Romanian Road Trip Day 4&5 Brasov and the Mountains

As I am preparing for a new Romanian road trip in July, I have decided to finish the story of last year's visit, where I left off so here and here for the first parts.

After a quick stop in Brasov, we headed for the mountain resorts of the Prahova Valley, stopping in Busteni, a great spot for winter sports and summer hiking. Accommodation is very easy to find, several of the locals offer rooms in their houses for the weary travelers and you can even enjoy a tuica or plum brandy with these mountain people. That is what we did: we spent the evening eating and drinking local food and in the morning, after a big breakfast, we set out to conquer the mountain.

The clouds were very low so no one believed me about the wonders on the mountain: the Sphynx and the Old Ladies and the Great Cross. There are several ways to get there: 4x4 cars for the lazy and not so eco friendly, hiking for the really really brave ones and the cable car for the patient. We had to wait in line for about an hour before we could hop on  but the passage through the clouds and up to the heights was quite smooth and fun. If you don't care about the scenery, inside is interesting as well: the cable car is an old Italian model that has seen the Alps and the driver has icons of the Virgin.

Up on the Plateau is a cottage with warm meal if you feel like it. If not, just follow the crowds of people going for the sights nearby.

A dog was fast asleep on one of the old ladies. It was a huge Saint Bernard and it was snoring loudly, probably on a break from taking pictures with the tourists.

Down the valley, sheep were grazing. Down there, there are more cottages and a beautiful lake and one can even reach the other resorts. But we decided to take a short trip, about one hour and a half, to the Cross that was still not visible on top of the mountain, nearly 2400m high.

The path is winding but quite easy to take. We meet up with more tourists and more sheep. The clouds were coming and going, sometimes we were inside a milky white cloud, other times we felt like we were sitting at the brim of a crevice.

We stopped near some melting ice, it was the beginning of August, but still there was some dirty snow left. We had some of the local salami, Salam de Sibiu it is called but the Salonta version is better :) and then we continued to the cross. We met with some more tourists and sheep on the way, below is a black sheep and a white one without a head, oops.

 As we neared the cross, the clouds parted for an instant and we could enjoy a nice view. But then they were back and while we were up at the Cross we only had a flitting moment to see the valley below.

And then we went back. The next stop was Bucharest, where we stayed for a few days before going back to CZ. But you've seen quite a lot of pictures from Bucharest so I will not bother you with that and instead I will show you a beautiful manor just close to Bucharest. Next time...

Chartres, Acum 6 Ani

Ma rog, acum 6 ani si vreo 20 de zile dupa cum imi spun informatiile din poze, eram in Franta, Erasmus la Nantes si am decis sa fac o mica plimbare in vacanta dintre semestre. Frig rau, ca si acum, crunt, dar cum toti prietenii erau in vacanta si eu nu, am ales sa plec la drum.

Si am ales foarte bine, am vizitat un orasel simpatic dominat de impunatoarea catedrala Chartres. Catedrala se vede de departe, aflandu-se pe un fel de promontoriu deasupra orasului, terbuie doar sa ridici ochii si o vezi de peste tot. Oraselul in sine e simpatic dar nimic spectaculos, stradute pietonale, cateva atractii de genul o casa acoperita cu bucatele de sticla colorata, un rau cu parcuri pe maluri, dar nu am poze asa ca tebuie sa ma credeti pe cuvant.

Cum va spuneam, se ajunge usor la catedrala, trebuie doar sa ridici ochii. Asa ca de la gara, fara harta, fara nimic, cu fulgii de nea care dansau in jurul meu, am purces spre tinta mea. M-am oprit bineinteles la Oficiul de Turism unde am luat o harta, o brosura cu hosteluri sau hoteluri pentru ca aveam de gand sa raman peste noapte si o brosura cu locuri interesante de vizitat in zona. Interesant este ca Oficiul de Turism se afla pe o strada mai speciala, in sensul ca inclinarea aparenta a strazii nu este cea reala. Apoi am purces spre catedrala.

M-am simtit un pic precum un pelerin, dovada fiind si inscriptia din fata catedralei si pe care am intalnit-o de-a lungul timpului in mai multe locuri de pe traseul pelerinilor si am fotografiat-o aproape de fiecare data.

 

Apoi am intrat in catedrala si am reusit sa obtin o vizita ghidata cu un specialist care s-a ocupat de renovarea superbelor vitralii. Mai jos aveti cateva imagini, rozeta este imensa, nu stiu daca se vede prea bine cat de mare este catedrala, te simti cu adevarat mic pe langa, ghidul ne-a explciat ca asta si este scopul.

Catedrala a fost mereu un loc de atractie, daca acum turismule ste laic, cu sute de ani in urma se chema pelerinaj si lumea se ingramadea sa vada relicvele sfinte. Relicva de aici era o bucata din camasa sfanta a lui Iisus. Cum adapostea una din cele mai importante relicve, numarul de vizitatori era mare, si catedrala trebuia sa fie pe masura, de unde si usile imense.

 Interiorul este si el impozant, detaliile sunt mirifice. Desi imensa, catedrala pare ca se ridica spre cer datorita elegantei sculpturilor gotice.

 Pelerinii moderni sunt atrasi de labirintul de pe podea, probabil ca nu era neaparat o atractie acum cateva sute de ani, dar astazi, multi pelerini il parcurg ca un simbol al calvarului lui Iisus.  Imi amintesc ca in zilele acelea citeam o serie de carti in care un element predominant era un labirint.

Am zabovit un pic in catedrala, dupa vizita, sunt multe simboluri si legende asociate catedralei, din nefericire am uitat multe din ele dar am acasa o carte, scrisa de cel care a fost ghid atunci, si toate sunt explicate foarte frumos. Mai multe informatii gasiti si aici, nu uitati sa faceti o donatie din cand in cand :)

 Cum v-am spus, catedrala este imensa, impozanta, am facut un tur pe afara si mi s-a parut parca si mai mare. In varful acelei cupole verzi este o statuie a Arhanghelului Mihail caer mi-a amintit de Mont St Michel.

La sfarsit am luat pranzul meu improvizat, o salata de ton adusa de la Nantes, in parcul din spatele catedralei, cu vedere spre oras. Pana la urma am decis sa nu raman peste noapte (deh, buget de student), dar tare mi-ar placea sa mai trec pe acolo candva, am vazut multe catedrale si biserici, dar aceasta este unica.