From Hungary we crossed into Romania. This is people’s first culture shock; crossing the border the change is immediate. Romania is a poor country that is EU affiliated and has had some investment but not nearly as much as other countries. The housing though still showing soviet style and grandeur with fluted roofs and gables is run down to the point of the plaster falling off the walls. Little old ladies litter the streets with wrinkled faces, stooped backs and calloused hands, signs of hard toil in the fields and home. Horse carts become a usual form of transport, with ox drawn plows working the fields.
As the world gets wilder around us we make use of the great hospitality and open spaces of these beautiful lands. Bush camping is a special part of the trip, travelling as a group of 22 people we provide our own security and are free to camp nearly were we like. Romania is littered with farms so we pulled of the main drag and wound our way up a quiet village road, people on the street gave us a brief glance and they looked away as if a great big blue overland truck drove their streets every day, a polite Romanian custom, though I’m sure the road side benches are kept busy with the stories for months!
As the world gets wilder around us we make use of the great hospitality and open spaces of these beautiful lands. Bush camping is a special part of the trip, travelling as a group of 22 people we provide our own security and are free to camp nearly were we like. Romania is littered with farms so we pulled of the main drag and wound our way up a quiet village road, people on the street gave us a brief glance and they looked away as if a great big blue overland truck drove their streets every day, a polite Romanian custom, though I’m sure the road side benches are kept busy with the stories for months!
Pulling up a dusty road we happened upon a large field lying fallow. There was a farmer’s house nearby so Cher and I headed off to ask the farmer permission to spend the night. He duly agreed and after checking we had sufficient food and water wished as a good evening. A couple of the farmers’ kids arrived with a soccer ball and a bunch of the guys kicked a ball around the field with them while we prepared a chicken curry with all the trimmings.
With bush camping we tend to leave fairly early so as it was only a short hop to the town of Sighisoara we decided to stop by the Turda Gorge: famous for its walking and beautiful scenery, some folks packed a sandwich for lunch and wandered up the gorge along the river, others chose to lie around in the sun.
Sighisoara 
Arriving in Sighisoara we checked into our hotel for the night just a short walk from the town centre. Sighisoara is an ancient walled city with an interesting past. Around the wall are a series of towers and each tower housed a different guild, copper smith, black smith etc. If the town was under threat the horn would blow and each guild would rush to their tower to protect their homes. Walking the wall and climbing the steps to enjoy the views is a great way to spend the day. The town has another claim to fame with it being the birthplace of Vlad Tepes the character Bram Stoker based the infamous Dracula on. Dracula jokes were coming on thick and thin with the cringe meter rising...
At around five that evening we headed out of town to a bush camp Cher and I had found earlier in the day. Once again on a farmer’s land, we were camping next to several small dams. The farmer was a keen fisherman and had erected a series of bridges from which to fish which offered great photo opportunities. I’ll let the photos explain.
It was also our first opportunity to have a BBQ. Pork Ribs, homemade (truck made) Burger patties Garlic bread local mushrooms Coleslaw and baked (Braai) Potatoes. With this feast set for kings and watching the sun go down over the hills in the distance, bush camping was really starting to grow on everyone.
No visit to Transylvania would be complete without a visit to Bran Castle, the home of Vlad Tepes. We stop at the castle for a couple of hours, enough time to explore the castle and enjoy the Dracula tat on sale.
We had planned to spend a night in the hills en route to Bucharest, but after driving for a few hours we were making good time so we headed straight into the massive city to a camp site just on the outskirts in a lovely soviet style camp site. Pulling out the Poetjie pot for the first time, a traditional cast ion pot, we made a South African dish with chicken, potatoes, rice and vegetables that went down a treat.
