A Few Days Around Transylvania…

Transylvania, an area of ancient mystical mysticism shrouded in old ancient mystery…its the place renown for Vampires, Wolves, Bears and many mysteries of ancient mysticness and as its Halloween we are all for some mysticalness! …Transylvania is a place which has – unlike the rest of Romania – become the frontier for the countries tourism.

So here is a guide, lets say, of Transylvania, one of my new favourite places!

What made Transylvania famous amongst foreigners and locals alike is down to two things-

1:Irishman Bram Stokers thriller, Dracula, was an instant hit in Europe and the English speaking world, but 2: what really boosted the recognition of Transylvania was the rather perculier mind of Megalomaniac, Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
Ceausescu made Vlad the Impaler an important figure head for the national morale, and the legend of him was used as a brilliant piece of propaganda and advertising for tourism.

When you visit Transylvania you’ll either fly into Brasov or Sibiu, the two main cities here. Brasov old town is a brilliant place to explore on your first day, since it’s been renovated to resemble how the town would have looked a few hundred years ago.

Brasov

Brasov is also a superb place for those who want to shop, since the whole pedestrianised area has a wide array of designer, outlet, second hand, antique, big brand and many other shops..(Side note for gentlemen, make sure to hide your wallets!)

Sighisoara

An hour north is Sighisoara. The beautiful Citadel dates back from the 14-15 th centuries, and is simply a brilliant example of a Transylvanian fortress and a Transylvanian Saxon town. I’ve done a more in depth blog of Sighisoara here, where I detail a walk around the Citadel.

Rasnov Citadel

A fine example of one of the periods citadels is in the town of Rasnov, south of Brasov. This citadel overlooks a dense forest on one side, and a plain which acts as an agricultural and industrial heartland for the area on the other side. You also have spectacular views of the nearby Carpathian Mountains.

To get to the Citadel, there are two ways. You can either drive to the car park provided by the council, and board a road train that takes you via the dinopark-(yes, a dinopark)-, or you can park in the town and ride the vernacular up a steep incline, which means you can admire the pretty surroundings.

Rupea Citadel

Another example of ruined citadels is on a hill over looking the town of Rupea, between Brasov and Sighisoara. Rupea citadel is also on a high hill, with great views overlooking the small town below and rolling hills around. Most of the towers have been renovated, so it feels like the place has been hardly damaged throughout its history.

Viscri Saxon Village

Nearby to Rupea through a traditional gypsy settlement there is a small village , which not only has two houses owned by HRH Prince Charles, but is also the town which proudly exhibits a Saxon fortified village. The enclosed village has stables, rooms, and an Anglo Saxon style church. This Saxon village is probably the best example around and is called Viscri. The origins of the fortified church date from 1100, and people lived within these walls right up to the 18th century.

As I mentioned, Prince Charles bought two houses and had them renovated. So now, people who want to experience the incredible Transylvanian way of life can holiday there.

Bran Castle

If you want to stay on the more touristy path though, you could do the very busy and well known castle of Bran, situated nearby to the town of Bran between a pretty, wooded valley. As you’d expect, tourists from all over the world clog the paths and streets, as well as swarming like ants all over the inside of it. It can get quite claustrophobic at times with the hordes of multi nationals descending on the well preserved rooms. This place is supposedly the castle in which Bran Stocker got his inspiration for Draculas castle.

Sibiu

We’ll end in Sibiu, with another well maintained and restored old town, which, like Alba Lulia, is situated behind rows of defensive walls. In many respects, Sibiu is somewhat of a smaller, messier version of Brasov. As my mum put it so eloquently, “if the Maramures is the Lakes, and Bucovinas the Highlands, Sibiu is Romanias Salford”

Whilst in Sibiu, we got lost in the old town, which is actually very pretty. With many squares, it’s a pleasant place to stop and dine whilst observing passerby’s.

