Ridiculous Romania!

Sorry for the lack of posts..I seem to apologize slot on this but I get really busy with socializing and teaching and traveling that I forget about posting it all for you to read. So here you go...3 trips to read about. Enjoy! :)

This trip was a hard decision for me to make..my travel buddy Amanda was meeting her family in Thailand..and my other friends were going to Cambodia..both places I had been...I had to find someone to travel with. Kirk and Mike were those people. (for those of you that don't know...Kirk is from Birtle...and he is good at planning so all I had to do was go along with the plans)

SUMMARY OF WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ. ROMANIA WAS RIDICULOUS. We came up with acronyms for our trip.

•Boobs, Booties, Blondes, Brunettes, and Booze in Bucharest = quote from the boys to sum up the capital city.
•Mindless Mike = He lost his bank card, almost forgot his hair goo in the hotel and thought he lost his camera cap.
•Pam is Poor = She brought Chinese money with her and nobody would exchange it.
•Snag if Snagoff = The water was frozen so we couldn't take a boat to see Vlads Tomb.
•Car Confusion = We stopped the car at the ski resort to discuss plans and switch drivers. When Mike tried to start the car it wouldn't. Kirk had to give it a push start to get it going again.
•Rude Romanians = The hotel receptionists were not friendly or helpful.
•Snowless Skiing = We planned a day to go skiing in Romania..no snow. We asked and this is not common for this time of year.
•Castle Closed = Dracula's castled was closed on Monday so we had to change our plans to try and get back to it on the way home.
•Cows Crossing = we had to watch out for animals crossing the road.
•Clock Tower Closed = another attraction that we weren't able to see.
•Dropped in at Dracula's Birth Place = by accident we had beers here..until we were reading the Romania Guide book did we realize that we had seen this attraction!
•Drink with Dracula = We had beers at his birth place.
•Paid off, pist off, police officer (AKA PO3) = we got stopped 2 times by the police...only the 2nd time did we have to pay a ticket.


Friday, January 23th - DAY 1

We arrived in Bucharest, Romania and was picked up at the airport by our hotel 20 euros divided by 3. We stayed at Rainbow Apartments. It had a double bed, futon, TV, Internet and kitchen and it was a great price only 30 euros each per night.

Today we decided to explore the city and see what was within walking distance from our hotel. Kirk forgot the Eastern Europe Lonely Planet Book so we found a book store and bought the Romanian Guide book which is not nearly as good as the Lonely Planet but it did the trick.

For supper we ate at a restaurant called Pals. I had a Penne Pasta in Romanian it was called Proscuito Funghi) It was delicious. But I love penne pasta and cream sauce.mmm It only cost me 24RON. The rate was 1.00 CAD = 2.71757 RON
In Romania the best beer is Ursus Beer ...and when we couldn't get that we had Tuborg Beer which was also tasty!

After supper we needed a nap...the boys are almost 30...that was their excuse!
Next we went to the Bucharest Mall to get a converter for our electronics. We also needed towels because there was only 2 towels and soon to be 4 of us once Pam arrived. (Pam used to teach in Kuwait but left to teach in China last year. She is really good friends with Mike)

Saturday, January 24th - DAY 2

When we woke up the streets in Bucharest were very busy and so we googled what event could possibly be occurring. Turns out it was their Anniversary= Century and a half of being a modern state.

We had brunch at caru' cu bere. This restaurant was beautiful inside. I had chicken cordon bleu and potatoes with bacon. Tasted delicious but because it was a tourist attraction it was a bit expensive.

First site was The Palace of Parliament. It is a multi-purpose building containing both chambers of the Romanian Parliament. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Palace is the world's largest civilian administrative building (The Pentagon is the largest overall), most expensive administrative building, and heaviest building. It cost us 15Ron plus extra if you wanted to take pictures. We were cheap so Mike was the only one who took out his camera and snapped pictures when the guide wasn't looking! I also learned from the guide that when Michael Jackson was in Bucharest and at the Parliament Building he yelled out into the crowd of people "I LOVE YOU BUDAPEST" haha oops he was in BUCHAREST!



*Mike loses his bankcard next...we aren't sure how...he thinks he might have left it in the machine? hmmm

We all wanted to go to the Count Dracula Club for supper. It wasn't open until 4pm so we stopped at McDonalds for a drink and then walked back to the apartment.

We decided to rent a car for 6 days for 75 euros each and see Romania. From there we walked to Count Dracula Club for supper. The furniture, the food, the waiters are all themed. We ordered BLOOD (red wine) and I had venison in wild berry sauce. I wanted the pheasant but they were all out. We also ordered a cold platter of meat to share which included BEAR, WILD BOAR, Venison. It was all very good. We got a tour of the restaurant and I got to stand in a coffin..ohhh scary! I took a picture of the venison from Romania that I was going to eat just for you to see dad!







Back at the apartments I fell asleep waiting for Pam to arrive..or as the boys would say I "passed out" from drinking too much blood. It is New Years in China that is why Pam was able to have a week vacation to join us. She brought us New Years gifts. Mine was 2 Chinese piggy banks.

