Dave Ford
Registered user
Disclaimer: this trip report is very picture intensive, and they’re not award-winning quality pictures. Nor does this report describe a particularly adventurous trip, or provide profound words of wisdom. However the trip that it describes trip was hugely important to me, and as such I wanted to write it up and share the photographs.
I first visited Romania and Bulgaria back in 1994 and have now lost count of the number of times I’ve travelled to the two countries; certainly more than a hundred, and always by air. Even before returning to biking two years ago I had begun to have ideas about a trip that would take in the two countries and visit the subsidiary companies for which I have responsibility.
Preliminary plans for a trip in September 2008 failed to materialise and the timing was postponed until spring of this year. An accident in January that resulted in a Category D write-off and my arm in plaster for two months caused further delays. Eventually I settled on early September and started to do some more detailed planning. The first thing that struck me was just how bloody far it was. I’d somehow got an idea in my head that I would spend a week on the round trip, which would include at least one full day in Bucharest and another in Sofia. Add in a day to travel between the two capital cities and it becomes clear that a seven or eight day trip would allow little or no opportunity to do anything other than long distance commuting. So the schedule extended to 13 nights, which would give me sufficient time to take in some of the more interesting parts of Romania, the Adriatic coast of Croatia and the Stelvio Pass.
I undertook some fairly detailed route and schedule planning. According to the Zumo and Mapsource, the total distance would be around 4,200 miles. Taking into account the fact that four of the 14 days would be “lost” due to spending time in the two offices, I would need to average more than 400 miles per day. By no means impossible. But such a schedule, coupled with the fact that I wanted some time to enjoy the places through which I was travelling meant that I didn’t want to waste time planning routes each morning or looking for accommodation each evening, so routes were planned and hotels booked in advance.
The route (done in a clockwise direction):
The original plan involved a more direct route from Sofia to Zadar (on the Croatian coast) through Serbia and Bosnia. However on checking my insurance cover I found that these two countries were specifically excluded and E-Bike do not issue green cards of any description. Although I was advised that it was usual to purchase insurance at the border to Serbia, I took the view that, given the relatively tight schedule, I couldn’t afford the risk of losing a day due to insurance problems at either the Serbian and/or Bosnian borders. Hence the rather roundabout route from Sofia, back into Romania and Hungary, into Croatia.
Day 1 – Friday 4th September, Burton upon Trent – Ansfelden, 898 miles
I wanted to make it to Romania as quickly as reasonably possible (two days). Day 1 was the most difficult of the whole trip – 900 miles plus crossing the channel. My most “ambitious” journey prior to this had been to Dublin. I really had no idea how I was going to find it.
A very early start in order to be at Folkestone for the 0620 train.
Emerged at Calais at 0800. Within 15 minutes it started to rain and hardly stopped during the subsequent 12 hour journey to Ansfelden in Austria. I’d been looking forward to easy high-speed cruising on the famous autobahns – the reality turned out to be miles of filtering through stationary or slow-moving traffic at what seemed like interminable road works – the fact that it was Friday afternoon didn’t help. Stayed in characterless “C and C” motel at the side of the motorway. C and C evidently stands for Cheap and Chic – not my idea of “chic”, but I was in no state to argue, nor did I care.
First use of gaffer tape, in an attempt to dry a thoroughly soaked boot, while I went out in search of drink and food.
Day 2 – Saturday 5th September, Ansfelden - Timisoara, 440 miles
A relatively easy day – several hours of effortless motorway cruising in very light weekend traffic. Eventually arrived at the Hungarian border – this was the first recognisable border crossing since arriving on the continent. Stopped to buy a vignette…
…having managed to forget that I’d bought one online a couple of weeks previously!
Soon I had crossed into Romania and was heading for Timisoara on the DN6. It’s difficult to describe how I felt at this point. After talking about returning to biking for more than ten years and then dreaming that one day I’d ride to Romania, I’d finally done it. I recognise that this may seem trivial to many on this site, but it was hugely significant to me, so much so that I had to capture the moment:
Spent the Saturday night at the delightful Casa del Sole (www.casadelsole.ro - highly recommended) in Timisoara, where I was able to park the bike in the garden
I’d heard a lot about Timisoara and had planned to explore it on the Saturday evening, but have to confess that I never made it out of the hotel garden and its bar and restaurant.
