Brasov, Bucharest and other

Brașov is probably the most toured place in Romania, and the city indeed has a lot to offer: an interesting and live old town,a castle on a hill nearby , mount Tampa and its forest - adjacent to the old town . In winter there is also some skiing activity in the area.
Brasov was my second favourite non-mountain hut stay in Romania, loosing the first place only to the lovely town of Sinaia and its natural reserves. The city had this great holiday atmosphere and was full of people probably because it was Easter time - or maybe its the regular thing there.

Old town. Black church in the background

Spring fair in the old city

View from mount Tampa

Hike on mount Tampa

While staying in Brasov you could go to a hike in the morning, have a picnic on mount Tampa in the afternoon and walk in the old city and enjoy a meal in a restaurant in the evening. If you plan to travel in Romania then Brasov is probably the best place to on your journey from Bucharest to north or on your way back. The city is located in Transylvania region so you can enjoy some local cuisine which is basically a mix of Romanian food (which is in turn was influenced by the Turks) and Hungarian cuisine. I could have easily spent more time in Brasov but my friend was about to fly home from Bucharest and I intended to catch there a train to Bulgaria - resuming my trip solo.
One of the great things about travelling in eastern Europe is that you usually don't have to worry about booking your trains or buses ahead. The prices are moderate even on foreign buses and trains and you can be very flexible with your journey. So after arriving to Bucharest I just bought a ticket to Veliko Tarnovo in Bulgaria for the next day (I could get to Sofia but it mean to spend too much time on the train and from what I read in the internet VT could be a nice place to spend a day or two).

Sping in Bucharest

Bucharest old town

Bucharest - communism free zone

I spend my last day in Bucharest just wandering around the city - enjoying the parks and the restaurants. Romania is a country so often slipped by travellers for no obvious reason, and even if people visit it they usually stick to Bucharest and maybe Brasov, skipping the national parks and places like Cluj and Sigisoara. I was exploring it for only two weeks and I am sure there are tons of places that are worth visiting - such as the countries north-west regions and the Danube delta. But for now I was already sitting in the train, heading to the danube bridge to cross to the Bulgarian side.

Built in beer opener in the wagon. Very handy.