She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes

Ok, so maybe it wasn't the best idea to sleep in a railway carriage.

Bunks to begin with. Small bunks at that. Tiny cabin. Toilet at the end of the corridor, showers in the donger outside.
Neither of us slept well - didn't help that we have an excited young family in the next cabin room to ours - and these were not built with sound-proofing in mind!

Breakfast was good - cold meat and cheeses, bread, fried eggs, juice and tea or coffee.  As we are eating (at 8 am) all these coaches and cars begin to arrive. Turns out, that during the summer  holidays, this steam train trip is VERY popular! Thankfully, as guests of the 'hotel', we have reserved seats. 

On the way to the train, we pass a collection of traditional building set in a museum setting within the grounds. It is only open on weekends, but we can take photos from the outside.  Take a look at the woven wicker fence! It was stunning.

The first train laves at 9 am, so we are no sooner done with breakfast and loaded our worldly goods in to the car, than we are off to beat the hordes to our seats. Now, getting on to that train was quite an interesting affair for me. One step up at 2.5 feet and then another a metre higher! Think of a beached whale, helping hands and a husband under my bum! Can you get the picture?


Who could have thought that a little train could have so many people so worked up?! (Well, I can - you should see Michael's face!!)  There are obviously more people than will fit on this train, and as we pull out of the 'station' the people who will now take the second, or third, train that is doing the trip today, film our departure (like brown's cows) and kids young and not so young run alongside for as long as they can.

Today we are headed high into the Mamamures Ranges where there are no roads and no towns.
The mountains tower over us and the trees, some hundreds of feet high, cling to the side of those mountains for dear life. A small mountain creek meanders through the narrow valley floor. There are lots of small logging camps (1-2 buildings) and the detrius of human waste is just left at the river side, to find its way into that little waterway. We pass by as locals go about their simpler daily life. 

But nothing can beat the mood in the train, and the wonder from gazing out at the world from up here. There are at least two staff in our carriage and many more following in a van converted to rail travel. We stop to take on water (from the river) and people clambour down on to the track and up to the goods van at the front of the train where the railway staff man a small 'kiosk' selling coffee, beer, soft drinks and pastries.  Once watered, the whistle blows insistently and everyone gets back on board.

The trip takes 2.5 hours and we end up at a large clearing where picnic shelters, tables and slab seats set up in the sun, and in the shade, plus a huge camp kitchen is found. Right on the stream bank - 'No Swimming' says the sign that many ignore. 

People are lining up to order their lunch - barbequed mixed grills with rice, coleslaw and that inevitable bread. Michael joins the queue while I find us a seat in the shade. A whole 46 Lei for two plates plus three drinks - that is $15 people for grilled chicken and sausages.

I guess it makes sense when you are high in the forests to build everything from the timber that surrounds you. But it is built beautifully and with care and attention.

All too soon, we hear the whistle of the second train as it arrives. Again, it disgorges its multitude of people who again rush to join the lunch queue and no sooner are they through then the whistle of the third train announces its arrival.

In the meantime, a number of the staff have donned traditional clothing and are performing traditional dances to loud, slightly grecian styled music. The whole scene is quite surreal and the place has the air of the train picnic holidays. Very festive. There is also a small museum, but with the number of people here, we can't even get close.

After a couple of hours, our train comes back in to view, the little steam engine puffs importantly and the whistle declares that it is time to head back.

We  trundle along in the afternoon sun, and with bellies full, there are a number of people snoozing to the rhythmic swaying and the regular clunking of the rails under the wheels.

Hours later back in town, we need to hit the road but first we need to buy petrol. Turns out that it still takes the equivalent of $70 to fill the car - to bad that is not cheaper!

Back into the mountain roads we go - more poor condition, although here there are more roadworks, and still maniacal drivers taking all sorts of crazy risks. 

We stop at the top of a pass to buy gelato and take a quick breather before heading down into Bistrita. I had hoped to get closer to the Bicaz Gorges, but am buggered, so we'll call it a day here.  We get to town with no accommodation booked - bad idea, as there is literally one hotel with rooms left (and I have to stop to do a quick search on booking.com to even find that). The Hotel Diana has been a grand old lady in her day. But her day is not today.