What is quite haunting when you wander the boulevards and streets in the old town however, are the window holes on the roof of the buildings which this town is famed for, which look like eyes and seem to follow you…
Whilst in Sibiu, we paid a visit to Sibiu zoo. It had Bears and Wolves and Tigers and Lions, all of which seemed unhappy, and probably the most lively animal was the massive great pig…

Transfagarasan

 

One last thing I’d suggest is to drive on the greatest driving road in the world, the Transfagarasan highway which connects the historic provinces of Transylvania and Wallacia over the Fagaras mountain range. On this road, you can witness some brilliant views and enjoy corners like those from racing tracks.

Was there anything I missed? I don’t think so, but I’m open to suggestions so make sure to leave a comment of where I should visit next time I’m here!

In conclusion, Transylvania is an incredibly interesting and beautiful place. We explored many wonderful attractions, both on the beaten track, and off.

We met many friendly and welcoming people, all of whom treated us like old friends, and we’ve created memories that’ll last a lifetime..

I would like, however, to add that Transylvania has become somewhat of a hub of tourism, and the Dracula myth and story has fueled a misleading claim about the place.
Whether this is a good or bad thing, I’m not sure. On the one hand, I feel the tourists litter and ruin the idea of the place, but on the other it helps the local economy, and keeps the tourists from Bucovina and the Maramures, which means it stays beautiful and unspoilt for the likes of me and you!

It’s been a brilliant trip, and if anyone were to visit this region, Bulgaria and Romania are must do’s! I may write a longer blog detailing the places more in the not to distant future for a friend of mine…

The one last thing I’d like to say, is thank you Romania!

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The Transfagarasan Highway…

 

High in the Fargaras mountains, lies a road that flows like a piece of string discarded…..it weaves into hairpins and long flowing bends, that curve and climb high above the trees and hills, and ascends through gorges and valleys, tunnels through mountains and crosses over brooks..this, is the Transfagarasan…

The ninety kilometre long road was built in the early 1970’s as a strategic military route so the Russians could quickly rush troops and tanks to protect its southern flank in case of war between the east and west.  Caucescus concern however was if the Russians tried to invade Romania, like they did with Czechoslovakia in the 1950’s.

It was mainly built by the military, and it had a high financial, and human, cost.
The work was carried out in an elevation of 2,000 metres, using roughly six million kilograms of dynamite to blow out the cliffs and rock formations. The employed were prodominantly junior military personnel who were untrained in blasting techniques. This resulted in many workers dieing. Official records suggest that 40 soldiers lost their lives, but unofficial estimates put the number in the hundreds.

Despite all the destruction and death, the road was completed in 1974.

The Transfagarasan is the second highest paved road in Romania, only behind the Transalpina, but this road is a much bigger attraction for hikers,motorists, bikers, cyclists and tourists generally not only for the views and brilliant driving itself, but also since there’s a small lake enroute, and Poenari Castle, the real castle where Vlad the Impaler lived.

Some people visit it since British TV show “Top Gear’s” lead host Jeremy Clarkson proclaimed it to be “the best driving road in the world”. Geoff however, disagrees…he says that the Transalpina is a much better road to drive on…so you’ll need to drive them both for you to be able to decide for yourself.

In conclusion, the Transfagarasan is a wonderful road. It’s smooth, with brilliant views and is a pleasure to drive on. If you come to Romania, this is a must do!  (As a side note, it’s closed between October and March since being so high means it’s buried in deep snow for the winter months)

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Romania In World War Two…

Roadtrips are obviously as much much driving as exploring, if I could record or replay or even transcribe some of the conversations which take place whilst on the road, I would be a very wealthy man, I’m sure! Whilst driving Down the winding forest lanes, scattered with a carpet of russet at this time of year mum asked a question referring to Romanias participation in the Second World War particularly

” why did they keep swapping sides, then? ”
As she isn’t particularly interested in history, ( or, really, that smart when it comes to history modern or ancient,)  I told her in an easy to follow way. ( aka: in the words of a two year old )

See if you can grasp this – it IS complicated, but I think mum got it in the end……

Before the Second World War, Romania joined the Little Entente with France, Czechslovakia and Yugoslavia.
In 1939, war broke out between the Allies-(at this time France, The U.K and their colonies)- and Axis powers-(only Germany).  Romania, like most countries around the world declared their neutrality.

