences...

Tour groups are from everywhere. The only place they aren't from that I can see is Japan!! It is totally overwhelming and exhausting for the solo traveller. I think I am the only solo traveller in the city. But not to hijack this Romania thread, let's draw a line for the moment.

Percy...hope all went smoothly for you. Show them, get up and about today, no matter what!!!

"I am now an equal-opportunity limper - both ankles are unhappy." Oh no!!! That is NOT the news I was hoping to hear! :-(

Thanks for the museum recommendation in Bucharest. You know us well.

Sorry you are still hurting... I might have taken a couple of days off from travel just to soak in the baths! Hope you are feeling better soon.

Thanks tower I am up and limp
I have to walk or lie down .no sitting for ote than 15 minutes.

Six week recovery.
Thank again.

@Kathie - actually, that was Budapest. Confusing running both at once, I know, I got the title wrong on one of my blog posts! All I did yesterday was go out for lunch (admittedly the Central Coffeehouse is practically a tourist sight) and to buy a new charger for my phone, we'll see if that helped.

@Percy - good luck with the recovery.

yes, pleased that you are out and about, Percy, even if you can't sit for long. An excuse to lie down perhaps?

Am posting this from the very comfortable (well, comfortable in unusual-for-me first class, anyway) RailJet from Budapest to Vienna. The advertised wifi connected but didn't work in Hungary, but we just crossed the border.

<b>Sep 28, 2014: From Art Nouveau fun to dark formality, from a monastic church to an autumn festival, Sinaia delivers</b>

While wandering Brasov's streets the afternoon of my arrival, I had located the nearest bus stop, and the kiosk for buying tickets, so I had no trouble getting to the station for the train to Sinaia. On the bus I chatted with a Welsh woman about my own age, mostly about the Scottish independence referendum, and on the train I chatted with a young local woman. I had thought the train ticket reasonably cheap, but going back on a train of lesser status (but a comfortable double-decker) I paid only a third as much. Budget travelers take note!

I went to Sinaia to visit two palaces. Officially they are castles, but since they were built long after castles served any military purpose whatever, and were designed as residences, I refuse to misuse the term. Peles, the one with the crowds, was built as a summer residence for King Carol I between 1875 and 1914. While he was spending money on buildings (lots of it) he had Pelisor built nearby for his nephew, the future King Ferdinand, and his wife Marie. Both King Carol's wife, Elisabeta, and Marie were talented women, authors and artists.

From the outside the palaces look similar - fairy tale collections of turrets and spires - but the interiors could hardly be more different. I had read that Marie had decorated Pelisor in Art Nouveau style, and as I am a huge Art Nouveau fan I naturally started there. Following nywoman's tip I took a taxi up, and when I got out I turned left for Pelisor while almost everyone else turned right for Peles. Aside from an easily avoided small tour group, and a very few independents, I had the place to myself. And it was drop-dead gorgeous.

I suppose, if you're not interested in Art Nouveau, you might not be as enthusiastic as I was, but I can't imagine anyone disliking the place. Even the tutor's and governess's rooms were thoughtfully decorated and charming, and the gold room, literally covered with gilded leaves, was stunning.

In between Pelisor and Peles I ate an indifferent sandwich in what I thought was a restaurant. Later I discovered that it was just a cafe, and the restaurant was behind it.

I do admit that from the outside Peles is picture perfect. However, I found the inside far too dark and ornate for my taste. I did avoid being officially part of a group - I noticed that you could rent an audio guide for an independent visit - but I caught up to one of the groups anyway. Having paid extra to take photos at Pelisor I didn't do so at Peles, and I didn't regret it. It may have been a summer palace, but if you want pomp and circumstance Peles is your palace, if you want charm and elegance, pick Pelisor.

I wandered down towards the town past a collection of souvenir stands, and found, largely by accident, the Sinaia monastery. Here I first noticed the Romanian practice of stationing large black boxes outside churches, labeled Morti, apparently for people to light candles for the dead. Unfortunately, to me this set looked a lot like barbecue cookers. The monastery had a newer, more ornate church in the outer courtyard, and an older, more peaceful one in an inner courtyard, which I preferred. I took a rest, soaking up the peace.

