Romania – so here we are!
We were very excited and looking forward to it – after all, we have never heard so much about any other country, especially so many contradictory things. But we already knew that some travellers are totally enthusiastic about it and were accordingly open and curious about the country.
It is also the first country of our trip that is impressively large – so it is already clear that we think and choose even more carefully than in other countries where we want to go and what we want to see and explore. At least for this very first exploration of the country, because who knows if our itinerary will lead us here again 🙂
But let’s take it one step at a time 😉 :
Romania holds the very first really recognisable border in store for us. But everything is still nice and gentle so that we can get used to it – we show our identity cards, driving licence and vehicle documents (we are completely unprepared for this and have to rummage around in the car shortly afterwards) and a quick look at our living quarters (is grandma perhaps secretly travelling with us…or a pack of dogs? ;-)) – and we are already allowed to drive on.
Shortly after the border, a difference to Hungary becomes clear: the first “street dogs” are to be seen and again and again itinerant shepherds with smaller flocks of sheep and goats.
We just drive through the first kilometres, because we are looking forward to our first travel appointment: Günter and Christine, who travelled Romania for 4 weeks with their camper, are already waiting for us! For them it is the last day in Romania, for us the first – an exciting mixture with a lot of storytelling and recommendation potential, which we take full advantage of!
So we start our journey into this new country in a cheerful and convivial atmosphere.
At this point, we would like to thank both of them again – for the nice get-together, your valuable tips, making us want to see Romania even more, the travel guide, the invitation, and so on and so forth 🙂
After a few more days of orientation and finding our way around, again as a couple, in a quiet place in the middle of “nowhere”, our first plan for discovering Romania has been decided: we will travel across Transylvania with a steady course towards the Black Sea! After an often turbulent first half of the year and now around 2 months of active travelling, we feel the need to relax and switch off. To process the impressions we have gathered, to stay a little longer in one place, to “go on holiday”… Where better to relax than by the sea! And best of all, in summer weather? (Life is also allowed to be a concert of wishes 😉 ) So let’s go!
But we still want to enjoy and make the most of the trip to the sea, after all, we have a good 800 km ahead of us. And to simply “drive it down” would be contrary to our attitude to travel and life.
Nevertheless, it will be an unusually busy time for us, rich in intense impressions, lots of active travel time and many experiences.
Siebenbürgen, or Transylvania as it is called in Romanian, has a lot to offer! (Yes, it really is called “Transylvania”. When a man in Hungary asked us quite seriously if we wanted to go there, my brain worked for a moment and I had to stifle a reflexive grin – haha, Transylvania, he must be joking…that’s where the vampires and Count Dracula live, but that doesn’t really exist…but wait, stop – it does exist! Again what learned 😉 )
A wealth of impressive cultural treasures and contemporary history awaits us here.
Before we dive into it, we start the route with a natural wonder: Râpa Roșie, the “Red Gorge”. We wouldn’t call the rock formations a gorge, but either way, the visit to Râpa Roșie is really worthwhile and we can once again marvel at the wonders of the earth.
See for yourself and click through this and the galleries below for more impressions:
Afterwards, we’ll really get into Transylvania – including some travel into the historical past of the Transylvanian Saxons who lived here for a total of approx. 800 years until the late 20th century, originally from the area of today’s Germany, and who had a decisive influence on Transylvania.
We start with the ruins of Deva Fortress in the village of the same name, which can be reached via a beautiful walk through the wooded castle hill. The visit to the well-renovated castle ruins is even free of charge – and there is surprisingly much to discover for a “ruin”. You are also rewarded with a view over the city and the surrounding area. Even if the time of cannon shells and black powder is a thing of the past here – there are still thrills to be had from the castle’s current inhabitants: European horned vipers…or as several signs proclaim: “Atentie! Vipere!”
We continue through the “Land of the Seven Castles”.
We are particularly fascinated by the fortified churches, most of which date from around the 13th/14th century. The historical background behind this is that the villages had the duty, imposed by the king, to provide fortification. However, the financial means of the village were not sufficient to surround all the houses with a protective wall – so this was only built around the already existing church, which was the hub of God-fearing life in those days. A castle was built, in the middle of which the church stood, which was often extended by embrasures and whose bell tower was also converted into a lookout and scout post. Various chambers, in which supplies were stored in times of peace and the villagers were accommodated in times of siege, completed the castle. Impressive! Especially since many of these fortified churches can still be visited almost entirely today. By chance, we are lucky enough to come across our first fortified church, Frauendorf, quite unplanned in the village of the same name: We are allowed to climb up to the roof truss of the bell tower on our own, on steep ladders and stairs that probably date back to historical times. And without any tourist hustle and bustle around us.
The journey continues to the fortified church of Biertan, which is particularly beautiful due to its overall appearance. Due to its UNESCO status, it is much more touristy here, but the entrance fee of the equivalent of 3 EUR per person is still very “world travel friendly”. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to explore much here on our own; the church pews and tower galleries are closed.
We are going to Viscri, in German “Deutsch-Weisskirch”. The fortified church here and the village centre are also UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The church castle is a real eye-catcher in black and white, and the village of the same name is also worth discovering: homemade products can be bought in many houses in the village centre, many of which have been beautifully restored. Half the village seems to be a small shop. Here you can buy wood-fired bread, preserves, garden vegetables, knitted woollen socks and felt slippers, goat and even buffalo cheese (branza de burduf) and much more. We stock up on almost all of these great things, move on happily and fulfilled, and feed ourselves the next few evenings with homemade bruschetta made of bread, tomatoes and buffalo cheese from there 🙂
The visit to our fourth and last fortified church, Tartlau (also a UNESCO World Heritage Site) in the village of Prejmer, is also unexpectedly spectacular: not only because many households could be accommodated in this castle and the whole construction looks a bit like the game “Labyrinth of the Masters”, but also because we are allowed to explore several corridors, rooms and floors almost completely alone and at our leisure. Accompanied only by the specially created video guide, which explains and illustrates the individual stations in detail. What an experience! Thanks again to Karin for the great recommendation 🙂
We’re glad you discovered the fortified churches with us – in the next post, we’ll go through the pretty villages and towns of Transylvania!
We look forward to your company and until then your thoughts on this post in the comments 🙂
La revedere – Sophia and Chris