Hello friends and happy Friday! This week was exceptionally short for me - I arrived back from Romania around mid-day on Tuesday, and then Thursday was a public holiday, so I did about 2.5 days of work!
Unfortunately, the day that I flew to Bucharest, I woke up with a bit of a cold, so I've been trying to fight that ever since I got back to Geneva. Hiking in the woods for four days definitely is not a recipe for recovery, but it was still a great time! Six of us (plus one new friend) adventured out to the Carpathain mountains to celebrate three birthdays - mine, Cindy, and Lena's!
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Many people wondered why we chose Romania. Honestly? It was cheap! We booked a self-guided hike through a company that Lena found on TripAdvisor. With all of our lodging and transportation, it was only 230 Euros a person for four days and four nights!! Our driver picked us all up in Bucharest and shuttled us out to Brasov, about 2.5 hours away. By the time we got into Brasov, we had just enough time to wander around town and find some dinner.
The next morning, we picked up our sack lunches from our guesthouse, and our driver whisked us off to our first hike! The first day was pretty easy to navigate - we stayed on one trail the whole way up, and then another trail the whole way down. Our driver then picked us up at the end and took us back to our guesthouse for the night.
Many of us in our group commented on how unprepared we were for this trip. It really snuck up on all of us! As we were riding to our first drop-off point, I kept thinking back to the Inca Trail and how much more prepared I felt then! We had researched a ton of info, gone over our packing lists a billion times, and I felt like I had a good idea of what I was getting into. Not so this time! I realised that although I packed all the basics for hiking (layers, rain gear, etc), I didn't pack any snacks! I also quickly realised that the water bottle I had brought to use with my Nuun was cracked and leaking! Fail on both the nutrition and the hydration fronts! Most notably, I had no clue where we were hiking and what to expect!
I have no pictures from day three since it rained, but suffice it to say that it was easier than days one and two! We made it to our mountain hut in about four hours, and I was very happy to have some extra time to rest. My cold was really getting to me, and I spent HOURS sleeping.
On day four, we did a quick 2.5 hour hike down the mountain, where our driver met us again! We did a few touristy things in Brasov (the castle and the fortress) before heading back into Bucharest. I used points to book us at the JW Marriott, and it was a great way to end the trip! The first proper shower after a few days of hiking is always so incredible :)
Unfortunately, the day that I flew to Bucharest, I woke up with a bit of a cold, so I've been trying to fight that ever since I got back to Geneva. Hiking in the woods for four days definitely is not a recipe for recovery, but it was still a great time! Six of us (plus one new friend) adventured out to the Carpathain mountains to celebrate three birthdays - mine, Cindy, and Lena's!
Early morning flight to Eastern Europe
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Bags ready!
Many people wondered why we chose Romania. Honestly? It was cheap! We booked a self-guided hike through a company that Lena found on TripAdvisor. With all of our lodging and transportation, it was only 230 Euros a person for four days and four nights!! Our driver picked us all up in Bucharest and shuttled us out to Brasov, about 2.5 hours away. By the time we got into Brasov, we had just enough time to wander around town and find some dinner.
We ended up eating here two nights in a row!
Stuffed cabbage leaves, polenta with cheese, and some sort of bacon thing.
Brasov was a really lovely city
The clouds were spectacular at sunset!
The next morning, we picked up our sack lunches from our guesthouse, and our driver whisked us off to our first hike! The first day was pretty easy to navigate - we stayed on one trail the whole way up, and then another trail the whole way down. Our driver then picked us up at the end and took us back to our guesthouse for the night.
We went over a few logistical details before setting off.
Our first stop was the Canyon of Seven Ladders
Many of us in our group commented on how unprepared we were for this trip. It really snuck up on all of us! As we were riding to our first drop-off point, I kept thinking back to the Inca Trail and how much more prepared I felt then! We had researched a ton of info, gone over our packing lists a billion times, and I felt like I had a good idea of what I was getting into. Not so this time! I realised that although I packed all the basics for hiking (layers, rain gear, etc), I didn't pack any snacks! I also quickly realised that the water bottle I had brought to use with my Nuun was cracked and leaking! Fail on both the nutrition and the hydration fronts! Most notably, I had no clue where we were hiking and what to expect!
I don't know what I was expecting - but this was not it!
Once we cleared the canyon, it was blue skies and lovely scenery!
We stopped around mid-afternoon at this old man's little hut
There was even snow on our path!
About six hours later, we were back to the meeting point and were whisked back to Brasov. The rest of the group went out for a bit after dinner, but since I wasn't feeling well, I went to bed early.
Day two was a bit more daunting.
We started out with a "slight uphill" that felt pretty much vertical to me, but half way through, we reached a clearing where we had some views of the castle!
View from the top
Day two had us taking a couple of different trails, and we quickly found ourselves second-guessing whether we were on the right path. Lots of map-checking ensued.
After TONS more uphill, we stopped in a "rock detour" for some lunch in the sunshine
Still going uphill
Still wandering around
We finally made it to our guesthouse for the night, and we were all so happy to be done for the day! It took us close to seven hours that day - mostly because we spent a lot of time looking at the map and wondering where we were!
On day three, we woke up to rain. Luckily, we all had decent rain gear, so it wasn't so bad!
Some friends on the trail!
I have no pictures from day three since it rained, but suffice it to say that it was easier than days one and two! We made it to our mountain hut in about four hours, and I was very happy to have some extra time to rest. My cold was really getting to me, and I spent HOURS sleeping.
Dinner of potatoes and sausage. None of the food on the hike was very good haha.
On day four, we did a quick 2.5 hour hike down the mountain, where our driver met us again! We did a few touristy things in Brasov (the castle and the fortress) before heading back into Bucharest. I used points to book us at the JW Marriott, and it was a great way to end the trip! The first proper shower after a few days of hiking is always so incredible :)
Tuckered out
We had a final meal together a as a group and then went to bed early, as most of us had to be up at 4am to head to the airport! A fun birthday weekend had come to an end!
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