I spent a couple days in Brasov, Romania, after a 7-hour overnight bus ride from Chisinau, Moldova. Brasov is in the heart of Transylvania, and the old part of the city is a charming place. It definitely felt more like a central or western European town than the Soviet towns and cities I’d been used to seeing. Brasov had a heavy German presence for several centuries, and that’s reflected in the town’s architecture and overall feel.
The old town itself was fun to explore and wander around in, but I also had some great food in Brasov, including goulash, schnitzel (which I always thought was a type of sausage, but no, it’s breaded meat), sour meatball soup (ciorbă), several great salads, fresh pretzels, fresh berries, and more.
Being in Brasov also marked the first time in several months that I couldn’t easily talk to people. Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, Moldova—people speak Russian in all of those places, so I could get around easily. Romanian is obviously the language spoken in Romania, but getting around with just English wasn’t a problem. Brasov is a touristy town and they’re used to dealing with foreigners.
A street in Brasov
A fresh pretzel
St. Nicholas Church in Brasov
Part of the Brasov city wall
Tampa is the mountain above Brasov. I took a cable car up to the top and hiked down. Note the “BRASOV” sign on the mountain.
View of Brasov from Tampa Mountain
From behind the BRASOV sign on Tampa Mountain
Someone on top of Tampa Mountain was selling fresh berries
The blackberries I bought and ate on the way down Tampa Mountain
Hiking on Tampa Mountain
Couples dancing in Piața Sfatului
Strada Sforii (“Rope Street”) is supposedly one of the narrowest streets in Europe. I think it’s stretching the definition of the word “street.” I think it’s more like just the gap between a couple buildings.
Piața Sfatului and the City Hall building
Bran Castle, aka Dracula’s Castle, about 45 minutes from Brasov. It’s one of several castles in Romania very loosely tied to the Dracula story. It’s a neat building, but it was a freaking madhouse. There were so many people there.
Part of the inside of Bran Castle. Lots of people.
Rasnov Fortress outside of Brasov. I think it’s ridiculous that they put the RASNOV sign up there. It’s like having someone else’s watermark forced on your photos.