Romania was so many things… it was beautiful but neglected, exciting but frustrating, so full of potential but with the unmistakable sense that it´s just not quite there… yet. By far the poorest country up until that point, it was quite the stark contrast from Slovenia and the tiny bit of Hungary that we saw while passing through. Infrastructure is lacking and Romania´s public struggles with corruption on every level have resulted in very few improvements since joining the European Union.
The people, however, were wonderful. We had quite a bit of van trouble while in Romania, some of it due to our complete lack of mechanical knowledge (really simple stuff that we just didn’t know) and some more complex things involving GPL gas tanks and potentially dangerous business. On both occasions, we were helped by everyone… friends, perfect strangers, long-suffering mechanics who came home early from fishing trips to rescue the random Portuguese people parked in front of their house. As is typical of countries where people have little, they are more than willing to share the little that they have, in stark comparison to the van troubles we had in richer, more developed countries (ahem, France…) where no-body could be bothered to even offer a hand, never mind go out of their way to help. Highlights of Romania include seeing our friend Dan (who, together with his dog, travelled with us in the van for a few weeks), visiting the Salina Turda, an undeground salt mine converted into a theme park… bizarre, amazing, unlike anything else I´ve ever seen… and driving the Transfagarasan pass, which has been something I´ve wanted to do for years and years.
Luis made a few videos during our trip, and I really like the Romanian one, you can see it HERE.
Oh this is so amazing!! Every time you post something about your trip, I just want to pack our bags again and hit the road! There are so many beautiful things to be seen out there and traveling by car you get to experience so, but so much more! Thank you for sharing these!
There´s nothing like a roadtrip, it´s definitely my favourite way to travel.
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I have lived in Iasi, which is a city closer to Moldova for more than 6 months and it was awesome! I have also visited Bran’s Castle (AKA Dracula’s Castle) which if you’re in Romania, it’s a must! And it is for sure beautiful! Definitely changed my idea about Romania.
Yes, we did visit Bran Castle, although its a bit of a tourist trap… it wasn´t my favourite place in the country, for sure. We loved our time in Romania, its a beautiful country.
Yeah, I agree, but it was nice though
Nice post.
Beautiful writing and photos 🙂
very nice post
Love to see that the people from outside of Romania have positive things to say about it 😀, without including corruption, of course, which is a nightmare for us. 😣
Great post, nice pictures 😍
Nice, thanks
Thank you for talking nicely about my country. I love it. Next time send me a email for some different destinations.
http://www.frameit.blog
LOVE Romania, such a beautiful country, great food, people and especially landscape, I kind of wish it stays underrated and thus preserved longer.. 😉
I’m so happy that overall your experience in Romania was a good one. We do struggle with a lot of issues, but fortunately, we will be able to solve them all. Despite them, I’m sure that the landscapes, especially the natural ones that are a must to visit, are a big plus for us. We have a lot to offer and we migbt develop our potential soon. Hugs from RO😊
Loved this post! 🙂
Amazing pictures and you captured the essence of Romania so well!
Really interesting post and stunning pictures as well! I recently went to romania also and from your post it seems like there’s so much more to see too. Thanks for sharing!
never been there, but now i want to visit… thanks for posting this!