Het land van houten kerken en poorten, van paard en kar op de weg, van gastvrije mensen en hun heerlijke taal, van grote meren en wilde rivieren, van vogelen in de Donaudelta, van fietsen op Transalpina en Transfăgărășan, van een bezoek brengen aan WWF-kantoor en -project, van Ceaușescu en Johannis, van Karpaten: Apuseni en Făgăraș, van 2 graden en 48, van hagel, sneeuw en zonnestralen, van oude vrouwtjes op een bank, van slangen en beren, van Zwarte Zee en oerwoud, van moddervulkanen en zoutmijn, van prachtige kampeerplekjes met vos of bronstig hert op bezoek, van pastelkleurige huizen en opzwepende muziek, van Transsylvanië.
Het land van knoflook en Vlad Dracula. Dat land, dat maakt me sprakeloos.
Roemenië…
It was already quite late when I crossed the border and arrived at Sighetu Marmaţiei. This nice guy helped me to find a nice and cheap place to stay #Romania
I heard already so much about the hospitality of the Romanian people. I was cycling only 19 kilometer in this country and this group (family, neighbours) started talking to me. First the little child was begging for money, later when a guy who spoke English, explained that I was actually the one who was begging for money (for WWF and UNICEF), they also had to laugh. They offered me a night stay, because the mom was the opinion that you can’t camp in such bad weather. I had to continue my journey because WWF Baia Mare was waiting for me #Romania
Lovely wooden gates and churches, my first impression of Romania. And rain… off course 😉 #Romania
#Baia Mare #Romania
Calin and Stefan from the WWF office in Baia Mare didn’t only overwhelmed me with tons of information about their projects but also with a yummy pizza #WWF #Romania
Wooden gates #Romania
I entered a very small village, next to a river. There was music everywhere, people were in the street and kids were playing. A lovely atmosphere all around. A woman spoke Italian, I spoke Spanish, we could communicate like that. Not only the sun was shining… #Romania
I saw already a lot of dead snakes on the road. Suddenly I realised that there are also others… Hopefully they won’t visit me in my tent #Romania
#Romania
#Romania
I didn’t only receive tap water but also a plastic bag full of yummy, fresh strawberries from their garden #Romania
#Romania
I wanted to take a picture from the horse with carriage. The man saw it and came instantly posing for the camera. His modelling career began #Romania
#Romania
#Romania
#Romania
Not the regular shop #Romania
#Romania
Wow, finally I reached the pass and checked this place for a nice camping spot. Suddenly I heard a lot of sheeps (1000 to be precise) and saw a few sheppards. This man wanted to help me to go to the next village (he even draw the directions, a house and river on a paper), he didn’t realise that actually I wanted to camp there #Romania
Full moon… Lovely but not ideal for camping #Romania
Great camp spots all around #Romania
Another pass was almost reached. The man in front asked my age and where I sleep. He had a good idea. I didn’t have to sleep alone in my tent. I could stay in his house and sleep there with two men. Yeah right 😉 #Romania
Hiking in Apuseni mountains. Stunning! #Carpathians #Romania
I think Pierre and I were the only tourists in the whole natural park. A nice coincidence we met. Oh yeah, it was also nice to meet Ursus beer #Apuseni #Carpathians #Romania
Bat cave in Apuseni mountains. Unfortunately it was nesting time, so we couldn’t enter the cave #Carpathians #Romania
Hi Pierre… Feeling little amongst huge rocks #Apuseni #Carpathians #Romania
Litlle Pierre is walking there #Apuseni #Carpathians #Romania
Another boring river #Romania
That mountain under that grey rain cloud in the middle… that’s my mountain to be climbed. #Romania
Luckily I could cycle first through some charming, colorful villages #Romania
#Romania
#Romania
When I arrived on the mountain, the rain hadn’t stopped. Luckily I could change my soaked clothes in this little shop/bar before descending. Freezing cold #Romania
I met these four very kind German friends in a pension in Garda de Sus. I asked them some information about hiking to a cave. They invited me to have a seat and a beer. Cosy evening #Romania
#Romania
#Romania
Scarisoara Ice Cave houses the second biggest underground glacier in south-eastern Europe. Unfortunately, only cavers may enter in the biggest part of the cave. Disappointing! #Romania
#Scarisoara Ice Cave #Romania
#Scarisoara Ice Cave #Romania
In front of the cave a lady was making and selling jam of dandelions #Romania
Placinte… I like! The cow ate too much of them #Romania
Reward for cycling uphill #Romania
#Romania
