An early start was required, so having admired the choice of covrigi, gogosi and poale’n brau in the bakeries, we bought a selection for breakfast before we left.
The Transfagarasan Highway was apparently built as a strategic military route, ordered by Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu. Construction took place between 1970 and 1974 in response to the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. The road was intended to provide quick access across the Carpathian Mountains for Romanian troops in case of a potential Soviet invasion.
Official government figures state that 38 workers died throughout the construction, but it is likely to have been far higher. The road was never needed for its intended purpose and is now considered one of the most beautiful routes to drive, especially on a bike or in a high performance car.
We had our trusty bright blue VW TCross and it wasn’t long before the road started to approach the mountains …
… then climb slowly. We came across a shepherd herding his sheep along the road …
… but they were tempted back and forth by every patch of grass!
Eventually we squeezed by then spotted a bear walking along the road, but he was safely behind the barrier by the time we reached him. The road was quite enough to pause and take a photo.
Higher we climbed until we could see the Balea waterfall in the distance …
… and a short distance further, a chance to stop and walk a little, and see the view of the road ahead!
The satnav looked interesting as we set off again.
The road wasn’t too busy, so we were able to pull off the road several times to take pictures.
We even found snow!
At the top is Balea Lake, a glacial lake just below the main ridge of the Fagaras Mountains, at 2042m.
There were lots of opportunities to snack! We saw Kürtőskalács being made …
… and took ours with a coffee to a rock with a view!
We walked round the lake …
… then climbed to the viewpoint to take photos of the view and having struggled with a selfie, Michael kindly took this fab picture for us …
… so we returned the favour for him and his friends!
Readers, we were there for sometime …
… so I sat down to wait!
The road down was less dramatic, but still provided views …
… and before long we were at the Piscul Negru Hotel to spend the night.
We were sitting on the balcony before dinner and the resident dogs started barking. When we looked, a bear had come out of the forest and was eating something.
We found out later that the hotel recycles its food waste this way, using what they consider to be an environmentally friendly method. I felt a little conflicted, wondering whether it doesn’t just tempt the bears towards humans, when really they should stay away, and maybe it was done as much as a tourist attraction.
Dinner was delicious as we both tried new things – Chris the oven baked Bulz, with polenta and the really tasty branza de burduf cheese and for me Saramura de crap … which sounds dodgy but is grilled carp, briefly simmered in a broth with vegetables!
In the morning the road meandered alongside a stream and through the forest for some time and we kept an eye out for bears. The first we saw was sitting behind a wall by the road soaking up the sun and paying us little attention as we took several photos and with no traffic behind us, we were able to watch him for a few minutes. He did look quite chilled and unbothered by us and was a joy to watch.
We saw 9 bears in total, but a couple looked pitiful, and one looked like if we lingered he might approach. I wasn’t concerned for our safety, just worried he might put himself in danger on the road.
Finally, there was a mother with her two cubs behind.
We continued with mixed feeling, remembering what was said at the sanctuary that the bears are wild and should not have contact with people, meanwhile our desire to see them is selfish and not in their best interests.
Later the road followed Vidara lake, glimpsed through the trees …
… then we came to the dam where we stopped for snaps and to stretch our legs.
We found it a memorable experience and the views certainly have the wow factor, but the road wasn’t as challenging as we’d been led to believe. Drivers were all taking it easy and enjoying the shared experience but I can imagine it becoming a little fraught if really busy.
The Transfagarasan Highway ends at Curtea de Arges, and we turned towards Bucharest …
Postscript: A few days later, a motorcyclist was killed by a bear along the Transfagarasan, tragic, but he had been posting selfies with bears before the fatal attack. Authorities had to shoot the bear.
Off Travelling Together 