Sunday, December 23, 2018:  Brezoi 

            It was a slow relaxing morning of coffee and breakfast.  At around 11:00 we left in two cars for the town of Alba Iulia where there is a wacky star shaped Citadel. We took 2 cars, instead of cramming into 1 car for a 3-hour drive.  

We drove on the same road to Sibiu as last night, however we could see the whole gorge in the daylight today. There is enough snow the accentuate the rocks, and ridges in mountains.  It is beautiful, as the leave are off the trees, allowing you to see in the distance.  This area badly needs a Motorway, as there is heavy traffic on this road, and very few places to pass due to all the curves following the river.  The Motorways are limited in Romania due to politics, money, and environmental issues.  The issue of Motorways will limit progress in Romania.

Host's Cabin

Surroundings

Once in Alba Iulia we found parking on the Citadel grounds.  Inside the Citadel is the Romanian Orthodox church where King Ferdinand and Queen Maria were coronated.  It is a lovely church.  Next to it is the Roman Catholic cathedral, but it was closed, so we could not see it inside. The front part of the Citadel has been restored with EU monies.  It is lovely. The other side needs restoration too, which hopefully they will do, in the near future. While in the restoration phase they found many Roman ruins, which have been save and are on display.  There was no snow on the ground.

The Citadel Alba Ilia

Making another Hungarian Sweet

We stopped for a late lunch before driving back to their residence.  By the time we were less than half way home, it was dark. 

Before going back to the house, we stopped at another monastery.  It was dark, so we could not see the surrounding area, only the church and monastery on which there were lights. This Monastery is the oldest one in this region.  There were paintings on the exterior as well as the interior.  Some of the interior was not totally painted - not use if it was under restoration or what.

We finally made it back to the house. Dead tired from all the driving. Driving distances does not seem to bother them. Driving is a tension experience.   

One of the Oldest Monasteries in Romania

Saturday, December 22, 2018: Bucharest to Brezoi:

            Breakfast is also served on the penthouse level of the hotel.  We had a lovely view morning view of this part of town, as there is 360 degrees of glass around the restaurant.  Bucharest, the capital city of Romania is a large city of 1.8 million, compared to Slovakia’s capital city Bratislava’s with a population of approximately 450,000. Bucharest is a busy place.  After the traffic we encountered last night we were glad it was Saturday morning, so hopefully the traffic will be less as we drive out of town.

            It was almost 10:00 until we were on the road to the town where we will meet a former Rotary exchange student who attended Mt Pleasant Community High School in 2003-04.  We put her town into our GPS, then will call her when we are near, for further directions. 

            The traffic was heavy in the city, but as we exited the city, thankfully it kept moving. We finally reached the Motorway/Autobahn, so we could get up to full speed.

            The mountains are beautiful with the small amount of snow that fell the other day.  It highlights the formations. The roads are clear, thank goodness.

Bucharest

Bee Hives

Monestary

 

            Our friend said it would take 3 ¼ hours with good traffic conditions, but plan for longer.  Of course, it also depends on where you are located, within Bucharest. It took us over 4 hours to get to her town, from downtown Bucharest.

            The outskirts of Bucharest, along the autobahn, is full of with all sorts of company warehouses.  Being along the motorway is an easy on/off for truck carriers.  The landscape west of Bucharest is very level – reminded us of Iowa north and east of Mt Pleasant. 

            We could see mountains in the distance, and we were going directly to them.   It definitely appears we are going to their holiday house in the mountains.  It was a beautiful drive through the mountains.  We followed a river, winding our way northwest of Bucharest.  Due to the recent snow, the view in the mountains was beautiful.  

            We made plans over the phone with our friends, as to where we would meet. Her boyfriend was there soon after we arrived, and we followed him to their home. Their vacation/holiday home is in a small valley about a 15-minute drive from the main highway.  The mountain is directly behind their house. There is just one street with houses on both sides. It is a lovely mountain get-away. 

            Of course, everything is snow covered now, but you can see they have a beautiful garden in the summer time, with roses, flower boxes, etc.  Right now they have Christmas decorations around the house.

            After settling-in, eating a light lunch, we loaded up and drove to the town of Sibiu to see their Christmas market.  It was a 2-hour drive in the dark.  Our friend’s boyfriend was driving, and we were riding with them. The snow was melting, so the roads were very messy with a constant spray on the windshield. Since it was dark, we could not see the surroundings, but we were continuing to follow the river north, winding our way through a gorge.    

            Sibiu’s central plaza was decorated beautifully.  There were lights on the buildings, ice skating, and the usual Christmas market vendors of merchandise and food.   

After the Christmas market we had a little to eat, before driving the 2-hours home.   

