The Big Romania Tour

What I am going to propose now is an Essential Tour of Romania, much more comprehensive than all my former Romanian Tours. You must do for that noble purpose 2100 km, but it worth the pain: you will know a lot about Romania and the related matters ( history, geography, people, wine tastings etc). Thus Romania will appear to you no more as an unknown exotic country, but as a familiar one, and that's why I deeply recommend you this fantastic Tour.

I estimated for this Essential Romania Tour 17 days (with an average of 120 km daily), but you can also make it on your own (contact me for reservations) and stay longer in your favorite places. It is the best when you allow an extra week comparing with my proposition, you'll get even more.

Day 1. Bucharest with a walking Tour in the Downtown, among its seducing mix of Architecture Styles. Also in Downtown visit the Art Museum and feel the agitated Night Life.

Day 2. From Bucharest to Brasov, whether on the Prahova Valley (sometimes too busy, but you have some compensations: wonderful mountains, The Peles Castle), or through Cheia (again mountains, but the street is not overcrowded; plus, you have to visit the interesting salt career from Slanic). Visit Brasov and stay there over night.

Day 3.After admiring the wide panorama from Rasnov, and the Bran Castle ( with its Dracula sensations), go on DN 73 through the Rucar-Bran gorges , with its extraordinary mountain sights. Afterwards in the hills, between orchards, Curtea de Arges and his fantastic churches.

Ramnicu Valcea is a nice small city on the River Olt

Day 4. From Curtea de Arges you can reach Sibiu whether on the spectacular Transfagarasan Road (which is open only shortly in summer), or along the Olt from Ramnicu Valcea for the culture and monasteries freaks. The day ends in the charming city of Sibiu, the former European Capital.

Sighisoara  looks like a German fortress from the Medium Age

Day 5. Go to Sighisoara on DN 14 and navigate through the many Saxon fortresses. Once arrived in Sighisoara, admire its medieval spell !

Day 6. You need only 1 hour for reaching Targu Mures, an interesting cultural city, where you can hear many people speaking Hungarian. Visit the Cultural palace, and afterwards go to Cluj Napoca, a dynamic collegiate  and culturally city. A well known local specialty is the cabbage a la Cluj, matching fantastic with a glass of old wine.

Day 7. Say Good-bye to Cluj Napoca, moving North to Baia Mare. Notice on the way Gherla with its pregnant Armenian legacy . Go back and forth between the nice villages from the valleys of the river Mara and Cosau.

Day 8 and 9. It is not too much to appreciate Maramures. E.g. Sighetul Marmatiei has an interesting jail and a visible Jewish inheritance; the merry Cemetery from Sapanta, where every cross has a poetry on it, refering to the dead; the high wood churches simply scrap the shy; the villages are simple genuin and charming, and the people very generous. Further through Pasul Prislop (DN 18) to reach Campulung Moldovenesc.  But stay to the countryside, in a small pension.

Day 10 and 11. Take your time to admire the many painted Churches from Bucovina and the interesting churches from this part of Romania.

Day 12. On the roads DN 2 or DN 2 E lead in the district Neamt. Around the town of Targu Neamt the monasteries from Agapia, Secu, Varatec are full of life and match wonderful with the superb landscapes.

The City of Iasi and its massive Culture palace

Day 13. Cross the Romanian Moldavia from West to the East reaching its local Capital of Iasi.. This city is full of life and has some secret trumps: student life, important churches and a fantastic Museum of Culture.

Day 14. Start the long downhill to the South. You won't get the time to bore, as the landscapes are very different: hills with forest, vineyards or orchards; empty plains; aquatic or arid areas. Short before Barlad, you cross the River Prut, which will be your escort until Braila and Galati.

Day 15 and 16. Cross the Danube in order to reach Tulcea, the turning plate of the Danube Delta. A good ship travel will offer a detailed picture of this natural paradise.

Constanta is a very nice touristic city

Day 17. From Tulcea to Constanta on DN 87. visiting on the way the Muslim fortress of Babadag, the Lipovan villages of Jurilovca and Sarichioi, as the antic Greek fortress of Histria.