Ultimately, they had to join the Axis powers.
This was the result of public unrest, and the mishandling of the country and its wealth under The Monarchical Dictatorship, under Carol the Second. ( The then, king of Romania )
The people weren’t happy with the King several reasons, but primarily for his appeasement for handing over parts of the nation to other countries.  For example,  Bessarabia went to the Russians-(at this time, the Soviet Union)-, and they weren’t pleased with the loss of northern Transylvania to the Hungarians, and part of Romanias coast to the Bulgarians.

After the unrest, King Carol abdicated, and the Iron Guard, a fascist pro-nazi group-(which until 1937, were supported by Carol)- took control of the country, under Antonescu.

German troops were then allowed to enter Romania, and in 1941, the Germans initiated Operation Barbarossa, the Axis Invasion of the Soviet Union. All of Germany’s allies-(except Bulgaria)-declared war on the Soviets, and the Romanian army was one of the worst hit from the conflict, losing over 500,000 soldiers.

Eventually, the Germans were on the retreat, and, in an act that surprised the Allies and Russians, Romania switched sides.  In the process, they took the 53,000 German soldiers stationed in Romania and put them in POW camps, and then declared war on Germany.

This move was probably to put the Russians-(who were fast approaching)- off from capturing Romania…it didn’t, but even still, this act shortened the war and helped Romania stay independent after the war. By declaring war on the Axis powers,  an extra 200,000 lives were lost.

As you may have noticed, the Romanians have taken a leaf out of the Italian book of warfare, in which it is recommended that one joins the side which is winning-(no offense my Italian friends).

The country went from Allies to neutrality, then back to Allies, then it swapped again, this time to Axis and then finally to the  Allies again…

This blog was about the kind of history which interests me in particular… I hope that from this ” laymans account ” of Romania through World War Two, you can get a grasp of their complicated history…. like my mum did….. eventually!

Now we are heading to Transylvania-(again)- this time, Rasnov, Sigisoara, Bran and Brasov, so I’ll be telling you about the history of Dracula and Transylvania links to vampires and also guiding you on aWalk Around Sighisoara, as well as more from this area in the next few blogs.

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Barsana Monastery…

…A Piece Of Heaven On Earth…

9th October 2018

We’ve left the Maramures now, heading south back towards Bulgaria. We’ve still yet to explore the really touristy parts of Transylvania, such as Brasov, Sighisoara and Sibiu.
But before we head Off in that direction though, we will go eastwards, to the area which borders Moldova, called Bucovina.

We stopped enroute after twenty minutes driving, thankfully, at the Barsana wooden Monastery’s…

This enormous complex is made up of large, grand wooden houses and an incredible monastery, which together sit on a beautiful, grass hill with a lovely view overlooking a clean and unspoilt valley.
The Monastery itself was renovated in 1993, and has been done in an authentic and traditional way, meaning it’s in a brilliant condition.

This is the first thing you notice upon walking up the small incline towards the white-walled entrance, built underneath a tall, wooden tower.

Peering through the arch, to your left, you will notice a garden vividly dotted with roses of many shades of red, pink and white, and a plethora of other trees and flowers that adorn the sides of the stone paths, and other flowers that hang down from the finely carved wooden balconies.

Entering the premises, you feel at peace and the scenrenity of the monastery is astounding. The only thing that breaks the silence is the sound of bird song, and the occasional sound of passing traffic.

It’s funny to think that despite being a popular tourist stop, and protected and listed by Unesco, a church procession happens every Sunday at 10:45.
Bigger events are set up for more tourists and pilgrims alike, who visit the monastery on the 30th June each year, when “the Barsana Monastery Celebrates and venerates the 12 apostles that are the protectors of this holy place”.

Within the site there are several traditional wooden buildings. One holds a museum which illustrates life as a monk, as well as giving an insight into authentic religious equipment, such as murals, shrines, crosses, icons and many other beautifully patterned and decorated items.

