Touching our Black Sea
A visit-surprise for Tom’s parents changed our plan to touch Bulgaria in September. We crossed to Danube river for two days already now to visit Hanna’s grandmother and grandfather.
In Bucharest with friends
Bucharest time was a time with our friends: with Polish-Romanian couple Ania and Costin with small (younger but not smaller) Magda, with Andrei and his lovely family, with Luisa in students dormitory.
Pieces from around the Fagaras Mountains
Million places to see but we cannot stay in Transzlvania forever. So just brief stays, walks and talks in the heart of the country: small village Slimnic, in two important cities: Sibiu and Brasov and part of Transfagaras Road.
A smiling Romanian police
First time stopped by police (not counting night visit of border police during our camping)! I think they were just curious why we are passing by same village four times.
Not always sun
In Romania it’s not always sunny, we had storms and rain too. But we liked it!
Visiting the moon: Salt Mine in Turda
In Turda, not far from Cluj-Napoca we visited Salt Mine. Knowing just that it’s big and old – we came downstairs, with Hanna packed in warm clothes. And that was the most surrealistic surprise ever! In the hole after the the bell.shaped salt mine (opened in 1271!) there is an amazing modern playing ground.
Alboths in Romanian media
Bianca Felseghi from “Ziua de Cluj” daily newspaper in Cluj-Napoca found our blog by friends, made a comment and that’s how we get to know each other. Because we like journalist we had a coffee with her on the old town on Cluj. That’s what was published afterwords.
Our new favourite town: Cluj-Napoca!
Cluj is super-sweet! And lively! (it’s a students city) And sun was shining and we had lovely hosts.
Camping means freedom for the baby
After three nights which we spend on camping outside – we are sure that Hanna simply loves it. Sitting on the sun without diapers, playing with grass, sticks and bugs.
Crossing the National Park by car
After spending calm time in Oradea, we obviously needed some adventures. Visiting Bear Cave was not enough, we drove to Cluj-Napoca through Apuseni Mountains, National Park. With average speed 10km/hour. For 6 hours!
In Oradea
Oradea, and our friends there, welcomed us with ciorbă, mămăligă and palincă . And shower, internet and washing mashine!
Stop right now.
On holidays you have a lot of free time? Right? That’s why I took with me many old newspapers which I didn’t finish reading, small pieces of papers with notes about countries we are going to, few not-started-yet books. because during holidays there is time for reading. Nothing more wrong!
The Blue Merry Cemetery
Sapanta, small village 12km from Sighetu Marmatiei is known for two things: one is church, second is cemetery. But they are not ordinary church and cemetery.
The dark side of the Romanian communism
In Sighetu Marmatiei we discovered two things: Museum of Arrested Thought and placinta (turnovers with potatoes, cabbage or chocolate!).
The Summer says Hello in Romania
Real summer together with first night sleeping in the car. Night with adventures because maybe around 3am four young shepherds decided not to let us sleep, where lighting with torch and knocking on our windows.
The most beautiful border
Our last day of western Ukraine was very green. I have no English words to describe all those sorts of green! We crossed the most beautiful border I have ever seen: between Ukrainian and Romanian mountains, through “our” Tysa river (we met it on our trip to mountains, as a small baby river).
Empty Ukrainian ski tracks
Skiing resort which wants to host Winter Olympics in 2018? Sure we are going there! Village Bukovel, no to be found on any of our maps, can be a nice place, but difficult to become a heaven for skiing lovers with highest mountain only 1245m.
On the top of Ukraine: Mount Hoverla
National Park welcomed us with barrier and questions from the park worker “but why you want to go there?”. Was not so easy to explain that we just want to walk a bit and see highest mountains of Ukraine.
Hanna in the Kosmonaut Hostel
“The Kosmonaut Hostel is easily the most central, helpful, relaxed and convivial place in town. It’s all about atmosphere” – we read in the guide. Because it’s all about the atmosphere – we decided to go there. Reading more about washing machine and wi-fi – we were more and more sure that it’s place for Read More
Do not always trust Lonely Planet
Let’s go outside of the town! Lonely Planet recommends Kremenets castle and situated not far from there Pochayiv Monastery. So we jumped into the car, together with Neil, my British friend who came to visit us in Lviv, took chocolates with us and started.