Good morning from Sighisoara…

…the last night in Romania was wonderfully quiet and relaxing. We were again very lucky with this accommodation (see below). Very wistfully, we packed our suitcases and set off in search of breakfast and back to Cluj, from where our flight home was due to depart in the afternoon. Before that, we wanted or had to wash our rental car, which had suffered somewhat despite the mostly good weather. Finding a car wash as we know it in Cluj was an adventure in itself. Somewhere in the depths of a side street with backyards, we found one and had the car washed.

While the other articles focused on the day’s destination, we would like to share our general impressions here.

Breakfast, for example, is different in Romania than at home (it usually is). It took us a while, because when you’re on the road so much, you can’t always find something suitable. But after a while we got used to it and were well fortified with hearty dumplings and coffee.

Every day on our way into the countryside, we passed large corn and grain fields, meadows with horses or cows and many small villages and settlements. The streetscape is similar everywhere. Every house has a fence or wall with a gate facing the road, behind which you can often see fruit trees. The many small fruit and vegetable stands in front of the houses suggest that everyone here grows or plants food at least for their own consumption. What is left over is sold on the street. Every now and then you see signs on these rickety tables that say “HAMBURG” – which naturally made us wonder what exactly that is. With the help of Google translator and a bit of gesticulation, we were able to narrow it down to a special type of grape. In Romania, the word “Hamburg” refers to the grape variety name “Hamburg Muscat” or “Muscat Hamburg”. This is a grape variety known for its sweet and aromatic fruit. The grapes have an intense muscat note and are popular both as table grapes and for wine production – which I (Regine) can absolutely confirm.

The power supply is more than adventurous in places, you can see wild tangles of cables on almost every electricity pylon, many houses are in need of renovation or still under construction, but are still inhabited. Balconies are lined with pots of geraniums, but the railings are missing. Again and again you see large shells with open staircases and ornately forged gates in silver or gold. The people here do what they can to make their homes beautiful. Lots of flowers, decorations and colorful facades give the villages their very own charm.

We didn’t get through many big cities, only Cluj and Brasov we took a closer look at. While Cluj is very modern in places, Brasov is dominated by historical architecture – this impression can certainly be misleading, as we didn’t explore the whole city.

Highlights of our accommodation:
We spent the first night in Cluj-Napoca in an apartment complex near the airport, which is why we chose it. Our apartment was small but clean and tidy with easy access via a code system (unusual code: 0000). That was all we needed for the night.

After Cluj, we spent 2 nights in Târgu Jiu in the Upstairs residence, strategically located for our plans on the outskirts of the city, well maintained and very lovingly furnished.

Our next stop was in Făgăraș. The apartment was a little difficult to find, but the landlady came to meet us to hand over the keys. Again, everything was very neat, clean and tidy. We had our first proper meal in the evening. The restaurant looked like grandma’s large living room with all kinds of different chairs, carpets and pictures. The food was upmarket and very tasty. In the morning, we had a typical breakfast at a small roadside snack bar.

The fifth overnight stay was in the outskirts of Brasov – our highlight here was definitely the landlady, a very lovely and friendly grandmother (Romanian “Bunica” – Buni for short), with whom we chatted for quite a while via Google Translate. She provided us with an almost German breakfast, including a large tomato from her own garden.

Our next overnight stay was in Ploieşti – the absolute highlight for us was a coffee shop that we found a few streets away near a weekly market. Served with cookies – a perfect breakfast. The evening before, we had a typical local meal in a restaurant – a kind of meat stew with polenta and Marco had a grill pan with fresh vegetables.

In the deep hinterland, away from the small village of Nehoiu in a settlement with what felt like only 4 houses, we had a whole house to ourselves the next evening. The way up was 66A-style How good that we still had the tomato from Buni, together with a few cookies and fresh grapes it made a delicious dinner – it would not have been possible to find a snack bar or similar here

Finally, we were in Sighisoara – by far the most beautiful place. Tourists are not allowed to drive into the old town of Sighisoara, but we had our accommodation right here – so we were allowed to load and unload. We had to park below the citadel. The apartment had thick walls and was wonderfully cool.

Conclusion: We could tell you so much more – but at this point we’d rather let the pictures speak for themselves.