Sunday, January 25th - DAY 3

* Pam is poor. She brought Chinese money with her and nobody in Romania would change it in...there are no ties with China in Romania. Her bank cards wouldn't work from China either.

We jumped in our car and as we were leaving Bucharest we stopped at Carrfeour to pick up mitts, skiipants, toques, and eat. I had Quiznos...which is different from Canada. It was really good I have to say..and of course had bacon in it. Come to think of it almost everything I ate on the trip had pork with it) I found skii pants for 77RON. Steal of a deal again..I didn't want to spend a lot of money on pants that I plan on leaving in Kuwait when I am finished with them.

Our first stop was Snagov. Snagov village was built around the Snagov monastery. Vlad Tepes is believed to be killed here by the Janissaries during a battle between Wallachian & Ottoman forces. It is also said that Vlad the Impaler is buried at the Snagov Monastery. Unfortunately for us we hit a snag in snagov...in order to see the tomb of Dracula you need to take a rowboat...cough but the water was ICE so we couldn't see it.

Next we drove through Rasnof (here we saw the fortress) and then off to Poiana Brasov. It is Romania's premier ski resort. Cough but when we got there...there was no snow to ski on. We stopped to decide what our next option was and once we decided Kirk and Mike decided to switch spots in the car and Mike was going to drive with Kirk as navigator. But car wouldn't start. Kirk pushed it and off it went. pfff close one. We stopped at a few hotels and Pam refused to stay at any hotel that had RUDE ROMANIANS...which most of them were...finally we all agreed on staying at Paiana Hotels for 375 Ron divided by 2. Kirk and Mike shared a room and when they opened it it had peoples bags in it just to add another ridiculous moment in our adventure. The lady at the front desk was friendly and smiling. Lots of the hotels were closed in Poiana Brasov...I would assume because they couldn't afford to stay open with the lack of snow / people.

For supper I had a pork fillet with mushroom sauce and vegetable salad. It was very yummy and white wine for 60Ron.

Monday, January 26th - DAY 4

We woke up and it was SNOWING!! Breakfast was included and you could pick anything off the breakfast menu that you wanted. I had coffee, mushroom omlette, orange juice and toast with jam.

Our first stop was going to Bran Castle also known as Dracula's castle. I was really really excited. When we got there we soon discovered that the castle was closed ONLY ON MONDAYS...aghhh just our luck. So we got back into the car and off we went. We stopped at every bank for Pam to see if she could exchange her Chinese money...nope she couldn't. We had a hard time getting out of Bransov. Mike drove on the same street 3 times before we got out of the city. It was beginning to get very frustrating.

We drove through the Transolvania alps and plateaux until we reached our destination Sighisoara. We decided to stay inside the walls of the citadel. First we didn't know how to get in except to walk so we walked up the stairs to find ourselves a hotel. We couldn't decide so we agreed to have a beer at the place where a wooden Dracula was placed outside. We found out after that this was Vlad's birthplace. We stumbled upon this place accidentally. We hoped this would turn around our bad luck that we were having.



For supper we ate at Pizza Jo. It was the best pizza I have ever had and the beers were just as good too.

Tuesday, January 27th - DAY 5

Again for breakfast we got to select off the menu. I had a coffee and an omelet with ham, mushrooms and cheese..not as good as the previous hotel.
First on the agenda was the Clock Tower which ended up being CLOSED for interior renovations. We were not happy..so we went to the Saxon Church. To get there we had to climb the wooden staircase (the Scholars' Stairs) consisting of 175 steps and 29 landings. At the top on the hill there is a school. We saw the Saxon Cemetery too.

Back on the road again we filled up with gas..133Ron total. The small towns had very colorful homes. The police stopped us and couldn't speak any English. He pointed to our lights and we think he was trying to tell us we need them on. So we turned them on and off we went again. We drove to Bucovina and stayed at the Best Western. Pam didn't want to stay here because it was a bit more money than we had been paying (130Ron each)..but the boys liked the girls at the counter and were stubborn. We checked out another hotel but she was out numbered because I liked that they had breakfast included and the other hotel didn't. At the Best Western hotel for supper I had...if you guessed Pork with Mushroom sauce you would be correct and a Brushetta which was like a pizza bun. I had to stop with the pork and mushroom sauce but it was sooo good. We also found out we couldn't sleep in a monastery that it was a myth in the lonely planet..sigh. What next was going to happen on this trip.

Wednesday, January 28th - DAY 6

We woke up and for breakfast had yogurt, omelet, cheese, different types of meat and bread. It was selected for you...this was the downside of the breakfast at this hotel but it was included so no complaining from me.

The first Monastery we visited was Voroneţ which is located in the town of Gura Humorului, Moldavia. It is one of the famous painted monasteries. Monasteries were built after they won battles. The exterior walls included a representation of the Last Judgment on the west wall it was painted in 1547.







