Skiing in Romania
Poiana Brasov (Romania)
We drove from Odessa to Brasov in 11 hours. The schedule is approximately the same - we left Odessa at 6.30. At the Border in Bolgrad, there were Ukrainian and Moldovan customs at 9.00 - about an hour (there was no queue, but there was a shift change + all sorts of sluggish hooks typical of borders). The Moldovan customs officer gave good advice to enter Romania through Cahul. I listened to the advice, but did not follow it, but went through Vulcanesti to Giorgiulesti (40 minutes on the territory of Moldova, it is very important not to miss the right turn after 7 kilometers after Vulcanesti to Slobodzia Mare, otherwise you will end up again in Ukraine in Reni). There was a line of 2 cars. But after us, after about 15 minutes, about 10 cars came in large numbers at once, it can be seen from the Rhenian customs.
There are no problems in the Moldavian-Romanian one, the Moldavians work clearly, they launch 7-8 cars at once. However, it took another hour for both. Romanians are asked to show a voucher and a green card.
At 12 o'clock we entered the territory of Romania.
There are 2 routes to Brasov. 1st from Buzau straight to Brasov along a narrow and mountainous road. 2nd - from Buzau through Ploiesti, Sinaia, in Predeal turn left towards Rashnov and Poiana Brasov. The 2nd path is 25 kilometers longer, but there are fewer mountain and narrow roads. When preparing for the trip, I thought for a long time how I should go, consulted with the Moldovans, listened to different opinions. I decided that I would be determined on the spot. Despite the fact that on TV they were constantly talking about drifts in Romania and Bulgaria, I left the house on asphalt, and on asphalt, without crossing a single snowdrift, I drove to Poiana Brasov.
The main roads in Romania are cleaned to a shine, and there are very few potholes on them.
In 2001, I already traveled through Romania to Bulgaria (via Constanta), but this time I still wandered around in Galati and a little in Braila.
In Galati, you need to go like this - all the time straight from the customs along the tram line, then, as it were, you run into an intersection where the tram is straight ahead, but there is no road for the car (or along the tram line), turn left, drive a kilometer to the sign to the right to Braila, turning you reach the big circle, and there are four roads. So you need to go to the northwest (imagine that you are coming from the south)! That is, to the left, but not quite to the left. And then all the time straight, even if it winds expensively. You need to get on the road located on the dam. There is another road to Braila (on the ring to the southwest), but this is a bypass road, you can get lost there. I hit it while driving back, I don't know how. It was in the fog.
In Braila, it seems easier to navigate, you just need to go to the right at the intersection not far from the exit, if you go straight, you will end up in Constanta. If you see all sorts of supermarkets on the left, then you are going to Constanta. It's better there in summer.
So, I got to Buzau without any problems, the time was 3 hours, the road was clean, why should I be afraid of the mountains. And rushed straight to Brasov. Very convenient via Buză u – straight all the time. The road there is difficult, narrow, winding, many villages, then (beyond Nekhoya) a very beautiful wild section of 15 kilometers above a huge lake, viaducts, etc. For some reason, I remembered the film Makenna's Gold. The road Buzau - Brasov took 2.5 hours. Don't go faster. I do not recommend driving along it in the dark, because there are a lot of fallen stones on the road, and the road, as I said, is wild.
I must say about the features of driving in Romania. The speed in settlements is 50 km / h, behind them - 100. Violation is not recommended, fines start at $ 100 (like for a belt). You can't talk on your cell phone while driving. There are a lot of police, but they don’t just stop. The average speed in Romania is a maximum of 60 km/h. It took 5.5 hours from the border to Brasov. I think that you can get there in 5 hours, but not faster.
In terms of mileage to Brasov - 605 km, of which 310 are in Romania.
In Brasov, follow the signs for Poiana-Brashov. They hang separately, white. Just don't follow the Metro signs! There are many of them and they all show in different directions. Get into the field. The metro and the rest of the supermarkets (Selgros and Carefur) are located at the exit to Bucharest, so you need to follow the signs for Bucuresti.