Regions with fountains, the best #Romania
I asked the neighbours of family Màgurean (picture) if I could camp in their garden. When I saw the surface it wasn’t the ideal spot (cobblestones and mud all around). So the man asked this family if I could camp here. It was possible 🙂 We communicated a whole evening via Google translate and they spoiled me with lovely pancakes and a barbecue. Thank you so much Dana, Sorin, Alin, Andrei and Bogdan for this unforgettable night #Romania
#Romania
#Romania
#Romania
I saw the colorful bee truck along the way and took a picture. The man started talking to me. Apparently he also spoke Spanish, because he lived their a couple of years. It was very sad to hear his story. Normally he could sell the honey to a company in the Netherlands but now, they don’t wanna buy it anymore. There was also too much rain so he didn’t have enough honey to sell. A nice guy with bad luck. I really hope the weather changed fast for him #Romania
#bees #Romania
I passed by this shop to buy some food. These guys were customers too. It was friday evening, the weekend started… with a beer for them and a coke for me. They really insisted to have a drink at their expense. Very kind and funny guys. The one on the left worked once in Dublin, so the communication went well in English #Romania
Oooh, I will never forget this family. I asked for some water, so I could wash myself later in the evening. They came over with a big tub full of water, soap, a towel, home baked cake, fresh lemon juice… they were also proud to show their pigs and chickens. We couldn’t talk because of language barrier but the man was so good in body language that we constantly had to laugh with the things he wanted to explain. He also adviced me to go to the nearby beautiful nature reserve Cheile Turului #Romania
Their black pigs, treated like family members #Romania
Cycling to nature reserve Cheile Turului #Romania
Hiking in Cheile Turului #Romania
Small paths along the river #CheileTurului #Romania
#Romania
I was sitting in front of a shop to have my picknick. This man started talking to me. Or actually feeding me. He gave me two yoghurts and a can of coke, just like that. When he saw I was finished, he offered me a new one. So did his friend (see the next picture). Two funny men who also liked a beer, or two, three 😉 #Romania
This is his friend, having their beer in the carriage #Romania
Having my picknick in front of the shop #Romania
Salt mine Salina Turda #Romania
#SalinaTurda #Romania
#Romania
And again, great camping #Romania
Lovely man gave me water for the road #Romania
I had to cross the river with this ‘bac’ #Romania
#Romania
At the foot of Transalpina, this cute lady started talking to me. A good start to hit the highest road of Romania
Transalpina here I am #Romania
Rainy but beautiful #Transalpina #Romania
I cycled along a school and these curious kids we’re yelling at me to stop, they wanted me to take a picture from them 🙂 #Romania
Transfăgărășan, ‘the best driving experience in the world’ according to Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson, was closed for vehicules due to the snow. But not for cyclists, oh no…#Romania
#Transfăgărășan #Romania
Now and then I could see something of the great scenery #Transfăgărășan #Romania
You can’t believe this… After 3 days of cycling from Transalpina to Transfăgărășan I met wonderful Alexandra in the streets of Cârțișoara, a small village on the foot of Transfăgărășan. She saw me checking my map and gps, came to me and asked if she could help me. I just said that I needed money from an ATM because I had to stay in a hotel while my tent was soaked. Instantly she invited me to stay at their home, they had a campfire with friends and I was very welcome to join them. So much love and warmth after a cold and tough day of cycling is a feeling I’ll never forget. The next morning she spoiled with a lovely healthy breakfast. Alexandra, Stefan, Iana, Teea and Vlad, you’re always in my heart and I really hope to welcome you one day in Belgium too. Unfortunately Iana is not on the picture, she went already to school #Romania
When I left Cârțișoara, I met Andreas (German) on the road. Without knowing him I already followed his Facebook page (cycleguide). Great to meet him in real. We had a picknick and cycled a couple of hours together. Good times #Romania
Gipsies in town #Romania
My legs needed some rest and I made already a lot of detours in Romania. So I decided to hitchhike to the beautiful Transsylvanian city Sighișoara. Aurel, a retired electrical engineer was my first ‘catch’. Thanks for the cosy first 10 kilometers #Romania
