After a brief stop at yet another Tesco to buy lunch things and spend the last of our Hungarian Florints (HUFs) we continued our journey towards the Romanian capital, Bucharest. The flattening landscape became more large-scale agricultural in nature with huge fields of wheat, barley and sunflowers. (We thought of Debbie from The Archers.)
In addition to a different currency (our fourth) and putting our watches forward another hour (GMT+3), on crossing the border into Romania (country number seven) other differences began to emerge. There's quite a pronounced mix of old and new here: shortley after the border, we drove past what appeared to be a brand new Chinese electronics factory, but shortly afterwards, passed some men using scythes to mow a hay meadow while others stacked the cut hay into old style rounded hay ricks using pitch forks. We drove through small communities with electricity to and satellite television dishes on every house, most of which also had water wells and wooden out-houses.
At the end of a long, slow day (no motorways here, leastwise not like we've been used to) Will found a place just off the main road for us to bush camp - our last for a while. We're getting quicker at setting up our tents and getting everything ready for dinner now, and putting up the truck's awning when the rain - another summer thunder storm that evening - comes. Something new for that night, a call and response chorus by the local (and some not so local) dogs well into the night and long after most of us had gone to bed.
***
The next morning - after putting away our previously dry, now wet again tents - we carried on towards Bucharest. En route, passing the Hotel Transylvania (cue The Eagles) and fields of hops. We stopped at the charming and not too tourist-y town of Sighisoara, which has some lovely buildings, little lanes, small squares and fantastic old tiled roofs that make for an interesting, multi-angled sky line.
Next stop: Castle Bran, also known as 'Dracula's castle'. [Why is there never a clap of thunder when you actually want one?] Castle Bran (Dracula's castle) is super tourist-y, but actually a lovely place with a pretty courtyard and delightful covered walkways: not in the least bit cold or foreboding. Cutting through the whole Nosferatu/vampire thing for a moment, if I have this right, the Dracula connection comes from the fact that Vlad Drakul's son, Vlad 'Tepes' (the impaler) was once held captive here on charges of treason against the Ottoman empire, which ruled the region at the time. More interstingly, the castle was also home to the first king of independent Romania and his queen, Mary, who was one of the many grandchildren of our own Queen Victoria and born in Kent, my home county.
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| The Courtyard of Bran Castle |
After lunch we set off again on the final big push to our campsite for the next two nights just outside Bucharest. First though, we had to get to the other side of a range of steep-sided and very high hills via a seemingly endless series of switchbacks and hair pin bends, which meant a long, tortuous drive for Will and terrific views of fantastic scenery for us. I say us, but truth be told, the combination of a hot day, lunch and being rhythmicaly rocked from side to side meant I slept through the whole thing. When we arrived at the campsite, we were delighted to discover that they had very reasonably priced cabins with showers to which, gratefully, we upgraded. Not least to escape the many Transylvanian mosquitoes. (Like normal moquitoes, but with fangs!)
***
The next mornining (this morning: day 9) after nearly missing breakfast for trying to re-type this post, Juli went to reception to find out about bus tickets into town - You can't buy them on the bus, but must have them or face a fine - to be told they didn't have any, but that we could get them in town.
Juli: "So, how do we get to town to get the bus tickets without a ticket?"
Man at reception: "Is problem."
Actually, to be fair, he then helped Juli organise three taxis to take 12 of us at a highly reasonable fixed price of about one pound each. Our taxi driver was very nice too, pointing out various land marks as we went, so that all worked out very well.
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| The Parliament Building in Bucharest |
Like many capital cities around the world, Bucharest is in Romania, but not of Romania. It has very many fine, very large, stone buildings in a 1930s neo-classical style along side some more modern, steel and glass, head-quarters style office blocks either side of very wide, tree-lined boulevards. However, it also has an old quarter with many structures from a much earlier time, including some from the Roman period. (The Romanian language is a romance language and has many similarities with French and, particularly, Italian.) We spent a happy few hours wandering around there before stopping for lunch at a lovely spot with a shady courtyard. Afterwards, we caught another taxi back to camp - which gave Juli an early opportunty to practice her haggling / Jedi mind trick skills - for another much needed shower and a spot of light blogging.
Tomorrow, we move on to country number eight, and our last in Europe: Bulgaria, but this evening and tomorrow morning (if we're not eaten alive tonight) we have cook duty. By chance, Juli's Speciality: Chicken Fahitas.
TTFN - N