From Brasov to Poiana Brasov 15 minutes on a mountain road. At 17.45 we were in Poyana, and for another 45 minutes we were looking for a hotel! During the day, the signs are visible, but it was already dark, and the narrow road to the side did not seem worthy of attention. Despite having a map, the hotel could not be found. Call not reception brought an answer in Romanian, in which I am not strong. I was so tired that I wanted to lie down in a snowdrift to rest, but I was lucky, obeyed my wife, and decided to go along the road that did not deserve attention. Yes, yes, yes! We saw the hotel, which I will talk about separately.
Before moving on to skating, I would like to tell you about some things.
Currency exchange - only with a passport, at least 1 dollar! Make a photocopy, enter the data into the computer. In Poiana Brasov, waiters, rental workers, ski instructors, guides and at the reception speak English. Some instructors speak Russian. And so in Russian, no one knows a word. Need English. Moreover, if somewhere aside, then you will come across the fact that they do not know English either. In Romania, French and Italian are more common as foreign languages. I started learning Romanian from a phrase book, learned to speak numbers and some words, but anyway, at the gas station, when asked to fill up treizece litru (30 liters), I was filled with gasoline for 30 rum. Lei! And I could not explain to this lady that I needed 30 liters, not 8! Until the guy came up - the tanker and explained to her. You need to refuel on Rompetrol and not on Lukoil. The same, by the way, in Moldova. Fill with fara plumbum (lead-free) gasoline.
I tried to insert Eko into the gas tank, but such a gun would not fit into my Opel - gasoline with lead (in Ukraine, although we are not in the European Union, gasoline is lead-free). Gasoline costs about 1 Euro - liter.
What else, eating in Poyana is quite expensive. Restaurant for two - at least 100 rum. Lei (200 UAH). The bar can be 50-60 lei. When we went to Sinai, there is a Bonaparte restaurant in front of the Peles Palace in the Bastion Hotel. Lunch there cost 60 lei, which is very good. In principle, everything is expensive in Romania, you can’t really buy anything in supermarkets, you bought fruit, etc. The wines are very good. The best say Prahova. I've tried different ones and I liked them all. A bottle in the supermarket costs 15-20 lei. Vodka - 2 types Stalingrad and Stalinskaya. They do it in Romania, as they write according to Russian recipes. It costs like wine, and even more expensive. I entered the Metro using a Ukrainian card and passport (mandatory). The woman entered something into the computer and issued a one-time visit pass. At the exit they ask persoanne or firm.
I am not a company, I am a person. They went to Selgros, saw that they give cards when paying, and did not even try.
Much is written on the Internet about security in Romania. Lots of gypsies. I heard from friends and relatives about the methods of the Romanian gypsies (brazen attacks in broad daylight by a crowd with an attempt to take away, snatch, etc. ) I was careful. When he got out of the car, he closed it, or his wife closed it from the inside. But in Poyana there is no need to be afraid of gypsies. But you have to count change. After skiing, I went to the BCR bank to change the currency. I give 200 Euros, I say 100 I change. A long procedure, a photocopy of the passport, a computer check, they give me 360 lei, and the exchange rate is 3.61. I am indignant, I receive 1 lei and, satisfied with myself, I go to the hotel. I am texting my wife to take a bath, I take it, and I am very, very pleased with myself. Then, like a shock, I jumped out, dried myself, looked into my wallet. And I didn’t take the change of 100 Euros !! ! Hop in clothes, scratch in the bank
Such a sweet Romanian, not surprised by anything, checks the cashier, while saying “if I was wrong, I apologize in advance, there are a lot of customers, etc. ” The check is over, and I get my hundred. She was advised to be more careful. But in this case, I don’t believe in inattention even by 1%. So, be vigilant.