These friendly shepherds (man, wife and two guys in the back) didn’t only give me a ride a bit further, but the man in front also offered me a night stay at his house in Bran. I already had a place to stay but it was very kind though. Oh, I also heard some noice in the trunk of the car, five little dogs were going to guide thousand sheeps they were riding to #Romania
On the road to Sighișoara #Romania
This Orthodox priest was on his way to visit a friend in Sighișoara. Yeah, my lucky shot, after 3 hours I arrived on my destination #Romania
After 3 hours (60 km) of hitchhiking I arrived in Dracula his hometown #Sighișoara #Romania
Colourful houses in the whole touristy city #Sighișoara #Romania
In every alley somebody gets married #Sighișoara #Romania
Vlad is omnipresent #Sighișoara #Romania
On my way back from touristy Sighișoara to Făgăraș, Adrian, who has a printing office, was the second car who gave me a ride. After I walked already 30 minutes and started to become afraid that I had to walk the 60 kilometers back to the hotel. Thank you so much Adrian, also for the nice chat and company #Romania
#Romania
Lovely scenery near the castle of Vlad Dracul #Bran #Romania
Teoooo… How sweet, lovely and sportive can you be! Not only she, but her whole family were sooo welcoming to me. They spoiled me way too much. Normally, as a warmshowers guest, you cook for the host, but right now, I really couldn’t. After almost 3 months on the road, it felt really good to sit once again at a table with a whole family enjoying dinner together. To be honest: her mum is the best cook of Romania, for sure. Teo also gave me tons of good advices and places to see in Romania. It’s so nice to see that she also enjoys her country as much as I do. Thanks a billion Teo! I hope I can once welcome you once in Belgium too #Romania
Yummy food at Teo’s home #Bran #Romania
The castle of Vlad Dracul #Bran #Romania
I felt sad I had to leave the mountains #Romania
Sniff sniff #Romania
Via Teo (my warmshowers host in Bran) I learned to know another host a bit futher in Brașov. Great 🙂 Radu is a very experienced world tourer who cycled through a lot of countries I will cycle through. He overloaded me (in the positive way) with tons of interesting information of cycling east, with a yummy lentils dish, an evening walk to a hill with great overview on ‘Brașov by night’ and ‘power eggs’ in the morning. Hope to welcome you and your wife once in Belgium, and sorry, we don’t have mountains 😉 #Romania
Mountains were gone but stunning hills and dito camp spots replaced them #Romania
#Romania
It’s always nice to get off the main roads. You start cycling through villages, on dirt road, people are a bit curious and start talking more easily. Like these two men. I like those unexpected encounters. They always give me new energy and things to think about #Romania
#Romania
Mud volcanoes in Berca. Small but satisfying #Romania
Mud volcanoes in Berca #Romania
Mud volcanoes in Berca #Romania
Mud volcanoes in Berca #Romania
I thought I could make a shortcut. 15%, off road, pushed my bike, lost my mirror #Romania
But stunning views #Romania
Ioana, crazy Ioana, how I like that girl 🙂 Although she didn’t speak English, she started a conversation with me. We were both cycling. She didn’t understand how I could cycle uphill, while she was walking next to her bike, pushing him and suffering from the heat. We stopped together at a well to drink some water and continued cycling. When the road was downhill she was stretching one arm above her head and, because her brake didn’t work, held one foot on her rear tire, but didn’t use it that much. Small detail, it was dirt road 🙂 Actually she past her village already but wanted to continue cycling with me. Her friend joined us. Before saying goodbye, we picked, like naughty children, cherries from the tree on the picture. Ioana, although you don’t like cycling, I really hope you once become a professional downhill rider. You would be a champ, for sure! #Romania
Piano trees #Romania
I love it when people just come over to start chatting with me. Like here, I was having a picknick near this lake. The cute farmer came over to have a chat and invited me to camp at his farm. Unfortunately, I had to continue my trip #Romania
I thought: ‘Oh, I have some time left so I can quickly cycle to the Danube Delta, it’s direction sea side so that will be easy, downhill and flat all the way.’ It didn’t think about the possibility of strong headwind #Romania
It’s so strange after cycling for such a long time in between mountains to see a flat line or a horizon #Romania
The Danube Delta is the second largest and best reserved river delta in Europe and is listed as a World Heritage Site. A paradise for birdwatchers #Romania