Sibiu Christmas Market

Hungarian Sweet

Friday, December 21, 2018: Bratislava, Slovakia to Bucharest, Romania:

            The alarm was set for 6:15 this morning.  We finished our packing and requested a cab to take us to the Regional Bus Station.  The best way for us to get to the Vienna airport is via the bus, that stops at the front of the Main airport terminal.  The 45-minute bus ride was very comfortable, and we arrived at the airport on time. 

            After landing in Bucharest, we picked up the reserved rental car.  The challenge of finding the hotel we had reserved in the center of town was interesting.  Thank goodness for GPS, we drove directly there. However, it was bumper to bumper traffic the whole 16 kilometers.  The fact it was Friday night before Christmas had to play a role in all the traffic we encountered. 

All the main streets into the Centrum have Christmas decorations/lights overhead across the streets, that will be lite after dark. They will be beautiful. We finally made it!  After checking-in we enjoyed a welcome drink.

Sweet Baclava

Bucharest has had snow in the past few days.  The roads were clear, but not all the sidewalks, cars, parking areas, etc.  At spots, walking was a challenge.

Beside the welcome drink, we also caught a bite to eat in their penthouse restaurant.  One of the perks of the restaurant is seeing this part of the city from above. We enjoyed the night-time view. 

            The Z Boutique Hotel is in the area of one of the smaller Christmas markets.  After dinner, we also walked to the large Market in front of the huge Parliament building. The main streets into the center of town are beautifully lite with Christmas lights.

            Bucharest has lots of lovely large elegant buildings.  We think they were built before the Communist Era.  Bucharest was a wealthy city at one point in history – you can tell by the stately buildings.     

This was a day of transport.  By 9:00 we were tired, and ready for bed.

Pork Ribs

Thursday, December 20, 2018: Bojnice to Bratislava, Slovakia:  

            The Bojnice Castle opens at 9:00, so this morning we awoke at 7:30, giving us plenty of time to arrive at the Castle when it opened.  When Cherie turned on the lights, there was no electricity.  We could not believe it, but it appeared there was no electricity in the whole neighborhood.  We could also hear a generator running nearby.              

            We got ready in the dark!  It was getting brighter outside which helped, but today it is the shortest day of winter.  Thank goodness for flashlights.

            As we were loading the car, it began to snow!  Since we could not make coffee in our apartment kitchen, we needed to find a coffee shop - that had electricity.  We drove to the castle area, and yes, the homes and businesses in this area had lights.  We parked, walked in the snow that was fast accumulating, to a restaurant that did not look completely open, but there was a guy inside at the counter, and the door was not locked.  We asked if he was serving coffee. Well, not yet, but he would make coffee for us. He told us the kitchen was not open so there was no breakfast. We asked if we could bring our own breakfast items, and he said, “of course”.  We went to the car and brought our breakfast items to the booth and had a wonderful breakfast, and great coffee.

            We walked to the Castle in the snow, bought our tickets, but then had to wait until the tour began at 9:30.  The only way to see the Castle is going with a tour guide.  The 9:30 tour would be in the Slovak language. We waited, taking photos of the castle exterior.  We thought for a while we may be the only ones on the tour, but right before 9:30 a group showed up.  This Castle was well maintained during the Communist Era, with the USSR officials using it for parties, meetings, and special events.

            It is a lovely Castle, and a popular tourist attraction.  The tour first takes you to the caves below the castle, then you go up, seeing most of the rest of the castle. 

Bojnice Castle

           As soon as we could, we were on the road to the town of Banske Stiavnica, which was highly recommended.  It was still snowing, and at places, the road was not clear.  We turned off the main highway onto a secondary road which wound through the mountains.  The snow became deeper and deeper the higher we climbed. By the time we reached Banske Stiavnica the snow accumulation was becoming an issue.  Banske Stiavnica is a town build on two steep hillsides, with the valley in the center.  Everywhere you go, is on a slope.  We drove around the town, going up so we had a good view down over the town in the valley.  Due to the snow, cars were spinning and sliding.  Parking spots were not open for parking.  We stepped out for some photos but did not do any shopping.

            According to the GPS, in good weather, we have a 2-hour drive to Bratislava. With the snow and road conditions, we do not know how long it will take.  We continued south on the winding secondary road, which was completely snow covered.  We drove cautiously through the mountains, especially around the sharp curves.  We finally made it to the autobahn and rolled into Bratislava at 4:15. It was still snowing. 

We unloaded at our friends, before Cal & Cherie returned the car to the airport.  This evening was spent doing laundry, repacking, getting ready to leave tomorrow morning at 7:15 for the Vienna airport.  We will be flying to Bucharest, Romania tomorrow.