Brasov, Romania Day 2

Brasov, Romania Day 2

After a much needed night sleep, we ate some bread, nutella, and fruit and headed out. Our mission was to take it easy and hike the Brasov peak to the south of the hostel. Easy enough. The streets are lined with beautiful unique houses and store fronts. We came across many tennis courts at what looked like a racquet club of some sort. All the courts were red clay and we watched some players for a bit. From there it was an easy walk to the trailhead. The trail started as a walking path with lots of locals out for a morning walk. Then the trial took a turn and went up the mountain. It was different than Turkey, with the straight up trails. This trail was blazed with a red triangle and followed up the mountain with swithchbacks, giving us a gentler grade to follow. We just took our time enjoying the forest that looked like some old growth was still present. Some of the trees were about a meter in diameter and we were covered in full shade. There was a slight chill in the air and it only sprinkled on us once just as we hit the top. The top had a massive radio tower and a little sky top restaurant at which we rested our legs and ordered 3 dark Ursus treats in a glass. It was a little cheaper than the place on top of the mountain in Albuquerque for sure. With the Romanian exchange rate, we are able to treat ourselves a little bit, unlike Athens and soon to be Germany on the Euro. After just a few pictures, we headed back down the peak probably descending about 900 feet. Just enough to get the blood flowing.

From the top we could see the Black Church, which we really wanted to go check out. It was very close to where the trail let out, so we walked over to check it out. It was built in the 14th century and started as the church of St.Mary, then with the reformation, became Lutheran. It is the largest gothic church in the country and is a good representation of the architecture they say. The pillars in the back by the altar are skinny and octagonal in shape which reminds me of something from the Star Wars episode 1 and 2 where the Jedi hang out. Those things are really high and from the back of the church it looks as if there is no end to them. Cool, but I could not get pics in there since they don't allow it. Oh well.

Ending the day, we took a walk around the main mideival square that everyone thinks of when they think of Brasov. An ice cream cone did the trick and we just took a look around. With tired legs, we headed back to the hostel, grabbed some dinner snacks and breakfast treats for tomorrow, and came inside. Tomorrow will be a big eventful day with a tour of Bran Castle, Pele's Castle, and Rasnov Fortress. The owner of the hostel will be taking us in his car. We hope to get some local insight and should be out with him for 7-8 hours.

Brasov, Romania Day 1

Brasov, Romania Day 1

The last post ended with the train ride that brought us into this day. The last train of the trip took us from Bucharest to Brasov. We said a quick goodbye to our new pal Ed from Brazil and ran to the ticket office to get tickets for the last train. This last leg would take us over the Carpathian Mountains down to the flat land of Brasov. Brasov is a medieval town situated in the foothills of the Carpathinans with a distinct architecture of gothic and communist flavor. The churches go way back to the 15 century and have been well taken care of. We can't wait for tomorrow to give this place a look.

Our train trip ended in the large train station in Brasov. We then took the city bus on line 51 (no alien joke needed) to the end of the line. Directly behind the bus stop is our hostel. We looked around and the lady that owns the place saw us through the window and let us inside. Upon entering we were instructed to take off our shoes. Wow! This was the first time ever this has happened in a hostel. I am sure that some of the people we have run into would have not taken this very well, but this is what we do at my home, so all is good. The place is immaculate! And we are instructed to remove hair and water from the shower drain when finished. It will be 4 nights here, so if we irritate the host we will be in for a difficult time. There are also little signs everywhere about keeping it all clean. Gee, it's a little different from the Mykonos camping that we had in Greece for 3 times the money and 3 times the foulness. Maybe more.

Being tired from the train, we took a nap, shower, had a little eats, then will go to sleep. Man! We need it. Tomorrow will be a hike up the mountain and a little exploration of the town.