 

You can spend about 45 minutes exploring this place, whether it be praying in the stunning monastery, or following the stone paths that weave throughout the garden, Barsana Monastery is a must-see.

After spending some time admiring the wonderful gardens and buildings, we set out towards our destination.
It was a long drive from Barsana to our next stop, Vatra Dornei, located in the even more traditional area of Bucovina, known for sharing a border with Moldova and its famous painted churches, which date back from the 15th and 16th centuries…but more on those tomorrow…

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A Few Days In The Maramures…

Where To Go And What To See In This Incredible Region…

Introducing the Maramures, known by many as the most traditional region in Romania. The Maramures is a tapestry of history, culture, wildlife, folklore and the traditional way of life.

In this blog I list some of the places and activities we experienced, and would recommend for you, if you visit this astonishing place…

Banffy castle was our first stop enroute to the Maramure region from Cluj-Napoca.
The castle is known as the Versailles of Transylvania, but it’s under restoration, so not all the buildings are in their prime and immaculate form. Some of them are restored though, and they are brilliantly done.

To understand why it’s under restoration, you need to look at its past.
In 1944, the castle was transformed into a field hospital, used by the Axis powers during Operation Barbarossa, better known as the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union.

After finding out about the political attitude of its owner, Count Miklos Banffy, who had initiated negotiations between the governments of Romania and Hungary for the return of weapons from the Eastern Front and to use them against Germany, the Nazis plundered the building, and upon retreat from Romania, the furniture, the library and the gallery of paintings was destroyed.
Under communist rule, the castle was left alone, untouched, crumbling away everyday…

Today though, the Transylvania Trust-(a local charity set up by conservation professionals and volunteers in 1996.)-has started to fund restoration and renovation of this English manor like castle.

The site also plays host to the annual “Electric concert,” a Romanian music concert with some of the money raised from tickets costs going towards the restoration of the spectacular premises.
The castle makes for a pretty place to stop and stretch your legs between the three hour drive from Cluj-Napoca, to the secluded Maramures.

Another place you may want to stop at enroute from Cluj-Napoca to the Maramures is Razlog Monastery, known by the locals as the Monastery of Archangels Michael and Gabriel.

They are two traditional Maramurian Wooden churches that are UNESCO protected and listed, making them very important for the local economy.
If you happen to visit them on Sunday, you’ll see that despite being an attraction, the Sunday church procession still takes place. Here, you can see the locals dressed traditionally, continuing the weekly service like as if it’s a weekly supermarket run.

On the border of Ukraine, Sighet prison is a museum located in the town of Sighet Marmatiei.
Its a former Romanian prison, used by Soviets after the Second World War. Between 1948 and it’s closure in 1972, the prison held students, pupils, peasants, military officers and generals, acedemics, former ministers, historians and journalists who all went against the Soviet Union, the newly created People’s Republic of Romania, and the communist ideology itself.
In 1992, twenty years after its closure, the former prison was turned into a museum, and is named “The memorial to the victims of communism and to the resistance”

Inside the museum, exhibits are on display within the old cells, and they give an interesting and disturbing insight in to the life of a prisoner under the communists, life outside the prison –  and overall – an insight into the everyday life, as well as the eventual collapse of the USSR and its downfall after the uprisings in Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary and Romania.

However depressing you may find walking around a prison, it is history and is an important part of heritage in this town.

In some respects, it reminded me of the concentration camp called Jasenovac, in Croatia, I visited.
The people who recommended it to us were ashamed of it, but even still, it was recommended…
For this reason, I’d say if you go to this area of Romania, the Sighet prison is a must-see.

A ten minute drive from Sighet Marmatiet will take you to the Merry cemetery, a world renown place that puts a new light onto the inevitable.
The cemetery is popular because the grave stones-(instead of being a dull, grey slab)-are beautifully decorated, and a picture on the front and back shows how that person died, or what they enjoyed doing whilst alive.

