CARPATHIAN CULTURE AND WILDLIFE What an experience! The scenery in Transylvania is spectacular with wildflower meadows, steep valleys and hills, gorges and fields being traditionally worked by farmers who still use a scythe to cut the hay. Also seeing fortified churches and gothic looking castles adds to the whole transylvania feel as well as sampling the delights of the shepherds by devouring their cheeses and yoghurt in their simple huts.
These eastern block countries have amazing stories to tell and are on the cusp of coming into their own and it's the perfect time to experience the wonders of them all! The cities are amazing and you get to learn their history from local tour guides. Go from Chernobyl, to the Palace of corruption, to a secret Soviet missile base - with the opportunity to actually go down into the control room. We got to head into little known Transnistria, a remnant of the Soviet Union in its own time warp. Moldova was amazing, Chisinau proving to be a magical city, that has a lot to offer, with the trip out to nearby Churchi monastery including traditional Moldovian lunch an amazing window into the country and its traditions. Romania was amazing, Iasi, an amazing buzzing university town. Of course Bran Castle and it's stories of Dracula, and the wondrous Transylvania to Bucharest. Amazing experiences, sights and of course, fun!
Beautiful........................................ I wasn't sure what to expect of Romania, but was lured by the wildlife I might see. Romania exceeded my expectations in every way- the scenery, the wildlife, the food, the people.
The Transylvanian countryside is stunning- serene and peaceful, the rural areas were full of flower meadows and woodland. Cows and sheep grazed with shepherds and their dogs, birds sang as the people hand scythed the first hay harvest of the year. There were few cars on the road so the only ambient noise was the birds, the dogs, the cowbells and the church.
