“Ruggedly beautiful” is Romania. It offers a glimpse into the medieval and the modern - fairy tale castles, medieval towns, hiking, wild life, the romantic Danube Delta, the Black Sea resorts of Constanta, the alluring Carpathian mountains- all this and more in a contemporary package. This is the land of Nadia Comaneci, the first gymnast to score a perfect ‘10’in 1976 at the Montreal Olympics. Today this country and her people are basking in the glory of freedom from the communist regime of the despot, Ceseascu.
Romania is nestled between the more popular Hungary and Serbia in the west, Ukraine and Moldova in the north east and Bulgaria in the south. The Danube River separates Romania and Bulgaria. Bucharest is the capital if the country. Most of the tourists to this East European country are from Western Europe and USA. The country is yet untouched by other parts of the world. The important towns worth visiting apart from the capital city are Brasov, Constanta, Sibiu, Tim Soara, Clug, Sighisoara and Luc.
‘Come as a tourist and leave as a friend’ is the key word to Romanian tourism, yet the battle for a visa to this country is unique. We struggled for two months before we got a single entry visa squashing all our plans to travel outside Romania. We were definitely an odd looking group - My husband, daughter, daughter-in-law, 8 month old grand son and I - who were the object of curious and amusing glances throughout our flight from India until we alighted from the KLM flight at Otopeni International Airport in Bucharest. We were visiting my brother and family in Bucharest. Well the single entry visa was a blessing in disguise as we were able to travel extensively inside Romania. We were there for three weeks and saw most of the tourist spots of the country, which were easily accessible by road.
Traveling is my passion –a bug that bites me every now and then. I blame it on my life itself. As an army officer’s daughter and then an army wife I have never stayed in one place for more than two or three years. Well even after having settled down now in Hyderabad the traveling bug bites every now and then. It could be even satisfied by a short weekend trip or a long journey into the unknown. I landed in the country after updating myself on the place and the people of Romania from all the sources I could lay my hands on.. The country was even more beautiful than I ever imagined. My advice to all is that visit the least visited and explore the untrodden and you will have a holiday that is memorable for life. I have tried to do justice to this beautiful country, though the one and only handicap was the language problem. I will definitely like to make another trip once I learn the language so as tourists we are able to interact and mix with the local people for a more bohemian and authentic feel of the place. For me things were easy as I had family there.
BUCHAREST
Romania’s capital lies on the Wallachaian plains between the Carpathian foothills and the Danube. In the 1930s it was known as, ‘The Paris of the East’. Since then a series of natural and man-made calamities including Ceausescu’s regime has destroyed its ancient beauty. The ‘Palace of Parliament’ was definitely worth the visit. A gigantic building planned, conceived and built by Ceausescu at the height of his communist régime. It is the largest building in Romania and is second largest only to the Pentagon. The village museum in SOS kiseliff is a shadow of its former self. In 1997 a fire had wrecked many beautiful exhibits. It represents ancient Romania in its true self. Built in 1936 it is one of the oldest open air museums.
BRASOV
This beautiful town is surrounded by Transylvanian hills. I am told the first public opposition against the Ceausescu regime arose here in 1987. Brasov’s main attraction is the Black Church. This is the largest Gothic Church between Vienna and Istanbul. Brasov Square with the beautiful fountain and canopied coffee houses seemed to rendezvous point for the young and old. The hot chocolate is a delicious drink, which one must not miss in spite of the calories. Brasov also holds the narrowest stone street in Europe. We used this quaint and beautiful town as the base for visiting nearby tourist spots like Sinai, Sighisoara and Poi.
SINAI
The only attraction in this hill town is the palace. It is a beautiful building situated on top of a hill surrounded with greenery. The Sinai Palace is one of the oldest in Romania with artifacts from all over the world. I was surprised to see a room full of carved wooden furniture from India. At the foothills of the palace are a number of shops filled with Romanian art, craft and embroidery. It is one of the best and cheapest places to pick up mementoes. House-hold linen with the most beautiful crochet and embroidery is available here. I was told that the local ladies work on the linen during the severe winter and make a living from it in summer. They are definitely worth the cost.