 

 

Outside the cemetery is the only place, beside Baia Mare, that sells souvenirs and gifts, such as sheepskin rugs, traditional hats, postcards, magnets and the normal tourist souvenirs.

Back in Sighet Marmatiea, If you fancy some lunch, why not take a trip over an international border, and head on into the Ukraine, a country known for exploding nuclear reactors and Russian separatists!

In all seriousness though, take a trip over and explore the town of Solotyvne, a place known for its salt lakes, and the birthplace of Robert Maxwell, a man who owned the Sun newspaper, and mysteriously died off of the coast of the Canary Islands.

Lunch in this even cheaper country-(where 1 British pound is equal to 36 Ukrainian Hyvrania!)-is story to tell your friends, but if you bring you dogs, leave them in the car, as you can enter Ukraine, but cannot pass back into Romania, here, with them. ( this particular border is not an animal crossing border! ).

Baia mare, the city which acts as your gateway to this undiscovered place, makes for an interesting half day wander. You can explore the history of the town which sits at the foot of the Igniș Mountains, and enjoy a glass of wine in the beautiful square, where a market takes place everyday.

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The Incredible Turda Salt Mine…

…The Underground Amusement Park…

3rd October 2018
When you hear the word “Transylvania”, what do you think of?
For me, it’s Count Dracula, Castles, the Carpathian mountains, wild animals like wolves and bears, gypsies, and pretty villages.

These are the types of things which make Transylvania so captivating and mysterious.

..not salt mines…

In the pretty town of Turda, south of the second largest city in Romania, Cluj-Napoca, are the incredible salt mines known as Salina Turda.
The mines have played a crucial part in the development of the area, and now, despite being closed, are on of the most important and popular tourist attractions in Romania, further increasing the development of the area.

The first known records of the working salt mine are dated as far back as 1075 and pure salt was mined excessively straight out of the ground. Over time, more mines opened up, but in 1932, the whole establishment closed down…

The Turda Salina then reopened as an attraction in 1992, and each year, around 2.5 million foreign and local tourists visit it.

There are currently five mines open to the public. They are Rudolph mine, Theresa, Iosif, Crivac and Gizela.

Within these mines, you can admire the fact you are some 100 metres underneath the earths surface. In some, there are exhibits showing the tools used in this difficult job, such as the horse powered winches and mine carts.

One mine is called the echo chamber.  Here, you stand on a balcony a few metres from the edge, and shout.  After shouting, you hear your voice ricochet from wall to wall for at least ten seconds.

The oldest, Theresa mine, is 112 metres underground, 90 metres high and 85 metres wide, shaped like a bell. What’s spectacular about the floor of this mine is that it holds a 2-8 metre deep salt lake, and a salt islands sits in the centre, where people can hire a boat and row around this natural, and incredible, phenomena… As the photos show, it looks like something out of another world! ( or at least a James Bond film…)

Before you get to Theresa mine you have to go along the Franz Joseph gallery-(the 917 metre long shaft, which connects the mines to the outside world)-and down, thirteen stories, into the Rudolph mine.

 

The walls of the 80 metre wide mine are adorned with stalactites, which, upon reaching 3 metres, crash down to the floor because of their own weight.

From the ceiling, too, hang long white lamps, illuminating the floor of this mine. This area is unbelievable since the mine accommodates a wide range of activities, including the likes of pool tables, table tenni tables, a children’s park, a souvenir shop, a bowling alley, mini golf courses, a small amphitheater and to top it all off, a Ferris wheel…

Back in the Franz Joseph gallery, you can go to the salt baths, which are supposedly wonderful for people’s health…

Perhaps it’s for these reasons why the Business Insider magazine put Salina Turda at the top of their list of the “ten coolest underground places in the world”.
It was also in the list for the “25 hidden gems around the world that are worth the trek”.

The accommodation we have is Eldorado camping, just west of Cluj-Napoca and an forty minute drive north from Turda.