There are no smoking signs everywhere, but the whole place reeks of cigarette smoke - the bed linen, the towels, the carpets, the curtains -you get the drift. The room is very spacious, but the furniture old and the high-ceiling bathroom is mould lined. Too bad that the dollars are not
there to re-do it to its former glory.

We eat dinner in a restaurant that seats 200 at round tables of 10, with us the only ones there. After dinner, I'm up to write the blog - and book some accommodation moving forward. Turns out the summer holidays are crazy here.

In Romania where . . .

Had no access to internet yesterday, so we are playing catch-up.

Tuesday 8 August.

As we had travelled to and fro from Casa Dinainte near Cluj, the road passed through this dark, cool, quiet forest. This morning we made a quick stop so we could get a photo.  Had to be quick though as this forest is supposed to have frequent paranormal phenomenon (what else would you expect from a forest in Transylvania?!)  Not sure what the mix of trees are although there is birch among them. 

And the bees couldn't give one hoot or buzz about the ghoulies - they were happy drinking nectar from the roadside flowers.

Today we had a big day of driving - we began by heading west to Oradea where there is a star citadel to explore. We are skirting one edge of the Carpathian Mountains and the scenery is stunning. Its very alpine and you could be in any one of a number of central European countries.  The last of the summer grass is being cut and piled high to dry to provide winter fodder for livestock. Old men seem to do the work here - you never seen young men

wielding the scythe to cut the grass.
The times estimated to travel relatively short distances is amazingly long. But when you add winding hairpins up and down slopes and meandering through valleys beside rivers to the poor condition of most of the rural roads, there lies the answer why. Believe me Helen - the Amalfi Coast has nothing on these corners!

Right along this route, we pass stall after stall after store selling locally made goods.  But alas, they are all too big for us to consider buying for home. 
As we reach Oradea, the architecture takes on a new twist. It soon becomes my castle is bigger, my castle is more colourful, my castle has more ornate guttering - than yours!

I soon realise that we are going to have to keep pushing on if we want to make our final destination of Viseu de Sus by nightfall. So we ration the visit to the Citadel to one hour. We might come back on our return to Cluj if there is time.

The Citadel has been fully restored (probably with EU money) and there are some excellent displays.  Many of the buildings inside are in permanent use by either the Museum or other civic duties.  It began with fortifications in the Roman era and despite being beseiged many times by the Ottomans, the Mongols and much later the Turks, the fortress was never taken. It has been built over many times and in one archaelogical display, the

layers of building and life are clearly visible.  Parts of the original paintwork and some of the sandstone carvings that would have adorned doorways and halls have been found and are on display. We had only just scratched the surface of this fascinating place, but had to push on.

We now turn north to Satu Mare, then east on through Baia Mare, through Sighetu Marmatiei and finally turn south for Viseu de Sus.  We have traversed the first edge of the Mamamures - that stunning range of mountains that straddles northern Romania and southern Ukraine. Oh, if only we had more time.  Is there a promising Lotto game any time soon back home?  I'll throw a few more photos on to Facebook!

And what is so appealing about Viseu de Sus?  Well, it lies deep in the

Maramures and there just so happens to be a steam train here - part of Romania's last working steam logging operation (there were 1500 still operational up until the 1970s with the last steam loco being built for this industry in 1972.)  And to really make Michael's day and night, we are booked in to the Carpatia Express Hotel - where we sleep and dine in railway carriages!

So an exhausting day of driving (only) 447 km where it took a total of 10 hours driving - with that one hour respite at the Citadel!

We were greeted by Bridgette from Switzerland at the Dining Car as we arrived and once we quickly gathered the key for the cabin, she filled our bellies with Vegetable Soup, toasted Ham, Cheese and pineapple on toast, Swedish Meatballs with the yummiest piquant gravy and potato and pea mash and rounded out the night with Swiss Mousse. Two tired travellers gratefully partook!

And tomorrow - the steam train!

