I drove the North side of the Transfagarsan pass; what a great drive..awesome road and the Dacia handled it like a champ! Unfortunately the pass was closed at the top through the tunnel to the south side where "Dracula's" castle at Poienari is. I spoke to the bulldozer driver that was removing snow and he said in 3 days it should be open; so I will try again next Monday!
The automotive show "Top Gear" designated this twisting, 55.8-mile road, as one of the world’s greatest driving road. The two-lane road, the highest paved road in the country (6,673 ft/ 2,034 m), connects the two historic regions of Transylvania and Walachia, crossing the Fagaras Mountains (part of the southern Carpathians, the highest range in Romania).
Transfagarasan was built in the 1970s so that Romanian troops and tanks could cross over the Carpathian Mountains in case of a Soviet-led invasion. The efforts made for its construction were enormous. Built by soldiers in only four and a half years, it required more than 13 million pounds (6 million kilos) of dynamite to blast through the rocks on the north side – that’s the equivalent of 625 train wagons.
The highway has more tunnels and viaducts than any other road in Romania. In the vicinity of the highest point, at Lake Balea (Balea Lac), the road passes through Romania’s longest road tunnel (about 2880 ft; 900 m), connecting the north and south valleys.
The difference between the two sides is stunning. While on the northern side the landscape is barren and alpine as the road makes its way up an amazing glacial valley, on the southern side the road drops gradually through pleasant green scenery.
Tom
Fagaras mountains from a distance. Pronounced (Fog-uh-Rausch).
Drive through the canyon approaching the pass.
Tom: It has been such a joy following you on this journey. I'll be sad when it's over. Kay
ReplyDelete