The Mysterious Land of Romania

Knackered

Our time in Romania began two countries previous, leaving Istanbul late at night on board the Bosphorus Express service; a 23 hour train journey that turned out to be an experience that we'll never forget. The journey was steeped in a cruel irony. We found it perplexing how a 23 hour trip, travelling seemingly slower than a tortoise on crutches and stopping for on the tracks for hours at a time, could've been labelled as an express service. The route was also exclusive to the famous Orient Express, although the days of luxury and comfort have long since been vanquished. Instead, unfriendly, miserable and unreasonable conductors prowl the trains corridors; eager to cause you grief and complication at the first opportunity. However, our fellow passengers provided some level solace, of which we reciprocated and, in the end, plenty of stories were swapped and good friendships formed. After almost an entire day spent travelling, on two buses and two very dated trains, through the entire length of Bulgaria, we arrived at our destination with hunger, thirst and exhaustion all battling it out to be satisfied first.

Casual

Bucharest is a fascinating place and, as we had just one full day there, we were determined to make the most of it - although Mother nature did its best to cripple us, this time with blistering 40°C heat! The city's main focal point is the gargantuan People's Palace, a phenomenal building (and the 2nd biggest in the world) that we found easy to admire but, after learning of it's history, difficult to like. It's construction was ordered by Romania's communist dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu in the early 80's and, thirty years on, it is only just approaching completion. It's name couldn't be less appropriate. Costing a total of almost €4 billion it almost bankrupt the country and the building plans themselves required the demolition of almost a quarter of the city, with houses, churches and the city's entire market district wiped out. From the locals we spoke to, although it serves a purpose as government offices now, it still acts as a constant reminder of their turbulent past and the sacrifice thousands of residents had to make by forced relocation... so much for the people's palace. Nevertheless, it still remains a remarkable building, with the sheer scale of it difficult to truly comprehend. On a tour of the palace, it's interior has been lavished with tonnes of marble, thousands of chandeliers, ornate oak doors and hand stitched carpets and we ascended several stories to the roof where we gained a stunning panoramic view of the city. As beautiful as it comes across, however, at the end of the tour we both found it challenging to overcome the astronomical price tag and what could have been achieved instead.

People's Palace and the view from the roof

Later that evening we participated in a free walking tour given by a friendly, knowledgeable and passionate Romanian. We discovered Bucharest's rather hidden Old Town and, in stark contrast to what we'd seen so far, was small, quaint and full of character & intrigue, scattered with beautiful centuries old Orthodox churches, historical houses and streets layered with fantastic bars and restaurants. It offered a real insight into Romania's fascinating history, both during communism and long before it - from the Roman Empire founding the country to their most famous historical figure, Vlad the Impaler (aka Dracula). 

Romania's national theatre.

Bucharest, and it's old town in particular, was equally as appealing during the evening. The aforementioned restaurants, bars and pubs were thriving, a variety of street performers lined the streets entertaining the masses and we even stumbled upon a crowded Euro 2012 fanzone after having meal, staying for a while to enjoy the latest match. The searing heat of the day had transformed into extreme humidity at night, intensifying our exhaustion but quelled mercifully by our hostel's air conditioning, a rare bonus of which we took full advantage.  

Hollywood?

The following day we left Bucharest with a touch of melancholy, feeling touched by such a surprisingly impressive and intriguing city. However, such feelings were rapidly reversed by the excitement of our next stop, Brasov, Romania's cultural and historical home and situated within the magnificent and breathtaking Carpathian mountains. Arriving around midday and eager once more to make the most our day,  we took to the mountain that towered over the city and climbed. Consisting mostly of narrow, worn in paths, the ascent was long and tiring and brilliant fun! The hillside was steep and layered with massive trees all within close proximation; their snaking roots rising slightly from the earth and of which we utilised to 'scramble' up the mountainside. Exhausted and with limited water, we had reached the summit running seemingly on adrenaline alone and none more so than when misjudging the steepness of a few of the 'scrambles' between paths. The climb up became more challenging, but retreating back to the path we'd started from was a far more treacherous option! Regardless of our methods, the decision to scale the mountain was rewarded with some absolutely incredible views of the city below and the mountains that continued beyond the horizon. 

Incredible views

Through fear of collapsing on the way back down, we took mercy on our aching feet and took to the funicular to the bottom, ready to discover the delights of the city's old town. Brasov has a distinctly medieval feel about it, with small castle forts, moats and towers spread throughout and surrounded by the old defensive wall encircling the majority of the city. Once again we partook in a free walking tour which was equally as fascinating as our one in Bucharest. It added substance and history to the city's weird and wonderful buildings and landmarks and, as we wondered down cobbled narrow streets or around the base of dense mountainous forests, it felt like you could've been anywhere in the world, such is Brasov's uniqueness. 

