Touristic Itinerary |
|
This is the vacation of Mr. and Missis Gregory (in the next rows you will meet them as G.)
accompanied by one of our guides - visiting
this page you will get acquainted only with the places they have visited - of course,
they sleep overnight in different hotels, they eat in good restaurants, they did good
shopping and so on...
Every place they have visited is described by photos too; photos are professional,
they contain mostly views, not people.
So here we go:
|
First day
G. landed in Romania at International Airport Otopeni from Bucharest - our guide waited
for them with a car; they took a short walk through Bucharest in order to get some cash
and to have a good lunch - since it was a very hot day, they did not want to spend the
night in Bucharest, but in a place with fresh cold air like the mountains. They prefer to
see the country first. The trip started at 2 pm in the afternoon.
So they go ahead towards the mountains -after passing the fields, hills (there are
plenty of historical objects on the road), the reach
Fagaras Mountains - there is a modern road
crossing them, not through the valleys, but the tops - hundreds of people work hard to
cut the stones, to create this wonderfull facility for the lovers of beauty and wilderness;
the road has 85 km lenght - after the first kilometres, they stopped the car to visit Poienari
Fortress, one of Vlad Tepes fortifications. The fortress is interesting, first through its
position, being surrounded on three borders by a deep precipice; you need to climb over a
thousand stairs to reach it. From up there you have picturesque views over the areal.
The pictures next taken by our guide talk about this. After the fortress, you enter indeed
the big mountains, the road has very closed curves - the car goes slowly, even so our guys
got a bit dizzy for turning 180 degree every 20 metres - but this makes the trip even more
exciting - it is evening, about seven and half o'clock, the car is about to reach the top
and cross the mountain on the other side - they travel now through the clouds (the mountains has 2544 m
on the highest top); the road now is very steepy and close to the highest tops awaits a tunnel of
300 m which make connection with the other side of the mountains (tunnel is open in july and
august only) - after crossing the tunnel, they go down - they stopped again
and had a short trip till Bilea Falls (which is placed at lower altitude),
then there come the night and the end of the first day...
|
|
|
|
Second and third day
Our guys decided for the second day to head for Apuseni Mountains;
this are the oldest mountains in the country placed west (see the map).
From Fagaras Mountains, they crossed Transylvania by south-west and enter
those mountains from east to west; it is the most quiet place they ever meet
- the feeling of calm and rest is everywhere just like in the "garden of eden";
they left fagaras mountains early in the morning and reach the heart of apuseni
in the afternoon (our guide drive well); here they stopped to visit "scarisoara
cave" where they found a small glacier right in the middle of it. They had a short
trip through the forest (one hour and half) in order to reach the cave -
the car road is not practicable and they reach the cave by foot, but also the
footpath through the forest was as marvellous as the whole view in Apuseni Mountains.
It was about the evening when they stopped to a very good board and lodging for the night.
The next day, the third, they continue the trip by car to west through Apuseni;
this day they visit other caves: 'Bears Cave' famous for its numerous stalactites -
the name of the cave come from the fact that here were found prehistoric bears skeletons
(see pics nearby); the road continued to the west,
targeting to another cave, Meziad; it is the most interesting
cave they met until then, it is not lighted that is why our guide
couldn't take any pictures; it is a very wild and big cave with big corridors and
threatening precipes hidden in the dark - up on the ceiling are collonies of small bats;
the forest road is shorter then that to scarisoara cave, like 15 minutes, because the car
can climb almost untill the entrance; the cave was populated in the old times by people.
After that visit they went to Stina de Vale, a very nice resort placed in the heart of
nature; from Stina de Vale, one can visit many natural habitats by feet,
but our G. were rather tired to walk (also the trips are very long 5-6 hours, less for
our guide, longer for G., depends on each training), they prefer to admire the resort only
and spend the night there also in a very nice hotel.
|
Forth and fifth day
In the forth day, G. left Stina de Vale heading north - from north they went center,
crossing Transylvania this time through the middle - it was a long trip in the car,
they stopped only in the big towns (Oradea and Cluj to visit some historical places);
the road which crossed Transylvania was half made of cement, half of dust and stones,
meaning
unfinished, but suprises like that do not impress our guide which is a calm driver too;
towards the evening they enter Toplita-Deda corridor from East Carpanthians, another
nature jewelry (initial pic from the right); after one hour of beautiful pictures,
they reach 'Red Lake', a natural water dam placed in a hole of a mountain; there is a small
resort too, with nice accommodations where they slept over night.
Next day they went east; just after leaving the resort, the road start to become very
curved (like in pic2) and after a while they enter 'Bicaz Keys' - there is a small river
flowing at the base of two oposite high walls - the keys are very tight, enough only for
a small road - some trade develops there (handicrafts), taking away some of the wilderness of the view;
getting out of the keys, they reach Moldavia, a place where one can find a lot of
history; they visit Neamt Fortress built in xv century; then they visit two monasteries, Agapia and
Varatec, other two places of big historical and religious importance.
It was very late when they reach Durau, a touristic resort in Ceahlau Mountains.
|
|
|
|
Sixth and seventh day
These days our guys take a rest from the usual car trips in a mountain resort,
Durau. Those two days they took easy trips by feet through the forests and mountain
tops (Ceahlau, as a difference from other mountains it is very easy to be climbed);
they climbed the higest top 1907m - Ocolasu Mare Peak, then come down visiting Duruitoare Falls -
trip took 8 hours because they walked slowly, usually takes no more then 4-5 hours.
They said it is a very nice place with the exception of some small administation
undone tasks.
Next day they took another resembling trip through
the forests; were very relaxing days spend in the heart of nature.
|
Eighth day
During the eight day they decided to visit some of the monasteries from
the north of Moldavia - they started with Lesu and Sihastrie Monasteries
which were the closest to the point they had just left behind; then they
visited Voronet, Sucevita, Moldovita and finally reach Putna
in the evening - monasteries are reknowned for their valuable old art objects,
broderies, paintings, crosses, also saints bones. Some of the monasteries are
part of UNESCO patrimony.
|
|
|
|
Nineth, tenth day
In the nineth day our guys wake up early in the morning and started a long car trip from
the north of Moldavia south to Brasov; usually, if one dont stop the car, it takes
6-8 hours, but they did, this time they cross Transylvania from north to south and on the
road there were so many historical places, old fortresses, peasant fortified churches
from th eother centuries, it was imposible not to remark them and visit them; this is why
they reach Brasov in the evening; they took the dinner at one very good international
restaurant (it is not easy to find a good restaurant in a town, big or small, not even
in Bucharest where there are hundreds).
After this they took the car and started for a chalet at the base of Piatra Craiului
Mountains - since it was already dark, they stopped at the first they met...
Next day, the tenth day, when they wake up they admire the most beautifull view from
all they have visited untill...(pic 2 and 3). G. decided that it was too late to start
for a climbing (one has to start at 10 am maximum, because there are long trips of ten
hours or more) and that day they visited the place nearby, had very short trips or
had sunbathe; in the evening started a very heavy rain, they were afraid next day wont be
so good, but our guide assured them that in the mountains weather changes fast from
good to bad and reciprocal.
Indeed next day started nice again, which doesnt mean that will be like that all day
long (G. had raincoats, they were not afraid); G. are about 35-40 y.o., the
guide much younger.
|