Peace didn't last long. After I managed to find my way down to the town proper, I discovered a major festival in progress. The main drag was filled with booths, many of them selling food, much of it cooked on real barbecues, or in iron pots hung over open flames. I had thought Peles rather crowded, but the real crowds were down in town - the place was packed.

In among the expected stalls, I found one for an anti-fracking organization, and commiserated with the activists. I checked out the souvenirs, but as usual I wasn't in a buying mood. I was more taken with a light-hearted umbrella installation, floating above the crowd.

My lunch time sandwich hadn't been very filling, and rather than street food I opted for pizza and wine in the Irish pub, before catching my local train back to Brasov, where I spent more time admiring the main square.

yet again your enthusiasm shines through, and you're making me think about a trip to this area, which is a part of europe that we've avoided so far.

Glad that you're enjoying travelling first class on this leg and thanks for using the time to post.

KW...hope you get your pain under control very siin. What a bummer!

Perc...six weeks? My, that's a rather long period..hope it goes fast. Follow orders, of course. Send me letter with your address and I'll send you something that may make the time go faster.

Percy:

Send full street address to

SgtBranko at aol dot com


KW..my error, should read "soon"...these aging eyes!
Since you're not coming home until Dec. 10th, where are you heading after Hungary?

Your stories make me want to return ASAP. I really loved Romania and sorry I missed Bucharest. Am planning on returning in May to see the Delta and then go further north to visit what I missed in September.
Feel better.

thursdaysd:

I loved Peles's and Pelsor Castle,although Peles's Castle is more like a Palace.

I never saw a Dinning Room done in total wood as in Peles's Castle.

I agree the Square is Brasov is lovely, done in a tile pattern , that Cathedral at the Square looks a bit like a Mosque.

Thank annhig
Thanks thursdaysd

will e mail you tower.

@annhig - do consider Romania, but also Bulgaria and Macedonia (see my B trip TRs). And do try to make it to the north if you go to Romania. Public transport was pretty problematic there when I went in 2006, may be better now.

@stu - itinerary after Vienna: Graz - Ljubljana - Trieste - Ferrara - Venice - Aix - Nice - Evora - Lisbon - London.

@annhig - re: the first class RailJet ride. I didn't buy the ticket until I was in Budapest, and the lady in the MAV office (conveniently situated a few blocks from my apt.) said first class would be less than second - it certainly wasn't full. Anyway, I thought 29 euros very reasonable. You can even order food at your seat, although in Hungary you have to worry about it staying on the tray table!

€29 seems like a bargain, thursdaysd, though with 2 of us, it might be more economical to drive. I don't suppose you would have been aware of how many hire cars there were around - I do know that it can be difficult to rent a car if you re coming from outside the country as there has been a problem with thefts of foreign vehicles.

Not sure where we might be going next year, so Romania's going on the list.

Still reading... eastern Europe has some interesting places to visit...

@annhig - sorry can't help with rental car info. Haven't rented a car in Europe for ten years, and that was for two days to visit Hadrian's Wall.

<b>Sep 29-30, 2014: Bored at Bran, Pleased with Prejmer, Still loving Brasov.</b>

Around Brasov, the only site that seemed to be open on Monday was Bran castle. Never having read Bram Stoker's "Dracula", nor seen (as best I remember) a Dracula movie, and having no interest whatever in repairing those omissions, I nearly decided to skip Bran. However, some visitors reported that the Dracula connection was played down in the castle itself, and I figured that I had had plenty of practice in ignoring souvenir stands.

Before setting off, I trekked up to the Black Tower, part of Brasov's 15th century fortifications, enjoying a beautiful clear morning. Then I stopped by the T.I., which had finally opened, to confirm the transport information in my Lonely Planet, and by the T-Mobile store, which kindly explained that my data access would only work if I turned data roaming on. Duh...

Neither the T.I. nor Lonely Planet had mentioned that the bus to Autogara 2, where I would catch the bus to Bran, only ran once an hour. I took a taxi to the bus station, which cost about as much as the bus. (All of 7 lei, around $2.00 US.) Once we cleared the suburbs (modern Brasov is quite big) the rural scenery was enlivened by snow-capped mountains.

