I remember the hashtag that I used through my month at Romania – #RusticRomania, it was. Today, almost two years later, I find it easy to recollect all of the conversations, food, sight-seeing and adventures from this East European country – all I had to do was search for my hashtag. Plus, I had the newspaper-cutting of the interview I gave Deccan Chronicle.
It is actually easy to enter the country with a Schengen visa – but, I entered in on a country-specific visa that unfortunately did not allow me to visit the nearby Bulgaria. So, here is what I managed over three weekends (a pretty long time, actually!).
The first thing I related to each time I think of Bucharest, Romania’s capital city, is the fact that their parliament is the world’s largest parliament. It needs a panorama feature for it to be able to fit into a single photo. At night, this building is lit up in white lights giving it a special glow. I would suggest that this be your first port of call – just to understand the terms of scale. Also, it will put away all your thoughts about Romania being a developing country.
The architecture that I encountered in Bucharest showed vibrant influences from the nearby countries and cultures that have helped shaped today’s Romania. There’s definitely a touch of Greek, Turkish, German and Russian traces to this city. Infact, I would attribute the food scenes, as well, to one that has a Pan-European sway.
Within the city, apart from tons of parks that line either side of a road, the Triumphal Arch adds significance to their history. It just stands there on the main road – where locals zoom past without giving it a second look and the foreigners stand around, click photos, discuss its importance and link it to the tales they have heard.
If you ever thought that there could be only a certain amount of greenery in a city-space, you definitely have to triple that count, for Bucharest has plants and vegetation sprouting out any every tiny space that a seed could fit into. The national highways are proof of this statement. Vast sunflower fields would add colour to your travels. Ofcourse, I was there during summer. The same cannot be said for the locality during the winter months.
Which brings me to the topic of the Transfăgărășan, a 90 kilometer long mountain road that is supposed to be one of the top ten roads to drive on. The road has more tunnels than any other road in Romania. Near the highest point, at Bâlea Lake, the road passes through Bâlea Tunnel, the longest road tunnel in Romania at 884 meters. The sun was bright and powerful just before the tunnel and when we emerged after it, it was rainy and cold. It looked like I had travelled across continents within a couple of minutes!
Nibbling on some warm corn cobs at the lake-side, while the wind brought more rains and a colder weather, I finally realized where all the tourists and locals in Romania congregate at!
The Peleș Castle should be the first tourist attraction on your itinerary. Not only is it as magical as it is shown in most English Romantic movies, it is also royal and regal. The well-kept museums hold vast history and the guided tours are worth the fifty odd Euros.
Move on the lesser imperial Dracula’s Castle, that is only a short ride away. I’m not too sure on the stance I take with regard to Dracula being real or if it is just a myth. However, I realized that the tales of a garlic odour that encompasses a Dracula’s presence is true in every sense. This castle is more like a regular living quarters with low ceilings and even lower doorways, narrow corridors and tiny rooms. The insides may not be very picture-friendly – more on the dark and claustrophobic side – however, the view from the windows that overlook the green expanse is one that is Instagram worthy.
The Sinia monastery is beautiful, both in history and in architecture. With domes that spiral inwards and out, a pale golden polish on the outside and rich and intricate interiors, this Orthodox Church leaves you feeling pious and blessed!
A short drive away is the town of Brasnov that lives off tourist populations. It’s a typical European village with a central public gathering space, and trendy cafes that have mushroomed inorder to cater to those that come and go. Here is where I was introduced to a traditional Romanian meal. With the Covrigi bread (that is kind of like a pretzel, but more saltier), and some soup, the light lunch also included polenta and home-made pork sausages that were twice the size of the ones I’m used to. The meat was not fine-ground like in the rest of the sausages and hence, that was one meal that I had just once. Plus, I felt that the polenta was the most prime example of bland food.
My most favourite part of the cities was the little cafes that sprouted out of nowhere and were hidden behind houses in the middle of large gardens. Wood-work and nice music with the mellow winds and a slight drizzle, a novel for company and the delicious sea-food was how I would unwind every evening. I would have eaten a poached / grilled salmon along with a prawn and clam chowder, almost on a daily basis! Funnily, there was always a royal looking cat that gave each café its identity – these feline creatures even walked around the carpeted office floors like they were the boss!
Romania shares one common ground with Chennai – the automobile manufacturers that have their industries set up in the outskirts will remind you of the drives through Maraimalai Nagar and Oragadam. Rows of cars in every possible colour waiting to be test driven or waiting for the shipment containers; automobile parts wholesalers who flourish with business and the corporate offices of these OEMs in the city that provide more job opportunities – it was like looking at Chennai’s economy, all over again. More so for me, as I’ve worked with clients in the auto-manufacturing and auto-trading industries! I had a whole load of questions on how warehouses here were run, and there was no one to ask these questions to!
With regard to the shopping : there was one mall that I frequented, as it had a food court with more international food options. I don’t quite remember the name now. However, I would suggest sticking to buying homemade chocolates at Brasnov and semi-precious jewelry. I splurged out here. Picked up atleast ten bracelets and six earrings across colours and textures. I also heard that silver jewelry is reasonably priced.
PS : For the out-of-city trips that I did, I used a tour company called Mr. Tripp – great customer service, he spoke my language and ofcourse, he was fine with ‘solo’ trips!
As an additional read for you (and more publicity for me), here is feature story that Deccan Chronicle wrote about my trip to Romania : https://madrasvaasi.wordpress.com/2017/01/27/my-two-minutes-of-fame/
Feeling all nostalgic,
Kasturi Ramanathan
Eloquent Elucidations 