Being so close to Cluj-Napoca, we’re heading into Transylvanias largest city tomorrow…

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The Transalpina, Corvin Castle, And Alba Lulia Citadel…

1st October 2018
Usually when I write about a roadtrip, I’ll talk about us leaving, and arriving at a place… today however, was different…

For once, I’ll be talking about the road itself, its called the Transalpina…

It is said that The Transalpina was built under King Carol the second from Romania and rebuilt during Second World War by German Troops.
Also, a story has it that Nicolae Ceausescu, world renown Megalomaniac and Communist dictator of Romania had the Transfagarasan Road-(the better known mountain pass)-, which Top Gear call the greatest driving road in the world, built to surpass the Transalpina.
The road connects Novaci in the south to Sebes in the north, covering 148 kilometres, and is at its highest on the Urdele pass, some 2,145 metres.

Despite the short distance, it takes just over three hours to cover, since the road has many bends. It would take even longer for us though because of the thick fog…this was quite unfortunate, not only for time, but also because it would mean we wouldn’t get to see the hairpin bends and beautiful mountain valleys.

There are several small shacks along the Transalpina, but there is a settlement called Ranca which operates as the departure place for hiking and skiing. The pretty town is made up of hotels and alpine looking buildings…There were also two flocks of sheep being herded the opposite way to us, this traffic jam caused us to slow down…

The tight corners and flowing road would make for brilliant driving in a sport car…not, in a heavily laden Nissan Navara!

Even still, we had a brilliant time driving the road, admiring what we could see of the scenery. Geoff wished he’d had his Caterham Seven still to go whipping around the bends in!

Arriving at Alba Lulia, we found our apartment located right in the centre of the city. From here, we will be able to walk to the star shaped citadel, built upon Roman fortifications, and then adapted and improved by the Ottomans, and Hapsburgs/Hungarians.

We shall explore this place better tomorrow, along with the close by Corvin Castle, a place that reminds me of a generic fairytale castle…minus the industrial hub just before it!

2nd October 2018
Corvin Castles is situated close by to Deva, which is some 42*miles from Alba Lulia. The castle is Transylvanias most spellbinding castle, despite being located within a jungle of steel mills and power stations.

The 14th century stone castle is one of Romanias most popular tourist attractions, and upon arriving, it’s easy to see why.

The most spectacular Gothic-style castle in Romania has to be Corvin. It was built by the Anjou family on the site of a former Roman camp, and it served as a fortress until the mid-14th century, when it became the residence of Transylvania’s voivode, Iancu de Hunedoara.
Iancu upgraded the fortress transforming it into a stunning Transylvanian castle, but despite its stunning exterior, the castle is shrouded in Myth, legend, torture and death.

The castle is a large and imposing structure, which is made up of tall towers, bastions, an inner courtyard, orange coloured roofs, and many beautifully decorated rooms and halls.

 

For defensive purpose, there’s a double wall for enhanced fortification and is flanked by both rectangular and circular towers, an architectural innovation for the Transylvanian architecture.

Another mystic part of the castle is bear pit, a gap between the outer wall and inner walls where prisoners were thrown to be mauled to death by wild animals such as wolfs, lynx and, for namesake reasons, bears.

As I said, the castle is soaked with legend, so here are a few stories from the castle…
Tourists are told when they come here that Vlad the third of Wallachia, better known as Vlad the Impaler, but known predominantly as Count Dracula, was imprisoned in the castle, and for this reason, it’s though Bram Stoker took inspiration for Draculas Castle from Corvin.

In one of the smaller courtyards in the castle, a well some 30 metres deep is situated in the centre of it. This well was hand dug by three Ottoman prisoners, in return for their freedom. 15 years later, the well was complete, but there captors didn’t stick to their side of the agreement, and killed the prisoners anyway. It’s now believed the castle is under the curse of these three prisoners…

The castle is extremely beautiful, and because of this it’s considered one of the seven wonders of Romania…

The Citadel, despite not being one of the seven wonders of Transylvaniayou could certainly be placed in the top ten best things to do in Transylvania..Alba Lulia citadel is scaped with 2000 years of history.

