14th April 2008 – BucureÅŸti, BraÅŸov

My first experiences of this Eastern European country are mixed. I can’t miss the huge rich/poor divide; I’ve witnessed scenes that resemble what I have seen in Africa; I’ve also seen some beautiful landscapes and met some very friendly locals.

Firstly, everything seems to happen in slow motion. It takes two hours for me to collect my hire car, since there was no record of my payment and that led to a random trip across Bucharest with some non-English speaking bloke. My first petrol payment then took about 15 minutes. The credit card machine appeared to throw a fit at the thought of contacting a UK bank for payment. Yet, the locals are all delightfully friendly and this slow pace just seems to be part of every day life.

BraÅŸov is different. 150km north of Bucharest and it’s a lively place with tourism, commercialism and plenty to see. The trip took forever and I constantly panicked about driving straight past it, which is laughable now that I’ve seen the unmissable Hollywood-style “BraÅŸov” sign on the mountain beside it.

My trip was bizarre in itself. I’ve never seen so many new homes being built. In one area there must have been literally thousands of new houses. There’s clearly a market for those with money, but it’s shocking to see what only can be described as “shacks” just beside some of these expensive-looking buildings. About 50km north of Bucharest I hit some traffic. The road has suddenly turned into a field of potholes and I’m making about 1km every 10 minutes. One driver behind me isn’t prepared to wait any longer; he literally falls off the road onto the nearby field and bounces his way about 200m through the thick grass alongside the road. Having reached the front of the queue, he flies up the embankment and lands back on the road. I can’t help but laugh!

In BraÅŸov, although I only take my camera out for one photo, I can see I’ll have plenty to visit tomorrow. Tonight I settle for a nice meal and some local beers; my waiter also introduces me to Balinka – which could cause problems as it’s actually rather tasty.

15th March 2008 – BraÅŸov, SighiÅŸoara

The weather was warm and sunny yesterday from Bucharest, over the snow Carpathian Mountains and into BraÅŸov. It’s therefore disappointing that it’s cloudy and raining this morning. I wonder around and visit the (pretty awful) Historical Museum, hoping the clouds will clear. Looking north, it seems that the weather is better, so when the rain starts coming down harder, I jump in the car and head towards Sighisoara.

I wasn’t planning to visit the birthplace of Vlad Å¢epeÅŸ (aka Dracula), but I’m glad I do. The sun is out and it means I can climb the cobbled steps up the old town in SighiÅŸoara and get some great views. A few hours wandering and a large plate of pasta later, I’m back in the car heading back to BraÅŸov.

I’m making good progress on the 150km drive, until I suddenly spot a police car. Before I can utter a profanity, the policeman is pointing at me and telling me to pull over. I’m absolutely bricking it, since I left the paperwork in the hotel room. Worse still, the policeman doesn’t speak a word of English and using hand gestures he indicates that the speed limit is 50kph. Apparently I was doing 80. Shit.

In my defence, there are absolutely no signs but all I can do is point to my phrase guide and keep repeating that I’m sorry, “lertaÅ£i-mă, lertaÅ£i-mă, lertaÅ£i-mă…”

I have to sign a document that I’m sure says I’ve been given two points, but the policeman then keeps saying “kein problem” (!?) and that it’s just a warning. With a huge sigh of relief, I crawl back to BraÅŸov.

Being St. Patrick’s Day, I find an Irish bar and before I know it, I’m on a Guinness pub crawl with a couple of great Irish blokes who live in Romania. More locals join us and we end up in an absolutely lovely house with dozens of cats. There’s absolutely no way I’ll be in a good state tomorrow…

16th March 2008 – BraÅŸov, Râşnov, Bran, BucureÅŸti

The lack of food and surplus Guinness last night means I wake up feeling slightly worse for wear. I’ve also lost most of the morning which means I’ve a lot to cram into the day.

The weather in BraÅŸov is a little disappointing again so I decide against climbing the hill towards the Hollywood-style Brasov sign and instead follow Mark’s (one of the Irish chaps) advice to drive to Poiana BraÅŸov. He’s spot on as the view from the winding road is great. It’s a shame I didn’t get any close up shots of the square, but I guess that’ll teach me for going drinking with the locals!

