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Brasov with love

I’ve spent the day exploring Brasov. It was supposed to be a slow, easy day but so much to see again so it has entailed its fair share of walking, walking. It is magical, just enchanting I reckon. It is supposed to be where the Pied Piper emerged from Hamlin and you can just imagine it. It has a Germanic, Saxon history which is reflected in the architecture. It sits at the base of a mountain/large hill which is covered in deciduous trees just changing colour. It has lovely narrow, cobblestone streets, gorgeous churches and buildings. Very special really.

First thing this morning the bloke from the hotel took me to the station to change my ticket to Sighisoara for the afternoon tomorrow. This means I can go with him and another couple to Bran and Rasnov.

He is going to drop them at the train station before me and then take me to some fortified churches I really want to see. So I’m paying for a bit of an easy option tomorrow but much more efficient than the local buses. He’ll then drop me at the station for my train to Sighisoara. Only one night there so will need to be more efficient at seeing what I want to see and moving on!!

I’m enjoying the Romanian food and wine too. I’m good at hopping into whatever cuisine is going in the country I’m in. I had a pig shank last night…smoked then baked. Huge and couldn’t eat it all, I did think how much you boys would have loved to have been there to polish it off for me.

Love from magical Transylvania.

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Transylvania

How I miss my mac air when it comes to emails. But for the next 5 days it’s just the iPad so I’ll have to be patient to get the job done.

Oh God, it’s been a big day. Where to start. Set off this morning with just my lovely little case in tow…I feel positively light weight when I just have the one little companion. I got the Metro to the Central Train Station. Got on the train to Brasov and then got off the train at Sinaia which is where Peles Castle is. All this sounds easy but takes a bit of concentration to ensure you’re on the right train and indeed getting off at the right stop…all good. Then you have to jump through hoops to get your ticket stamped so you can get back on the train and finish the journey to Brasov. Then you have to leave your luggage and set off to find Peles.
All I knew was that it was up hill from the station so up I went…and up and up and up. No signs anywhere so you keep asking people and they just say ‘yes…up’. Well honestly I think it is my biggest walk yet and all uphill. I got there finally and the only way you can see it is on a tour…and the tours are massive which is such a shame. I didn’t have time to draw breath. The English tour had already started so off I went. For all my whinging I have to say it was a marvellous, fantastic, fairy tale castle that I loved. Reminded me so much of that castle in Portugal Rose and Ang, whose name escapes me so I’ll have to look it up. Same misty rain and magical mountains. I just loved it to pieces. You have to pay more than the entrance fee to be allowed to take photos in these places so I always try and sneak a few but you risk being sprung and publicly humiliated which happened today and also happened a few days ago in Bulgaria…you’d think I’d have learnt my lesson because it is embarrassing!!!

There are three parts of the Sinaia experience, so the next one the Pelisor Palace was nice but definitely the poor cousin of Peles. Then the walk back….omg!! Half way back is the 3rd piece of the puzzle, the Sinaia Monastry. I always love a good Monastry and this one was lovely but by now my stumpy legs were seizing up. So kept going to get way back down to the station. On the way there I’d checked out the trains and they were coming very frequently but as will have it I got back to find no train for 2.5 hrs….so went, cold and tired I had to sit and wait. This was a bit dismal but the train finally came and simultaneously the sun came out and the train choofed through these wonderful mountains covered in trees with leaves turning all shades of red, orange and yellow. The were tiny churches with wonderful steeples and ornate cottages peeking out. If there was a fairyland I reckon Transylvania could lay claim to being it. I am absolutely enchanted by Romania and I can’t understand the often negative feedback you get about it.

Then the taxi driver from the station let his country down. He tried to cheat me big time….very big time. I gave him the rounds of the table, told him what a cheat he was and he agreed to half what he first said but that was still four times more than he should have charged, I paid him but made him feel bad…I hope!!!

So, plans for next couple of days. The guy from the hotel will take me to Bran and a few other places with another couple staying here on Friday which leaves me with a fairly easy, slower day tomorrow to just explore Brasov…I’ll like that I think. To be able to do the little tour on Friday I have to go back to the train station to change my ticket to Sighisoara to a later train. Will do that on the bus so there is no need to use taxis again!!!

Exhausted after a very big day I am now ready to tuck up…but proud of my little legs for doing what they could never have done a year ago…with special acknowledgement to the knees!!

Signing out for another day!