by David Whiting
Wednesday 5 September, Budapest.
It is cold and raining all day. We meet our Hungarian driver for the tour, Imre, and have a morning city sightseeing tour. We drive into the city and make our first photo stop at Heroes' Square at the end of the city's 'Champs Elysées'. In the square is a tall column, surrounded by equestrian statues of the leaders of the seven tribes who settled in the area in 896 and founded the Magyar people; the name is derived from two words mogy and eri, both meaning 'man'. Atop the column is a statue of Archangel Gabriel, said to have appeared in a dream to King Stephen and offered him a crown in 1000. The first underground in continental Europe was constructed to link the city with Heroes' Square in 1896 to commemorate the millennium of the country.
Our route takes us past the enormous Parliament building, completed in 1902, styled on London's Houses of Parliament. When created in the 1880s Hungary was three times its current size, losing much of its territory after the First World War. On the bank of the River Danube near the Parliament is a monument of 60 pairs of shoes which commemorate the killing of 60 Jews in the Holocaust, when they were shot trying to cross the river.
Crossing the 19th century Chain Bridge we arrive on the Buda side. Close to the 19th century Buda Castle we stop at the 19th century St Matthias Church, named after a 15th century king who was married there. Parts of the church date from the 13th century. It is very beautiful but is currently shrouded in scaffolding undergoing restoration. Nearby is the Fishermen's Bastion, built 1890-1905 and so named because fresh fish was brought to a market there; it is now a promenade with marvellous views along the river.
After lunch we go on an excursion to Szentendre, 25km north of Budapest, on the picturesque Danube Bend. Szentendre today is an artists' town, with many tourist shops. The Serbian houses are brightly decorated. In the 17th century Serbs fled from their homeland when it was overrun by the Ottomans. They settled here and established seven churches. We go inside the Orthodox Blagovesztenska Church built in 1754, the Church of the Assumption. There are separate entrances for men and women. Orthodox masses are held but infrequently. There is a large number of icon paintings. Also in the town is a Plague Cross, 1763; according to legend a victim was buried there vertically upside down in the hope that the plague would be defeated. We have a much-needed hot drink and a pancake at a local restaurant; the pancake is rich with chocolate and liqueur so that it briefly burns with a blue flame.
Thursday 6 September.
We leave Budapest travelling south-west, crossing the Great Plain, which is mostly very flat with forests and huge fields of sweetcorn and sunflowers. We enter Serbia, still on the Great Plain. Vineyards add to the crops.
We have a lunch stop in Novi Sad, Serbia's second largest city. Slobode Square outside the City hall is the central square. Local artists have decorated fabricated life-size cows which have been placed all around the square. Across the Danube we climb many steps to visit the mediaeval Petrovaradin Fortress, which has a system of extensive tunnels with space for 30,000 people. According to legend, nobody ever knew the entire layout for security purposes.
Later we arrive in Belgrade, which stands at the confluence of the Rivers Danube and Sava. The city has been destroyed many times so few old buildings remain. Some buildings bombed by NATO in 1999 to remove the dictator Slobodan Milosevic have been left unrepaired. We have a brief drive through the city as far as the Kalemegdan Fortress which overlooks the two rivers. Our hotel, the Continental, is in an ultra-modern area outside the centre.
Friday 7 September.
We leave Belgrade heading south. The main road passes villages and fields, with the occasional shepherd and his flock. Gradually the land becomes more hilly. We pass through Nis, the third largest city in Serbia, where the Roman Emperor Constantine was born. Then the road passes through a beautiful gorge with several tunnels.
Before we reach the Bulgarian border, we have to change our remaining Serbian dinars into Euro as they cannot be changed in Bulgaria. Border formalities are simple now that Bulgaria has joined the European Union.
Saturday 8 September.
We begin the day with a sightseeing tour of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. We are relieved that we can actually enjoy it in sunshine, although it is not warm. Heading into the city we pass the monument to Vasil Levsky, Bulgaria's greatest revolutionary hero in the 1860s/70s, rebelling against the Turks, who executed him on the site of his more recent monument.
