Vacation Summary

6 Countries

14 Cities

9 Hotels

8 Airports

7 Train Stations

3 Buses

1 Nasty Layover

...and it's over. Thanks for watching my blog!

Romania Pt.4-Getting Around

The roads in Romania are marked fairly well. I was able to make it all the way to the Citadel and back to my hotel, a two hour drive in one direction, with out a map or asking for directions. 

Romania has a lot of strays. I started counting, but lost track. Anytime you are in areas that are especially rural it's not uncommon to see dogs lying in the middle of the roads, so if you are going to drive here, be aware of that. 

Point of clarification, there are still tons of dogs in the city. I didn't see any lying in the middle of big roads, but I did see them lying next to big roads, and crossing them. So watch out for them.

It's probably not a good idea to approach the dogs. Most of them seemed harmless, but I was told before going to Romania about a pack of dogs that attacked a man in downtown Bucharest, so be mindful. 

 Isn't this sign great? It was the only sign I saw that said, "Dracula." It was about a mile--maybe two from the Citadel.

 Fields of Hay. These were everywhere.

 Again, the roads are very well marked. I took this picture because of the caution sign. So different than what you'll see in the states. I actually thought it was kind of cute. The signs are pretty easy to figure out in Romania, but it'd still be a good idea to look up the meaning of different signs online before driving here.

 It's not uncommon to see people driving wagons with horses or donkeys in rural areas. It would be wise to be cautious of this when driving. There aren't always speed limit signs and when there are, they are often ignored. (Okay, not often--always ignored.) I was a little worried that I might come around a bend and crash into a horse drawn wagon.

 This is a traditional garb in Romania, if you can see it. Most of the older citizens that I saw in the rural areas were dressed like this. The younger citizens, not so much. 

People walk by the sides of the road and sometimes right in the road, another reason to be cautious of speed, no matter how many cars honk at or pass you. And there will be many.

Again, everything was marked really well. The speed limit on the freeway was a 120 km per hour, which is about 75 mph. I don't think anyone was going under 150 and possibly faster. That's about 95 mph or faster. If you go the speed limit, you will be honked at, passed, yelled at, and they'll shake there fists at you. I was often going about 140 to try and keep up and still got yelled at. Yikes! 

The guide book I bought did warn that if you are of a nervous disposition you should not drive in Romania. Still, in my opinion, getting around Romania is not practical unless you have a car. I didn't go into Bucharest, and there are trains there, but from my experience I still think it'd be easier to drive than take a taxi to Bucharest, (which will cost you,) and then trains once you get there.