Brasov, Romania

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  Braşov, Braşov, Romania
Saturday, August 27, 2011

Every new country in Eastern Europe seems to be more impressive than the last. Maybe it's our expectations that are constantly being exceeded. Bulgaria was beautiful. The people were lovely and the cities were far more advanced than we anticipated. Before arriving in Romania we expected it to be very similar to Bulgaria, but we were wrong again. Although most Romanian people look like they’ve had a slap across the face with the ugly stick, their smiles have as much warmth and happiness as the locals in Bali. The way they walk, especially the elderly, are reminders of their tough history and dated medical system, however the youth are surprisingly hip and attractive with designer clothes and 'too cool for school’ attitudes. Romanians are extremely helpful and friendly, when we asked a lady the name of a stop the other day on the bus we were bombarded with answers from all over the bus and one especially kind lady give us directions to a hotel she thought we might need. That may be the prevailing feature of the Romanians, their kind and considerate nature. We suppose that it comes from the revolution and moving from an authoritarian communist society to a free democratic lifestyle. They seem to be so happy with their improved quality of life and generous to share their happiness with everyone around them. The landscape here is breathtaking, on the trains we have been mesmorised by the mountains, forests and small towns and cities. There are architectural influences from all over Europe which contribute to a real cosmopolitan and distinctive feel. It’s like a mixing pot of designs from many European and the Middle Eastern countries forcing us to pay more attention to the buildings and houses we pass. I have actually run out of new adjectives to describe the places we visit because we find everything so stunning and remarkable. I must admit I feel slightly embarrassed when I hear myself saying words like ‘beautiful’ and ‘pretty’, my manliness has been taken down a notch.

Brasov, the city we are in now, has café umbrellas that boast "probably the best city in the world" and it’s difficult to argue, especially with “probably”. The old town section we are staying in and the center of town resembles a small German village with multicoloured pastel facades and cobbled laneways. There are as many churches as there are café’s and we constantly hear 80’s pop blasting from shops and restaurants “I’m all out of love, I’m so lost without you…”. Recently, we went on a walking tour of Brasov. We didn’t particularly like the guide and weren’t interested in the things he had to say so we left for a traditional Romanian dinner feast instead. We have become slightly snobby about our tours after a great guide in Bucharest and anyone who doesn’t meet our high standards is immediately disregarded. Also, I didn’t like it that he kissed Belinda’s hand when we introduced ourselves- there goes his tip. But the feast at the restaurant was fantastic and much more worthwhile than the tour could possibly have been. Belinda had a Romanian version of a parma which had a slice of tomato, this weird cheese and some white cream on top, it was good. I asked for some traditional Romanian food and received this beautiful pork and small sausage dish drizzled in a curry like sauce and couscous on the side, it was delicious. While I’m on the topic of food, our last night in Bucharest we had the best kebabs ever. Most Eastern European countries use potato chips in their kebabs, which are a nice additive, but these in Romania had potato gems, as well as some curry sauce to go with the usual kebab suspects. Also, the pita bread was homemade which made them even better.

Alcohol has become slightly more regular. Tonight we went to a traditional old pub, or inn, and had a couple of beers. Belinda tried to order Baileys and wine but they didn’t have any, so she ordered what the waitress told her was beer that tasted like wine. It didn’t. It tasted more like a strong Mountain Goat beer from home so I had to struggle through two beers at once, which I somehow managed. Germany has had a big influence here so most of the beers are spectacular.

Romania also has a strong shopping culture, as did Bulgaria. I think many people from around Europe travel here to shop and pick up a cheap bargain. We still haven’t bought shoes, not through any fault of my own. Belinda has had numerous ideas about her fashion style this winter but it is yet to impact on the card. I think she is just waiting to enter the more expensive countries so that she can be sure of the authenticity of the brands and please her ego by paying the full value of the merchandise.

Yesterday we went on a day trip around Transylvania to visit some of the castles. To sum up, we got home five hours later than we expected (13hours total), had to pay extra before arriving home, Belinda was carsick the majority of the trip and our travelling companions were American, say no more. All these aside, we did see some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen, like Transfagarasan (a winding road featured on Top Gear), we visited Brans Castle (fake Dracula castle) and Poienari ruins, Vlad the Impaler Castle (real Dracula) although we chose not to venture up the 1480 steps to get a closer look using Belinda’s sickness as an excuse. Our chauffeur George looked just like Dr Elephant from Astro Boy and spoke 5 languages but no English. He was friendly and humorous, when he wasn’t hustling, and played Frank Sinatra music tapping on the steering wheel out of time with the beat and humming along to words he didn’t understand. 

Lastly, to my family, hope Uncle Guy’s funeral went well, or as good as a funeral can. Sorry that we weren’t there. We send all our love to all the Mirabella’s, especially Nanna and Vittoria and her family.

Hope the Bali preparations are going well for the Johnston’s and extended family and friends.

Happy Birthday Drew for the other day and hi to all the boys and friends back home. Hope you are all as miserable as can be and missing us like crazy. Nice to see that Jamie and Bron are planning an adventure, what’s wrong with the rest of you?

Hope everything is going well with Tim and the girls. We love to see the pics on facebook.

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Brasov Sign	Belinda   Comments!	Luke enjoying 2 beers   Comments!	Drive in Romanian countryside
Countryside	Draculas Ruins	More of the countryside	Traffic jam
Winding roads	More winding roads	No wonder she was sick!   Comments!

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