Good morning from Nehoiu.
The itinerary says we’re going to an underground salt mine. Well, if that’s what the plan says, that’s what we do. After the hot day at the mud volcanoes, the cool temperature of a mine certainly suits us.
I (Regine) have to admit that I didn’t do any research on the Salina beforehand and was expecting something completely different. A large mine where you can take part in guided tours and learn a lot. Well, it wasn’t quite that
Although Salina Turda is an impressively large former salt mine that has been closed since the 1930s at a depth of 120 meters, it is now also an underground leisure park and is very popular thanks to the clear, salty air. Incidentally, it is the largest salt mine in Europe! You are entertained with various attractions, can relax your respiratory tract in rest areas with the healthy air, have the opportunity to eat and drink and can therefore spend the whole day down there at a pleasant 10-12° C. Small buses take you from the surface along a winding road to the entrance of the old mining field. The journey itself is a bit of an adventure. The size of the hall where everything takes place is overwhelming. According to internet articles, there is even a Ferris wheel here – but we didn’t see it. In addition to the amusement park attractions, the history of the mine, which was active during Roman times, is vividly illustrated with exhibitions of old machines and tools as well as picture walls. You can also admire some sculptures made of salt. We didn’t stay too long, after a tour we took one of the buses back to the parking lot. Our last stop was Sighișoara, where we found accommodation in the old town.

Everything you need to know about Salina Turda can be found in the link below.
https://www.rumaenien-tourismus.de/salina-turda-salzbergwerk/

Conclusion: As an amusement park, it’s not ours, but it was still very interesting to visit the Salina. Our local mine always seemed so big to us, but that has now changed

Good morning from Ploiești.

The motto of this vacation was “Adventure!” right from the start. This also applies to our accommodation, more about this in our last daily report

From Ploiești, we drove towards Berca to another natural spectacle: the mud volcanoes. There was a moderate wind in front of a bright blue sky at around 30° C. There are two areas with mud volcanoes about half an hour apart:

• Pâclele Mari (the great volcanoes)
• Pâclele Mici (the small volcanoes)

Each area can be visited for a few euros. A path leads from the parking lot to the Pâclele Mici, where there are signs at regular intervals that tell a beautiful mystical story about the formation of the volcanoes. According to the story, a seven-headed dragon lives underground. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the story together afterwards, but we thought it was beautifully done.

Once you arrive at the actual site, you pay the entrance fee and can then move around freely. You immediately get the impression of a lunar landscape, with craters and muddy holes in which it bubbles and seethes, sometimes more, sometimes less. Some of the craters are connected by dry furrows. As we had caught a hot day and it hadn’t rained for a while, it was quite dry and the holes were clearly visible. However, tracks in the mostly dry mud told a different story. When everything here is wet, it becomes a slippery affair and certainly not so easy to recognize the holes. However, a misstep can quickly become dangerous. Some of the mud from the volcanoes comes from up to 3 km deep.

We can’t say whether it was due to the weather, but we were spared the typical smell of sulphur gases (i.e. the omnipresent smell of rotten eggs). However, the sun really burnt our fur Marco took some aerial shots and I also had a good time playing with motifs. I’ve never seen anything like it, found every crater exciting and was fascinated by the power of nature on display here.

Of course, we also drove to Pâclele Mari, took a lunch break there and then explored the large volcanoes. This area is somewhat smaller and not as extensive, but the volcanoes and craters are larger. Here, too, a story is told about a dragon to sensitize visitors not to leave any garbage behind and to stay on the paths and not to walk too close to the mud holes for their own safety.

Conclusion: Very exciting, very worth seeing, very impressive and absolutely recommendable. Marco got the tip during the Carbage Run and we are glad to have been here. The day was great all round.

Good morning from Brasov,

Culture is on the agenda We were particularly looking forward to this, as we are both fans of scary and horror stories.

A “place of pilgrimage” that has little to do with the film “Dracula” by Bram Stoker, only the setting and the methods of torture and punishment used at the time inspired Stoker in his film. The count living here was neither particularly violent nor bloodthirsty for his time. Nevertheless, it is a really impressive castle that clearly shows how people lived back then. Wonderfully winding, with all kinds of corridors and chambers. You are guided through the castle by a one-way system and some traffic lights, with some very narrow staircases and corridors.

