Slow Road to Crete: Another First And Farewell to Kerstin

 

Was That on my Bucket List?

07/09/22

The lady in the TIC had mentioned a 7 Ladder Gorge Walk.  Kerstin and I are old hands at this now, so it had to be done!  J nobly stayed home with CO2.  A walk up to the start of the canyon.  A lot shorted and easier than the other Slovakian one and the max ladder climb was 15m.  The ladders and handles seemed a lot more secure.  Pretty.

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But the real adventure started on the descent.  We could have walked down, but why do that when there’s a new experience to try.  Zip lining. At only EUR20, it seemed a reasonable price too.  Although it would have been quicker to walk down.  Didn’t know it was on my bucket list of things to do, but it is now firmly ticked off.  And after about 20 of them, I felt done, but had to complete the course of 40-45 zip lines.   On the first line, I failed to land on the platform and had to turn and then hand over fist to haul myself back and up to the platform.  And of course this was in front of all the people waiting!  

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What have we ‘chosen’ to do? 

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One injury.  I caught may trailing foot on the platform.  Resulting in a slight ankle sprain and a shin bone bruise.  Kerstin had and interesting landing technique … if there was a cushion on the tree indicating a fast landing, she opened her legs wide and straddled the tree trunk.  Her bruises were consequently on the inside of her legs!

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Don’t we look the pro’s now?

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 Supper out.  Limited choice within easy walking distance, unless we fancied a burger … Not!  Hungarian in Romania.  Kerstin and I made good choices … the Goulash soup was a meal in itself..


Will She Ever Get Home?

08/09/22

Last night Kerstin had attempted on multiple devices to check in for her afternoon flight to Stuttgart.  Only when she used the MacBook did the flight show as cancelled.  No email from the airline!  And of course the help line just refers one back to the website.  Grr.  Last minute flights with alternative airlines costing an arm and a leg.  So Kerstin booked a lunchtime flight from Budapest tomorrow via Istanbul.  Just as well she had booked the same airline for both flights as the flight arrived late in Istanbul, missing the connecting flight to Stuttgart.  She was put up at an airport hotel but didnt get any opportunity to explore Istanbul by the time she had cleared customs.  And fortunately she had brought her passport, as she needed it here, although within EU she can travel freely with her German ID card.  She let us at lunchtime today as it is a 3 hour rain ride to Budapest (no such thing as high speed trains here), spent the night in Budapest, a second night in Istanbul and messaged she was on the train to Reutlingen the next evening.  A 2.5 day journey!  This is Europe.  Why are things no longer working as they should?  Don’t get me started on service levels!

In the afternoon, J and I wandered into the local shopping pedestrianised street.  High rises either side.  Most of the shops had closed.  Lots of graffiti and broken paving slabs and positively dangerous crumbling steps.  We had a too sour lemonade whilst two Romanains drank 3 beers with chasers each.

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The better section of the street was in sun.
 

Herman Fortified Church

09/09/22

In the guide books and marked by the lady in the TIC, but we had low expectations.  Started to feel like we are scratching the bottom of the must do things around here.  A sure sign that we have stayed long enough here.  However, the fortified church was lovely.  Peaceful.

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Fortified entrance tunnel.

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Ladders up to rooms … not allowed to climb these!

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 Massive thick stone walls and you could walk through the top in semi darkness.

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My crew waiting for me … O ever anxious.

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There was a tower to climb, and I was conscious Kerstin would have encouraged me up … so up I went.  Dodgyy steps and dark … worthy of a gorge.  

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 Got down just in time to avoid my ears being assaulted by the on the hour bell.


We failed to find anywhere for a spontaneous lunch and so had our meagre packed lunch and drove over the other side of Brasov for a walk.  A short walk as it was raining quite heavily by now.   The area is known as Solomons Rocks.  

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 We felt for the families using the organised BBQs and tables in the rain.  Not all were covered.

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Not a path, but a looong table and benches.  There were war memorials at then end.

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Sinaia 

10/09/22

We had been told this was worth a visit. King Carlos 2 had used the town as a summer residence and then had his own castle built.  The noble and wealthy followed, building their own graceful residences.  A local told us the town mayors have always had a tight control on planning thus ensuring the elegant nature of the architecture is not spoilt.  What we hadn’t realised, until we tried to park was that it was the town festival.  So it was buzzing with life:  people, music and food stalls.

Sadly our car was bumped whilst it was parked up.  Someone had kindly waited to pass on the reg number of the perpetrator, who apparently refused to stay or leave his details.  We contemplated informing the police, but a) proving it if he denied it, b) the hassle, c) the changes of getting recompense – low, and d) our excess is EUR650, so not worth making a claim.  Much as we hate for the bugger to get away with it, it was not worth pursuing.  Karma will get him!

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A mime troupe perfuming a war tragedy.

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Coffee and 2 kinds of cheesecake … yummy! 

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Loving the tin roofs, but probably not the quietest in rain.

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King Carlos’ Peles Castle.  Couldn’t go in as J stayed down in town and I had CO2 with me.

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Another renovation project.


Last Day in Brasov and a Close Shave

11/09/22

We had a slowish day … loading some stuff into and on the car.  In the afternoon we wandered up and over the base of the hill to Brasov old town.  Found more old streets and engaged with it a lot more than we had when we arrived in Brasov.  One of those where you go with the flow … Brasov City’s festival day … not a patch on Siaia yesterday’s efforts, but a good vibe.  We had a glass of wine and decided to stay in town for supper.  No supper for CO2 with us, so into a supermarket for a purchase of Pedigree Chum, which normally gives them the squits!  Ho Hum … fed off the pavement.  What started as a twilight walk back over the mountain ended up as dark stumble.  Thank goodness for phone torches!

