π
2021-09-05 01:01
in Ntrips
tt's true that Romania wasn't really on my next to travel list, but I always make it a point to visit countries that I happen to be at for another reason, and this time, Untold Festival was a very good reason, and I made it so :)
I owe thanks to Andrei Nicolau from Tours of Romania for the custom private tour they made for me. It was a good overview of Romania between Bucharest where I landed, and Cluj where I left back from.
Day #0: Bucharest
After landing in Bucharest, I started by visiting Bucharest for a half day before the tour started the next morning:
I finished the day with a nice dinner
-
Day #1: Bran Castle, Brasov
George, my knowledgeable driver/guide met me the next morning and we set off:
Bran Castle is known as Dracula's castle, because Vlad the impaler (Dacrul), used to reside there:
long line for the castle, but thankfully George knew people and got us in quickly
Dracula is really a bunch of marketing around a story that took off
nice gardens
We then drove to Brasov:
-
Day #2: Sinaia and Peles Castle, Saxon Trail and Villages, Sighisoara
We went to Peles Castle first thing in the morning, beautiful decors:
Next, we continued our trip through Saxon Trail and Villages and onto Sighisoara:
this was an actor that came out to scare you ;)
-
Day #3: Gypsy Village - Biertan Fortified Church - Sibiu Tou
We started the day with visiting a Gypsy Village and an artist known for making complex single piece metal sculptures:
Next was Biertan Fortified Church and Sibiu:
back in the days, it used to be held by the germans
I agree ;)
George and I had time for a good lunch
I went to check out a nice art museum:
-
Day #4: Corvin's Castle - Deva Fortress - Turda Salt Mines
For the last day, we went to check out Corvin's Castle, which was massive and pretty:
A quick look at the remmants found in the ground:
Next was Deva Fortress, which is half ruins at this point, but a fun ride up and unusual ride:
I climbed to the top, which was not super safe as it was in disrepair
and last, but not least were the Turda Salt Mines, definitely setup for tourists but very cool to visit:
The inside of the caves is very nice if you pay attention:
The really cool part of the cave is the underground amusement park:
amusement rides underground
we went for a ride
I saw the light :)
A few more things on the way out:
-
Day #5-8: Cluj Napoca
-
Once in Cluj for Untold, in the few hours in the mid afternoon, I took some electric scooters to go around:
A couple of museums:
orthodox church museum was really good
The inside was really beautiful too:
More of the city:
Another day, I did the botanical garden, quite nice too:
The last day, my host nicely took us to a nearby village with traditional houses:
And that was it for Romania while being there for Untold Festival. I got to see a lot more than planned, lots of fun. |