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| Alexander Nevski Cathedral |
After the tour we drive south out of Sofia into the Rila Mountains to visit a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Rila Monastery. Founded in 946 by St Ioan Rilski, it was destroyed many times and most of the present building was erected in 1816-47. The oldest part remaining is a 14th century tower, which has the appearance of a castle keep. It is Bulgaria's largest monastery. The architecture is modern Byzantine. The church is richly decorated with frescoes, icons and carvings. It contains the tomb of King Boris III who reigned between the two world wars. Communists removed and disposed of his body but his heart was located and reinterred here.
Sunday 9 September.
We leave Sofia heading east parallel with the range of the Balkan Mountains. Balkan is a Turkish word meaning 'mountain'. We stop in Plovdiv, the country's second largest city with 345 000 inhabitants. It was founded by Philip II of Macedonia, father of Alexander the Great, in 342BC as Philipopolis. It was a large town in Roman times, when it was known as Trimontium, as it was built on three hills.
The centre of Plovdiv is pedestrianised and characterised by odd abstract sculptures. We walk to a small Roman stadium, partially hidden by a new shopping centre and paths; it is overlooked by a modern statue of Philip II and a 14th century mosque undergoing restoration - half of the minaret is missing. From here we climb into the old town, passing the cathedral, built 1844 with its bell-tower added in 1881. The streets are steep and irregular with large cobblestones. We continue up to the large 2nd century Roman amphitheatre, which has magnificent views over the city. It is still used for operas, plays, festivals etc.
We pass a house, built in 1868 with the permission of the Turkish governor. It bears an Arabic inscription on one wall, Bulgarian on the adjacent wall. We also see the house where the French poet Lamartine stayed in 1833. He was the first Western writer to write about Bulgaria. The upper storeys overhangs the lower ones, almost with an English Tudor look.
After lunch we leave Plovdiv passing through the Valley of Roses, famous for the production of flowers and especially rose-oil. Then we climb into mountains covered in forests, stopping at Shipka. There is a great memorial, erected in 1935, to a battle in Shipka Pass where in 1877 Bulgarian and Russian forces defeated a larger Turkish army.
Finally we reach our hotel for the night, the Yantra in the centre of the city of Veliko Tarnovo and overlooking the River Yantra. Across the river from our hotel is the Tsarevets Fortress, dating from the 5th century but mainly built 1185-1393. After dinner in the hotel's restaurant the lights are switched off and at 9pm there is a spectacular son et lumière display at the fortress. The sound is relayed through the restaurant's speakers and is very dramatic. The light display lasts a whole hour and is a highlight of the tour. Veliko Tarnovo was Bulgaria's first capital after the Turks were removed and in 1878 the first Parliament was held at the Tsarevets Fortress. On a bridge over the river is an equestrian statue of the founder of the second Bulgarian kingdom, erected in 1985.
Monday 10 September.
We visit the Tsarevets Fortress and then nearby Arbanasi. A guidebook refers to many fortress-style houses in the village but all we see is the Church of the Nativity, built in 1598. Outside it has the appearance of a barn, although it used to be much larger. Inside it is like two narrow tunnels. The ancient walls are highly decorated with frescoes; the many cracks are patched up with sellotape! There was a separate chapel for women, influenced by the Greek Orthodox rules; some of the frescoes here are of female saints.
We leave Arbanasi and return by way of Veliko Tarnovo, passing through a forested gorge, heading north across a plain to Ruse for a lunch stop. The city has a pleasant main square with two lovely fountains, a Monument to freedom and a pedestrianised zone. Despite being a border city it is not a tourist town. Afterwards we cross the Friendship Bridge, the only bridge across the Danube that links Bulgaria with Romania, and after brief frontier formalities we cross into Romania, and by late afternoon we are in the capital, Bucharest, which has 2 million inhabitants. The Romanian currency, the leu, has been revalued since last year: 10,000 old lei are worth one leu now. Prices in both values are often seen. Banknotes are made of washable plastic!