The second Monastery we saw was Humor. It is located about 5 km north of the town of Gura Humorului, Romania. It is a monastery for nuns dedicated to the Dormition of Virgin Mary. Humor was one of the first of Bucovina's painted monasteries to be frescoed and, along with Voroneţ, is probably the best preserved.



We debated on whether or not to go to the Sucevita Monastery because it was going to be a long drive and we planned on going all the way back to Brasov to see Bran Castle again *if you can recall it was closed when we originally wanted to go...so we had to change plans and drive a long day to fit it in) We all agreed we drove all this way we had to see the 3rd.

Suceviţa Monastery is an Eastern Orthodox convent situated in the North-Eastern part of Romania. It is situated near the Suceviţa River, in the village Suceviţa. Both interior and exterior walls are covered by mural paintings, which are of great artistic value and depict biblical episodes from the Old and New Testament. The paintings date from around 1601, which makes Suceviţa one of the last monasteries to be decorated in the famous Moldavian style of exterior paintings. When we entered the Monastery we saw the Ladder of Virtue covering the northern wall. I really liked this monastery. Interesting Fact: The monasterties were usually sited at the head of a valley to form a defensive bottleneck against the Turks. The exact spot was decided by shooting arrows from a nearby hill top; where the first one landed, a water source was dug and henceforth deemed holy; the second arrow determined the location of the altar, the third the belfy. After the monastery was finished, crosses were raised on the hill from where the arrows had been fired.





In the town Sucevita we stopped at McDonalds for something quick to eat and get back on the road.

While Kirk was driving we ran into FOG, RAIN, SNOW all on the curvy roads on the mountain. Kirk was getting tired so Mike took over. Same weather but more light flurries.

Then it happened we were going around a corner. After that we saw none was coming so we passed a large truck and boom the police sirens went off. (didn't see that one behind us). They started speaking in Romanian over the speaker...we stopped and they continued to yell over the speaker and passed us and continued speaking...We continued and at the bottom of the hill was a gas station and the police pulled us over. They took Mikes license and registration and unfortunately for us the guy spoke english and said IT IS FORBIDDEN in ROMANIA to PASS when it is SNOWING. Oops..who knew. He said he was going to take Mikes license for 13 days and he couldn't drive plus a ticket. After awhile the police man came to the window and checked out Pam and my passports to make sure we weren't hitch hiking and were from romania...He asked Mike to put on his coat and come to the vehcile. A few minutes late Mike returns saying "Count your pennies Guys". If we give them 360 Ron he will give me my license back and we are off the hook. So we we did it. Mike said the policeman was bipolar. He was nice asking questions to him and then would yell at him don't you see this weather it is snowing. WHy are you here in Romania. Then he would smile and ask all about Canada.

After a long drive we finally reached our destination. Brasov. We looked forever for a hotel and finally saw one that was a good price called Olivers Hotel. I had a few beers and went to sleep.

Thursday, January 29th - DAY 7

We got up and had breakfast and headed off for Bran Castle. The entrace fee was 22 Ron including the photo fee. Fact: Commonly known as "Dracula's Castle", it is marketed as the home of the titular character in Bram Stoker's Dracula. There is, however, no evidence that Stoker knew anything about this castle. Furthermore, there are persistent myths that it was once the home of Vlad Ţepeş, ruler of Wallachia. This is not true. The historical person Vlad III never resided here. We were able to walk through the castle now called a museum and take pictures and see the view.







Afterwards we walked through the market and bought a few tacky souvenirs. Our next plan of action was to go to the real dracula castle we got on the road but it was soo bad that we wouldn't reach the castle until dark and still had to climb up the hill so we had to turn around and go to Bucharest. On our way home we passed many police cars...but luckily none stopped us. Again we stopped at Carrefour for a bite to eat.

The traffic in Bucharest was very busy. We finally found a hotel that was reasonably priced called the Carpati. Kirk and I returned the rental car and took a taxi to the train station to buy our tickets for Bulgaria. My luck was changing because under the age of 26 got a discount. Whoop whoop. The lady said we had to take the 2nd class sleeper. We asked about 1st class but her English wasn't good and she kept saying 2nd class so we hoped that it was going to be ok.

Friday, January 30th - DAY 8

We had breakfast at the hotel and I went on the internet for awhile hoping that the rain would stop. It was a light drizzle by the time we all decided to leave the hotel. Mike was taking Pam to the Palace Parliment. Kirk was going to the bookstore and then a pub and I was going to the Market to find some local souvenirs. At the market there wasn't anything that I wanted but I bought 2 small dolls to make into Christmas Tree ornaments. Then I walked around the area which ended up at a small mall called Victoria Mall and then the Centrul Civic Mall. Then decided to join Kirk at the pub and have a beer and salad. Their chicken cesar salad was good. The dressing tasted similar to mayonaise which a light spice.

Pam and Mike joined in shortly after and we headed to the The Romanian Athenaeum building which you can guess was closed. But we found out later you can only go inside when a performance is on.



For supper we took Pam to Caru' cu bere. I had homemade vegetable soup, trout and mushrooms. Yummy. Then we had to leave for the train station to go to Bulgaria.