Being originally built upon the Roman ruins of Apulum, the current fortifications mainly date from the early 18th century, and the citadel has played host to Coronations, rebellions, plague, battle and most presently, union.
The citadel is an important place for the people of Transylvania, since on the 1st of December 1918, as part of the Treaty of  Trianon with Hungary, Transylvania was to be handed back to Romania-(ignore the fact that in 1940, Romania had to give the Northern area of Transylvania back to Hungary because of the Second Vienna Award)

I’ve read that because of its 100 year anniversary of union between Transylvania and Romania, the city has a spring in its step. The gardens around the citadel in the moat are brilliantly looked after, and bronze statues stand or sit in an array of places to give a sense of what life was like in the past.

Alba Lulias star shaped citadel is one of Transylvanias most overlooked sights, despite being full of many attractions, such as the 58 metre high, 1921 built Coronation Cathedral, the National Union Museum and the array of so many monuments, memorials, gates, halls and churches.

 

These beautiful buildings are contrast to the sprawling busy town, which has no shortage of Stalinist design and concrete ugliness.

To conclude, the citadel of Alba Lulia is a really pretty place. It makes the town somewhat inviting and welcoming.
Corvin castle, too, is a great place to see, and I’d really recommend visiting both of these places…

We are continuing northwards tomorrow, heading to Cluj-Napoca and Turda…
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Blog Off 10…

Romania…….

 

28th September 2018
Bulgaria has been a surprising country. We have had bad experiences of Bulgaria and Bulgarians in the past, but this time everyone was welcoming, the places were very interesting, and overall, we had a brilliant time.

Today however, we crossed over the Danube river to Romania, the country known for Transylvania and Count Dracula!

Our first stop was just north of the sixth largest city in Romania, Craiova. The campsite we had chosen was located beside a large lake well known for carp fishing.

Since I had slept for most of the trip, I didn’t get to see much, but mum says the highlight of the day was when a horse drawn carriage was going down hill in front of them. In order to prevent the carriage From going too quickly down the steep hill the carriage driver had deployed his quite overweight wife out of the back of the vehicle and she was sitting atop a tyre which was attached to the back of the cart by some string… she was yee hahhing from side to side behind her husbands cart as the horse drawn vehicle struggled to remain slow! Who knew!? Human brakes!

29th September 2018
Our next stop was Targu Jiu, a place known for its association with Constantine Brucunsi, famous 20th Century artist and sculpture.

The ensemble comprises three sculptures: The Table of Silence, The Gate of the Kiss and the Endless Column, on an axis 1,300 m long, going in an east/west direction.
The ensemble is considered to be one of the great works of 20th-century outdoor sculpture.

NOT MY PHOTO

The Endless Column symbolizes the concept of infinity and the infinite sacrifice of the Romanian soldiers from the First World War.

The Table of Silence is a circular stone table surrounded by twelve stone seats, which symbolize time.
The Table of Silence represents the moment before the battle on which the combatants were going to participate. Nevertheless, the seats are not located close to the edges of the table.

The Gate of Kiss, features a kiss motif on the gate pillars. The transition to another life occurs through The Gate of Kiss.

So far Romania seems to be a bit disappointing.  The place is very  clean, but the buildings away from the traditional villages are very Stalinist and ugly.

Im hoping the rest of the country will be more inspiring.

30th September 2018
The Museum of Popular Architecture of Gorj is an outdoor museum that gives an insight into traditional Romanian buildings in the area.
The buildings are incredibly beautiful, and are set in a pretty wooded field.

There is an insight into how people in this area lived centuries ago, and this is brought to life in this forgotten museum. It’s well worth a visit in my opinion if you are ever in this area.

 

 

Vidin: The Town On The Danube…

…Blog Off #9…

26th September 2018
Short drive today, off to the Romanian/Bulgarian border town of Vidin. The large town is located on a bend on the Danube river, the third longest in Europe.
The town is in the far north western corner of Bulgaria, in the namesake region, and is the region with the highest unemployment rate, one of the poorest areas, but incredibly has the lowest crime rate in the country…

Besides what I’ve just written, Vidin is meant to be an interesting place with a brilliant fortress right on the river.

