In the mountains with friends after pocket was split

Sinaia, Romania, 1 December 2000

Hi Ellen,

Arrived in Brasov without incident and Dana and Liviu arrived a few minutes late. Marie, prominently mentioned in the Lonely Planet Guide Book, met us at the train station and suggested a private house for us to stay in and took us there. It was inexpensive and we could use the kitchen, but the man running the home really needed someone to keep the place clean.

In the evening we went to the market to buy the ingredients for soup, and while there my pocket was split with a razor and my little black notebook with all the names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, and birthdates was taken from my pocket. It was a sad loss, but the risk goes with traveling.

The next day we went to the see the castle in Bran and I learned a bit more history of the region. It sits over the pass through the mountains to get to Brasov. The second night in Brasov we went to see the ballet which was a wonderful experience. Modern dance would be a good description of the program and I really enjoyed the experience. Brasov is a nice town but the split pocket affected my opinion of the place. We have now moved down the valley to Busteni where we spent last night and will return to tonight. As a day trip we took the bus to Sinaia where we visited the castle built by their German King; when the country could not agree on a leader they invited the German to be their king to stop the politicking between the different factions. It was a beautiful building in a wonderful natural setting. Afterwards we walked up to the top of the cable car, and rode back down on the last cable car of the day. Quite a way to break in my new books [I think he must mean new 'boots'] I bought before we left Brasov. Now Dana and Liviu are patiently sitting beside me as I write this report and read my email.

The weather has turned much colder and I am wearing my long-johns and winter bicycling pants and shirt, with my travel shirt with the deep pocket and my down vest with my jacket on top. The days are warmer but the evening and night turn very cold. We can see snow on top of some of the mountains and along the side of the road I saw heavy frost in late morning.

The valley south of Brasov is a beautiful and wealthy resort area with many villas, private homes, hotels, and other amenities for the many tourists who come from Bucharest to hike in the summer and ski in the winter.

But I am ready to come home and sit by the fire with a good book and a cup of hot tea and bowl of Pho [Vietnamese soup].

Love you and see you soon.

Ron

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Going to visit Dracula

Sibiu, Romania, 5 December 2000

Hi Ellen,

It was really a good experience to travel with Dana and Liviu and parting was sad, but I hope to see them again when we return in the future. I would never have experienced the hiking in the mountains without them. Such a different experience than being on my own.

The last day we hiked way up into the mountains about Busteni reaching some snow near the top at about 1600 Meters. Looking back we could see the village way down in the distance. Beautiful site. Seems to be a tradition for college students to hike in the mountains from cabin to cabin and this weekend there were many because of the long holiday weekend. When we got back to the private house where we were staying my feet were refusing to go any further in my new boots.

On Sunday I caught a train to Sibiu and they took another to Constanta. Sibiu was a rest stop to see the old city and watch TV and read. I have searched for the two gypsy kings who live here but have been unsuccessful. In Sibiu I have heard more of the music I have on cds and tapes at home and associate with Romania than anywhere else in the country: on radio, tv, restaurants, and on the street.

Tomorrow, Wed, I will leave for Sighisoara to see the castle where the legend of Dracula that everyone knows started from the fiction story by one writer.

The afternoons are nice but the day is short and the mornings and evenings are very cold, but dry. Better weather for hiking in the mountains than hanging around in cities. But alone I don't really want to go hiking in the mountains.

See you soon.

Ron

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Ice trees

Targu Mures, Romania, 7 December 2000

Hi Ellen,

After spending the night in the valley below the "Castle of Dracula" and having dinner in the Dracula Restaurant in the Citadel (where they were out of Tomato Soup), this morning I walked up to the top where I had a nice conversation with a group of young Mormon missionaries from the states. From part way up I took a picture and wondered what was on the trees. When I got higher I realized that it was ice.

At 1 p.m. I went to the train station to catch a bus to Oradea but found out the bus to Cluj-Napoca was canceled and the next one was several hours later so I caught the 1:18 bus to Targu Mures instead.

Coming over the mountains it was beautiful with all the ice on the trees and plants. A winter wonderland.

On the way to the train station to check out schedules I found this Internet Cafe and decided to check my email and I found a message from Ioana with her and her friends' phone numbers [among the numbers lost when Ron's little book was stolen from his pocket] so I can call them when I get to Oradea. I may spend the night here or go on to Cluj depending on schedules and how I feel about the place.

Well...back into the cold to find more adventure or just a warm place to stay, with maybe a TV since last night's hotel was without.

By the way, Dana introduced me to Polenta which is close to our southern grits, but much more yellow.

Love you and see you soon.

Ron

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