Poiana BraÅŸov itself is a ski resort just south-west of BraÅŸov and it’s surprising how quickly the landscape changes. It’s as if I go around a corner from spring and find myself in winter. The snow-covered mountains are covered in green trees and it’s very pretty. There’s a buzzing atmosphere in the town too and I stop to watch the people sledging, take some photos and have a local dish in a restaurant.

Further west, I reach Râşnov, which is famous for its fortress. The town is actually like stepping into the past, as locals play in the streets with any random items (a small rock for a couple of kids) they can find. In the fields, people of all ages play football together and it suddenly feels a million miles away from home. There are huge potholes in the road so I’m weaving around them, with one eye looking for the fortress and one eye ensuring I don’t rip a wheel off my car.

The fortress is pretty funky and it’s like a mini-village at the top of a big rock. It’s also heavily damaged and floorboards creek and bend as I walk around. The fortress overlooks Râşnov and the surrounding area and after I have a go at archery (I’m not sure if it’s shockingly difficult or whether I’m just totally crap at it), it makes me realise how hard it must have been for archers to defend themselves from the tiny view-holes in the fortress.

Another 20km away lies Bran. It’s one of Romania’s top tourist spots as the castle is the one in which Dracula (the fictional one) lived. Apparently Dracula (the real one) only ever went there once. That doesn’t stop the locals from celebrating this little town. There are people selling “Dracula Blood” wine, there’s a campsite called “Vampire Camping” and everywhere you look there is lettering that drips with red paint!

The castle had just closed by the time I get there, but I’ve been told a few times that inside is nothing special. I take a few shots and I consider staying until sunset so that I can see how it looks at night – but I’ve a long journey so decide against it and jump back in the car.

It’s lucky I do, since the journey is knackering and it feels like half of Romania’s population seems to be heading back to Bucharest too. Worse still, after driving for about five hours today, I get completely lost in the capital. The traffic is unbelievable and it reminds me of driving in Paris; it’s every car for themselves. After aimlessly driving around for about an hour, I spot Steaua Bucharest’s football ground, fortunately all lit up since there’s a game on and I finally find my bearings (football – my constant saviour!) I had treated myself with fancy accommodation on the last night and I couldn’t be more grateful; the hotel is really gorgeous. I’d love to experience Bucharest nightlife but it’s already 9pm and I’m exhausted and starving, so I treat myself again and order a delicious room service.

17th March 2008 – BucureÅŸti

My alarm goes off and I jump back in the car. The hotel charged me for the internet access but they don’t have any record of the room service. I should have kept my mouth shut but, after all, there are two empty dishes in my room. After a few phone calls, they give up and say that no one knows anything about me ordering room service. It’s particularly good news since I thought I ate far too much, so I’m pleased to hear I didn’t have a meal after all…

The Lonely Planet guide book says “Forget Prague, forget Budapest: Bucharest is Eastern Europe’s secret.” I can’t help but disagree. To me, it’s just a very cosmopolitan city which is absolutely buzzing with rush hour traffic and littered with high rise buildings. It actually reminds me of Milan more than any other city. It’s a large city too, and since there’s little advice on what to see, I decide to tour by car and stop every time I see something interesting. First stop is the simply gigantic Casa Poporului parliament building. Apparently it’s the 15th largest building in the world, not far behind the Pentagon (although it looks much larger to me).

Back in the car I find a tranquil park, which is a pleasant relief between all the frantic driving. My flight is at three, so I decide to head back early in case I get lost again, but I easily (but slowly) make my way past the Piata Victoriei and the Arcul de Triumf (practically identical to the Paris one – but unfortunately covered in scaffolding as I go by) towards the airport.

In the airport, there’s another long wait while they check the condition of the car before I head to the departure board just before one o’clock. I’m scratching my head as I don’t see a three o’clock flight. Hmm. There is a 13.40 flight though. And it says “check-in closed”. Shiiiiit. I’m absolutely petrified of the thought of missing my flight so it’s a huge relief when I’m checked in by a trainee member of staff who simply says, “Be fast!”

With that, I say my (quick) goodbye to Romania.