Wine tasting possible every day, if you want it!

Preparing the Autumn Specials

As I talled you more times, trying to warm you up, I am working on the Autumn special offers, namely a week in Romania by harvesting grapes!

25 YEARS AGO IT WAS AN OFFICIAL DUTY OF STUDENTS TO HELP
BY GRAPES HARVESTING. AND WAS NOT BAD! 

There are endless possibilities for that
-active participation, daily harvesting, grapes pressing, processing wine. You must be in the best shape and very reliable. Man, after all is a gentlemen' activity, preparing the new wine, filling the vessels etc. The antique Romans and Greeks were already celebrating The Dyonyssos feast in Autumn. It is very normal to celebrate in Autumn the completion of the agricultural cycle (and year). In the first Sunday of November there is an official celebration, the Harvesting Day (no, Sir, not for grapes exclusively, but for all the fruits of the land which feed us! Maybe poorer this year, due to the long draught, but still an official celebration!)

MANY VINEYARDS STILL USE THE TRADITIONAL WAY OF PRESSING GRAPES

-only watching, but living in the vineyard, drinking must, drinking old wine, tasting some original combinations between the young and the old wine (carcalete is a word to remember). You don't need to be in the best shape, but what you really need is a strong stomach!

-forget the wine tours in Romania, this country has so much more to offer. You can drink a glass of two of good Romanian wine at every meal, just in case. I will also have some special offers in this area, you only need some precious time from your vacation. And you will get much more than a simply vacation.

-living in luxury hotels, going tasting, only visiting the vineyards and the grapes pickers.
Which from the above mentioned tours means going wild for you? And which one would you like to join? Simply tell me by your comments, mail me, only let me know somehow, in order to organize it right.

DANUBE DELTA IS ALSO ROMANIA

Stay tuned, dear friends, and follow me as I have so many things to describe you from this piece of heaven named Romania, and its breathtaking landscapes and endless possibilities to offer you an unforgettable vacation. Danube Delta, Moldavian Monasteries, Black Sea coast, mountains, rich history and so on, I will try to make a complete description, in order to get the all picture. With a bitter mention: the political class, as everywhere in the world, is a big disappointment and also a big danger nowadays. The Bucharest leaders, President Traian Basescu and Prime Minister Victor Ponta can't live peacefully together and govern the country. They are simply mad, or only stupid, escaladating daily a personal conflict. Meanwhile, the country is devastated by a catastrophic drought and the Romanian coin loses daily against Euro (but this could represent your unexpected advantage during a Romania Tour).

How to taste the young wine

The new young wine, also named must, is quite special. Not yet wine, but very close to it. Very unstable, like a baby; as it grows and matures, many diseases can hurt it.

The young wine diet, paired with the grapes diet, is very healthy as the young wine is so rich on antioxydants.  Actually, is one of the best naturally known antioxydants, and I can warmly recommend it to you. But you need only to take some precautions: the combination between must and grapes is an efficient purgative, you need a trained stomach! Not everyone can respect it. Be aware of it, and and don't exceed your personal limit.

Start your diet with no more than a glass of young wine to every meal, associated with one half kilo grape daily. After one week, if no side effects appear, you may increase the over mentioned amount.The best time and place for this special diet is of course, a vineyard by harvesting grapes (in Romania it starts in the middle of August and lasts until the end of October. I can even give you a secret tip: take part to the harvesting (grapes picking). May be not like a local peasant who is payed for it ( it is hard work, believe me! I have done it for many years. You need to be very fit if you want to do it!), but at least I strongly recommend you to live in a vineyard one or two weeks.I can organize it, for sure.

It is really spoiling your senses. The leaves change their color, and make the sight very spectacular. The smell  and taste are  also spoiled because of the grapes, the young wine, or the older wines (don't forget, you are in a vineyard, and every farmer is very proud about the qualities of his products. And is very pleased sharing them with you, this is really hospitality I'd say).

After this trip you will be surely richer (not at all because the money you can earn,Sir!) but because that spectacular atmosphere and the benefits for your health. Simply an experience you may not lose or refuse.