Before tackling the gauntlet of souvenir stands, and the trek up to the castle, perched on the top of a short, steep hill, I ate lunch. The omelet wasn't bad. The park at the foot of the castle hill was quite pretty. The castle itself I considered a complete waste of time. Unlike the pseudo-castles at Sinaia, it had been a proper defensive castle, originally built in 1382, and supposedly visited by Vlad Tepes (reimagined as Dracula) in 1462. The castle was handed back to the descendants of the Hapsburgs in 2006, and its curators put more emphasis on that connection.

If you haven't seen any other castles, I suppose this one might be impressive. Its location, what can be seen of it, certainly cries out for a castle. But you have to tackle a lot of steep, narrow and claustrophobic stairs in order to visit a sequence of sparsely furnished, white-washed rooms of minimal interest. On the way back I had a good view of Rasnov castle, also built as a defense against the Turks. That might be a better choice than Bran: it should at least be less visited. I was lucky, perhaps because it was the end of the tourist season, but there are plenty of postings on TA from people who had to queue to get in, and then couldn't see anything because of all the tour groups.

The centuries of Turkish threat resulted not only in castles, but in fortified churches. The villagers would retreat inside the walls, taking their provisions with them, and wait until the invaders gave up, or a relieving army appeared. My last day at Brasov I visited a prime example at Prejmer. I couldn't help thinking, looking at the 4.5 meter thick encircling walls, honeycombed with 272 rooms including a school, that many people today would be ecstatic if they could find similar protection. Unfortunately, modern artillery has rendered Prejmer obsolete. I ate a lunchtime sandwich in the shelter of the walls, before climbing up and down the galleries and finally walking around under the roof, where I could peer out through the arrow slits and murder holes.

I had had some difficulty locating the bus to Prejmer, which didn't leave from either of Brasov's bus stations, but from a stop some distance from the main one, on the other side of the road. Once I found the right stop, I had a lengthy conversation with a woman who lived in Prejmer, and referred to herself and her husband as "the last of the Saxons". Presumably she was just talking about Prejmer, rather than the whole area, since the mayor of Sibiu, in the running to become President, is a Saxon. Still, apparently most of the Saxon settlers, whose ancestors had arrived in the 12th and 13th centuries, moved back to Germany after WWII.

Tensions still exist between the Hungarian minority and the Romanian majority, and must have existed for centuries between the Saxons, living behind the walls of the upper town in Brasov, and the Romanians living outside, beyond the Schei gate.

When not visiting castles, palaces and churches, I continued to wander around old town Brasov. I visited the Schei gate, at the south end, although I was unable to enter the nearby synagogue. To the the north I took a look at the park I had noticed on the way in. No wedding party (they seemed to be confined to Saturdays), but plenty of men (no women....) playing chess and backgammon. After I bought my train ticket for Sibiu, I put Brasov on my "should revisit" list.

Never having read Bram Stoker's "Dracula", nor seen (as best I remember) a Dracula movie, and having no interest whatever in repairing those omissions, I nearly decided to skip Bran. >>

lol, thursdaysd, they made a whole radio series [or 3] out of that premise, getting a different "celebrity" each week to do 1/2 a dozen things they'd not done before; they called it "I've never seen Star Wars" which in your case would have been "I've never seen Dracula".

this is such a fascinating report about many places I have never heard of nor thought of going to.. until now. Romania.. sounds fabulous!

Did you get to Spoon Café in Budapest along the river near the Chain bridge? We loved that pace.

You have me doing a lot of Google Map searches . . . not that that is a bad thing. ;)

Ian

THURSDAYSD,

"Tensions still exist between the Hungarian minority and the Romanian majority, and must have existed for centuries between the Saxons, living behind the walls of the upper town in Brasov, and the Romanians living outside, beyond the Schei gate."

Loving the historical detail! Wow, you are an intrepid traveler! Along for the ride...

Thanks all!

@ann - sounds like an inverse Desert Island Discs - I think I'd prefer doing that!

@lincasanova - not this trip. I reinstated the Central as my favorite cafe, and did do the evening Danube cruise again (complete with small child that WOULD NOT SHUT UP).

Am now in Vienna (definitely museum weather), leaving for Graz tomorrow. The crowds in the historic center are HUGE.

Are you moving more freely now, or still dealing with ankle issues? I'm sure that I'm not the only Fodorite who is wishing you well

Thanks for asking, kja! I have gone from right foot limp, to both feet, to left foot. I thought it was getting better, but it got tangled up in a kneeler in a pew in St. Stephens yesterday because some idiot want to get past me instead of picking a different row. I did buy some cream and a new ankle wrap. I am moving a bit faster, but have mostly been doing museums, since it is quite cold and very crowded. I can manage my usual museum speed.....

