Romania Entries No Bikes Allowed: A Train Story, Part Two PG-13 Wednesday, May 19th, 2010 12:29 AM Four hours since our train left us behind, we're back on platform three, waiting. A train whistle sounds in the distance, and people start filing across the rails to join us. The station a... Come and Gone: A Train Story, Part One G Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 4:30 PM / Tara After a long, cold, wet, hilly day of cycling, we arrive in Sighişoara and head directly to the train station. Tyler goes in to ask about tickets to Munich, while I stay outside to g... Farewell, Rainy Romania G Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 With cartoon clouds, pixels as raindrops, and yellow, zig-zag bolts of lightning featuring heavily on the internet's forecast all week, we were less than enthusiastic about visiting the UNESCO World ... Robbed PG Monday, May 17th, 2010 The weather here in Romania has been terrible for the last week. We went out this afternoon with the hope of seeing some of Sibiu, but the depressing drizzle overhead soon sapped any desire we had t... Sounds of Sibiu G Sunday, May 16th, 2010 I was roused this morning around 7AM by a raucous, twittering racket just outside our tent. The early birds in the trees surrounding us were tweeting and chirping so loudly they may as well have bee... A Walk in Braşov G Friday, May 14th, 2010 We started the morning off with a delicious breakfast cooked by Lily, the woman who owns Casa Timar. Along with her husband and grown son, she runs their family's cozy pensiune. This morning we exc... Braşov in the Rain G Thursday, May 13th, 2010 It was an easy ride into Braşov this morning, only 25km! Once again, we made sure to appreciate having a very short day. Rolling into town just an hour after we'd left camp, it felt like we'd been... Bowling in Bran G Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 We decided to take advantage of our cheap, electricity- and internet-providing accommodations this morning, opting to spend the day working rather than packing up for our next destination, the nearby... Sheep G Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 What a beautiful day in the Carpathian mountains! As if the sunny skies, verdant vistas, and homey horse-drawn carts galloping alongside us weren't enough, our route was almost entirely downhill. T... Working in Buşteni G Monday, May 10th, 2010 The plan for today was to take a cable car from Buşteni up to a series of mountain-top rock sculptures "Sfinxul and Babele", formed slowly over years and years of heavy blowing winds. Upon learning... Pedaling Upstream G Sunday, May 9th, 2010 With everything we needed to thrive at our hard-to-reach Romanian forest free-camp, we almost decided to stay another day. Instead, we packed up, said hello to some horses grazing in a nearby pastur... Draculas & Gypsies G Saturday, May 8th, 2010 We awaken to the sound of horse's hooves clip-clopping outside our tent. Smashed together in a furrow of a field, our sleeping mats in a comical V shape, we're genuinely surprised by the restful nig... Ridges & Troughs G Friday, May 7th, 2010 As he has every morning during our stay in Bucharest, Rob made us a delicious breakfast and gently rebuffed all offers of help. He even made us two extra breakfast sandwiches and packed them careful... Russian Logistics G Wednesday, May 5th, 2010 A few months ago, Tara's brother Lian jokingly mentioned we should drive across Russia. His idea was in response to a logistical problem we've known about for some time: we don't have the six months... Instant Gratification G Tuesday, May 4th, 2010 Day two of Rob's guided tour Bucharest didn't go exactly as planned. We didn't go to the museum or the park we had intended to visit, but we did do something else: we got exactly what we wanted. ... Exploring Bucharest G Monday, May 3rd, 2010 After sleeping in, and enjoying the morning with music playing the background (something of a revelation to us after so long on the road), Robert cooked us breakfast. He refused any help and told us... Bucharest Bound G Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 Like yesterday, today was restfully easy: a flat, uneventful ride towards Bucharest. The highlight of our morning was finally using one of the many wells we've seen dotting the roadsides over the la... Lazy Saturday G Saturday, May 1st, 2010 Let's just face facts. We never get on the road before 10:00 AM. Okay, not never, but rarely. Even in the sweltering hot summertime, when it is prudent to get moving early to save ourselves from t... Precious Cargo G Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 For the really important decisions in life I've found that no list of "pros and cons" will help. Logic doesn't really apply, nor does rationality. There's simply a knowing, a gut feeling that what ... A Chance Encounter G Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 This morning, while I was securing our camera to the back of my bike, Tara announced, "here comes a flock of sheep!" A shepherd and his menagerie were approaching, complete with several barking dogs... A Life Less Ordinary G Monday, April 26th, 2010 The first day back on the road after a brief interlude of buffet breakfasts and silky sheets can be a little difficult, especially when it looks like rain. As we wheeled out of the Hotel Anna parkin... A Walk in Târgu Jiu G Sunday, April 25th, 2010 Considering that I have a degree in Sculpture, I should probably have heard of "the father of modern sculpture," Constantin Brancusi, but I had not. It took a trip around the world and a stop in Tâ... Hotel Anna G Saturday, April 24th, 2010 The first hotel we tried when we arrived in Târgu Jiu was pretty blah: on the outside it looked tacky, on the inside it was overly fancy, and the prices were exorbitant. The reception area was also... Tismana Monastery G Friday, April 23rd, 2010 Before leaving our riverside free-camp, we breakfasted on Valentina-Carmen's bread and very salty homemade cheese. While we dusted off our mud-splattered clothing, she was probably attending to the ... The Universe Provides G Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 There are times on this trip when I question my abilities. Am I really capable of doing this? What are we even doing here? Why am I doing this? What is the value of this? These thoughts generall... Cave Hunting G Wednesday, April 21st, 2010 A few weeks ago, we received a contact through our website from a Romanian who lives in Tara's hometown. He was excited to tell us all about the country he grew up in, and the things we shouldn't mi... Ivana the Terrible G Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 For the most part, the steely glares we've been warned to expect here in Romania have proven to be nonexistent. In fact, everywhere we've been, people have almost universally been friendly and welco... Typical G Sunday, April 18th, 2010 Today was a typical day. We woke up, and hoped that when we unzipped our tent, it would reveal a nice day. Morning View It did, though by the time we were done with breakfast, dark clouds had rol... Intruders on the Danube PG Saturday, April 17th, 2010 It must be 2AM when we are awakened by the sound of voices chattering in cryptic Romanian outside our tent. In moments, we are both wide awake. We watch intently as a shaky flashlight passes over o... To the Danube G Saturday, April 17th, 2010 As I unzip the vestibule of our tent this morning, I let out a small gasp of delight and rouse Tyler to take a peek with me. Our free-camp is enveloped in a thick, billowing white mist! A nearby ch... Into Romania G Friday, April 16th, 2010 With a good attitude, relatively clean bikes, and the excitement that comes from approaching a new country, we breakfasted on our new staple of bread, butter, and honey, and set off towards a better ...