Day 3 – Sunday 6th September, Timisoara – Sibiu – Sighisoara – Saschiz, 241 miles
In undertaking the planning for this trip I’d made contact with Gavin Bell of this parish, now a resident of Transylvania, and he’d kindly suggested that I visit him in Saschiz, one of the “Saxon villages” of Transylvania. Set off from Timisoara on Sunday morning. As I was travelling between Sibiu and Sighisoara I found myself approaching this place
Somehow, even from a distance, this place seemed special. It turned out to be Copsa Mica, about which I’d heard much over the years. It was well known as one of the most polluted sites in Central and East Europe and the Former Soviet Union, as a result of a plant for producing carbon black, and if that wasn’t enough, a lead smelter (Sometra). The carbon black factory produced highly visible pollution. Compare the aerial photograph on the left, from 1986 when the plant was in production, to the one on the right, taken in 2004 after the plant had closed.
If this pollution of the local landscape wasn’t bad enough, Sometra produced much less visible, but far more insidious, pollution that caused impotence and lung disease. Life expectancy in Copsa Mica was nine years below the average for Romania – not a good place to be born.
From a distance it looks just like another town in the countryside…
And with countryside like this, it’s soon forgotten
Had to stop at a level crossing
Complete with suitably attired official
Gave me the opportunity to inspect the state of the infrastructure. Yet again I marvelled at the attitude to workmanship and standards that one comes across so often in Romania. The (white) cable to the lamp on the barrier had obviously been recently replaced – but whoever did it must have worked hard to achieve such an appalling standard….
Sighisoara, and particularly its cetate (fortress) is well worth seeing
From Sighisoara it was a short ride to Saschiz, complete with its UNESCO World Heritage Site status fortified church
Checked into the local pensione and unloaded the bike
Pensione had nice courtyard at the rear
In the distance was the citadel where, in the past, the peasants would seek protection from marauding Turkish raiders
Spent the evening with Gavin and his wife Andreea. Gavin runs an NGO (see www.fundatia-adept.org) devoted to sustainable development in this beautiful part of Transylvania. However on Sunday evenings he sometimes moonlights in the local wool industry, where he holds a key position (sorry Gavin!)
Though I was able to do it without relying on a wall for support
At least a local mother and daughter seemed to appreciate my efforts
Even the bike had company for the night
Seriously, a great evening – thanks Gavin and Andreea.
Day 4 – Monday 7th September, Saschiz - Bucharest, approximately 220 miles
Next morning, from my bedroom window, a scene that probably hasn’t changed (OK – apart from the power lines) in more than a hundred years.
Today I had to get to Bucharest. The sensible route would have been on national roads via Brasov. However this day I was going to tick off another ambition, and travel the Transfagarasan. The “Transfag” is Romania’s Stelvio, with Dolomites replaced by Carpathians. The commonly accepted story is that that Ceausescu had it constructed as a route for moving troops in the event of a Soviet invasion of Romania. According to Wikipedia:
The road was constructed between 1970 and 1974, during the rule of Nicolae Ceauşescu. It came as a response to the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union. Ceausescu wanted to ensure quick military access across the mountains in the event the Soviets attempted a similar move into Romania. Consequently, the road was built mainly with military forces, at a high cost both financially and from a human standpoint—roughly 6 million kilograms of dynamite were used on the northern face, and about 40 soldiers lost their lives in building accidents.
[Also on same Wikipedia entry: In September 2009 the cast and crew of the British television show Top Gear were seen filming along the road. The segment will appear in Series 14, Episode 1 on November 15, 2009.]
Whilst I’m certainly no historian, I do wonder about this - I’m tempted to think that the road was another of Ceausescu’s insane schemes designed to satisfy his ego.