Chamber of Secrets – what seems very barbaric to us today was relatively normal at the time and actually ensured that the population felt safer under the rule of their count. This was because severe punishments deterred criminals and there was less murder, theft and violence.

Timetunnel – with the help of digital animations on screens and sound effects, controlled by motion sensors, the history of the country and its reign is told in a very vivid and special way.

Anyone who wants to know more about the history of Castelul Bran and Vlad III Dracul:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schloss_Bran
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_III._Dr%C4%83culea

Conclusion: This castle was very much “ours” – we like old walls like this, like to explore them and get involved in the history behind them. You should plan your visit as early as possible in the day, the crowds were already immense at 10 a.m. and the castle felt full. At peak times, it is sure to be even busier.
The street in front of the castle is lined with all kinds of souvenir and food stalls selling typical local items and dishes. We only bought the obligatory magnet and then drove on towards Brasov and later Castelul Peles.

Good morning from Făgăraș.

For a change, driving wasn’t the focus of the day’s plan – hiking was. The trail through Vârghiş Gorge winds deep into the Carpathian wilderness, featuring several bridges (mostly somewhat wobbly suspension bridges) and caves to explore.
As usual, we saddled up the car early in the morning and arrived at the parking lot around 11 a.m., where only a ranger and one other vehicle were parked. The ranger gave us a brief introduction to the trail and collected a small parking fee (10 Lei, roughly 2€).

Even the long, narrow road through the mountains towards the gorge was pure nature. The weather was excellent, the sun was shining, it was dry and pleasantly warm.

This hike really tests you—especially if, like me (Regine), you’re not a fan of shaky and slippery situations. Had I known what awaited us beforehand, I’d have been pretty nervous—but instead, I cheerfully followed Marco’s lead (note from Marco: I deliberately didn’t tell her! ). First, we walked along a cozy trail beside a small stream, then crossed a large meadow to reach the start of the main trail. There we faced the first bridge—not exactly confidence-inspiring, but true to our motto: Adventure!

The river winds quietly in some places and babbles louder in others as it flows through the gorge, with the trail crossing from one side to the other. You’re surrounded by pure, untouched nature—the kind you won’t find back home. Some parts of the trail would never be allowed in Germany. Here, nature sets the path, not humans, which means you have to switch riverbanks several times and even climb over rocks or along cliff faces at certain points. But that’s exactly what makes the trail special—you feel like a little conqueror of nature, truly becoming part of it. It’s unbelievably peaceful, and breathing it all in brings calm to the soul.
We weren’t completely alone, though—we met other hikers and enjoyed wonderful conversations with friendly Romanians who spoke good German.
As I said, I’m not a fan of suspension bridges, but the real challenge awaited me at the end of the gorge, where the path became steep and was secured only by a small pipe railing right along the rock face. Whew—that definitely tested my nerves. At the top, we found ourselves in a large meadow with a seating area shaded by an umbrella and a trailer that usually sells snacks and drinks. Exhausted, we took a break—by now it was 3 p.m.—and were immediately greeted by the obligatory farm dogs: two big, shaggy fellows who looked imposing but were very gentle.

From here, you can either arrange for a car pickup, continue on foot to the next village, or take the same path back through the gorge. Of course, we chose the last option. Fueled by a fresh adrenaline rush, I dared to make my way back down the steep slope. The rest of the trail was then a breeze—still just as beautiful and peaceful.
Marco explored all but one of the caves on his own. One smaller cave extended a bit into the mountain, was home to plenty of many-legged residents, and offered a fantastic view into the greenery. In the others, we even found bats.

Delightfully exhausted and very satisfied, we returned to the car after just over seven hours and, as usual, set off in search of accommodation and something to eat.

Conclusion: Despite all my nerves about the bridges and the final stretch along the cliff face, I would walk this trail again and again. (Note from Marco: I’ll hold you to that! )

Good morning from Târgu Jiu, round two

We spent another restful and comfortable night at the Upstairs Residence. Today’s destination: the Transfăgărășan – another long, winding mountain pass with spectacular views through the Carpathians. It’s a true paradise and especially popular among motorcyclists. The weather looks promising, though a few clouds are gathering around the distant mountain peaks – let’s hope we have better luck than we did on the Transalpina.

