We arrived in Bucharest for dinner, and to our delight, we found the pedestrian “old town” bustling with life and packed with restaurants and bars. This was just the beginning of our discovery of Romania. After visiting castles, mountains, towns, and mines, we are pleased to share that this country is a blossoming destination that we are so glad we did not miss!
Bucharest
Bucharest was a captivating clash of classical and communist architecture, with hipster bars and shops alongside impressive or deteriorating government buildings and monuments. One of our favorite stops was the Cărturești Carusel bookstore in the old town. Books, music, and miscellaneous gadgets filled an impressive gallery. We also spent a chunk of our day at the hip Dianei 4 café, researching our next stops in Romania in the courtyard of a house with a fascinating history. We also visited a history museum to better understand the country during our stay.
Castles
Next up was Peles castle. When Romania became a kingdom at the end of the 19th century, the first royal couple had this castle built with the latest tech: electricity, flush toilets, and a centralized vacuum cleaner! Technology aside, the interior was magnificently designed and decorated with stunning carved walnut wood details and art from Germany, Italy, France, Turkey, and Morocco. In the afternoon, we visited the somewhat more modest castle Cantacuzino, where we enjoyed a drink on the terrace overlooking the town of Busteni. On our way out of the valley, we toured the citadel of Rasnov, yet another well preserved medieval fortress. We drove to the adjacent valley to find Bran castle, Dracula’s Transylvanian home in the novel. Built in 1382, the Castle was once the home of Vlad the Impaler who sounds like a guy to definitely not agitate. Unfortunately the crowds detracted from the magic a bit, and made us extra eager to get back into the mountains.
A ridge hike
We finally got decent weather the following day, so we hiked up to the ridge of Piatra Craiului. The top of the ridge follows the nearly fractured limestone, formerly at ground level evidenced by the rocky layers exposed on one side. It was super cool! We cruised through the wonderful forest and a beautiful meadow to get back to our car, and we headed into Brasov for dinner of traditional Romanian dishes.
Bears!
The next morning, we visited a bear sanctuary (Libearty bear sanctuary). This was an amazing place dedicated to saving bears from cruel captive conditions that used to be common in Romania. While all of these bears have very sad stories, they are now in a safe sanctuary with plenty of forest to hang out in. We weren’t sure what to expect but we were both impressed, glad for the bears, and also sad/incredulous at how cruel humans can be sometimes… There were also a handful of rescued wolves and deer.
Rest day, and a salt mine
After a very busy few days, we needed a real rest, so we booked two nights at a hotel! We were refreshed by the showers, comfy bed, and air conditioning! Given that neither of us can really truly do nothing, we took a mini day trip to the Turda salt mine (Salina Turda). The mine produced table salt from 1070 (!!!) through 1932 when it was shut down. The conical mine rooms were renovated and now you can take a super cool self-guided tour through the mine. Salt stalactites hang from the ceilings and coat the walls. At the bottom of the oldest conical room, a salty lake has formed from the seepage, and on the salt island (made of rejected salt), a cool and weird wooden complex has been built, complete with a dock for row-boats. We took a boat out onto the black, insanely salty waters and contemplated the absurdity of where we were, 112 meters below the ground, on a-row boat.
One more castle
The next day, we continued on to castle Corvinilor, which is exactly how I imagine a castle in my mind. Medieval, with castellated walls, watch towers, secret passages, and echoey dining halls, this was the real deal.
There is really so much more to explore in Romania, but we couldn’t do it all, of course! We’ve left plenty to do for our next time in the country. For now, we’re on our way back to Croatia, via Serbia!