ROMANIA WHERE:

• Mountain roads twist through birch and fir forests - but prove no challenge for maniac drivers hell bent on overtaking at all costs
• If any building code exists, it isn't enforced - everything from timber sheds converted into dwellings, from besser block or clay bricks daubed with mortar, to concrete cancer riddled leftovers from the days of communist rule, to the newer gaudy 'mine is bigger than yours' painted in every colour of the neon rainbow 
• Storks nest two by two high on telegraph poles
• It is still ok or the farmer to take his wife to town in the high sided wagon pulled by horse or tractor
• Old men deftly wild age-smoothed scythes in the fields as young men race by in late model cars
• New money eclipses old money - we have never seen so many high end cars
• Everyone in the rural areas is a market gardener - and they all sit patiently selling the same produce at their front gates
• It seems compulsory to sit on a bench seat outside your fence chewing the fat with your neighbour and taking the last of the evening sun between 5 and 7 in the afternoon
• It feels perfectly normal to be sleeping in a railway carriage as you hear the steam locos hauling timber, and being fed by a Swiss cook.

Caverns Deep and Gorges Long

Another glorious morning to herald a day of pending adventures.

After a hearty breakfast consisting of fried eggs, cold meats, cheeses, bread, tea and coffee, we set forth for to investigate our first mission - a salt mine. No, not that kind of 'mine' which may suggest an adequate punishment for overindulging at breakfast, but more a point of interest in Romania's industrial history!


As we head north passing magnificent
countrysides which are becoming obscured
by a haze, a sound indication of a warm day
ahead. Then through the sparkling forests on
a canopied road which is inhabited by manic drivers!

Passing through the forested area and as we are nearing our waypoint, Cluj-Napoca, we pass numerous churches under reconstruction and a
variety of roadside food stalls which display myriads of produce.

Upon reaching Cluj we follow the route south towards our destination - Turda and the salt mine. Now humour me for one moment while I extol navigating the roads of Romania. The distances between destinations is not far by Australian standards. However, the time coefficient can be appalling. Many of the roads are narrow and some winding, with the exception of Romania's motorways. Albeit, Romania is a wonderful country to travel with scenery which
has a jaw-dropping effect.

Now to Salina Turda. Salt has been mined in Romania since the Roman occupation. However, salt had been mined at Turda since antiquity and from the Middle Ages had produced 'table salt'. The mine was first mentioned in 1075 and being recognised as a salt mine by the Hungarian chancellery on 1st May 1271. With the eventual depletion of salt deposits the mine was finally closed in 1932. The mine was reopened in 1992 as a tourist attraction after an injection of 6 million Euros to consolidate and rectify the plant.

When we finally arrive at Salina Turda, the site is boiling with humanity. We park the car and Maria decides to sit this one out, suggesting I should visit the site solo. So, I don my flying jacket, helmet, goggles and climb into the cockpit of my SE5a....hang about....that's another story! I navigate my way through the throng towards the mines' entrance which is flanked by an avenue of stall sellers. The aromas produced by the various foods is almost irresistible: sausages, grilled pork, langos.

Upon entering the entrance foyer the first impression I received was a welcoming cold blast of air from the mines' interior. I purchase my ticket and proceed to the turnstile where an attendant asks me in perfect English: "Excuse me Sir...do you have a coat?" I reply in the negative, whereby he recommends I repair myself to my vehicle to retrieve my coat. I explain, I'm here on holidays in Romania during its summer - so, why would I bring a coat. With a broad smile the attendant suggests "...move swiftly, but cautiously." I comply with both.

It's not hard to understand why an attraction such as Salina Turda is so popular as there is such a festival air to it. The excitement is electrifying by adults and children alike. There are five areas to explore: Iosef (Josef) Mine, Crivac Room, Terezia Mine, Rudolf Mine, Gizela Mine.

Traversing the various shafts and rooms it gives you an appreciation of the work ethic into the mines creation and s

sustainability.

After an hour I return to the surface, reunite with Maria and we set off on our next adventure, Cheili Turzii (Turda Gorge). Not before we watched a harvester in ballet collect and load bales of hay.

Cheili Turzii is a natural reserve with the Hășdate River which had cut through it. Situated 6 km west of Turda and about 15 km south-east of Cluj-Napoca, in Transylvania, Romania. 

Visiting Romania is a wonderful experience and should you visit this country, ensure you have Cheili Turzii at the top of your list. The rock formations, flora and wildlife are a sight to behold. However, be sure you wear stout enclosed footwear. The walk through the gorge is not difficult but care should be observed. As a wise person once said: "A picture paints a thousand words." So, without further ado....