Can you imagine a camp site where you don’t have to pay? Well, it exists in Greci, in the east of Romania. An old very sweet couple runs a small campsite there. You don’t have to pay, there’s a box on the table and you can put money in it if you want to #Romania
It wasn’t as flat as I imagined #Romania
Lovely field bouquets at the side of the road #Romania
And also the villagers planted nice flowers along the road #Romania
#Romania
#Romania
#Romania
I especially visited Constanța to see its lovely casino #Constanța #Romania
#Constanța #Romania
The first (of many) mosque on my trip #Constanța #Romania
#Constanța #Romania
Due to a lack of time, I had to hitchhike from Constanța to Bucharest, 220 kilometer to the west. Alexander, a wonderful guy, gave me a first ride. He partially lives in Romania, partially in France. He wants to become an officer on a boat. I really hope he succeeds. Lots of luck Alexander and thank you so much for the nice chat and ride #Romania
These two men were my second ride towards Bucharest. Again, very nice people. The one in the left spoke English, the one in the right, French. Great company, nice chats. Thank you guys! #Romania
Meet lovely Ioana. She was very enthousiastic and welcoming when she heard about the trientrapt project. She worked for WWF Romania and arranged my stay in the WWF office of Baia Mare. When I arrived in Bucharest, she overwhelmed me with very interesting information about WWF projects in her country. She also bought me a yummy lunch and we had really nice conversations about how it is to live in the post Ceausescu era and what WWF Belgium can do, how it can evolve. Now she’s working in Brussels for WWF Belgium. A new job, a new challenge. I wish you all the luck you deserve. You will succeed, for sure #WWF #Romania
Matei was my warmshowers host in Bucharest. He is a really nice guy, easy going and funny. In between all his work he took the time to host me. Incredible! I really loved my stay in his lovely appartment. Thank you so much Matei #Romania
The Palace of the Parliament is the second largest administrative building in the world #Bucharest #Romania
Also Vlad reached Bucharest #Romania
#Bucharest #Romania
Summertime #Bucharest #Romania
Refreshing showers on every terrace #Bucharest #Romania
I was doubting to have a rest here #Romania
#Romania
Bulgaria, almost… #Romania
I felt really sad leaving Romania, that beautiful country with its people I really love. I had to take a ferry to cross the border. As a nice goodbye I met this sympathetic couple. I had a great chat and they offered me water and a Mars for the road #Romania
Bye bye Romania or better… see you!
trien trapt 
Super schoon. Mijn lijstje is bij deze weer langer geworden 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Schitterend. Roemenië is echt een aanrader. Check mijn laatste blogpost, zeker deze twee kanjers niet vergeten, je zal er alle plezier aan beleven! 😉
LikeLike
Mooie foto’s en verhalen Trien. Fijn om mee te reizen door voor ons onbekende, maar prachtige landen (goesting!), hartverwarmend om te lezen over je vele ontmoetingen met goeie, sympathieke mensen (en honden).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Roemenië is echt een aanrader, er is zoveel te zien in dat land en ze kunnen toerisme echt gebruiken. Of beter, ze hebben het nodig. Dus als de volgende reis iets dichterbij moet zijn, zeker het overwegen waard. Genoeg te doen en te zien met kindjes ook. Geniet nog van jullie laatste weekje! Groetjes, Trien
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wauw!! Prachtige fotoreportage. Grote fan van de mud volcanoes, Cheile Turulu, en de mensen! Liefs xxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bedankt Ineke 😘
LikeLike
Ziet er prachtig uit! Mooie fotoreportage!
Succes nog!
LikeLiked by 1 person
😊 bedankt Mieke! In het echt zoveel mooier, maar dat is altijd zo met foto’s hé 😉
LikeLike
WAW! WAW! WAW! Trien, echt super je avonturen en warme ontmoetingen te lezen! Prachtige landschappen, die eenvoud en puurheid… mooi, mooi! Geniet nog van al het moois dat je tegenkomt! X
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bedankt Evelyne 😊 Mocht je er nog niet geweest zijn… Een aanrader. Het is er prachtig! xx
LikeLike
Mooi! Daar zit je dus:) Enjoy! x
LikeLiked by 1 person
😂 snelle vogel ben ik hé Tomke xx
LikeLike
Nice Trientje!!! Xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Merci Kaatjepetaatje xx
LikeLike
wow! wat een mooi verslag! xxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beetje veel teveel foto’s, en zo is het altijd iets 😉 Anyhow, merci Tiny’tje 😘
LikeLike