OMG, you are such a trooper! I love that you keep finding ways to forge ahead -- awesome!

There are SO MANY ways in which I hope to emulate you ... but then there are some ways in which I hope to never EVER - ever!!! - follow in your footsteps. I guess I'm learning that one can travel despite injury -- so many thanks for the (I'm sure) unintended lesson. ;-)

@kja - I think you're doing just fine already. Definitely don't emulate my foot problems, although, given a choice, I'd take foot problems over stomach problems. I may be moving at a snail's pace (it was a pregnant snail's pace but I'm a shade faster today), but I am moving. There are more elevators in Vienna, too.

I hope you are either enjoying your pregnant snail's pace (what am image! ;-) ) or finding greater ease with every new step. And I trust that you are enjoying more than the elevators in Vienna! The Klimt entryway to the Kunsthistorisches Museum is one of my all-time favorite places, so do give it an extra glance for me.

I am finally walking somewhat better, thanks! Going down stairs still problematic, but have speeded up a bit on the flat. Am now in Graz, where the weather is better, too. I did visit a number of museums in Vienna, but not the KHM this time. Did see some new-to-me Klimts in the Leopold, and had a lovely time at the Hundertwasser museum.

Well then you MUST go back to Vienna! OK, maybe next time...

I'm glad you are moving a bit better, and that you are therefore more free to see what is around you, rather than watching every bit of pavement ahead. I'm quite certain that if anyone could write a trip report about pavement, and make it worth reading, it would be you -- but truth be told, I'd rather read about some other things!

This was my third visit to Vienna, so I had already visited the KHM. I had considered a return visit, but the admission is steep, and there were several other places I hadn't been to that I wanted to see. I didn't go back to the Hofburg, either, but I did make it to the furniture repository.

<b>Oct 1-3, 2014: So-so Sibiu and an outdoor museum.</b>

Somehow, I just never warmed to Sibiu, European City of Culture or not. Maybe it was the weather. Maybe it was my hotel. Or maybe it just couldn't match Brasov for charm.

The weather was mostly cool and grey, with actual rain some of the time. My room at the Levoslav was really a suite, with two big rooms, two TVs, two desks, two armchairs.... Trouble was, the furniture didn't fill the space, and the decor had an industrial feel. The overall effect was stark, plus the shower was vey awkward to use and breakfast was poor. And, when Lonely Planet told me it was walking distance from the train station if might have mentioned that half of the walk was uphill. In Brasov the Saxons had lived behind the walls, here they lived on top of a significant hill.

The upper town was built around three "squares", but I didn't find them welcoming. The two biggest were so big they effectively swallowed the cafes, and there were no fountains and few benches. Some parts of the old walls remained, but they were just walls. The History Museum was seriously disappointing, aside from some guild artifacts. The Art Museum in the Bruckenthal Palace owned a lot of rather bad paintings and a few interesting Turkish rugs, plus a couple of Rubens, but its star exhibit consisted of paintings retrieved after their forced transfer to Bucharest under the Communist regime. These included a brilliant, and brilliantly lit Brueghel: "The Slaughter of the Innocents", but I could hardly see the rest, the lighting was so dim. (I should also put in a good word for the Greek Orthodox cathedral, and its massive iconostasis.)

The best part of my stay in Sibiu was a visit to the ASTRA open air museum just outside town, a good substitute for the museum I had missed in Bucharest, and apparently the second largest in the world. In season, it looks like a lot of demonstrations and activities fill the buildings, but I was there off season, and little was happening. Still, I enjoyed wandering around under the trees and beside the big lake, checking out the churches, houses, barns and mills, and even a small flock of sheep. I did notice that the gates from Maramures were all inferior to the elaborately carved ones I had seen in situ.

I didn't eat particularly well in Sibiu, but I drank rather better than I ate. The desk clerk at the Levoslav said he didn't drink coffee, and couldn't recommend a cafe, but the very helpful T.I. sent me to the Cafe Wien, with a view down to the lower town, and good coffee. So, after Brasov I found Sibiu a bit disappointing, and it is firmly on the "glad I went, no need to return" list.