May 7

Outside Arpasu de Jos I had found a quiet place to pitch my tent

The First I met next morning was a local man with a bucket filled with snails, maybe for selling them to the fancy restaurant in Bukarest, who knows ?

Did not say much, probably because he could´t speak english

It doesn’t look tasty… but at the fancy restaurant maybe

The weather is cloudy but warm and I have good hopes that the gray blanket of the sky wants to crack and become a little more sunny

My first stop this Sunday was in Făgăraş, lots of traffic and people time off from work everywhere in town. After the mainroad a café become my break. Coffe and navigation planning  and cross the street a magnificent  church or cathedral Outside people dressed up steps into the church for high mass.

In Romania Orthodox cathedrals is common and and they are majestic where they are standing, inside as well

After my coffee break I did those people company, visit the hig mass.

Well attended High Mass in Făgăraş 

I have never seen and experienced Romania from a bicycle saddle before but it has been very positive.
Romania is up and down, valleys, mountains, nice rural areas and cozy small villages and so far I´m  very pleased what I´ve seen.The time has past 3 p.m and now heading Codlea where I´m planning to stop for food shopping, I’ve run out of coffee and bread.

Last 20 km after a small narrow road to Zărneşti and then an even narrower and much more crooked road towards Tohanu Nou… but very beautiful.

Zărnești filed and soon for camp and only 7 km to Bran

Big green fields, majestic mountains in background and the sun is shining. Few km from Tohanu Nou on a small hill with some grazed sheep, an elderly shepherd and his dog become my tentplace for tonight.

Tomorrow not more then 7 km to the castle Bran… and count Dracula

See Yeah
// P-G

May 5
I left hotel Deva early forenoon heading my next major goal, Bran Castle and count Draculas domicile. Maps.me has calulated around 275 km cycling and 600 altitude meters which mean that around 10 am, may 8 should I be there .

The first daycycling was quite easy, flat and long straight distances through agricultural areas and small cozy rural villages.

Gelmar, one of many small rural villages

In Sebes I stoped for coffe and some navigation search then further east. Just I left town it
began to drizzle and then more heavy rain and I was needed to change to rainwear.

When I passed a parking pocket by the road I stayed for more navigation check. I became immediately but kindly surrounded by a group of gypsies and their children.
They were curious about me but mostley at my bicycle and the GPS on the handlebar and I felt a single second of inattention and my GPS would be gone.

They also begged for money

When I stopped, I was immediately surrounded by curious children… and adults too!

In Romania, the Roma are very vulnerable, a majority live in poverty and the discrimination
against them is obvious… despite the fact that we have reached the end of the 2010s… deplorable!

An hour later I steered my bicycle off road and pitch up my tent in a field and protected by some bushes.
The rain has stopped, thanks for that

See Yeah later
// P-G

May 8

My mobile buzzer calls 07.00, and awoke with something of a shock. I have sleept like a log and drowsy I draw up the canvas zipper and the first thing I see is a dog face 10 inches from mine looking at me with curious eyes…

When I woke up and open the zipper…what a surprise… (:-))

What a surprise?
I wondered what he was thinking…

– Daddy…it does´t look like a normal sheep…ehhh… What to do?

He, yes it wa a male, was very kind and constantly wanting to be cuddled. After a while he left and I could start with breakfast.

An hour and a half later I arrive Tohanu Nou and a sign told me to turn right to the castle. The traffic on the narrov road was sparse, maybe due to the fact that it was normal working day and the tourist season not started yet

Two day and a forenoon cycling I´m in Bran, but first some coffe then a castle vistit

But closer I get into Bran village the crowds became larger, especially in front of the café and bar, not to mention the Souvenir Shops, like dime a dozen selling knick-knacks… ohhh…puh.

I parked and locked up my bicycle then visit the café for coffe, blogwriting and checking out all the tourists who are crowded outside.

A cute 3-4 years girl did me company

May 3 – 4 – 5

The first thing I did when the alarm called 07:05 was to open and see how the weather looks like. The sky was mostly light blue but down the village lies fog closed over the houses.