Bucharest has wide boulevards and an appalling traffic problem. It seems as if Romanians actually enjoy sitting for ages in traffic jams.
Tuesday 11 September.
We have a local guide, Mariana, for our city sightseeing and a local driver too. Before the Second World War Bucharest was known as Little Paris owing to its broad boulevards and beautiful buildings. In 1857 it was the first city in Europe to be lit by gas lamps. Heading into the city we pass the Monastery of Casi; gymnast Nadia Comaneci was married in its church. We drive pass the Arch of Triumph, first built in wood in 1922 and rebuilt in stone in 1936; it commemorates the victory of the Romanian army in the First World War. No-one has passed through the arch except Michael Jackson, when the streets were crowded with fans. In Bucharest we notice ugly electricity and telephone wires across the streets, reminiscent of Hanoi.
We reach Victory Square and drive along Victory Street. We pass the 100-year-old Government palace and Victoria Casino, which was the city Nazi HQ in the Second World War. After Las Vegas and Reno, Bucharest has more casinos than any other city. Further along is the former Royal Palace, 1812; the last king went into exile in 1947 and the building is now the National Art Museum. Almost opposite is the building of the Central Communist Party where Nicolae Ceaucescu had his office and the balcony where he made his speeches; the building now contains several ministries. In the square outside, the 1989 revolution began. When the army backed the revolution, a helicopter landed on the flat roof and Ceaucescu escaped, later to be caught and executed.
Our tour continues with a photo stop at the Parliament Building, to which we will return later. It is the world's second largest building (after the Pentagon; however, Chicago and Macau also claim to have the world's second largest building). 50000 houses and a monastery were demolished to make way for it. It was built 1984-90. Opposite is a beautiful boulevard with 41 fountains, one for each of the 41 regions of Romania, although most of the fountains only operate at weekends. At the end is Union Square with Union Shopping Centre, the largest in south-east Europe.
We take the road up to the nearby Patriarchal Cathedral, 1654-58, seat of the Romanian Orthodox Church, which is spoilt by scaffolding. There is considerable activity today as the former Patriarch died recently and there will be an election tomorrow to choose the new Patriarch, so many senior church officials come and go. There is beautiful singing inside the church which is richly decorated with frescoes and icons. The tomb of St Dumitru, patron saint of Bucharest, can also be seen. The patriarch is the country's fifth most powerful person.
We return to the vicinity of our hotel to visit the Village Museum, founded in 1936. A variety of old buildings from all areas of Romania were dismantled and reconstructed here. Many were built entirely of wood, including the nails; there are also many thatched buildings. Roofs are often high, to store cereals. The buildings are a little too close to each other and there are too many trees to appreciate them all fully, but they are extremely picturesque. Many sheltered crosses can be seen along paths for travellers to pray. Gates and entrances were always highly decorated. The Village Museum has something rarely seen in Bucharest: a tourist shop. It is one of the few places, apart from good hotels, where souvenirs can be obtained.
After lunch we leave on an excursion to the Parliament Building, also known as the People's Palace. Entrance costs 15 lei (£3/$5), a photo permit costs double this amount. Inside we meet our Parliament guide who in one hour shows us about 5%of the 1000 rooms. The main Conference Hall has an enormous chandelier weighing five tons and 600 leather seats. All the rooms are ludicrously spacious, with splendid wooden and marble parquet floors, carvings, carpets, pictures etc. There is even a Parliament Museum. The building is now 90% complete. The cost of the building will never be known as no records were kept. It was built with public money.
Wednesday 12 September.
We leave Bucharest heading north by way of Ploiesti, an industrial city with many oil refineries, then north-west to Sinaia, a mountain resort with a 17th century monastery, then Peles Castle, 1874-1883, built as a summer residence for Carol I, the first modern Romanian king. We continue after a late lunch, through the Carpathian Mountains into Transylvania, a region of originally Saxon towns, where German is often seen and spoken; there are also numerous Hungarian communities.
Thursday 13 September.