Bucharest, the capital of Romania, is a world apart from the rural country side we grown accustomed to. The next day, folks caught a bus into the city which with its French style arcutecture and dramatic setting was once known as “Little Paris”. The city sprawls and is a busy place with hooting horns and rushing cars, and its metro system and other good transport links make it a great place to explore. The tree-lined boulevards and parks are a walkers dream, and there are plenty of museums and other sights to explore. The Peasant Museum was raved about by many, and no visit to Bucharest would be complete without seeing the Parliament Palace (formerly called the People’s Palace), which is the most striking symbol of Nicolae Ceausescu's legacy (and the dictator’s megalomaniac vision), and which at 3.76 million square feet stands as the world's second largest office building after the U.S. Pentagon, and took 20,000 workers and 700 architects to build at a time when the country was gripped by poverty.
Parliament Palace:
At around five that evening we headed out of town to a bush camp Cher and I had found earlier in the day. Once again on a farmer’s land, we were camping next to several small dams. The farmer was a keen fisherman and had erected a series of bridges from which to fish which offered great photo opportunities. I’ll let the photos explain.
It was also our first opportunity to have a BBQ. Pork Ribs, homemade (truck made) Burger patties Garlic bread local mushrooms Coleslaw and baked (Braai) Potatoes. With this feast set for kings and watching the sun go down over the hills in the distance, bush camping was really starting to grow on everyone.
No visit to Transylvania would be complete without a visit to Bran Castle, the home of Vlad Tepes. We stop at the castle for a couple of hours, enough time to explore the castle and enjoy the Dracula tat on sale.
We had planned to spend a night in the hills en route to Bucharest, but after driving for a few hours we were making good time so we headed straight into the massive city to a camp site just on the outskirts in a lovely soviet style camp site. Pulling out the Poetjie pot for the first time, a traditional cast ion pot, we made a South African dish with chicken, potatoes, rice and vegetables that went down a treat.
Bucharest, the capital of Romania, is a world apart from the rural country side we grown accustomed to. The next day, folks caught a bus into the city which with its French style arcutecture and dramatic setting was once known as “Little Paris”. The city sprawls and is a busy place with hooting horns and rushing cars, and its metro system and other good transport links make it a great place to explore. The tree-lined boulevards and parks are a walkers dream, and there are plenty of museums and other sights to explore. The Peasant Museum was raved about by many, and no visit to Bucharest would be complete without seeing the Parliament Palace (formerly called the People’s Palace), which is the most striking symbol of Nicolae Ceausescu's legacy (and the dictator’s megalomaniac vision), and which at 3.76 million square feet stands as the world's second largest office building after the U.S. Pentagon, and took 20,000 workers and 700 architects to build at a time when the country was gripped by poverty.
Parliament Palace:
The following day we met for a late lunch in Romania’s oldest beer hall, first established in 1875 it has been restored to its former grandeur. Great service and delicious traditional food were enjoyed by all, finally leaving the restaurant several hours later we had a light dinner of soup, cheeses and bread in the evening.
Driving into Bulgaria the next morning the change was apparent again as the roads slowly worsened after the border crossing as we rolled into the mountains of Bulgaria. Heading up to a thousand metres on a windy road with switch back after switch back we soon disappeared into the clouds as we climbed the mountain. The temperature dropped and thoughts turned to the nights camping that lay ahead. Rounding a bend in the road we suddenly began to see snow all around on the ground and trees and the flakes were blowing about the windshield and windows. The silence in the back was solid as people began to dream of a warm radiator in cosy hotel. Passing the thousand metre mark we began our decent from the clouds and little patches of sunshine began to appear and by the time we reached plains en route to Turkey there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
When we had driven this road before, we had noticed a golden dome and ornate spire reaching from the trees. As we were running ahead of schedule we decided to go and explore the small village near the road nestled in the mountains. Following signs that we could not read we suddenly happened upon an incredible building, built in 1902 to commemorate the Ottoman Wars and the awful loss of life. It was as beautiful inside as it was out with its frescoes and ornate styling. After meeting the locals and having a good wander around we headed for our bushcamp. Being able to just head off to find new amazing sights and experiences is all part of the benefits of our style of travel! More to come soon just struggling to find time to sit and write about our epic journey!! We move through Western Europe at quite a pace as it is so easy to access and travel around, however now that we have reached Turkey, we slow right down and really take the time to explore and experience the fascinating culture, sights and people of the countries we visit.
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