One thing I really missed was dirt biking in the Romanian countryside. So I joined 3 friends for a day trip near Pitesti. Nice hills, plenty of mud and, as usual, very good time on two wheels! (KTM Exc 300) |
I never went to the Romanian far North so, since we were in the mood for more touring, we decided not to miss the chance.
En route I stopped to take this photo in Sighisoara. The city center, a medieval fortified city, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Looks much better as you get closer 🙂 |
Next break was in Targu Mures. For many, probably this is just another city, but for me, coming after 7 months in a whole different world, it was inspiring. |
Almost every village in Maramures county has a high towered, wooden church. Some of them are also on the UNESCO World Heritage list. |
Another interesting and unusual place is the Merry Cemetery. Tombstones are decorated with paintings and funny poems. |
Since it was Sunday, many villagers were dressed in national costumes. Haven’t seen many people wearing that kind of clothing before, except for ceremonies… |
The Yamah R6 we borrowed for this trip was not even nearly as comfortable as Palomina, especially for Laura. So I left her in Alba Iulia and I continued solo. This allowed me to enjoy some of my favorite roads in Romania (Sibiu – Ramnicu Valcea – Pitesti) at a much higher rate of speed 😀 |
Touring in Romania
Bucharest
Veliko Tarnovo
Veliko Tarnovo is the former capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire. Therefore, many old buildings and other interesting sights can be found. |
But we were eager to arrive in Romania, so we focused only on the Tsarevets castle. |
The city is situated on a hilly terrain, which adds to its beauty. This is how it looks from Patriarchal Cathedral’s tower. |
We finally crossed the Danube to Romania on June 16th, 6 months and 12 days after arriving in Hanoi. During that time, we accomplished:
25,070km riding Palomina 800km riding other 2 wheeled vehicles 3350km by train (Lao Cai to Hanoi, Calcutta to Bombay, Iazd to Bandar Abbas and other shorter routes) 4590km by air (Bangkok to Kathmandu and Delhi to Shiraz) around 1000km by bus Totaling over 34,800km. |
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, it’s history spanning 6000 years. We found a Roman theater as well as a well preserved medieval district. Away from the city center there is a park with a tourist train. Although very short, this railway has a tunnel and a loop.
Edirne
This is Edirne. It has a well preserved old district, as well as a few mosques. |
The most interesting sight in this city is the Medical Museum. Describes how medicine was taught and practiced few centuries ago. They emphasize the way the mental patients were treated: at times when common practice was locking up insane people or even killing them for being possessed by the Devil, this hospital was treating them with music, herbs and other cures. |