My tentcamp in Groși

So today it will be warm and probably more sweaty then before. I was not in a hurry so I took it easy, Eat breakfast and inspect the surrounding fauna.

Nice flowers, but unknown species to me

At ten o’clock I sat up on my saddle, first 12 km descent on a bad and bumpy road which is also lined up with road machines.

My first stop today becomes at a gas station in the village of Vârfurile for hygiene needs and get rid of some rubbish.

Next stop in Brad, look up a café and asked kindly for hot water which I also get. In my handlebar bag I have some bags of espresso coffe. I could also connect my Huawei to their WiFi network. Before I left Brad I bought another gasbottle.

Now I’m in Transylvania, Count Dracula’s county and home. If I’m lucky or maybe unlucky I might see him, othervise I need to wait until I come to Bran and his castle

Transylvania is his home

To Deva and a hotel is about 2 and a half hours of cycling and the first 10-12 km up and down, thereafter quite easy cycling.

Entering Deva before 18.00 and no problem to find my hotel, Hotel Deva. Already planned for tomorrow’s activity.

While As I cycled towards the city, I saw a tourist-information sign below a very steep funicular. I stopped for a few minutes and got some info about the funicular end destination.

I´ve booked two nights in Deva and felt satisfied with that. When I checked in I got a promise to park the bike at a hidden place in the reception, but my bags had to follow me up to the room. A shower and new fresh clothes and I was ready for a dinner restaurant somewehre in the neighbourhood.

See yeah later

//P-G

May 2

My sleep has been good and today, 2 May my first goal is Beiuş 40 km away.

View from my tent camp in the morning

Need a new sim card for my old cell phone I luckily had brought with me,  and also a new butane / propane gas bottle which is almost has running out for the camping kitchen

Now the summer has come, despite early morning. I can ride in shorts and short-sleeved shirt and I like that.

A sad sight in front of me between Brătești and Răbăgani  stopped me, a dead collie lying on the road. A it seems he had been lying there for a while and no one wanted to know anything about the dog either.

Today early fornoon , a sad sight. A dead collie on the road. I stopped to bury him

I found a small shovel and buried him on a grassy place by the side of the road. It is deplorable that no one in the vicinity showed any concern.

I entered Beius  just before noone, lots of people and traffics, seems to be a busy town at the moment.  I bought a new simcard at Orange, a new gasbottle to my camping kitchen and a lunch.

Some hours later I was om my saddle again peadling after small roads through rural villages.

In Cristio de Jos I did my last stop before my camp and stopped ouside a local grocerie shop which also worked like a meeting place for the locals.

My last stop before camp. A local grocery shop, bar and local meeting point

Three tables and a TV hanging on the wall above the pay desk. At one of the tables sat some villagers and chat while watching TV. I bougth some groceries and bread and then a cup of coffe and sat down beside the door. One of the men at the other table asked me with a mixed of english end romania where I was going.

 – I´m heading f0r Deva…

They laughed and shook their heads and gestured with hands and arms that it was very uphill and they said in chorus…

 – Good luck … 

From here and now the challenge of today began.

The road wound like a serpentine uphill with steep precipices to my right and dense forest on the other side.

Roadworks had been started at some parts. Five – six km up then about two easy km to my camp.

Tired but satisfied, I got my reward on the top, the view down valley was magnificent… gave me Goose bumps,  Really

Just before 8 o’clock pm, two hundred meters from the road out in a field overlooking Groși down belov, I camped.

Pretty tough climbing before my tent camp

Next day, my third in Romania I´m plamming for a break in Deva before I visit the castle Bran where Count Dracula has/had his residence.

Before I fell asleep, I started my audiobook app, as I alway don every night and continued to listen Leif G.W´s ”Kan man dö två gånger” (Can you die twice) about Police commissioners Evert Bäckström and his exploits.

Has reached chapter 24 or 25.

See Yeah from Deva

// P-G