It was an hours drive from the Madona Inn to our hotel in Vidin…I say hotel because there isn’t a campsite near here.
Since it was still quite early in the day, we walked around the town and admired the town.

In the town, we saw a memorial for Bulgarian soldiers killed in the Second Balkan War and the First World War.

Nearby was the Stambol Kapiya Gate, built as the primary gate for entering the walled town of Vidin. It is the primary entrance to the “Kaleto”, a walled complex of defensive installations built by the Ottomans along the Danube.
These installations were established when the Austro-Hungarian Danube fleet of the Habsburg Empire threatened the Ottomans dominance in the area.
The walled city itself has four gates: Stambol, Marketplace, Enitchar and Florentin Gate. While each gate had a wooden bridge, Stambol Gate had a stone bridge over a pool.

We continued to explore the town, but we plan on going to more tomorrow, such as the Baba Vida Fortress, an Old disused Synagogue and an Ottoman Military barracks…

27th September 2018
The town of Vidin came into existence in the 1st Century AD as a Roman fortified settlement known as Bononia. The Romans used the town as a small trading port, but when the empire collapsed, so did the population.
Eventually, the town began growing again, and was giving a new name, Bdin. It merged with the newly formed country of Bulgaria.

The next few hundred years were prosperous for the Bulgarian Kingdom, but the town was soon captured by the Ottomans. The town still kept its importance under Ottoman rule, ending up being one of the most important Fortress towns in the Lower Danube area of the Ottoman Empire.  The Ottomans gave the town a new name…Vidin.

A fortress was gradually built around the strategic and important town in the late 17th Century/Early 18th Century.

In the late 19th Century, the town was the centre of a large peasant revolt in occupied Bulgaria. This was in 1850, and this was really when the Turks lost control of the area.

In 1877, Russia went to war with Turkey over Bulgarias Independence.

Inside the Kaleto, the most important and well known attration of Vidin can be explored.

 

 

The Baba Vida Fortress sits on the Danube in a strategic location looking both upstream and down. It’s a brilliantly well kept 17th Century Ottoman castle built on the ruins of a 10th Century Bulgarian fortification, which in turn was built upon the ruins on a 3rd Century Roman fort.

There is actually a legend which goes along with the Fortress.
Vida had been the eldest daughter of a wealthy Bulgarian prince.
Due to the unsuccessful marriages of her sisters, Vida rejected all of the proposals for marriage, built the castle and remained in it for the rest of her life, thus, dying with out children or with a husband.

The translation of the castles name is “Granny Vida”

The fort has 9 towers, four of which are open to the public. From the top of the castle, there are views overlooking the town of Vidin, the Danube, Romania on the opposite bank,  and the 226 million Euro bridge which joins the two countries together.

We continued our adventure around the walled part of the town, our next stop being the abandoned Synagogue.
This synagogue is actually-(despite being in ruins and unusable)-the second largest in Bulgaria, being smaller then the one in Sofia.

 

 

Built in 1894 in a neo-Gothic style, Vidin Synagogue fell into disuse because it’s Jewish population fled to Israel during the Second World War.
In the 1970’s, the Ministry of Culture developed a plan to restore the building and work in 1983, work began…however, in 1989, Bulgaria’s communist regime collapsed, and the restoration was abandoned.
Exposed to the elements since, the synagogue today is in ruins.

Inside, the graffitied walls and overgrown shrubbery show it’s been unused for a long time. It was rather eerie inside, but it was a very good photo opportunity.

I had planned on us visiting the Krastata Kazarma, the cross-shaped Ottoman military barracks, but unfortunately, it was closed.

To conclude, Vidin was quite nice. It was a good place to stop at before crossing the border, and the Baba Vida Fortress was brilliant, but as my brand new Lonely Planet guide book says:
“The town of Vidin feels a long way from anywhere, and unless you’re crossing into Romania, there seems little obvious reason for you to wend your way here…”

This is our last full day in Bulgaria, so goodbye Bulgaria…Buna ziua Romania!

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