Table of contents
Fisherman
to travel
Romania
Romania
In all silence
It’s calm and relaxed between the Carpathian Mountains and the Black Sea coast. Dracula’s home captivates with fascinating mountain and river landscapes.
Uwe Fischer
08/12/2003
Our passports are checked extremely carefully by the Romanian border guards. Rita and I are arriving from Bulgaria, where we have spent the past three weeks ?? apparently reason enough to suspect us on the loaded Honda as smugglers of weapons, cigarettes, cocaine and alcohol. We shake our heads, no, we can’t serve with that. The obviously highest-ranking officer is satisfied with this answer and finally hands us the passports.
The way to Constanta leads directly along the Black Sea. But it doesn’t keep us on the coast long, the holiday hustle and bustle is in full swing. After two days we leave all the hustle and bustle behind us, take a last look at the expensive hotels and well-kept beaches of Mamaia and turn onto smaller streets behind Năvodari. Suddenly there is hardly any traffic, and the distances between the places grow larger. The heat that lies over the country is almost unbearable in motorcycle clothing ?? we measure 40 degrees. And no shadow far and wide. In Babadag we aim for the first hotel that we come across. We’re thirsty, we need a shower, and we’re just tired.
Fisherman
Romania tour, MOTORCYCLE 18/2003
Two days later we flee from the scorching heat to the mountains further north. We stay close to the Moldovan border and roam the poorest area of Romania, the always neglected east. For hours we drive past arid fields, occasionally passing dreary villages. At some point the first, still low mountains appear, it cools down to a bearable 32 degrees. And our mood barometer is rising again significantly. Only the search for a room turns out to be quite difficult in this area, which is hardly developed for tourism.
A wonderful mountain road leads to Lacul Izvoru Muntelui, the “Bicazer Meer”, as this reservoir is also called. The approximately 40-kilometer stretch around the lake wanders into every side valley and always offers fantastic views of the turquoise-colored water surface and the surrounding mountains, the peaks of which are hidden in the clouds. A short detour takes us through the Bicaz Gorge up to Lacul Roşu. This small lake was created due to a storm that caused a mountain peak to slide down and dammed up the stream. Branches of dead trees tower eerily out of the water.
Romania (info)
A trip through the forests and mountains of Romania to the Black Sea coast may seem like a trip back in time in many places. Best of all: Romania is happy to have a visitor? the hospitality is huge.
getting there
For Romania you have to plan a longer journey: Via the Austrian motorways via Salzburg to Vienna and on through Hungary via Budapest via Debrecen or Szeged to the Romanian border. It’s around 1000 kilometers from Munich to get there. Longer waiting times must be expected at larger border crossings. In Romania, the maximum speed for motorcycles is 50 km / h in urban areas and 80 km / h outside of urban areas. There is also a strict ban on alcohol. The gas station network is astonishingly dense; unleaded petrol is marked with »fara plumb«.
Documents
A visa is no longer required for Romania, a valid passport is sufficient. You must also have your driver’s license, green insurance card and vehicle registration document with you. Highly recommended: private foreign health insurance, luggage insurance and fully comprehensive insurance for the motorcycle.
Travel time
Romania is in the temperate continental climate zone. This means very hot summers and correspondingly cold winters. The best months for a motorcycle vacation are May and June and September.
accommodation
In larger cities and at the seaside resorts of the Black Sea coast, there are hotels and guesthouses in different price ranges. Away from these places you have to ask for a place to stay for the night. Private accommodations are often marked with hand-painted signs. Overnight stays cost between ten and 50 euros for two people in a double room with breakfast, whereby the upper range applies to a very good hotel.
money
The best thing to do is to exchange a larger amount for Romanian leu at the border: for one euro you get around 29,000 leu. Further exchange offices can be found in all tourist-oriented places. The EC card can be used to withdraw money in larger cities.
security
Romania is far better than its reputation the authors of this report never felt unsafe. In big cities, as everywhere, you should park your vehicle in a garage or on a guarded parking lot.
Addresses
The tour operator Fischtours, in cooperation with the ADAC, offers a 16-day, guided motorcycle tour through Romania. The next group ?? Some seats are still empty ?? starts on September 14, 2003, the tour price is 799 euros. Further information and booking by phone 0351/8628500, on the Internet at www.fischtours.de.
literature
For tourists who travel through the country on their own, we recommend the handy Romania guide from Conrad-Stein-Verlag for 14.90 euros on the very good Romania map from Freytag & Berndt on a scale of 1: 700000, the new spelling of various place names can already be found. The letter Î became Â. In Romania, on the other hand, there are still many place-name signs and signposts with old spelling.
Romania (2)
Fisherman
Romania tour, MOTORCYCLE 18/2003
As we drive back down the gorge, the sky opens and a heavy downpour is pounding down. The countless souvenir dealers below the rock faces protect their treasures in a panic with tarpaulins or umbrellas. Hikers squeeze under protruding rocks. On the other hand, we plow through the puddles quite calmly, enjoying the shower from above. Wet as we are, we check into the nearby ?? Castel Dracula ?? a, a comfortable hotel in the middle of the mountains. Not exactly cheap, but the good food, the bathtub and the wonderful view over the infamous count’s realm justify the price.
After this luxury night we head into the depths of the Maramures, the hilly, heavily forested area on the border with Ukraine ?? and experience a journey back in time. Even today the houses and farmhouses are built of wood and decorated with artistic carvers, as they have been for generations. Horse-drawn vehicles are the predominant means of transport, mostly loaded with wood from the dense forests. In one of the villages near Viseu de Sus we finally stop at a large farm that is run by two old women who supply us with all kinds of specialties. Pickled cucumbers for Rita, very tasty, for me a self-made Þuika, also very tasty. We decide to spend the night with the friendly ladies.
Fisherman
Romania tour, MOTORCYCLE 18/2003
Our next destination is Transylvania, the heart of the country, so to speak. A long, but fantastically beautiful stage. Endless forests and endless curves. In the afternoon we reach Sighişoara, a medieval gem with faded facades, countless towers and cobblestone streets. Rita and I climb the famous hour tower, from which you have a great view over the winding houses of the old town and over to the Orthodox cathedral.
We explore the city for three days, then our curiosity pulls us on. And further south, where after a short time through the shimmering haze the contours of the Făgăraş Mountains are vaguely outlined on the horizon, until we reach Sibiu, the former capital of Transylvania. But we are not in the mood for the big city bustle, we prefer to aim for the Carpathian Mountains and from now on only stay on secondary routes. For example number 76c. The last larger town on this road is called Şugag, followed by 60 kilometers of unpaved road. Absolute loneliness. Apart from the relatively high chance of encountering a bear here. We spend the night in complete seclusion in a wooden hut, the only people we meet are forest workers.
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