Although in the same Romania, a one-time restriction on withdrawing money from an ATM is $ 1.000, and in Poland or Russia it is $ 100. That is, my bank does not consider Romania a criminalized country. What is true, the Moldovans said, the police in Romania are very serious, the Romanians are very afraid of them. A tourist, if necessary, should not be ashamed to go there. What if they don't know English?
Excursions, if you are by car, you can do it yourself. Seeing Brasov in the evening is very beautiful. Bran Castle is a 25-minute drive from Poiana. It works until 4 o'clock, I recommend arriving no later than 3. It does not work on Monday.
There is no mention of Dracula in the castle, but business on this Dracula is flourishing around, up to a living artist in a terrible mask who rushes at passers-by. But you have to go. Entrance - 12 lei per person, they also ask for the right to take pictures. I didn't pay, but I took pictures. On the way, by the way, in Rashnov, there is a fortress, it looks beautiful in the evening. We did not climb there, because it was not entirely clear how to get there.
And of course, we went to Sinai, to Peles. Entrance to the parking lot - 10 lei, which is a little expensive. We left the car at the 2nd parking lot in front of the brick. But the most daring, I saw, were driving to the 3rd parking lot, almost at the palace. Entrance is also 12 lei, for the right to take pictures without a flash they ask 30 lei. I did not pay, but I did not take pictures either (full of people and ministers). At the exit I bought a book for 15 lei, there is a story about the palace and photographs. Yes, the tour is in English, they don't let you in. Romanians have a separate entrance.
They show only the 2nd floor, and access to the 3rd is open only once a month - the last Tuesday (but not in the summer! ). Monday is a day off.
But the most important thing is skating! I will say right away - Poiana Brasov is better than Zakopane, and even than Slovakia. In one place there are a lot of tracks, for different tastes and different complexity, you don’t get bored even for a week. That's how he went, then that's how he moved out. There are, as it were, 2 zones where the lifts start from, if facing the mountain: left and right (main). Below in both zones there are trails for beginners, and in the left it is steeper and more, and in the right it is completely childish.
A significant queue for the lift was observed only on January 5 on Saturday. It is on Saturday that many Romanians come. There are fewer on Sundays. On weekdays - you can not think about queues at all. But even on Saturday I stood in line upstairs in the left zone for half an hour. I don't see it as something criminal. It is very good that I got on the mountain for the first time on a clear day and studied all the branches.
Then fog descended for 3 days (one day they were not even allowed to go upstairs), and sometimes it was difficult to find the way. If you went for the first time and got into the fog, look for Moldovans who will tell you where to go. By the way, 2 years ago visas to Romania were introduced for Moldovans, and there are much fewer of them. That's probably why the queues got smaller. From the right zone, except for the gondola, cabins for 8 people go up, where you can sit. I used them, you sit, your legs rest. Upstairs for those who do not want to go down, there is one drag. On weekdays, I came to the track at 9 o'clock, so it's even a little early. As a rule, the gondolas started working at 9.30, and the track at the top and the cabins - not earlier than 10.
Yes, you need to keep in mind that those who go up to see the surroundings without skis should do it from the left zone, because it is this gondola that rises above all. Back, too, by gondola, which is interesting, the payment is at the bottom at the exit.
In order to descend from above to the left zone, you need to keep to the right and do not miss the sign for the slope of Bradul.
Points that are sold in different quantities are paid. It's important not to overdo it. Climbing up - 8 points, a small track in the left zone and a track at the top - 3 points, a children's track in the right zone - 1 point. As an average skier, I passed 40-50 points in a day, but if you are an ace and go down the mountain in 5 minutes, then you may need 100 points. lunch (2 days did not ride at all). Upstairs there is a bar (but there is no food, only drink) at the gondola station from the right zone. There is also a cafe on the blue highway (under the bridge), where they give lunch from 12 o'clock. You can also eat below.
