From Bulgaria to Romania

Crossing the border from Bulgaria to Romania took two hours sitting in a queue of cars and vans, the huge lorries had even longer to wait as all our vehicles and documents were checked (including the vehicle registration) by a rather grumpy official. We also had to pay 6€ for crossing the New Europe border bridge, thankfully they took Euros as we didn't have any local currency. Once we arrived in Romania it felt calm and orderly, the small single storey buildings were tidy and well kept, their gardens well manicured in contrast to the rather scruffy and rundown houses in Bulgaria. One thing that struck us about both countries was that nothing was new (except in the city areas) there is no building work going on and time just seems to have stood still. 

We found the people friendly, although at times they stared at us like we were aliens (which I suppose is true in a way!! 👽) 

For our first stop we parked right by a convent which was a 10 minute walk from the Danube, we stayed a couple of nights and ventured out on our bikes on the riverside track. It was a peaceful place to stay except for the bells in the night calling the nuns to prayer (at 2am - really?!). We then moved on to a campsite which was rustic to the extreme. The photo is the toilet- just a hole with no running water ( no - we didn't use it except to empty our own toilet!) the shower was outside under a water tank (cold water only - for those brave enough to try it) the water into a trough was cold mountain water and flowed continually. 

No electric just a warm smile from the elderly lady and her husband who owned the place, she spoke no English and we spoke not a word of Romanian but we managed to communicate. We paid £3.65 to stay for one night so can't complain! The area was in the mountains and very scenic, it even boasted thermal baths but when we went to see them they were rather crowded with tourists and disappointing so we didn't indulge this time! 

The weather was rainy which hindered our exploring so we moved on to our final stopover, another convent where we were driven mad by the church service being broadcast by loud speaker into the car park, we took ourselves off for a walk into the local bar in the village to escape (it went on for 3 hours!!) we had a couple of beers for 8.80 ROL (about £1.65) - the cost of living is definitely cheaper in Romania.

We got the feeling the Romanians were, on the whole, hard working and conscientious people which I wonder is a throwback from their communist past ( it was a communist country until 1989). Having said that, when we went to the supermarket we didn't leave the van unattended as there were a few dubious looking characters hanging around the car park which made us feeling a bit uneasy. We only stayed for five days, but we both agreed we would like to return to spend more time in this interesting country. 

A typical Romanian home well kept and very brightly coloured!