This past September, my husband, aka the Marine, and I went to England for a day to see Stonehenge, then we traveled the next day to Romania. I shared of my visit to the lovely England countryside, and the busy Romanian Old Port in the first post. Here I continue my adventure.
Our first two impressions of Brasov were that it was an intimate, smaller city, and that parking is challenging, much like visiting Worchester, MA but without parking garages. We stayed in the center of town at the quaint Safrano Palace. Because we would only be there two nights, and with the following day’s adventure already planned, we spent the afternoon visiting the Black Church and visiting shops.
For those who have never visited, many Romanian restaurants are narrow storefronts with limited inside space. The main seating is outside. In the chillier months, there are tents with little fires burning at strategic places for one to stay “warm”. For me, dinner was had at Dracula Restaurant, and it was delicious.
The Marine woke me up early, citing I would be much happier if we were at Castle Bram when it opened. We enjoyed a fabulous European-style breakfast, then ventured out. The little town around Castle Bram was, shockingly, exactly as I imagined though I’d never researched the area. It was quaint and rustic, and you could buy bread from a bakery in the next shop over with very likely a butcher or pastry maker. Very similar to those German towns I lived in and visited when stationed there.
For being so famous (infamous?), one might claim Castle Bram is smaller than expected. But, when making your way up the maaaany steps, a sort of spell falls over you. You feel the rich and long history, recognize it has stood tall for centuries, and withstood millions of visitors.
Being there early, we walked up the steps alone, entered the castle without pause, and toured at our own pace. One of the most famous pictures one will see if researching the castle is one I could myself take with none in line before or behind us. And so, I share with you “the creepy stairs”, a photograph I shared previously on a Facebook post for my bestie and mom were visiting vicariously through me. The other picture is from the balcony looking down on the courtyard.
After visiting the souvenir shop and signing the guestbook, we returned to Brasov for dinner. Finding the weekend market in full swing, we meandered through the stalls and enjoyed the evening to its fullest.
And yet there was one aspect of my trip I anticipated with greater excitement than visiting Stonehenge and Castle Bram. The following day, he drove us to Cluj. We parked at a stadium, walked through a beautiful park, then found a coffee shop that made the best caramel latte I had the whole trip.
After walking down an alley that was dark for so bright a day, we found our destination: Restaurant Roata, Cluj where traditional Romanian dishes are served. The most amazing part of this meal was sharing it with the lovely and awe-inspiring Lory Lilian!
It was almost surreal, enjoying the rich and flavorful food of Romania with Lory on a porch with grape vines growing overhead. Our conversation canvassed writing, of course, but many other topics, to include who else might join us should the Marine and I again find ourselves in Romania.
If you have ever had the opportunity to meet with her, you know Lory is warm, generous, and full of humor. I have long been a fan of her writing, which I proved by showing how many of her books were on my Kindle. And now I am blessed and honored to be able to call her a friend.
While I would consider it one of my favorite days precisely because I enjoyed hours with Lory, the Marine also claims Cluj a favorite place to visit because it does not cater to tourists, so was authentic to its own culture. If we should go back, he says we should spend at least two days there exploring the city.
Having seen my every hope realized and more, from Cluj we drove to Sibiu. His only major to-do for claiming it a fully successful trip beyond seeing my wants fulfilled was driving the Transfăgărășan highway, which is a highway in the Carpathian Mountains.
If ever you find yourself in Romania, and if you have time, this should be part of your plans. Do pause, get out of your vehicle and take in the view, for it is breathtakingly beautiful. And while you do, recall even Caesar gazed upon Romania from the Carpathians, a reminder of the country having a long history. I added here both the picture showing the road though there were many times that Wayz claimed we were “off the grid”, and one of the view close to the top. As you can see, the Marine literally took me into the clouds that day, so high do the Carpathians reach!
For those of us who were fans of Top Gear (the British show), I put in a plug that, if at all possible, when you see a car meant to be driven (Audi, Mustang, even a BMW) is behind you, do please let them pass so the car can have a little fun around the corners.
We spent our last night in Bucharest close to the airport. If I might make one further suggestion, though it says it will be 20 minutes to go 2 miles in rush-hour traffic, wait the 20 minutes rather than seeking an alternate route. Just a bit of friendly advice.
Our return found us again in Heathrow, where my only requirement was to purchase Haribo gummy bears. My mother will tell you the ones we have in the U.S. do not taste half so good. Therefore, my return carry-on was stuffed with gummy bears to round out her Christmas tote alongside the pendant we purchased for her in Romania.
Though the destination was my suggestion, this trip would not have been near so amazing without the Marine’s planning. And for the amazing coincidence of our thoughtful and kind writer/editor’s suggesting I meet Lory, and Lory’s having the time to meet us, and I thank you both. It was a perfect mix of intent and chance blending to make a trip of a lifetime a memory one to cherish throughout my life.
I hope you have enjoyed both posts, where a touch of the Austenesque made for a perfect blog.
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