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/tra...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

The clubs there must be raging these days! Most of the popular techno/dance/house music is coming from Romania. They're taking the world by storm!!

ttt