But first, we followed a recommendation from our host and stopped by the “painted trees” – without his tip, we probably would’ve just driven past and only caught a glimpse of the colorful trunks from the corner of our eyes. Painted as a reminder of the importance of free speech, the trees make for a striking visual. For me (Regine), it was a perfect photo opportunity to get creative with.
Just beyond the forest, there’s a small recreation area with a playground, an upside-down house, and a charmingly detailed witch’s castle replica that invites visitors to explore and discover.

We continued on through a varied landscape, passing small villages and even smaller settlements. As we got closer to our destination, the scenery began to change. The terrain grew rockier, the curves tighter, and soon we were winding our way through dense forest and long, sweeping switchbacks toward the most spectacular stretch of the Transfăgărășan.
Almost by chance, we stopped at a bridge deep in the mountains so Marco could fly the drone – and the view we found there was nearly beyond words. The rock face towered above us, massive and serene. High up on the cliff wall, we could just make out the entrance to a tunnel. Below the bridge, a deep valley cradled a small stream, winding its way through. A single rocky peak jutted out – and perched on top of it: a castle. We would’ve loved to explore it up close. The contrast between the light gray rock and the deep green fir trees was breathtaking. And the weather? In our favor at last – blue skies and hardly a cloud in sight.

We got back on the road and, after some great curves, passed through a tunnel and arrived at a large (dam) lake. We stopped there again for a few photos before continuing along the lake toward the actual highlight stretch of the route. On common platforms and locally, there are frequent reminders to stay inside your vehicle if you encounter bears and never to feed them. Unfortunately, few people seem to follow this advice, and we too saw bears feeding on bread that had been tossed out of car windows.
As we went on, the landscape changed noticeably once again. The Carpathian massif became more and more prominent, the forest began to thin out. The tree line looked as if it had been drawn with a ruler. Sadly, the clouds also started to return, and in the distance, it even looked like a thunderstorm might be forming. Since we were coming from the Argeș side, we first had to go through another tunnel to reach the truly grand view over the Transfăgărășan stretching down into the valley – the one so often photographed online. Because of the clouds, we didn’t spend much time on the southern side taking in the view. Still, it was already incredibly impressive.

The clouds rolled through the tunnel and on the other side we drove straight into a gray haze. We could vaguely make out a few huts, stalls and people, but drove on in the hope of finding a cloud-free view – which we managed to do. There was a good opportunity to stop 2-3 bends after the official parking lot and we were able to enjoy the really great view. I think our pictures speak for themselves at this point.

The rest of the way down into the valley was just as picturesque. Once you cross the Carpathian Mountains, the countryside opens up with wide fields where grain and corn are grown. Our final stop was to be Făgăraș, for which we looked for and found accommodation, as always from the roadside. After this day, we both knew that we wanted to spend another vacation in Romania – the country is simply too big and impressive for 8 days

The Transfogaras High Road(Romanian Drumul Transfăgărășan or simply Transfăgărășan) is a pass road in Romania at an altitude of 2042 meters. The road connects the Argeș Valley in Great Wallachia with the Olt Valley in Transylvania, crossing the Făgăraș Mountains – a mountain range in the Transylvanian Alps. The Transfogarascher High Road is part of the 151-kilometer (149.82 km^[1]) long national road (Drum național) DN 7C running in a south-north direction.

In the south, national road DN 7C begins in the municipality of Bascov in Argeș County, seven kilometers northwest of the town of Pitești, where it branches off from its main route on national road 7. Via Curtea de Argeș, the road continues to Căpățânenii Ungureni, where the actual (according to various sources) 90.167 kilometers,^[2] or 117 kilometers long Transfogarasch High Road begins and ends four kilometers after Cârțișoara in Sibiu County at the junction with the European road E 68.^[3]

Conclusion: Our day on the Transfăgărășan was filled with breathtaking landscapes and unforgettable views. From the “painted trees” to the winding switchbacks and the reservoir, all the way to bear sightings – each stretch offered new highlights. Despite patches of fog, we still found clear vistas and picture-perfect scenes. The day reaffirmed one thing for us: Romania definitely deserves a spot on our list for future adventures.