The gorge is 9 km in length, I managed to walk at least 4.5 km before returning to the car and Maria. It was raining which made the floor of the gorge and tracks treacherous. Albeit, it was worth every ache and pain. We set forth for 'home' not before stopping at the local LIDL store in downtown Cluj.

We arrived at the Casa Dinainte and decided to have an early dinner while watching the mists creep over the Carpathians. Maria and I shared a 'Peasants Plate' which consisted of sausage, pork, chicken, roast potatoes and vegetables. This was also accompanied with bread,Dijon mustard and a form of tzaziki.

So, to you all good folk...Good Night.

Over to Romania - and the heat!

Saved a bit of time last night by checking in on-line. Was a good opportunity to also change our seats - the original ones were over the wing and would have given virtually no view. So now we are up toward the front and with a window.

It sure is a sign of the times when every airport we need to use is multi-terminaled with zillions of gates.  Guess that everyone wants to fly these days. From Munchen Flughafen Hotel Hilton we walk to Terminal 2, go through security control and customs and then head to Gate H39. The have gates A-L spread between the two terminals, each with 40+ exit points!  Yes, a walk, but not too bad - perhaps 850 m in total. The only problem is that there is only one set of toilets - back perhaps 600 m.  Not good when you are in a hurry ;)

On our way out to the gate, we come across a Work, Sleep, Relax centre in the middle of the gateway - complete with Sleep Pods!

English is widely spoken and seems to be the common denominator for communication in the melting pot where east and west meet.  Good for us, but also not so good - we won't need to try too hard to be understood and will need little excuse to try to crack pronunciation!!

We are booked with Lufthansa, but will travel with their code-share Air Dolomiti out of northern Italy. All goes well with very streamlined self-check-in, however that is where the technology ends. Down four flights of double stairs to the tarmac - that was fun (not). Then a bus trip out to the plane. There is a Team Germany girls sports team travelling on the plane - don't know which sport, but judging by the number of them, I guess football.

The plane we are flying on is a schmick little number called an Embraer E-Jet. It is a narrow bodied, long and sleek vehicle with four seats across in a 2+2 configuration, so we have a window seat.  It taxies very quickly and we are soon soaring high and fast.  The cabin service is excellent with egg and meat sandwiches and divine little Italian biscotti. Michael enjoys dunking his in his coffee. I save mine for later.

I'm fascinated with the air traffic up here. It seems to consist of two lanes - the scenic route and the autobahn or autostrada - planes that come in to view for mere seconds as they scream across the sky.  Missed getting a pic of the first couple, but then got ready in time to catch one on camera. Not much else to look at up here - we are flying well above an 8/8 cloud cover.  The fun starts when we begin to descend. O.M.G. the air pressure is playing havoc with my ears (and other people's). Swallowing, coughing, yawning, chewing gum - none of it helps and we are still 20 minutes from Cluj. Dear God, this is torture.  Romania comes into view as we bumpily drop beneath the clouds. As expected it is quite mountainous and for this part anyway, only settled in clumps.
And as we even more bumpily land in a crosswind, and are taxiing in to the gate, we spy a Lear Jet and a Citation sitting on a side apron.  Guess someone has some money!

We exit the plane in to the heat - but it is not so bad.  On to another bus for the transfer of about 300 m to the terminal building (thankfully we didn't need to walk it in the heat!).  Through Passport control - "How long are you staying, where will you go?" is asked in impeccable English. Collect our baggage and out through customs control (no-one there) and over to the car hire office.

Raul could not be more helpful.
He apologises that the only automatic vehicle he has is a locally produced Dacia - not a problem I tell him.  We ask for a GPS and he upgrades that to a wifi enabled tablet with Google Maps - all of Romania is covered by wifi - go figure - a country not too many years out of developing status and you can pick up wifi EVERYWHERE - very cool!!
Offers us free bottles of icy cold water, escorts us personally to the car, connects the tablet and explains the intricacies of the car - there is no 'Park'! And set us off with our first destination programmed in.  He tells us that the worst of the heat has passed and that yesterday it was 40 degrees - thank god for small mercies.

We leave the airport and drive through downtown Cluj. We are headed for Salicea - in the foothills of the Mamure mountain range.  The architecture is quite depressing - a hangover from the communist regime.  And there is much building of new churches.  Like many other places in Europe, the roads are narrow and the further we head out of Cluj, the worse they become. And to make matters worse, you share the road with trolley buses - that'll keep me on my feet!