Top; Town Hall, Middle & Bottom; Churches.

We departed in a swirl of dark clouds, thunder and lightening on the evening of our second day, destined for Budapest on our second, and thankfully much shorter, overnight train (Just 10 hours this time!).


When planning our trip back during winter, Romania was essentially just the big gap between Istanbul and Budapest, two of the places we were desperate to see. However, having entered the country knowing nothing about it, Romania was such a pleasant surprise with a fascinating history, stunning landscapes, great beer and delightful residents.

It's not Budapest, it's Buda and Pest.

Budapest split by the Danube

We arrived into Budapest early morning after a thankfully uneventful night train that had departed Brasov the previous evening. It was yet another sun soaked cloudless day that, as Brits, we had barely become accustomed to even after a fairly steady three weeks of it. We were to stay in Budapest for almost five days and, as we were meeting our friend Anthony 36 hours in, we rationed our time to avoid things deemed unmissable (of which there turned out to be quite a few). Fortunately, our hostel was located in the heart of Budapest's thriving city centre, so we utilised this to good effect and meandered through the old town admiring the beautiful buildings and relaxing by the edge of the enormous Danube river that divides the city into its two halves, Buda and Pest. On the Buda side, Gellert Hill and the city's castle district both reign majestically over the Danube and the flatter half, Pest; which is home to the tourists, administrative/ political areas and, our personal favourite, the Student bars and pubs!

Gellert Hill and Liberty Statue

We decided to climb at least a part of Gellert hill and, other than the beautiful view it offered, we witnessed a street hustler dispose of some American tourists a total of around $300! We were just as confident as they were that their choices were correct - only for us to leave feeling just as bewildered but with a thicker wallet and with our ego's intact.

Both of us on Gellert Hill

Then, later that day, we casually stumbled across the latest Die Hard movie set. The streets had been closed off and crowds had gathered to watch Hollywood at its finest; filming a car chase and smashing up polystyrene monuments with armoured army trucks! We even caught a glimpse of Bruce Willis.....'s body double! 

A Good Day to Die Hard

Our second day was hampered immediately by our weather karma, who'd obviously deemed that three fantastic weeks was the limit we'd pushed too far. The heavens opened and the rain was torrential. However, determined not to spend the whole day confined to our hostel we decided to go somewhere 'close' which, in retrospect, was a rather foolish thing to do. Soaked from head to toe within five minutes from leaving, with me literally pouring water out of my shoes, we took shelter in a secluded hidden church that had been crafted into the rock of Gellert hill (overlooking the river). The church was quite beautiful inside and interesting, as it was historically important to the city's relatively recent past; although by means of providing shelter from the storm its lasting impression maybe somewhat inflated. 

(L to R) Patrick, Gyula, Tom, Ant & Kieran 

Our first full day after Ant had joined us was also accompanied by two locals from Budapest, Gyula and Patrick. I had become friends with Gyula at University whilst he studied an Erasmus semester earlier this year in Leeds and, having kindly offered up a day to act as our tour guide, showed us round the city's spectacular landmarks and buildings. As Gyula lead us round the beautiful city streets, we gained a fascinating insight into the city's communist past, alongside how it is to live in Budapest currently and the struggles still faced by a democracy still in its relative infancy. 

The Castle district 

Our whistle stop tour had some truly stunning sights including; The Chain Bridge, The Castle District, Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion. However, their Houses of Parliament ranks clearly above the rest and must certainly be one of the most beautiful buildings in all of Europe, looking more like a Gothic cathedral than a place of politics. Its in a similar style and majesty to Britain's own, with its main difference being a stunning dome that is the centre point of the building's architecture which is then surrounded by numerous spires, all in complete symmetry with each other.

Houses of Parliament

At night, Budapest really came to life. There are a countless number of pubs, bars and restaurants all bustling with tourists and locals and creating a wonderfully friendly and cosmopolitan atmosphere. People were easy to talk with, service in restaurants was always friendly and polite, beer was tasty and cheap... all contributing factors to some fantastic evenings spent in the city. Budapest's student area was particularly fantastic as it was littered with 'ruin' pubs, places that look run down and abandoned, but go inside and there are many rooms and open spaces soaked in character and that were incredibly intriguing.

Chain Bridge

Our experience of Budapest is virtually second to none. The city itself is fascinating and beautiful, the locals are kind and welcoming, the weather was mostly spectacular and many friends were made on the way. We both say we'd go back in a heartbeat and I personally cannot recommend Budapest highly enough!