We leave Brasov in heavy rain and drive about 30km to Bran Castle, perched on a 60m high rock. The castle was built around 1360 and has been linked with the Dracula legend since Bram Stoker's novel was published. Bram Stoker may have seen the castle in pictures and used it in the story, but there is no evidence to prove that Dracula ever stayed there.
Dracula's real name was Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler), ruler of Wallachia. He was born in Sighisoara in 1431. In his youth he was sent as a hostage to the Ottoman Court where he witnessed a lot of torture. Eventually he was released and became ruler of Wallachia in 1456. At that time Brasov was ruled by the Germans who called it Kronstadt, so German is still commonly seen in the area. Bran was a border town. Vlad taxed merchants, then banned them from travelling through Wallachia. Any criminals were impaled, hence his name. He defeated the Turks nearby in 1441 and exacted the same punishment. He was therefore a real figure, but the legend as a vampire is total fiction.
There is a steep slope and steps up to the castle entrance. Inside there are plain white walls with old pictures and museum exhibits of Queen Marie who received the castle as a gift in the early 20th century. It was then restored. We understand the castle will come on to the property market in 2009.
We return to Brasov for a walking tour. Two-thirds of the mediaeval walls and gates remain and there are many ancient buildings. We walk along the town's narrowest street, Rope Street, 132m wide and 83m long. There are medieval look-out towers outside the city wall and a cable car takes passengers to the top of Tampa Mountain which overlooks Brasov.
There are plenty of shops in Brasov, especially shoe and fashion shops. And everywhere in Romania there are exchange bureaux and mobile phone shops.
Friday 14 September.
We leave Brasov heading north through beautiful rolling countryside and picturesque villages with walled and fortified churches. We make a photo stop in one village, Saschiz, dominated by a ruined castle.
Our next stop is in Sighisoara, another Saxon town founded in the 13th century. The Old Town is surrounded by a wall with many towers and gates. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Inside the citadel visitors are greeted by two men, possibly students, one carrying a halberd, the other banging a drum. They welcome groups in English, French, German, Japanese, Hindi, Hebrew and several other languages.
We see the house where Vlad Tepes (Dracula) was born in 1414 and lived from 1431 until 1436. It is now a restaurant. We try to have lunch here but it is fully reserved. It's a pity as we were looking forward to stake and chips with garlic! Most visitors climb the 64m high 14th century Clock Tower. A ticket costs 5 lei and includes a museum on several floors; one room is dedicated to German rocket pioneer Hermann Oberth (1894-1989), the father of space travel. The tower's observation platform has marvellous views over the town and signs to various places, even North Pole (3975km).
After lunch our leisurely drive continues to Cluj-Napoca, the largest city in Transylvania and most cosmopolitan city in Romania. Until recently the city was known simply as Cluj; in 1974 Napoca, the name of a nearby Roman city, was added to the name. Our hotel is a good walk from the city centre and we have a short city tour before checking in. We pass the country's most important botanical gardens. In the main square stands a fine Roman Catholic Church with in front an equestrian statue of Matei Corvin, born in Cluj, who as Matthias (Mátyás) was a 15th century king of Hungary. Nearby is the Romanian Orthodox Cathedral, built in the 1920s.
Saturday 15 September.
After breakfast we return to our room to prepare for departure and have to break into the room as the key does not open the door. That will keep the maintenance man busy!
We leave Cluj-Napoca heading west with a lunch stop in Oradea, an ordinary town close to the Hungarian border. Again frontier formalities are straightforward and we are soon in Hungary, crossing the Great Hungarian Plain back to Budapest. The weather is now hot and sunny and we wish we could start the holiday again. We find a restaurant for dinner; the menu includes such typical Hungarian dishes as 'surprised pork' (devilled) and even stranger names we cannot remember!
Sunday 16 September.
We have a late afternoon flight home so we spend the morning in the park opposite the hotel (sadly the park attracts several tramps) and reading in the hotel. Our tour has been one of the best, spoilt only by bad weather. Our driver, Imre, and our tour director, Zsuzsana, have been superb; hotels, meals and value for money have been excellent
First published in VISA issue 77 (Feb 2008)
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