Driving up the Transfagarasan Pass, Cartisoara Biserica, Deer Pelt, Jim's new Hat and Boots and Tuica Flask & a new GPS

Today I attempted to get a new GPS through EuroCars.RO that I received the rental car from to no avail. The GPS I rented went out and unfortunately they could not provide another one since they are in Bucharest. They will refund the 50 Euro charge which is good though. I can navigate on the highways just find but need a GPS for inner city travel in Bucharest and Timisoara where we are headed tomorrow to meet my cousin Johanna Mai and her family. So I went to Care-Four and purchased a Romanian GPS system for about $120 US Dollars. I can use it on my next trip to Romania I suppose. It is much nicer than the one the rental car company provided.

After purchasing the GPS we headed to the mountains to see if it was possible to drive up the Trans- Fagarasan Pass after all the snow that had fallen last week and the rain we recieved this morning. It is one of the world's best drives and the fall foliage changing colors made it visually spectacular.

Roadside stands that sell cheese, honey and polinka (home made plum brandy)

 

We stopped for lunch at the Restaurant Castel 2000 and had Sarmale (Cabbage Rolls) stuffed with minced porca (pork), sauerkraut and polenta. They had an English menu; however the spelling of warm was worm which was a little amusing. Definitely not interested in eating worms on a plate...but when in Rome! My Romanian spelling is not much better so I understand the difficulty in translating from one language to the next.Great food at this restaurant!!

The pass was completely open with no traffic to speak of because it being a Thursday. Two years ago they had the tunnel that goes through the Fagaras mountains closed due to heavy snow late in the year, but this year it was open and I was able to drive through from Transylvania to Wallachia. The Fagaras mountains are similar to the continental divide and divide the two parts of the country in half.

 

These three photos were taken with my IPhone5 and

with the filters the colors are much more vibrant

Jim at Balea Lac (Balea Lac) at the top of the pass

 

Dried porca (pork) and baca (beef) at the Balea Lac summit

Entance to the tunnel that takes you through the Fagaras Mountains from

Transylvania to Wallachia

On the Wallachian side their was a thick fog making it almost impossible to see.

This side of the pass is where Vlad Tepes famous castle Poenari is located.

 



Stray pups even up here :-(



This is one hell of a drive! Very, very, very fun!!! If your the one driving...for Jim not so much! I may have pushed the gas pedal a little much? :-)

 



Cable car that you can take up the valley.

At the very top you can see snow fences to prevent avalanches!

Three panorama shots taken with my IPhone5

The Transylvanian Plateau down below. The land of my ancestors!

Monument honoring the construction of the Transfagarasan Pass

On the way back down we stopped by a souvenir booth area and purchased a Romanian winter hat for Jim and some fur lined boots too. later while reading the insert i see Jim's hat was made in Poland! LOL. We also purchased a wooden flask for my Tuica (plum brandy) back home and a set of ceramic Tuica mugs which hang on a simple dowel rod tree. I was hesitant on purchasing the last item because a fear that US Customs could seize it upon re-entry to the United States but decided to buy a Romanian deer pelt anyway. Everything I checked online says it is okay since it is finished and dry and not an endangered animal. The price was incredible and it is rather large and will make a great wall, bed or floor covering at home.

Beautiful deer fur pelt that I purchased. Oh how I hope there will not be customs issues!!!

 

 

Jim's new fur hat!

Tuica flask and ceramic shot-glass mugs

The last stop on the way back down was at the village of Cartisoara and its Romanian Orthodox church. It is a beautiful cemetery and church. On my last visit I did not go inside but this time I spoke to a village woman named Maria that ran to get the keys to allow Jim and I to look inside. What a beautiful testament to the faith of the people here. Just a spectacularly painted church and a wonder to the eye.

Jim discovered this tombstone for a 22 year old man that died during the

1989 Romanian Revolution

Beautiful ceramic fired photos adorn the tombstones

Traditional pine bough wreaths are laid on the grave site as a tribute and sign of respect

 

Past crematorium furnace, now used as a place to light candles for those that have passed

Metal container for burning candles at the grave site

The people in Romania are some of the friendliest people I have ever met on all my travels. They will invite you into their home, feed you and go out of their way to share their world with you. I am so honored to be allowed to make a second journey here and will definitely be back again!!!