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Found more pedestrianised streets.

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Yes, J is sporting a rather short haircut.  We’d bought a replacement beard trimmer yesterday.  It does hair too, and not having been happy with the styling from the Bratislava hair cut … I had a go at it.  Now I am used to doing J’s hair … usually do it with the dog shears after I”ve pruned Oscar!  Did a good job and just checking it over … oooh missed a bit.  Grabbed the shears to trim …. Oops … wrong guard on it…. a very short stripe on top  So had to give J a prison cut all over!  Thank goodness he’s not a vain man!

Slow Road to Crete: Based in Brasov

 

A Long Driving Day

04/09/22

Rather than erect the 2 tents after a long driving day and break the journey, we decided to do a loooong driving day and get to our AirBnb in Brasov, Romania.  830km but 3 drivers.  we struck camp and set off10 mins ahead of schedule at 8.50 a.m, despite my having to completely repack the roof box so we could close it.  I’d done the Hungarian and Romanian road tolls online last night.  We stopped about 3.00 desperate to use the toilet, so had soup or omelette.  No Romanian Leis yet, but fortunately could pay the EUR11 for 3 dishes and 3 drinks on a card.  Going to like these prices!  Or so I thought, they were never to be matched until Bulgaria.  Roads pretty slow through Romania as no motorway … a very limited transport infrastructure.  

Tired and in the dark we struggled to find our apartment … I expertly navigated us to the bins … it was on a map the host had sent!  Thankfully it was ground floor for all the unloading.  And we pretty much unloaded everything, thankfully a large hall with cupboards to stash it all.  We even managed to dry out the tents over the next few days … the smaller we erected in the lounge, where K slept.  The big one went over a washing line I strung up outside.

Flat was fab … bath and shower.  Comfy bed.  Coffee machine.  And …. a washer / dryer.  And all for £40 per night.  we’ve been paying EUR30-35 for the 3 of us … so a no brainer really.

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Tent drying, but kept CO2 out!

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Dirty laundry is comfy!

A Slow Day

05/09/22

J and I got up rather late … not sure what time K was up.  But she’d managed to have a cold shower (tap round the wrong way … must be perfect plumbing in Germany) … I had a long soak in a hot bath! 

We set off around the mountain to Brasov.  Actually more like up and over the base of the mountain next to us.  Must be a mountain and not a hill as it had beware of the bear signs and a cable car.  First stop was an ATM.  I took out 1500ROM … seems like such a lot, but roughly 5ROM to £1. So many notes … there is even a note for I ROM.  Then lunch … despite moving away from the main square, the soup was double the price of the roadside country caf of yesterday.  Not for the first time have locals told us they cannot afford to eat where the tourists do.

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View of Brasov from our FLAT (LOL) walk around the mountain. 

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In holiday mode, so a mojito.

We wandered the old town.  5th largest in Romania.  Lots of history.  Attractive, but didn’t wow us.  Perhaps we are a bit architectured out.  German is widely spoken here. Saxons were brought in to run the area.  

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The so called Black Church as it had been burnt at some point, hence the name.  Some lovely Ottoman carpets too … saw others in another church.

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They adopted Lutheran teachings and changed the Black Church layout to reflect.  Services are still held in German.

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Kerstin translated some of the German sayings … such as when your’e older you can look back with wisdom.

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The narrowest street was a disappointment … more like a London underpass … graffiti and urine!  Actually none of the latter, but ugly.  Graffiti allowed … but this ain’t art.  Bristol has a graffiti festival where art is created.  They missed a trick here.  

School went back today.  The youngsters looked smart in blazers as they queued calmly for cones of chips.  Only a few in MacDonalds.  And no litter, they put their rubbish in bins.  As if!!!!  We read that they take flowers in for their teachers at the start of term … we saw a number of high school children with bunches.  Can’t see that ever happening in city centre Bristol where I taught! 

Chance encounters often give a really warm feeling.  I spoke to a lady briefly by the wine.  Then she was by the beer.  Romanian, but lived and taught in Leeds for 30 odd years. She taught French and after years of reluctant learners moved from secondary to higher education.  

 

Not All-Bran

06/09/22

As we arrived in Bran, it tipped down … coffee and local honey cake (Yum).  We took turns to go into Bran Castle.  I walked CO2 round the other side of the castle and saw the old customs house, Bran chapel, the first hydro power station in Romania … the Queen had had it put in and it benefitted the whole village.  The castle did have some info boards on Dracula … Bram Stoker based his book on Bran Castle.  But what was particularly interesting was the information about the post 1900 royal family.  Queen Marie did it up around1910 and it had a homely feel … none of the room were large.  Her daughter Ilena lived here until 1945 when the royals were banished.  Both queens were skilled and talented.  Marie successfully negotiated a unified Romania after WW1 in 1925.  Ilena was a pilot, artist and finally a nun in the USA.  Strong ladies.

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We set off for a short walk not too far away near Zarnesti.  The rains had stopped … just along a river, said I!  But to a viewpoint which should have been a clue to the ascent.  A bit of a steep climb up and the paths I’d selected for the down was missing or cordoned off.  So a slightly longer walk than planned.  But so worth it for the views.  This is what we came to Transylvania for … and it delivered.

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 Rather than get her feet wet, the agility dog flew across this pipe.  Several times as we made her do it again so I could take a pic! 

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