Romanian Road Trip - Day 1

After landing in Bucharest and enjoying a lovely evening sitting in an old courtyard cafe, Eli, Paula and I made plans to get out of the city and explore the Romanian countryside for a few days before the madness of May 1st and the ensuing holiday parties (Labor Day and Easter) begin. We hired a car the next day and, after navigating the chaotic city traffic, we made our way out and headed to Cetatea Poienarul - the remains of a 15th century fortress famously used by Vlad the Impaler (the guy whose reputation led to the Dracula myths).

Vlad the Impaler's fortress

He was a fairly brutal guy, and those who crossed him often got impaled - as illustrated in their unique display. Apparently if this was your fate, it took approximately 3 days for you to die.

Our fate was very sore calfs after climbing up the mountainside via a network of about 1,700 stairs.

Our next stop was in Curtea de Arges, where we visited a beautiful 16th century church.

Curtea de Arges

Then onwards, to stay a night in Sibiu, known as the original powerhouse of Saxon Transylvania, where the buildings have "eyes."

Sibiu