Gavin was travelling to Brasov and agreed to lead me cross country as far as the town of Fagaras. So off we set on roads that, although surfaced, do not appear on the standard Zumo 550 City Navigator map product. No other trafffic of which to speak, and beautiful, unspoilt countryside.
Some “modest” houses, but note satellite dishes
Approaching what appears to be an ordinary village…
With “modest” main street
Except that this village contains a house that belongs to a member of the British royal family
We stopped for a coffee
Off again – have long wanted to take a photo like this
Interesting road conditions
Approaching Fagaras - nice waste dump
And into the town (the centre’s nicer!)
Said goodbye to Gavin and Andreea in Fagaras, then headed west on DN1. To my left I could see the Carpathians, with the peaks in the clouds. The DN7C, the Tranfagarasan, was up there somewhere
Soon found the turning and started heading south, and upwards
I soon knew that I was in for something very special
Fortunately the route was deschis (open)
As I continued to climb the road and the views became more and more spectacular
Came across these three Trabants on German plates – respect!
Looking back down the valley
At the highest point the Transfagarasan becomes a tunnel. If, like me you’re doing from North to South, you enter the tunnel in Brasov County…
…and emerge in Arges County
Starting the descent – probably not good for nervous pillions
The Arges side is less extreme…
…but still superb
Show due consideration for other road users
At the summit the temperature had been only 5°C, compared to around 20°C in Fagaras. The temperature was climbing nicely as I continued the descent. And then, as I emerged from yet another bend, I came across a couple of Arges residents who lived in the woods….
The guy in the BMW had already stopped and was out of the car. I stayed on the bike, with the engine running
Might be time to get back in the car (not that the window glass would have offered much protection)
Time for me to back off a little
“Well it was like this officer – I came round a bend and there was this f***ing bear in the middle of the road….”
Time to press on – next stop Lacul Vidraru…
…and its dam
The road runs along the dam wall…
…before entering a tunnel. More sheep
Gave the sheep a few minutes to get clear, before continuing. Five minutes later…
From then on it was an uneventful ride to Pitesti and then onto Romania’s only motorway from Pitesti to Bucharest.
I first visited Romania and Bulgaria back in 1994 and have now lost count of the number of times I’ve travelled to the two countries; certainly more than a hundred, and always by air. Even before returning to biking two years ago I had begun to have ideas about a trip that would take in the two countries and visit the subsidiary companies for which I have responsibility.
Preliminary plans for a trip in September 2008 failed to materialise and the timing was postponed until spring of this year. An accident in January that resulted in a Category D write-off and my arm in plaster for two months caused further delays. Eventually I settled on early September and started to do some more detailed planning. The first thing that struck me was just how bloody far it was. I’d somehow got an idea in my head that I would spend a week on the round trip, which would include at least one full day in Bucharest and another in Sofia. Add in a day to travel between the two capital cities and it becomes clear that a seven or eight day trip would allow little or no opportunity to do anything other than long distance commuting. So the schedule extended to 13 nights, which would give me sufficient time to take in some of the more interesting parts of Romania, the Adriatic coast of Croatia and the Stelvio Pass.
I undertook some fairly detailed route and schedule planning. According to the Zumo and Mapsource, the total distance would be around 4,200 miles. Taking into account the fact that four of the 14 days would be “lost” due to spending time in the two offices, I would need to average more than 400 miles per day. By no means impossible. But such a schedule, coupled with the fact that I wanted some time to enjoy the places through which I was travelling meant that I didn’t want to waste time planning routes each morning or looking for accommodation each evening, so routes were planned and hotels booked in advance.
The route (done in a clockwise direction):
The original plan involved a more direct route from Sofia to Zadar (on the Croatian coast) through Serbia and Bosnia. However on checking my insurance cover I found that these two countries were specifically excluded and E-Bike do not issue green cards of any description. Although I was advised that it was usual to purchase insurance at the border to Serbia, I took the view that, given the relatively tight schedule, I couldn’t afford the risk of losing a day due to insurance problems at either the Serbian and/or Bosnian borders. Hence the rather roundabout route from Sofia, back into Romania and Hungary, into Croatia.