I must also say that I did not see snow cannons. If they don't, then that's bad. There were narrow places where ice and rocks formed. A gun wouldn't hurt here. But overall there was plenty of snow. What if he didn't exist?
There are places in Slovakia where snow is made, even if it does not exist in nature at all. How about in Romania? Don't know.
As I said, there is a problem with Russian-speaking instructors. In the left zone, I took to the wife of a certain Emil (50 lei per hour), such a grandfather with a drunken face. They seemed to start well, I left, after 10 minutes I look, they are walking. It turns out that the whole study consisted in the fact that Emil spoke left and right until my wife fell face down in a snowdrift. This led to the fact that the next time she went skating on the last day! In the right zone there was an instructor named Anton (40 lei per hour), who was teaching. It is even better to take an English speaker so that someone translates. Or learn a language!
I didn't say prices. Rental of old equipment costs 30 lei, new equipment - 40.180 lift points cost 250 lei. If you buy at 10 -20 points, then 1 point will be worth 2 lei. You know the course - 1 Euro - 3.6 rum. Lei (and 1 lei is 2.05 hryvnia, it is convenient to count).
Not far from the skiing areas, if you arrive early, you can always find free parking spots. When I got tired of walking from the hotel, I went by car. Minus - you need to think about whether it is worth drinking a glass or a glass of hot wine.
Well, the hotel. I went through the travel agency "Atlantic-Travel", which I consider good. 2 years ago I went to Zakopane from them. Help with visas. But in terms of hotels, they are not being finalized. They work on the marketing principle of Henry Ford - we can paint your car in any color, if it is black. Atlantic Travel has only one offer of one hotel. And no choice. Of course, it's cheaper and easier. But this is for students. I graduated from high school over 20 years ago. Unfortunately.
In Zakopane there was a weak hotel, but at least tolerable. In Poiana we were accommodated in the villa "Kassandra". First, we go into room 22 - there are no windows.
There is a skylight high in the ceiling (and the Dracula's Castle hotel hangs from above, there are no curtains) and a small window in the bathroom. It turned out that we were the last to arrive, so we got this room. The room without windows does not correspond to the declared 4 stars, I am convinced of this. But these are still flowers. The hotel is designed in such a way that you can fall asleep in it only when the last person goes to bed! The acoustics are amazing! But all our people live (the principle of Atlantic Travel - we buy the whole hotel)! And ours is louts! We opened the doors to a common vestibule, 5-6 children up to 12 frolic there, and they went somewhere to drink. After 5 days of this hell, we were moved to another building with a balcony, a window and a view. Our scum has gone. 3 days was very good. But on the last day on Saturday, the Romanians arrived! And until one in the morning they played loto, and I had to get up at 6 in the morning and then go by 10 o'clock!
In short, at one in the morning, I started yelling at the Romanians that I give them 2 minutes to disperse (I yelled in English, some of them understood and translated), if they don’t disperse, then I call the police. They parted ways. By the way, I really tried to dial 955 (police) from my mobile, but it didn’t work. I recommend learning how to do it right away.
I will never go to Kassandra again. Another minus: a monotonous breakfast (every day meat and cheese cuts without hot), inconvenient entrance and little parking space. Kassandra is located in a pit where there are many private even more shabby villas, many of which are empty during the high season (no Moldovans? ). I walked around the hotels, took business cards, there are expensive rooms for 110 Euros, but you can find cheaper ones (75.60, etc. ). I will demand compensation from Atlantic Travel for 5 days in a room without windows, and paid 690 Euros for 9 nights (76 Euros per night).
I traveled a lot, there are always some troubles, but this is the first time when trouble left an unpleasant aftertaste.
But even though I shouted to the Romanians on the last night that I would never come to Romania again and advise everyone against it, I think that I will go and recommend it to you. For me, a big advantage compared to Slovakia and Poland is the opportunity to get there in a day by car, and a visa still costs only $ 10 and is done in Odessa.