This is part of the seventeenth section of our around the world trip.
Complete Trip Overview & Map

Coming from Hungary or read about our previous visit to Romania
 

26/6/11 All cars need to pay road tax to drive in Romania, but on enquiry we discovered motorcycles are free, a bonus. Part of Europe but not practically within the Schengen borderless area we were required to be passport stamped into Romania, motorcycle papers checked, a ten minute procedure at the border. Europeans just showed documentation, passports or identity cards. Just a few km's before our overnight hotel in Oradea. The architecture, Austro-Hungarian's romantic style, quite stunning in Piata Unirii. Unlike in most European city centres this one hasn't been restored giving it that real look appeal. As the concrete facades on many buildings crumble they are covered in a mesh to protect pedestrians. A few, very few have been restored, private or government funds not yet sufficient as other projects in this country, still catching up, get greater importance. 

27/6/11 The flatlands continued as we headed south. The poorly constructed road being repaired the entire section between Oradea and Arad, with dozens of stops for one lane passage, it taking over two hours for the 100km stretch, more than a little frustrating. Timisoara, a little further south, where we had lunch in the lovely square, Piata Unirii, was the starting point of the peoples revolution that ousted Ceausescue in 1989. The revolution started when Father Laszlo Tokes condemned Ceausescu from his church, spreading to the Piata Victoriei and within two weeks the dictatorial government had been overthrown and Ceausescu's had been executed by firing squad. Twenty years later and Middle Eastern countries are currently undergoing a similar people's  revolution.

28/6/11 A much better road. New surface and widened all the way as we headed further south, and with less traffic. The flatlands also disappeared and as we stopped for a tripe soup, ciorba de burta, with a dollop of sour cream, a pretty standard meal here, we were in the hills, part of a national park with lovely expansive views. Romania is still a basic country outside the cities and whilst new factories stand alongside decaying ex-Soviet ones you are as likely to see a horse drawn cart as a car in smaller villages. The stock, sheep and cattle, still wander about in the fields, allowed out of the sheds, shepherds tending them as there are few fences. The harvesting of wheat is already underway, small harvesters, but most of the hay is cut by hand machines and thrown onto haystacks, no round bales here. Our short  Romanian journey finished at the ferry across the Danube in Calafat. A new bridge is being built, supposedly to be finished by the end of this year but my bet is it is still years away from completion. The roughly hourly ferry, fifteen minute journey, costs 3 Euro each for us and the motorcycle after a stamp in our passports to leave. 

Move with us to Bulgaria or go to our next visit to Romania

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