Day 1 – Friday 4th September, Burton upon Trent – Ansfelden, 898 miles
I wanted to make it to Romania as quickly as reasonably possible (two days). Day 1 was the most difficult of the whole trip – 900 miles plus crossing the channel. My most “ambitious” journey prior to this had been to Dublin. I really had no idea how I was going to find it.
A very early start in order to be at Folkestone for the 0620 train.
Emerged at Calais at 0800. Within 15 minutes it started to rain and hardly stopped during the subsequent 12 hour journey to Ansfelden in Austria. I’d been looking forward to easy high-speed cruising on the famous autobahns – the reality turned out to be miles of filtering through stationary or slow-moving traffic at what seemed like interminable road works – the fact that it was Friday afternoon didn’t help. Stayed in characterless “C and C” motel at the side of the motorway. C and C evidently stands for Cheap and Chic – not my idea of “chic”, but I was in no state to argue, nor did I care.
First use of gaffer tape, in an attempt to dry a thoroughly soaked boot, while I went out in search of drink and food.
Day 2 – Saturday 5th September, Ansfelden - Timisoara, 440 miles
A relatively easy day – several hours of effortless motorway cruising in very light weekend traffic. Eventually arrived at the Hungarian border – this was the first recognisable border crossing since arriving on the continent. Stopped to buy a vignette…
…having managed to forget that I’d bought one online a couple of weeks previously!
Soon I had crossed into Romania and was heading for Timisoara on the DN6. It’s difficult to describe how I felt at this point. After talking about returning to biking for more than ten years and then dreaming that one day I’d ride to Romania, I’d finally done it. I recognise that this may seem trivial to many on this site, but it was hugely significant to me, so much so that I had to capture the moment:
Spent the Saturday night at the delightful Casa del Sole (www.casadelsole.ro - highly recommended) in Timisoara, where I was able to park the bike in the garden
I’d heard a lot about Timisoara and had planned to explore it on the Saturday evening, but have to confess that I never made it out of the hotel garden and its bar and restaurant.
Day 3 – Sunday 6th September, Timisoara – Sibiu – Sighisoara – Saschiz, 241 miles
In undertaking the planning for this trip I’d made contact with Gavin Bell of this parish, now a resident of Transylvania, and he’d kindly suggested that I visit him in Saschiz, one of the “Saxon villages” of Transylvania. Set off from Timisoara on Sunday morning. As I was travelling between Sibiu and Sighisoara I found myself approaching this place
Somehow, even from a distance, this place seemed special. It turned out to be Copsa Mica, about which I’d heard much over the years. It was well known as one of the most polluted sites in Central and East Europe and the Former Soviet Union, as a result of a plant for producing carbon black, and if that wasn’t enough, a lead smelter (Sometra). The carbon black factory produced highly visible pollution. Compare the aerial photograph on the left, from 1986 when the plant was in production, to the one on the right, taken in 2004 after the plant had closed.
If this pollution of the local landscape wasn’t bad enough, Sometra produced much less visible, but far more insidious, pollution that caused impotence and lung disease. Life expectancy in Copsa Mica was nine years below the average for Romania – not a good place to be born.
From a distance it looks just like another town in the countryside…
And with countryside like this, it’s soon forgotten
Had to stop at a level crossing
Complete with suitably attired official
Gave me the opportunity to inspect the state of the infrastructure. Yet again I marvelled at the attitude to workmanship and standards that one comes across so often in Romania. The (white) cable to the lamp on the barrier had obviously been recently replaced – but whoever did it must have worked hard to achieve such an appalling standard….
