We’d both heard nothing but good things about Romania from all of the folks we knew who had been there. That, plus the fact that it was completely virgin territory had us really looking forward to its offerings. While it did not start so well, it quickly improved and we absolutely loved it.

Cluj Napoca is a lively university town famed for its historic old town and the nearby “Salt Mine” ( Salina Turda ). Not a top destination for us per se but it fell right along our planned route so we decided it was worth a look. Here we came up against one of the rare shortcomings of the “Park4Night” app which had served us very well so far. Recommendations for where to park are compiled by previous camper users which updates the app – we chose a great spot close to the old town. Sadly, some users do NOT state that they are driving very small vans ( in some cases even just cars ! ) and the “highly recommended” area was both very full and the spaces way too small for even our small campervan. Other nearby options were equally cramped so the only choice was just to drive through the old town ( quaint, from what we saw anyway ! ) and on to the Turda salt mine just outside Cluj.

From others we spoke with ( and several Romanians we met ) Sibiu, Sighisoara, Brasov, Bran castle and Bucharest were some of the most popular and impressive destinations so we built our intinerary around them. Arguably the crown jewel in Romania, Braşov, gave us a bit of Sibiu, a bit of Sighisoara and tossed in famed Bran castle to boot – in fact, all were beautiful, exceeding our somewhat managed expectations for Romania. Absolutely perfect travel weather the whole time we were there just added to the appeal.

To the above list we added Romania’s famous Transfagarasan, a scenic high mountain road made famous by legendary British motoring journalist, Jeremy Clarkson ( Top Gear ), who deemed it the “most impressive road in the world”. High praise indeed and with an endorsement like that we felt it worth a small detour. Click on the link below to see how stunning this road “was” and might one day be again, but for now it is closed in the middle leaving the best bits off limits ( or certainly from the north side that we approached from ). It was certainly high, green, and generally scenic but the switchbacks we drove ( quite a few ) were not quite as stunning as the video. Hopefully someday it will re-open.

There were two nice consolation prizes of sorts – getting to the Transfagarasan took us via some bucolic rural roads giving us a taste of the Romania of yore, while some very fortunate European bear sightings created great delight for ourselves and the other motorists fortunate enough to see them. Definitely lifted our spirits after not being able to completely drive the full Transfagarasan.

If there is doubt ( and there certainly is ) that Count Dracula in fact ever visited Bran castle, the good folks in Bran are not letting the facts get in the way of a great story; Bran castle is a local legend gone global. This impressive castle attracts visitors from all over the world and the line up to get in stretched for blocks – and that was early in the day, well outside high season. While less impressive inside than out, the position of the castle high on a rocky outcrop, its dark tones, and its unmistakable “Dracula-like” appearance make for a worthy visit – its setting is definitely impressive. Between the ambience of Braşov town itself and the sight of nearby Bran castle, Braşov probably took the nod for our favourite place in Romania. As always, the people you meet ( and sometimes the place you stay ) add to the appeal and for us Braşov was a winner on both counts.

At this point we’d gone as far east in Romania as planned so turned south towards the capital, Bucharest. While it does have some wide boulevards, leafy suburbs, and notably, the Ceausescu-era monstrosity that is now the Palace of Parliament, Bucharest is just not the kind of capital that otherwise captivated us. The graffiti, the litter, and unkempt parks were just a bit of a turn off and detracted from what otherwise might have been a much more appealing place.  Our encounters here with locals though, were amazing – in Bucharest and elsewhere. Curious as to where we were from, excited that we’d come so far to visit and falling all over themselves helpful anytime we asked for assistance ( we often did ). Truly delightful to deal with – we also found the food great, and enjoyed some of the best beers and coffee so far ( always a good barometer of a county’s appeal !).

Having reached this point in our journey the decision now was which route to take back to Northern Europe ( it is here that we will store the car for three months while we return to Canada for the summer ). But, more on that next blog.

Till next week…