We have booked accommodation at Casa Dinainte with spa facilities - we are not interested in these, it just looked nice and was away from the City. As we get near, we are directed onto an unsealed rough road, but half the traffic we are in also turns. Once we reach the property, the driveway is fully paved and the lawns manicured and there are heaps of people.  Turns out it is a popular day trip.
I'm still not up to dinner, so tonight Michael dines alone on Grilled Zantra which he likens to perch, with mediterranean vegetables and bread.

And as we sign off for the night, there is a thunderstorm rattling all round us. Hopefully when it breaks, so will the humidity.
See you tomorrow guys!

Catching up with the extended family

Last night, the staff of the Hotel Krone told us that breakfast would not be served until 8 am today as they would have a late night!  What a fantastic night it was.
We have decided to leave the Hotel a day early and head to Munich tonight as our 10 am flight to Cluj in Romania would necessitate a 4 am departure. We have booked in to the only hotel at the airport - the Hilton, to make life a little easier.
And this morning we are condensing our clothes in to one suitcase to take with us - there is absolutely no point taking two.

We head over to give a bit more of a hand with the packing and this afternoon will head down to Schorndorf to visit with Steph's Uncle Rudi and Aunt Olga. It will benice to see them again after so many years.

Robyn is online this morning telling us to travel carefully as heatwave conditions are expected across southern Europe for the next 5 days - believe us, we know - the warnings here are often. We are heading first to the mountains of the Mamures, so hopefully it will be a little cooler. I have booked us rooms at a wellness resort - complete with pools, so hopefully we will be ok!!

This morning starts interestingly - with a blackout. Right across town the hotel owners tell us. Looks like there will be no breakfast. But no, they insist that they can do breakfast ad they have a gas cooker in the kitchen to boil water for coffee.  Its a much slower start to the day for the hotel staff. I quiz them on what time the Jazz Party finished last night and they tell us that it was early - only 1:30 am.  I had been pumping zzzs for almost 3 hours by then - right above it!
I explain that I too play the double bass and am told that father and son both play, AND that they have three basses if I want to 'jam'.  I beg out as it would mean cutting my nails.  I did comment on the beautiful sound of the bass played last night and was told that it is more than 100 years old - and English!

Breakfast done and dusted and its back to the packing - I am feeling so much better today so get busy wrapping ornaments, glasses, pots, plates etc. Michael and Felix head back to the cellar and Steph heads for the kids rooms.  Its all a-go at high speed today.
Second interesting bit, Felix gets Michael to pack his wines in a box.  Felix later picks the box up to find the base would not hold the weight and lost two nice reds. The bigger problem was cleaning up the spilt wine and glass when there is chaos all round.  And Michael, in the midst of it became heady enough to have to go outside to the fresh air.

In readiness for the cleaning of the house after the workmen finish today, and the uplift of the houseful of furniture next Wednesday, the kids are off to stay with Steph's Uncle Rudi and Aunt Olga.  Oma and Opa to the kids.  So after lunch, we and Steph and the kids head for Schorndorf - 25 minutes away.  We are hardly at the top of the stairs in their home when we are enveloped in warm bear hugs. It is SO nice to see them again after so many years. We have been invited for afternoon tea and Michael samples every one of the cakes Olga has provided. Great coffee, some great laughs and reminiscing and all too soon it is 5 pm.

We have decided to come in to Munich tonight so our day is less frantic tomorrow. We program the GPS with Munich Airport and we head back through Schwäbisch Gmünd, Aarlen, skirt the edge of Ulm and come in to Munich from the north west. In Spain there is El Toro, the Bull, adorning the roadside.  Here is it deer!

And this week is the first of the six week summer break, so there are plenty of caravans, motor homes and even a Citroen with a jump seat!

By 9 pm we have returned the hire car and are ensconced in the Hotel Hilton - right between the two terminals.
Michael is chuffed to find a wurst van set up in a Pratt engine!  Who says take away food has to be boring!

Dinner is in the Charles Lindburgh Restaurant - wait for it - a Route 66 themed american style buffet! Still, it fills the hole.
Now I am off to cjeck in for our flight in the morning.  Gut Nacht!