Sighisoara, and particularly its cetate (fortress) is well worth seeing
From Sighisoara it was a short ride to Saschiz, complete with its UNESCO World Heritage Site status fortified church
Checked into the local pensione and unloaded the bike
Pensione had nice courtyard at the rear
In the distance was the citadel where, in the past, the peasants would seek protection from marauding Turkish raiders
Spent the evening with Gavin and his wife Andreea. Gavin runs an NGO (see www.fundatia-adept.org) devoted to sustainable development in this beautiful part of Transylvania. However on Sunday evenings he sometimes moonlights in the local wool industry, where he holds a key position (sorry Gavin!)
Though I was able to do it without relying on a wall for support
At least a local mother and daughter seemed to appreciate my efforts
Even the bike had company for the night
Seriously, a great evening – thanks Gavin and Andreea.
Day 4 – Monday 7th September, Saschiz - Bucharest, approximately 220 miles
Next morning, from my bedroom window, a scene that probably hasn’t changed (OK – apart from the power lines) in more than a hundred years.
Today I had to get to Bucharest. The sensible route would have been on national roads via Brasov. However this day I was going to tick off another ambition, and travel the Transfagarasan. The “Transfag” is Romania’s Stelvio, with Dolomites replaced by Carpathians. The commonly accepted story is that that Ceausescu had it constructed as a route for moving troops in the event of a Soviet invasion of Romania. According to Wikipedia:
The road was constructed between 1970 and 1974, during the rule of Nicolae Ceauşescu. It came as a response to the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union. Ceausescu wanted to ensure quick military access across the mountains in the event the Soviets attempted a similar move into Romania. Consequently, the road was built mainly with military forces, at a high cost both financially and from a human standpoint—roughly 6 million kilograms of dynamite were used on the northern face, and about 40 soldiers lost their lives in building accidents.
[Also on same Wikipedia entry: In September 2009 the cast and crew of the British television show Top Gear were seen filming along the road. The segment will appear in Series 14, Episode 1 on November 15, 2009.]
Whilst I’m certainly no historian, I do wonder about this - I’m tempted to think that the road was another of Ceausescu’s insane schemes designed to satisfy his ego.
Gavin was travelling to Brasov and agreed to lead me cross country as far as the town of Fagaras. So off we set on roads that, although surfaced, do not appear on the standard Zumo 550 City Navigator map product. No other trafffic of which to speak, and beautiful, unspoilt countryside.
Some “modest” houses, but note satellite dishes
Approaching what appears to be an ordinary village…
With “modest” main street
Except that this village contains a house that belongs to a member of the British royal family
We stopped for a coffee
Off again – have long wanted to take a photo like this
Interesting road conditions
Approaching Fagaras - nice waste dump
And into the town (the centre’s nicer!)
Said goodbye to Gavin and Andreea in Fagaras, then headed west on DN1. To my left I could see the Carpathians, with the peaks in the clouds. The DN7C, the Tranfagarasan, was up there somewhere
Soon found the turning and started heading south, and upwards
I soon knew that I was in for something very special
Fortunately the route was deschis (open)
As I continued to climb the road and the views became more and more spectacular
Came across these three Trabants on German plates – respect!
Looking back down the valley
At the highest point the Transfagarasan becomes a tunnel. If, like me you’re doing from North to South, you enter the tunnel in Brasov County…
…and emerge in Arges County
Starting the descent – probably not good for nervous pillions
The Arges side is less extreme…
…but still superb
Show due consideration for other road users
At the summit the temperature had been only 5°C, compared to around 20°C in Fagaras. The temperature was climbing nicely as I continued the descent. And then, as I emerged from yet another bend, I came across a couple of Arges residents who lived in the woods….
The guy in the BMW had already stopped and was out of the car. I stayed on the bike, with the engine running
Might be time to get back in the car (not that the window glass would have offered much protection)
Time for me to back off a little
“Well it was like this officer – I came round a bend and there was this f***ing bear in the middle of the road….”
Time to press on – next stop Lacul Vidraru…
…and its dam
The road runs along the dam wall…
…before entering a tunnel. More sheep
Gave the sheep a few minutes to get clear, before continuing. Five minutes later…
From then on it was an uneventful ride to Pitesti and then onto Romania’s only motorway from Pitesti to Bucharest.
thanks for sharing it with us 
