I was a bit surprised when entering Romania. I was expecting it to be poorer than Serbia but the roads were better and there was a lot less rubbish around. The dogs were also less vicious! The first day we just cycled through a city and got some Romanian money before finding a place to camp. We stayed on an 'official' campsite but it didnt really have anywhere to put tents. We put them up next to a closed swimming pool and outside bar and told the lady we couldn't afford any more than 3 euros each. That was fine by her!
We got going the next day and I was absolutely loving Romania. The people here were so friendly and there was never a dull moment! Whether it was being chased by a dog, kids wanting high fives, old ladies huddling together unashamedly staring, adults smiling and waving, shouts of 'hola', 'what's your name', 'salut' and loads of other things!
We cycled out of a town and the road turned into track. We were in the middle of a wood on a dirt track in Romania. I'd come here all the way from England! It was sinking in how far I'd come already and how far I had to go - the adventure had definately started!
At the next town we went to buy some bread at the bakers and the guy who ran the shop spoke Italian. Nino does too so we were able to talk to him. Turned out he had worked in Italy and judging by his Mercedes, made quite a lot of money there. He took us back to his restaurant for a 'real Italian coffee!'. It was delicious, and so was the house wine he gave us (it was 11 o clock in the morning!). His name was Stefan and he looked like a vampire! Absolutely lovely guy. He must have told someone to prepare some food for us because 2 plates came out of nowhere with fish and spicy rice. Apparently it was a traditional meal eaten the weekend before Easter. Everyone was partying that day for a festival so Stefan opened the whisky. We refused because we still had around 50 miles to cycle but he had some and topped up our glasses with wine. We left him back at the bakers with a cake thrusted on us and cycled through village after village. We found a beautiful camping spot with a lovely sunset. We made a fire and at dusk some shepherds brought their animals to drink at a stream. They waved to gesture we were welcome and let us get on with cooking.
The next day was more of the same. Villages and countryside. We finished in a farm and at about 6 the farmer saw us putting up our tents. He came over and, using a book with pictures called "Point It" (Thanks Laura!) we managed to communicate with him. He told us he had to go home then was coming back with wine. An hour later he returned with a bottle of wine grown on the farm and some pork fat sprinkled with chilly powder. It was delicious and I wasnt hungry at all the next day! The farmer's name was Petre and he earns 2500 euros a year and is an electrician. He told us that the government takes half his money as tax. He also recently crashed his car when drunk, which seemed to be a common problem in Romania! He pointed out all the animals on the farm and warned us that there were snakes, tics, and we think he said jackels about!He was another great person and an example of Romanian hospitality.
Only one bad thing happened in Romania! Today we bought some food from a supermarket and Nino left his chocolate milkshake on the side while packing food into his panniers. A gypsy child came up and stole it and ran off with it. I went and retrieved it but he'd opened it and started drinking it! I couldnt believe he'd done it with both of us watching and his parents there too. They didnt seem to mind in the slightest. Having heard Romanians talking about gypsies here, I think they can be a problem for Romania.
We left Romania this afternoon on a ferry accross the Danube and are now in a cheap hotel in Bulgaria. Another new country I know almost nothing about!
Photos will be uploaded soon
We got going the next day and I was absolutely loving Romania. The people here were so friendly and there was never a dull moment! Whether it was being chased by a dog, kids wanting high fives, old ladies huddling together unashamedly staring, adults smiling and waving, shouts of 'hola', 'what's your name', 'salut' and loads of other things!
We cycled out of a town and the road turned into track. We were in the middle of a wood on a dirt track in Romania. I'd come here all the way from England! It was sinking in how far I'd come already and how far I had to go - the adventure had definately started!
At the next town we went to buy some bread at the bakers and the guy who ran the shop spoke Italian. Nino does too so we were able to talk to him. Turned out he had worked in Italy and judging by his Mercedes, made quite a lot of money there. He took us back to his restaurant for a 'real Italian coffee!'. It was delicious, and so was the house wine he gave us (it was 11 o clock in the morning!). His name was Stefan and he looked like a vampire! Absolutely lovely guy. He must have told someone to prepare some food for us because 2 plates came out of nowhere with fish and spicy rice. Apparently it was a traditional meal eaten the weekend before Easter. Everyone was partying that day for a festival so Stefan opened the whisky. We refused because we still had around 50 miles to cycle but he had some and topped up our glasses with wine. We left him back at the bakers with a cake thrusted on us and cycled through village after village. We found a beautiful camping spot with a lovely sunset. We made a fire and at dusk some shepherds brought their animals to drink at a stream. They waved to gesture we were welcome and let us get on with cooking.
The next day was more of the same. Villages and countryside. We finished in a farm and at about 6 the farmer saw us putting up our tents. He came over and, using a book with pictures called "Point It" (Thanks Laura!) we managed to communicate with him. He told us he had to go home then was coming back with wine. An hour later he returned with a bottle of wine grown on the farm and some pork fat sprinkled with chilly powder. It was delicious and I wasnt hungry at all the next day! The farmer's name was Petre and he earns 2500 euros a year and is an electrician. He told us that the government takes half his money as tax. He also recently crashed his car when drunk, which seemed to be a common problem in Romania! He pointed out all the animals on the farm and warned us that there were snakes, tics, and we think he said jackels about!He was another great person and an example of Romanian hospitality.
Only one bad thing happened in Romania! Today we bought some food from a supermarket and Nino left his chocolate milkshake on the side while packing food into his panniers. A gypsy child came up and stole it and ran off with it. I went and retrieved it but he'd opened it and started drinking it! I couldnt believe he'd done it with both of us watching and his parents there too. They didnt seem to mind in the slightest. Having heard Romanians talking about gypsies here, I think they can be a problem for Romania.
We left Romania this afternoon on a ferry accross the Danube and are now in a cheap hotel in Bulgaria. Another new country I know almost nothing about!
Photos will be uploaded soon
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