POIANA
A short drive from Brasov is the hills of Poiana, where the scenery is breathtaking throughout of the year. The summer has miles of green grass and the winter showcases the snow clad hills. It is said to be one of the best skiing and skating spots. The place is absolutely peaceful in the summer months and heavily booked in the winter.
SIGHISOARA
This is said to be the best preserved town in Transylvania and is about 40 km from Brasov. With it’s medieval architecture, quaint and narrow bylanes, houses and churches it called the “gem of Transylvania” Sighisoara is the birth place of the legendary Dracula, Vlad the impaler. Despite the popular myth, the Bran castle has no links with Vlad Tepes. Its antique architecture, turrets and tunnels are not frightening and menacing as one imagines. It was actually built by the Saxons in1382 to defend the Bran Pass against the Turks. The furniture and paintings are the highlights once again. The fountain in the courtyard conceals secret underground passages. There is an ethnographic and Vama Bran Museum. The town holds a number of shops with antiques and mementoes in memory of the legendary Dracula. The most famous landmark of Sighisoara is the clock tower. Near the clock tower is Vlad Dracula’s house where he lived as a young boy. History says that Vlad had spent his youth in the court of the King of Hungary. Now the ground floor of the house near the clock tower is the Dracuala Restaurant with a museum above.
Another architectural highlight in Transylvania is the Corvin Castle. This is a typical Romanian fortification of Hungarian origin. It is said that the castle wall was made out of a 100 feet solid rock by Turkish prisoners. It is a feudal art museum really worth a visit.
Southern Bucovina
The monasteries of Bucovina are said to be the greatest artistic monuments of Europe. To visit all the monasteries requires a lot of time. The ones really worth a visit are the ones in Voronet and Maldovita. The architecture and paintings are very similar, since they are all from the same era.
Danube Delta
The beach resorts at Constanta, the Bicaz Gorges, the town of Sibu and Clug are worth a visit. Last but not the least is a week end to Luc to enjoy the beauty and solitude of the Danube Delta. The Danube is Europe’s second largest river. It is 2900kms long. It traverses Romanian territory along its last 1000 odd kilometer ending in a delta, which has been declared a Biosphere reserve. The Delta Resorts, a European certified hotel is set amidst this luxurious abundance of nature. A relaxed week end after the hectic tours in the country is a luxury with memorable sunrises and sunsets. The monasteries around are worth a visit too.
Our three week holiday in Romania was funfilled and hectic to the last minute. The shopping malls, the pubs and the eateries are unique and speak volumes of the people and culture of Romania. I enjoyed the trip in spite of all the initial difficulties. For us it was a home away from home, the most comfortable family holiday we have ever had. True to the saying, we entered Romania as strangers but left as friends of some of the most wonderful people out there.
Travel Tips and some ‘DOs and DON'Ts’ for a holiday in Romania.
Romania has presently changed its currency from Lei to Ron and one must be absolutely sure of the conversions and exchange rates. The euro is of no use here as of now. In 2007 when Romania becomes a part of the European Union then there will be a change in currency again.
The best mode of transport are taxis. One must be cautious to only travel by registered taxi, which have the cost/km mentioned. There are a number of mini buses, but a tourist is better of staying away from them.
The Romanian language is the most widely spoken next to German. English is a foreign language and only the younger generation may know it. It is impossible to move around without a guide or a translator.
A visa to Romania is next to impossible and my advice would be to apply at least three months in advance or else hold a US visa.
A person living there or who has travelled there is the best to advise you rather than a travel bureau. Do not form your opinion based on published sources. Go with an open mind and enjoy the country.
Chillibreeze's disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article.
Out of 5 “chilies”, our editorial team gave this article...
—About our writer:
Usha writes for chillibreeze.
>> Read more articles written by Chillibreeze writers:
