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Friday July 12th
Pa drove me to Mr. Kline's / Steve drove us to airport.
Long flight to Amsterdam / Schiphol.
Sat next to a fun gal & her 7 yr old son ( reminded me alot of a seven year old Garrett )
She traveled EU for three months when she was 17,changed her life.
There was a German gentleman sitting on the other side of them.
He & I had fun with the seven year old between us.
The boy refused to sleep on the plane,even though he was really tired.
( we would see that repeated on the flight home :)
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Saturday July 13th
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July 13th
Landed at 6:45am at Amserdam,Schiphol......complete with airport bridge
Rode on some of them..........smoother & faster,Mr Garman said 70 mph.
http://www.jarema.pl/
Jess & I first ate here in 2005,Jess,Garrett & I were here about a month ago.
We thought we would outsmart her by sitting on the other section of the building.
She proceeded to move her chair & bless us with her company for about 20 minutes.
Mike claimed it was in his all time top five meals of all time.
( a very pretty girl......who is just normal )
Mike couldn't stop talking about how good his meal was,our waitress really liked that.
She put both hands on her cheek & says "this makes me very happy"
( we would hear that twice on this trip )
She said she was going to go back & tell the kitchen staff about our compliments.
KB: Pierogi Ruskie,cucumber salad & caraway potatoes.
Ended our evening with ( Anise ) flavored vodka,mixed in house.
We decided to run a quick quality inspection for consistency.
Yup....the second round was as good ( or even better ) than the first.
We spent almost two hours....handed our girl a 25% tip.
We are the last ones out of the restaurant..........again:) 
_____________________________________________________________________
Sunday July 14th
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Not a big picture day.
Bart arrived a little early,was waiting outside of our hotel.
We were still a little beat.
It took about two hours to drive from Krakow to Bielsko-Biala.
Drove to the only desert in the EU.
Apparently a couple hundred years ago,they found some old growth trees.
They were slow burning & good for silver refining.
These trees were in a sand soil,once removed it became a desert.
Bledów Desert
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=201179190879997449798.0004a43e075aedc00d2b2
http://www.best-of-european-union.eu/2011/05/27/bledow-desert-a-unique-desert-area-in-central-europe-poland/
Arrived in his hometown on Bielsko-Biala, Poland.
Lives in a very nice house.
Cool view,homemade non OSHA approved stairway.
He is a European man who actually hunts,so we had alot to talk about.
Bart also has been motorcycling in the US Rockies.
He took us for a ride in his father-in-law''s car.
The first few hours it took awhile to adjust to the bikes & the systems.
Did a mileage check on the big BWM,gets about 46 mpg.
The GPS led us onto a small road that:
got smaller...then the pavement ended...then two paths...then it went to wet grass.
We aborted at the last minute,tough to turn around on wet grass.
By Slovakia,things had smoothed out,then we started screwing off.
( weaving between pylons in the road construction areas :)
Stopped at the border at a small restaurant,to use the crapper.
No English,but not a problem.
Ended up having a snack,a mozzarella stick / shaped like a slick of bread. ( it was pretty tasty )
Kofola is also really good stuff.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kofola
Stayed in Donovaly, Slovakia
Penzion Damisport , Donovaly, Slovakia
http://www.booking.com/hotel/sk/penzia3n-damisport.en.html
http://www.donovaly.a-slovakia.com/penzion-damisport
Rum & cokes and corn pizza:)
__________________________________________________________________________________
Monday July 15 Donovaly,Slovakia to Eger,Hungary
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Breakfast Overkill-Round Two
Breakfast Overkill-Round Three ( the waiter asked if we wanted some sausage too )
holy crap!
Today was kind of a drive day,but we didn't get that far.
It was raining when we left,but only for a couple hours
Nice riding road though yesterday in Slovakia
We saw people today harvesting wheat with scythes,
also was our first horse drawn wagon being used on the road.
We noticed some cute road construction signs in Slavokia.
When you enter the construction zone...sad face.
We enter Hungary at an abandoned border crossing.
We experimented switching bikes,to find the best match.
This was also the turnoff for the scenic 'back way' in to Eger that I talked the boys into.
Our decreped road ended in gravel in a small village.
Small village ,devoid of any business or services.
The area seems to be getting poorer as we drive south.
We're starting to see the winter's heat supply stacked alone side the houses. ( aka firewood )
We saw people harvesting wheat with scythes and then 10 miles later we saw a Fancy combine out of the field
We were navigating by memorizing villages from the paper map,arriving in Eger from the north.
Decided to pull off to the quiet safety of a side street to add the Minaret Hotel to the Garmin.
We keyed in our destination,about 6 km away & moved on.
( Little did we know we would be seeing a lot more of this street in 12 days )
Fired up the Garmin and it took us right to the Minaret Hotel ( 130 euros )
Saw some large industrial complexes is that are abandoned and houses around them for the workers to live.
Going to try to stop on the way back & do a little 'trespassing':)
We're starting to see firewood at lot of the residences ( getting poorer )
Monday July 15 Hotel Mineret 38,550Forint ( $170US )
___________________________________________________________________________________
Tuesday July 16
Egar,Hungary - Turda,Romania
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We did a morning climb of the minaret in Eger,Hungary.
I'm not really afraid of heights but this was disturbing.
The mimeret was captured in (1687).
The town folks hooked up 400 mules + tried to pull the minaret over,but it survived.
So now it's a tourist attraction.
The Hungarians took it back from the Turks, centuries ago.
Got the Romanian stamp in our passports today.
There's a hard border stop at Romania,they stopped us at the border for .5 hr.
The customs guys were friendly,casually asked where we were going.
They told us it was a 12 hr drive to Black Sea + to have a good trip.
I'm riding a BMW 800 (ex police ),with some of the markings still on.
Not sure if that's a bad thing.
I got yelled at while driving,in the first Romanian town we got to.
I made a minor traffic circle mistake & the guy goes nuts.
Thought he was going to get out of his car.
Didn't make sense,
except maybe I'm a guy on a cop bike,cutting people off.
Romanian Border Cross First Impression ( Kedric's)
OMG what did I get myself into.
The immediate look when crossing the border into Romania was third world.
Rundown shack stretching out for a mile or so,lots of litter ( and no grass )
( that was the only place I saw 'real' litter BTW )
One mile into the country,we drove past a totaled SUV being winched onto a flatbed truck.
Single vehicle accident,phone pole / exact center.....not a good feeling when you are on a MC.
But the first impression,was not what the country turned out to be.
Turned out to a very beautiful country,with very nice people.
We pulled into Romania with empty fuel tanks,because we were out of Hungarian money.
holy crap...driving thru wild areas.
Homemade tractors,decrepit industrial complexes,villages with very little businesses or services
& lots of old folks watching world go by.
In Romania, we started seeing benches against to fences & houses in the villages facing the road.
Whenever there is shade,the old folks would be out watching everything that drives by.
I was going to try to get a joke picture of me sitting on the bench,watching Mike & Alex drive by.
Seems to be good internet so far.
Stopped at a pizza joint right across the border.
No English,but internet + good pizza.
Alex tried to communicate with the waitress by making oink-oink & cluck-cluck sounds:):)
Drove thru a town where they were installing new tin roofs on a whole neighborhood.
Both Al & I took a few hits. ( I had one fly into my helmet at 40kph)
We are thinking that they were honey bees.
I've never seen a real live shepard before,52 years.. no shepards.
Today......4 shepards, all of them with the shepard's staff too.
We also saw a old woman pitching hay,with a wooden pleasant pitchfork.
Villages with very little business.
We also saw two guys cutting the grass around the house with scythes.
Also saw a entire highway crew with scythes,cutting the grass along the shoulder.
We didn't get checked into our hotel until after 9pm.
As we walked into the center of this beautiful city,we had given up hopes of getting a decent meal.
It had been a long day,it was hot,we were tired,we were late.
Been yelled at by the guy it the traffic circle,honked at by the truckers,yelled at by the prostitutes.
We almost walked into a pizza place with no customers,
when Mike spotted a lit up place across the street.
Had a fabulous meal in Turda,Romania at 11 pm.
Where else can you go & find food,booze & cigarettes on the menu....'What a Country!'
http://cazareturda.ro/restaurant-pizzerie-alegria-centrale-turda.html
Hotel Centrum Turda,Romania
http://www.hotelturda.ro/
Tomorrow we enter Transylvania.
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Wednesday July 17
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Hotel Centrum Turda,Romania / breakfast outdoor patio.
There are wooden benches with wild animal skins as cushions.
Alex sat on the wild boar skin:)
Pet birds chirping in the dining area,roosters crowing from all directions,
fabulous view,and a sweetheart waitress.
Downtown Turda,Romania
loading the bikes we heard the now familiar clopping of horses.
We look up to see a horse drawn wagon.
Two teenage girls driving the buckboard & the old man
in the back holding the collar with a very large pig.
We stood there with dropped jaws.
Mike manages to whisper...get the camera,but it was too late.
Lots of abandoned / underused factory complexes.
Most of them were walled & looked like 'camps'
We drove past a huge abandoned complex in Hungary.
We were planned on stopping on the way back & 'trespassing' a little.
Ended up taking a different route back & didn't see it.
Another stop....another shepard:)
Stopped at a village with no name for a 20 minute stop
Intersection on highway 151D & 68A
Private well in someone's backyard.
Quick stopover in Sighisoara.
Entered just past the Butcher's tower
The boys stopped at a leathersmith shop inside the walled city.
Riding crops go for 40 Lei....they asked....now you know.
I lost the boys while touring a church.
They turned into the graveyard,I turned into the church.
We didn't meet up for a couple hours.
( in front of Vlad the Impaler's house )
We have no alcohol of any type while riding.
But while people watching in this beautiful village...it seemed appropriate.
The foursome next to my were from Austria
They asked if I could take their picture,
ended up talking to them the rest of the time I was there.
( the Austrian guys married gals from Romania from what i could tell )
They asked where I was from,I replied USA/Minnesota.
They had no idea where MN was in the states,they thought it was near Texas.
I told them it was pretty close to Texas:)
They played a joke on the super serious young man who was our waiter.
The kid brings him out a beer.
The Austrian accuses him of drinking some of the beer while he walks from the bar to his table outside.
Even points to his upper lip accusing the kid of having a beer mustache.
The poor kid starts to get upset & denying it.............before he figures out he had been had.
Made Rupea,Romania late in the day.
Stopped for gas at a truck stop/gas station /hotel.
The sun was shining on a castle in the distance.
So for kicks,we went in and asked the room prices.
120 Lei ( $36US ) ( $12 each )
Turned out to be a decent place,good food & friendly folks....with pool & hot tub.
Checked in ,drove up and checked the castle out at sunset. ( if was already closed )
She said the homemade wine was from a farm about 10km away...good stuff.
Sat outside & watched the sun go down having another fabulous meal.
Good Cherry liqueur:
http://www.angelli.ro/en/products_aperitifs.html
Castle above,highway with new trucks,farmers with horse drawn wagon working their fields.
Welcome to Transylvania.
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Turda,+Cluj+County,+Romania&daddr=Rupea,+Bra%C8%99ov,+Romania&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=46.276733,24.650574&spn=1.063089,2.469177&sll=47.137425,22.192383&sspn=2.092561,4.938354&geocode=FYiLxgIdMARrASlbqXiqIGZJRzGj-JPY2zP0xw%3BFWl_vgIdZN2AASktVbugpkRLRzHotpnkuqKD4A&oq=Rupea&mra=ls&t=m&z=9
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Thursday July 18
Rupea,RO to near Trasfagarasan Highway
As I ate my breakfast I watched a guy start his diesel SUV.
After he gets it started,he revs it high enough that I can hear the turbo whine 50 yards away.
I think to myself,'probably don't want to buy that truck at the used car dealer'
He then proceeded to pull out onto the highway ( I assume without looking )
cutting off a tractor trailer truck.
The truck had to go into full E-Stop ( with horn )
My waiter at breakfast gave us route tips on the Trasfagarasan Highway & to Bran Castle.
Stopped for a picture of a village,Alex's bike wouldn't start.
Swapped batteries ( wasn't the problem )
I probably lost Alex's leatherman on that breakdown.
Back roads were in rough condition........but there is no traffic either.
Fagaras was an interesting city,would have been neat to explore.
Mike & Alex want to hit the Bran Castle,I wanted to explore Transylvanian Villages.
We decided to meet a at 4pm at the intersection just north of the Trasfagarasan Highway.
( all of us were late,showing up around 5:30 )
I rode Transylvania on the gravel roads between the state highways,
while the boys went to the Bran Castle.
15-20 mph on gravel for most of the day,with my full dressed BMW.
This area is still %25 horse powered.
Had to cross a couple of old,long wooden bridges.
Stopped + waited for a couple cars to pass before I sacrificed the BMW.
The bridge would shake a little, even with a small car.
this refreshing fountain.
I spent less that 40 second removing my riding gear,before taking my first drink.
When I finish & looked up,there was a guy standing next to me.
Nice guy, just curious about the bike & where I'm from.
The motorcycle is an excellent conversation starter.
Especially,
when you are a US citizen,
riding a motorcycle with Polish license plates,
that has Trafico across the front.
We said goodbye & he walked away.
He walked across the road & into the trees.
I could see he had an outside sawmill going & was manufacturing pallets.
I should have wandered over there & ask he what he was doing.
Hindsight is always 20/20
Probably could have gotten 'the nickel tour':)
We met up at our rendezvous point around 5:30,we were all exacly 1 1/2 late:)
The intersection leading to the Trasfagarasan Highway.
Started driving up the Trasfagarasan Highway,to see lodging options.
Drove thru Cartisoara a peasant village full of pensions.
Old ladies in bright colored dress hawking rooms / gypsies selling watermelons out of their cars.
It was Mike's turn to pick the lodging,he chose wisely:
Pension Paraul Rece
A very good pick,very fun waitress.
We had the whole place in tears with our first ten minutes in the lobby.
Not only did our waitress speak very good english...she knows the slang too.
Mike was checking in,Alex had a 40lb backpack on.
There are two versions of the story.
Alex claimed he said: "Dad...Hurry up..I have alot of crap"
The waitress & I heard: "Dad...Hurry up..I have to crap"
The waitress busted out laughing.
Without looking,Mike hands the keys over his shoulder.
The waitress has now translated to everyone in the lobby.
As Al& I walk up the stairway,the place is roaring.
( I think to myself...the Americans have landed" )
They were playing local Romanian music in the lobby,very interesting stuff.
Our waitress seemed to be in charge ( or the only one interested ) in keeping the music going.
The music piped through out the lobby and dining area came from a computer in the bar.
It was a Window 95 or 98 system running WinAmp.
We heard is reboot a couple of times....over the intercom:)
KB:
'I'll have to clean my stick'
'My stick isn't big enough.'
Mike ,Alex & I
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Rupea,+Bra%C8%99ov,+Romania&daddr=F%C4%83g%C4%83ra%C8%99,+Bra%C8%99ov,+Romania&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=45.796255,24.785156&spn=0.268093,0.617294&sll=45.941123,25.082474&sspn=0.267395,0.617294&geocode=FWl_vgIdZN2AASktVbugpkRLRzHotpnkuqKD4A%3BFY6DuwIdzyF9ASldNixSeqFMRzFUnAQDPOj7MQ&oq=fag&mra=prev&t=m&z=11
Mr K gravel roads of Transylvania
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=F%C4%83g%C4%83ra%C8%99,+Bra%C8%99ov,+Romania&daddr=%C8%98ona,+Bra%C8%99ov,+Romania+to:45.8571947,25.0757021+to:H%C4%83lmeag,+Bra%C8%99ov,+Romania+to:%C8%98ercaia,+Bra%C8%99ov,+Romania+to:Hoghiz,+Bra%C8%99ov,+Romania+to:Jibert,+Romania+to:%C5%9Eoar%C5%9F,+Romania+to:Voila,+Romania+to:DN1%2FE68+to:C%C3%A2r%C5%A3i%C5%9Foara,+Romania&hl=en&ie=UTF8&sll=45.760098,24.636669&sspn=0.118924,0.264187&geocode=FY6DuwIdzyF9ASldNixSeqFMRzFUnAQDPOj7MQ%3BFcaXuwIddyN-ASkXMJANzqZMRzG9Ik4wXv13Cw%3BFaq5uwId9p9-ASnl7-DpIadMRzGPGA3XHrKq5A%3BFQbguwIdT3J_ASlbA0IumqdMRzHLPuxYitvRww%3BFXVcuwIdFYF_ASljtBsQLKZMRzE_0QlHHoBy7A%3BFWWmvQIdIAyCASnVdKdBBlBLRzEUzuj4PJmPGQ%3BFXfuvQIdypV-ASk1znEkkV1LRzGEQSRYzV85bA%3BFY_RvAIdT2V8ASm_jL_sKWBLRzHFqkyqJmm95w%3BFYEfuwIdKhB7ASmZZYC7XJhMRzHcIr17TKfYhg%3BFZlLugIdmfJ2AQ%3BFULBuQIdafx2ASkJ1jb1X5JMRzG1O_qmX4nHsg&oq=cart&mra=ls&via=2&t=m&z=11
Mr Mike & Alex ( just a guess ) Bran Castle
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=F%C4%83g%C4%83ra%C8%99,+Bra%C8%99ov,+Romania&daddr=Bran+Castle,+Bran,+Bra%C8%99ov,+Romania+to:DN1%2FE68+to:C%C3%A2r%C5%A3i%C5%9Foara,+Romania&hl=en&ie=UTF8&sll=45.732247,24.592295&sspn=0.059491,0.132093&geocode=FY6DuwIdzyF9ASldNixSeqFMRzFUnAQDPOj7MQ%3BFUOBtgIdfxKDASF_qyHZkieSzykx3hWk5UezQDF_qyHZkieSzw%3BFW9LugIdIPJ2AQ%3BFULBuQIdafx2ASkJ1jb1X5JMRzG1O_qmX4nHsg&oq=cart&mra=ls&t=m&z=11
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Friday July 19th
Late start.
In these pensions you see the same people in the morning that you see at night.
Our same humorous waitress.
Our girl let us copy her WinAmp playlist of Romanian music from the computer.
Rode the Trasfagarasan Highway. stunning.
This is the 'no mistake' zone.
The guard rails are low enough to maybe stop the bike.
But the rider would do some unscheduled base jumping.
We didn't stop and sample the roasting corn & raw meat that were being sold along the road.
The corn did smell awesome.
After the dam ( Trasfagarasan Highway ) lot of pensions started showing up.
Then it got rougher & poorer.
The BMW 650 was starting to get critical,hard to start.
( you don't know if this is gong to be the last start )
Pretty stressful driving the freeway into Bucharest.
They honk at anyone in the left lane.
Stopped for gas at a crabby truck stop.
Bumper to bumper traffic arriving in Bucharest.
Gypsies selling cell phones,chargers & shoes during rush hour on the freeway off ramp.
I could have bought a cell phone,while sitting on my bike.
Alex accidentally killed the 650 in the worst bumper to bumper traffic I've seen in a long time.
( very hot,late afternoon & no place to really pull off. )
He doesn't kill if very often,took a long time to get it restarted.
But he always gets it going.
The most intense third world style traffic I've ever seen.
People driving in the trolley lanes.
The pension we were shooting for was booked.
She suggested a hotel about a 1/2K away.
Found it right away,but it took awhile to park the bikes.
Met an interesting sidewalk guard ( he may have had a few drinks )
He told me in real broken English that he worked in England for....one night.
He thought I was British.
Avis Hotel Bucharest,RO
73 Euros / Funnest waitress yet.
We heard the line again 'That makes me very happy'.
We are now starting to give Bart options for bike repair.
There was a shepard & his flock on the road south of Trasfagarasan Highway.
We drove thru our first flock of sheep.
We earned alot of Merit Badges today.
Friday July 19 Hotel Avis 73 Euros ( $97US )
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=C%C3%A2r%C5%A3i%C5%9Foara,+Sibiu,+Romania&daddr=45.4796102,24.5941454+to:Corbeni,+Arge%C8%99,+Romania+to:Curtea+de+Arge%C8%99,+Arge%C8%99,+Romania+to:bd.+aerogarii,+nr+10,+sector+1+bucharest&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=44.533717,26.183167&spn=0.274101,0.617294&sll=44.511442,26.100426&sspn=0.137103,0.308647&geocode=FULBuQIdafx2ASkJ1jb1X5JMRzG1O_qmX4nHsg%3BFbr2tQId4UZ3ASmtqDWZnd1MRzHQkVUHBTgEHg%3BFTWYswIdg1t4ASl5867t3SdNRzG1RBWqetCajA%3BFd_EsAId_5J4ASnz9MhoaTJNRzFOV83JkMd9Mw%3BFRXtpgId8P6NASmbjhbx9wKyQDHBlKtsOlg20Q&mra=pr&via=1&t=m&z=11
%2B%2BIMG_3279.JPG)
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Saturday July 20
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Bucharest,Romania.
I had breakfast outside on the patio,with the traffic & the smokers in downtown Bucharest.
Just watching the world go by.
One of the BMW's is under the weather.. bad starter,we think.
Carrying on by rental car for next 2 days.
We couldn't find our private park & ride,so we headed for the airport & parked long term.
Very warm,we were 'sweating to the oldies'
We heard rumors of the temp hitting 40C ( 104F ?)
Wunderground recorded the high temp as 91 °F...but still damn hot.
( especially walking around with long pants & body armor )
http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/LRBS/2013/7/20/DailyHistory.html?MR=1
Took awhile to get a rental car,all small cars were booked.
We were told the Romanian working outside the country ,were coming home for holiday.
We ended up with a nice VW Golf with a 5 speed.
Al takes off into downtown Bucharest traffic.
Sitting traffic,Alex pulled a joke on some poor Roma girl
There was a girl ( gypsy ) walking between the cars waiting at the red light.
Wait for it...Wait for it....wait for it....
Stopped in a small Romanian village to find some internet. ( think about that statement )
Found some right away,without leaving the car I booked a room on the Black Sea.
We decided to patronize the restaurant,who was nice enough to not lock their WiFi.
It looked a little run down from the outside ( & inside ),but there was a good size crowd eating there.
Turning out to be very good place.
Looking it up later it was , 4 1/2 stars on TripAdvisor.
This small rural village bar+grill turned out to be very interesting.
The menu had no English,but had some items pictured.
Canvas roof in the back & the backup generator inside the dining area.
We have Alex along to try the wildest things on the menu.
His dish turned out to be:
Corn meal, yogurt,sausage, egg,baked with cheese.
It was excellent,you can't describe what it tastes like.
La Partid Food & Restaurant Lehliu-Gara,Romania
https://www.facebook.com/pages/La-Partid-Lehliu/335427936505992
I think this is the place we stopped at between Bucharest & the Black Sea
http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&pc=FACEBK&mid=8100&rtp=adr.~pos.44.438850940391_26.8532402_La+Partid_Lehliu-Gara&cp=44.438850940391~26.8532402&lvl=16&sty=r&rtop=0~0~0~&mode=D&FORM=FBKPL2&mkt=en-US
Staying at a B+B near the Black Sea coast in Efotie,Romania for the next two days.
Sharing the building with the family,couple with young kiddies.
With wife invited us out later for some of the hubbie's homemade liqueur.
Villa Favorita
Nice place 10 minute walk to the beach.
I've found modern replacement for the Datsun,a Dacia mini pickup.
Quad cab ( 4 door ) diesel mini pickup,it was love at first site.
Walked the boardwalk,it had a 1960's carnival feel.
We scared off our first waitress tonight,or she may have been very busy too.
Alex is now teasing the girls,with different greetings.
Today he was using french, tomorrow he will try some German.
Then some Spanish.
He gets the most smiles from English.
'What A Country'
Tomorrow we will head up the beach to one of the shipwrecks.
Clashed late.
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=bd.+aerogarii,+nr+10,+sector+1+bucharest&daddr=Lehliu+Gar%C4%83,+C%C4%83l%C4%83ra%C8%99i,+Romania+to:Eforie+Sud,+Constan%C8%9Ba,+Romania+to:Strada+Doctor+Cantacuzino+11,+Eforie+Sud,+905360&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=44.085612,27.600403&spn=1.959024,4.22699&sll=44.058232,28.551407&sspn=0.244996,0.528374&geocode=FRXtpgId8P6NASmbjhbx9wKyQDHBlKtsOlg20Q%3BFT0TpgId1b-ZASn5TwkTucixQDHw8F8nxlFgOg%3BFVAmoAId9ei0ASllquTclOC6QDEhCMAXGSuPsg%3BFZjHnwIdFzW1ASm9yEbkd-C6QDE6sKPlBKK0cg&mra=pr&t=m&z=9
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Sunday July 21
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Lazy morning.
Did a little laundry,try to recuperate.
I always pack a clothes line,but this place already had one on our deck for us.
I when out for rolls & coffee. ( took awhile to find coffee on the boardwalk )
We drove to the Bulgarian border,it was supposed to be a sleepy fishing village.
Not anymore,it's been discovered.
Varma Viche,Romania '
Went to the beach & did a little swimming. ( water was colder than I expected )
The topless issue
Alot of kids swim naked ( like it used to be here )
They don't put tops on the girl until they stop looking like boys.
( sometimes not even then,saw them ALL ages )
Walked past a beach that had a 'DJ'.
The crowd was doing the 'Macarana' dance on the beach,mostly women & girls (of course )
The 10 yr old girls are dancing away,totally innocent...doing what girls do.
Alot of what Jessica calls 'PDA' 'Public Displays of Affection'.
Couples walk hand in hand,older couples arm in arm.
Someone always hold mother's arm,whether it be husband or children.
Girls walk arm in arm,with their girlfriends.
We picked the top rated restaurant on TripAdvisor for Contanta,Romania.
It directed us to Marco Polo.
Beef with peppercorn sauce
Chicken with champagne sauce
Great tiramisu
The waiter at Marco Polo suggested this wine.
Ordered the wine,thinking it was a little expensive.
Turned out to be the whole bottle & was really good.
After the first sip,I asked him to bring another bottle,but don't open it.
Another restaurant with cigarettes on the menu after the desert.
Incredible how we stumbling into such weird stuff on these trips.
http://www.vinopedia.com/store/Theliquorguy.ca/?wineid=37559145
Quite the rare wine:
Grasa is an extremely rare grape, with only 450 hectares of total acreage in the world, and all of it in Romania. ( my farm is 56 hectares...damn )
Grasa can create voluptuous, full-flavoured, ripe and round wines, and is used to produce both dry and semi-sweet styles.
In this case, the grapes were allowed to develop the favourable botrytis cinerea, known as 'noble rot,' which is the hallmark of many of the world's great sweet wines, such as Sauternes.
Enjoy this with blue-veined cheeses or dried fruit.
I'll have to find a US importer.
Made a futile attempt to find the shipwreck.
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Monday July 22
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Our day started with a drink with our pension gal.
As we checked out,
the owner said she was sad that they didn't get a chance to talk to us & share a drink.
( she did genuinely looked sad )
When we arrived,she did mention that we were welcome to join them in the backyard,
use their grille & sample the hubby's homemade liquors.
This was my first experience with pensions / B&B's.
( I guess we need to take these personal invites more seriously )
We felt kind of bad for not stopping back & socializing with them.
She was a real sweetheart. ( that was a unanimous opinion )
She asked if it was too early for a drink,so shared a drink before leaving.
( it was harsh stuff,I had to do a warm Mountain Dew chaser when I got to the car)
On the way to the shipwreck,saw saw folks out advertizing vacant rooms,'Cazare'
They would stand with outstretched arms,dangling keys.
Made a morning run & located the shipwreck.
Greek ship E. EVANGELIA 1942-1968
The vessel went aground at full speed on October 15,1968.
Situated at 150 meters from the Costinesti beach,
it became the symbol of this tourist resort from Romania.
Beach life was kind of 1960's,run down,cheap carnival rides & greasy food:)
Not too crowded, mostly families,lots of little kids.
(all dressed up in their sailor suits & dresses.)
There was a long section of brand new Autostrada. ( freeway )
We treated it as an Autobahn.
Other drivers were passing the ambulance too........we didn't want to stand out.
Looks like Al is going about 160kph...( 100 mph ) We managed to burn a full tank of gas.
After reacquiring the bikes,
we headed for the Museum of the Romanian Peasant in Bucharest.
http://www.muzeultaranuluiroman.ro/
Stunning.
Such is the case on all these trips,there is not enough time to fully explore each stop.
A two hour sample is usually all we get.
With three cameras we took over 150 pic,difficult to choose the keepers.
Lots of fantastic carvings
The jist of the conversation was,
he wanted to tell us that there was good asphalt for the next 100 km or so.
When his wife & young son returned from the rest room they all waved goodbye.
Motorcycles are a curiosity in Romania.
Parents will stop on the sidewalk,point, and have their children wave at us.
We got used to waving at people.
We stumbled into a restaurant in the old section of Brasov,Romania.
Turned out to be fabulous.
'Restaurant Transylvania' 4 stars TripAdvisor
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g295394-d1821145-Reviews-Restaurant_Transilvania-Brasov_Brasov_County_Central_Romania_Transylvania.html
Made it back to Rupea,Romania for the night.
Ended up staying at the same 'truck stop' we had stayed 5 days earlier.
The waiter was happy to see us again.
He ran out to the parking lot,shook my hand & asked how the Trasfagarasan Highway ride went.
He & I had looked at the map together & he made suggestions on what roads to take.
Monday July 22 Agritomar Hotel 120 Lei ( $36US / $12US each )
Got distracted by a junkyard I drove past....further distracted when a horse & buggy rolled by.
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Romanian+Peasant+Museum&daddr=Strada+Castelului+nr.106,+Brasov,+Romania+to:Rupea,+Romania&hl=en&sll=45.245887,25.666809&sspn=1.920207,4.22699&geocode=FRlSpgIdQgGOASHjFDHvOr3O3SnRTDqJAQKyQDHjFDHvOr3O3Q%3BFfVquAIdyX6GASm1l3epfFuzQDHsAHPGEjq9eQ%3BFWl_vgIdZN2AASktVbugpkRLRzHotpnkuqKD4A&oq=rupe&mra=ls&t=m&z=9
Alex blasted us back to the Bucharest Airport & we reacquired the bikes.
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Tuesday July 23 Rupea / Sighnisora / Ciucea,Romania.
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Chose one of the 5 breakfast choices,got tea with this time.
really good fruit tea,made in Romania.
http://www.celmar.ro/tea/fruit-tea
The GoPro let us down today,in a big way,time to try a competitor.
We got 4-5 charges on the new batteries,before they started declining.
( charged all night,for a four minute video )
The GoPro failed on the most epic village ride.
I drove thru the village of Rupea,following a horse drawn wagon,with the
church & the village center ahead of us & a beautiful castle on the mountain above.
Stopped at Sighnisora again,climbed the fabulous clock tower.
Interesting Museum inside the tower.
Looks like they have accurate weather observations going back to 1860.
Lots of ups & downs in rainfall & temps.
There was a two year gap,where the data is missing. ( 1905-1906 )
We are theorizing that there was some type of civil war,will research when we get home.
Need to stay in that village.
Sun was going down,time to park the bikes.
We are about an hour from the border.
We stopped at a truck stop 'Route 60' truck stop near Ciucea,Romania.
Looks like a chain of pensions along European Route 60.
Ended being the cheapest place so far. ( 10$USD per bed )
Roadside room,without AC on a loud highway
( Alex claimed the trucks were so loud,he could hardly hear us snoring )
Cool woodwork in the building,could have been hand made.
But it did 'Western Europe Style' internet.... ( more down time,than up time )
They said they had one room left, room#19
As we walked up the stairs,the signs pointed to rooms 1-18...hmmm.
Room #19 is located between room #12 & room #14
There is no room #13. ( and they book that room last )
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Rupea,+Romania&daddr=Ciucea,+Romania&hl=en&sll=45.703091,24.46095&sspn=3.809399,8.453979&geocode=FWl_vgIdZN2AASktVbugpkRLRzHotpnkuqKD4A%3BFYt0zAIdzANcASmxMUM1iIxIRzFZUhna9W-10Q&oq=Ciucea,Romania&mra=ls&t=m&z=9
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Wednesday July 24 Ciucea,Romania to Eger,Hungary
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Woke from our $10US room
The monument was put up 80 years after the uprising.
"in memoria taranilor rasculati din statele de pe valea Crisului Repede
Cazuti in lupta impotriva exploatarii si asupririi la 24 april 1904"
"in memory of the peasant uprisings in states Repede Valley
Fell in the fight against exploitation and oppression on 24 April 1904"
Had to find any info on this uprising,most are in Romanian.
Warning!
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979).
It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Peasant Revolt of 1907 in Rumania, the culmination of peasant disturbances that began in 1904 and increased under the influence of the Revolution of 1905-07 in Russia.
The causes of the uprising were land hunger and the increased exploitation of the peasantry. The first to rebel were the peasants of Moldova (in the second half of February). The immediate cause was an increase in land rents. The peasants drove the landowners and large tenants from the estates and destroyed land leases and hiring contracts. Peasant detachments attacked Boto§ani, Ia§i, Dorohoi, and other cities into which the large tenants and landowners had fled. In late March, peasants revolted in Walachia (Muntenija and Olteni^a). Rallying under the slogan “We want land!,” peasant forces attempted (sometimes with success) to penetrate into Rimnicu-Sarat, Craiova, Giurgiu, Buzau, Pite§ti, and other cities. Large detachments moved on Bucharest but were routed. In Pa§cani, Buhu§i, Galaji, and the Prahova River valley, the peasants were supported by the workers.
The revolt precipitated a government crisis, and in March the Conservative government was replaced by a Liberal cabinet headed by D. Sturza. The army (140,000 men) was thrown into the struggle, dozens of villages were destroyed by artillery fire, and 11,000 peasants were killed or tortured. The revolt was crushed in April. Because of the revolt, agrarian reforms were implemented in 1908-10 that strengthened the position of the kulak stratum in the villages.
REFERENCES
Vinogradov, V. N. Krest’ianskoe vosstanie 1907goda v Rumynii. Moscow, 1958.
Istoriia Rumynii: 1848-1917. Moscow, 1971. Chapter 1.
Marea rascoala \aranilor din 1907. Bucharest, 1967.
Today’s combines can harvest anywhere from 100 to 200 acres a day.
As we left,we realized that the place won't be the same the next time we visit.
We ate at the border.
Alex has decided to let Google Translate tell the girls they are beautiful.
He used it on our waitress near the Hungarian border.
I was standing nearby when he gets his home run.
Hands over mouth..'MERCI' 'MERCI'...big commotion. ( she appreciated it )
( Now girls,don't give him that reaction....it only encourages him:)
Talk about coincidence:
At the beginning of the trip, ( 12 days earlier ) we rolled into Eger.
KB was leading coming in from the north.
We got into town and decided to pull off to the quiet safety of a side street to add the Minaret Hotel to the Garmin.
We keyed in our destination,about 6 km away & moved on.
Twelve days later ,using Limba.com we found a family run pension to stay at.
We plugged the street intersection in the Mr Garmin,and it dropped us directly in front of Kurta Kocsma.
We immediately realized that we have been here before..
We shut off the bikes & headed out on foot.
We used Limba.com to find the pension,
but not being a member they wouldn't give you the exact location. ( just a dot on the map)
Alex asked a guy coming out of the closest building.
He said there were many pensions in the neighborhood,but most are probably booked being high season.
He mentioned he had rooms at his pension,we checked in.
Small pension owned by a young couple. ( I think? )
They were so much fun,we decided to change our plan & stay another night.
He was a parametric in his mid thirties.
Spoke good English,lived in Chicago for awhile.
He whined a little about the 63% income tax rate ( before VAT & sales taxes ) & the diminishing amount of employed workers.
But he was interesting to talk too.
His wife was a hoot,she liked practicing her English with us.
Apparently our Midwest accent is easy to understand,she also understood all of our donkey humor.
She blabbed with us for at least an hour and a half.
Alex had her give him some Hungarian lessons,the necessary phases you need to get by in Hungary.
Like:
'Hello','Goodbye' & 'You Are Beautiful'.
'You are Beautiful' is a tough phrase in Hungarian.
They worked on that one for quite awhile.
Every time Alex told the owner's wife she was beautiful,she giggled. ( it was very funny to watch )
Since 'You Are Beautiful' was such a difficult phrase to master,
I suggested that she teach him a more progressive phrase like: 'You are handsome.'
She understood all our jokes:)
She had fun talking with the silly Americans.
Her mother runs the little bar.
After Alex felt he had perfected 'You are Beautiful' in Hungarian,
it was time to take the training wheels off.
So we all marched up to the bar,and he told her mother she was beautiful.
She was impressed that he took on such a difficult phrase.
Of course,those two gals will be Alex's BFF.
With the phrase is perfected,it's time to call 555*555 for the taxi in Eger,
and it's off to the 'Valley of Beautiful Women'.
( or 'Nice Women Valley',as we saw translated on city signs )
Our taxi arrived,the driver had a 12 inch flat sceen monitor mounted on his dashboard.
There was a soccer game on while we were driving & he was watching the game.
We asked him if he was actualy watching the game.
'Oh Yea'..except I lose reception at the bottom of the hill.
( he lost signal for 20-30 seconds turning the corner at the bottom of the hill )
We decided to 'help' him out,by watching for incoming traffic:)
Ate a 'decent' meal in a touristy outdoor restaurant.
But we weren't finished,we had to move to the outdoor restaurant right next door to the one we ate in...for desert.
Alex had talked to one of the waitresses prior to eating & he thought she would be more receptive to ...'The Phrase'
It wasn't a Hindenburg event,but it wasn't an oil strike either....time to move on.
Time to sample some good wines,about 100FT ( or $.50US for a dl. )
After sampling five rounds,it's Bedtime for Bonzo.
I guess this is what happens when men travel 'unsupervised'.
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Ciucea,+Romania&daddr=Eger,+Hungary&hl=en&ll=47.496792,21.122589&spn=0.921338,2.113495&sll=46.971058,22.794355&sspn=3.721967,8.453979&geocode=FYt0zAIdzANcASmxMUM1iIxIRzFZUhna9W-10Q%3BFUfv2gIdjO42ASkjQLCUeI1ARzEkHI2UWbKtYw&oq=eger&mra=ls&t=m&z=10
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Thursday July 25 bikes are resting,while we go touring.
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Checked in with the mother,for another night.
Took awhile to get the point.
After some sign language,I paid for another night.
Mom was very happy to see Alex...almost like she had a spring in her step.
We walked to Old Town Eger.
Mike saw a wine cave tour underneath the Catholic Cathedral.
http://www.varosavarosalatt.hu/
One of the most worthy tours I've been on.
Explained mid-evil history & practices.
Turned out to be a wise old man,pleading with us to remember past ways.
After the Turks left,the Catholic took over & taxed wine.
Monies came & went,but wine was always there.
He showed us his favorite wine barrel,a 367 liter barrel.
One liter for everyday,an extra for your birthday & one for emergencies.
Every four years your will be one liter short...that's when you visit your neighbor.
He was making plea to remember the old ways...that are not obsolete.
He told Alex that if his cell phone stopped working,he would die.
There were 60 miles of wine cave tunnels under Eger,some as old as 400 yrs.
The happy socialist shut them down in 1949 & cemented the walls.
( killing the fungus that kept the caves dry )
The caves started collapsing & they have fill in 19 miles of the caves so far.
Very funny & informative guy.
He referred to water,as if it were alive.
Water making bad decisions,water being stupid & relentless.
Said water was relentless...like his mother-in-law.
I don't call her,I don't talk to her,but still she shows up.
Told the girls to remember grandmother's wisdom.
Egar was the center of a large region,expanding into SK & Ukraine.
He is planning a major expansion in November 2014,but tells us foreigners not to come.
He says you foreigners ,wait until Nov 2015,because in Hungary......nothing happens on a schedule.
We talked to him for 15 minutes after the tour ended.
( I tried to donate to his expansion,he politely declined)
He knew we were from the states.
He told us ,no one invests in their business with happiness.
If it gets too successful,it might be taken over or shut down.
where did we eat?
Thursday July 25 Egar pension 10,350Forint ( $46US )
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Friday July 26
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Today was supposed to be a relaxing drive thru Slovakia & end up
somewhere near Oswiecim, Poland Auschwitz.
We packed the bike & moved them to the street.
We said our goodbyes,everyone hugged the mother in law on the way out.
( we know how to make old ladies happy )
We took the two running bikes & headed down to the Egar,Castle.
Neat place,but had to enjoy at high noon in July.
After touring the castle,we couldn't get the 650BMW to start.
Alex had it going for maybe 20 seconds,but it killed.
We spent the next 2 hours trying to get it going.
They are on a long curving hill,so rolled down that hill many
time trying to pop start it.
( very hot at 1pm pushing a MC up a hill,multiple times)
Called Bart,told him we were leaving the bike behind.
Used the son in law as a translator ,got the message thru to Mom.
Moved Alex's bike back in to courtyard & said our goodbyes again.
Alex grabbed a cab & was going to carry on by train.
We made it to the ski resort near Donovaly,SK by 8 pm.
Friday July 26 Damisport Donovaly,SK 63 Euros ( $84 )
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Eger,+Hungary&daddr=Donovaly,+Slovakia&hl=en&sll=47.913746,20.95417&sspn=3.656099,8.453979&geocode=FUfv2gIdjO42ASkjQLCUeI1ARzEkHI2UWbKtYw%3BFfrZ6QIduk8lASk_J_qc6xEVRzEwA5fG0fcABA&oq=Donovaly&mra=ls&t=m&z=9
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Saturday 7-27
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One message from Alex,'see you in Auschwitz'
Pretty tired this morning. ( lots of physical activity yesterday )
We headed up to Oswiecim, Poland.
Parked in the same small Auschwitz parking that the kids & I parked at one month prior.
Busy weekend in Poland,like everyone heading up north on a nice weekend.
Families out along the shoreline BBQing,boats on the lakes,people working around their houses.
As far as the history of the Polish people....what a time to be alive.
Arrived around 1pm.
no idea where Alex is,mike took off and started touring.
After I recharged the $ on the simm cards,I got a hold of Alex.
He was on a tour.
Alex returned to Krakow on the tour bus & was hang with his buds.
Mike & I headed for Bart's.
We got within 10k ,stopping in front of this Bulgarian restaurant.
Called him & he lead us home.
His wife had prepared a very nice table of food for us.
According to Bart they can have open bottle in Poland ,as long as the driver is sober.
His passenger had a beer along.
They had a food for us ,when we arrived. ( fancy spread )
After some toasts & we headed for Krakow.
About 2 hr drive away.
Hotel Polania ,east facing room.
Was very hot,no AC.
It was OK at night,after a cold shower.
But when the morning sun came around....
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Donovaly,+Slovakia&daddr=Oswiecim,+Poland+to:Bielsko-Biala,+Poland&hl=en&ll=49.453843,19.283752&spn=1.77294,4.22699&sll=49.671183,19.481506&sspn=1.765067,4.22699&geocode=FfrZ6QIduk8lASk_J_qc6xEVRzEwA5fG0fcABA%3BFd52-wIdMh4lASkxTDhP4JQWRzG9bpcxIWscHg%3BFak6-AId0M4iASl7UIDdY58WRzGn40_6h_URaA&oq=bie&mra=ls&t=m&z=9
Saturday July 27 Hotel Polania 380 PL ( $119US )
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Sunday July 28 Krakow - Warsaw
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Tried to impress the boys with the really good fruit iced tea,that we had a month ago.
Alex tried to order it from our 'really old' waiter,he saw told not available.
When he came back,i ordered it & it was available.
( different cook,tea wasn't prepped right,still good tasting )
Toured Schindler's factory,good museum.
( even though is wasn't really about Schindler )
I had a another fab meal at Jamera,without the opera singer.
The boys were talking about finding spaghetti ( not sure where they ended up )
Bought our tix & caught our 7 pm train to Warsaw.
Just our luck there was a couple of talkative Polish gals,on a business trip to Warsaw.
They were translators,one could speak five languages,that made for a couple easy hours.
They showed us where we should ride our motorcycles next time ( more east,close to Ukraine )
And gave us three Polish towns worthy of a visit.
We asked about transfers from Warsaw Central to the Warsaw airport, they said just follow us.
We ended up followed them all the way to their hotel.
On the cab ride between Warsaw Central & the airport hotel they were complaining about a new stadium built by the city .
( they built on the site of the old Russian Market )
We laughed, & told them things are the same all over.
Told them about a funny article I read about the Cleveland Browns
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/eye-on-football/22683592/man-wants-browns-pallbearers-so-team-can-let-him-down-one-last-time
"He respectfully requests six Cleveland Browns pall bearers so the Browns can let him down one last time."
The humor translated well.
We offered to meet them for breakfast,
they said "sure,will you be up at 6am ?".......'I guess this is goodbye'
Talked to a guy from Canada that was in the lounge.
He has been working in Poland since ?
Lots of interesting stories.
Our hotel was supposed to have AC,but didn't didn't impress us....
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Monday July 29
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Transfer shuttle to airport.
Alex & Mike decided to take advantage of the 2 hour layover in Amsterdam ,
to take a the train in to Old Town for a 'quick tour'.
They got back with plenty of minutes to spare.
Then the LONG WINE flight home.
Sat next to a German gal,born and grew up in Nuremberg,Germany 1940.
War ended when she was six.
her youngest girl had a reaction to an immunization ( on the flight over to US ) under age 1.
They gave her a second shot,the child has a mental state of a ten yr old.
Married a US serviceman moved to Colo Springs,CO in 1964.
She outlived her husband & two out of three of her daughters.
One killed in an auto accident , other ovarian cancer last fall.
Her trip to Germany was to put her mother in a nursing home.
She was nice & we eventually talked cats & pets.
Not all Europe trips are fun & games.
Koda pickup us up from the airport.
He had just received some very good financial news.
Garrett met us at Mike's house.
Back home before sunset.
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EVERY time I go to eastern EU,we realize they they better internet then western EU.
Lots of defunct industrial complexes.
They look like camps,barb wire + walls.
There are some huge ones in Hungary we were going to try to stop at on the way back.
Motorcycling in Romania is like:
being the target changing boy at the local gun club,when the blindfolded drinking team shows up.
Firsts in Romania:
The Italians have the reputation of being the crazier drivers on the planet.
So the Romanians decide to create a new class of drivers ,by bring
alcohol & inexperience to the party.
Advanced Romanian Driving Techniques:
1) The 2 lane to 3 lane passing maneuver.
(didn't even see this in Italy )
It you are behind someone & there is oncoming traffic.
Just drive up the middle & they will get out of your way...hopefully.
When using this Technique on hill & blind corners,pray you don't meet a tractor trailer.
Slovakia checked in with the 2-4 lane width modification.
Last day someone passed up the middle,while I was passing a bicyclist.
( that four vehicles wide,on a two lane road...at the same time )
we noticed this maneuver was practiced almost exclusively by German cars & an occasional Volvo.
2)
Modified triple freeway pass. ( axillary passing lane )
The speed limit on the new Romanian Autostraza is 130KPH ( ?? MPH )
With our rental car being driven by our 21 yr old,our fancy VW Golf was averaging 140kph. (??MPH)
Driving at this speed ,you overtake people from time to time:)
We came up on a guy going 50kph slower,so we move into the left lane.
There was a guy tailgating us that also wanted to pass,but didn't want to be behind us.
So he moved into the axillary passing lane ( at 87.50 MPH )...the shoulder.
Our friend driving slowly in the right lane was passed on the left & right at the same time.
Never seen anything like it.
3) The Invisible Bambulance.
We noticed some of this in Italy.
The Italians will give the ambulance the right of way....if they have the time.
If an ambulance ( with lights on ) pulls on to the Autostraza ahead of you,
and his isn't going as fast as you,what do you do?
You politely move into the left lane and pass him....just like everybody else.
( I have this one on tape )
4) Petro stations aren't just for gas anymore
The petro stations are substitute liqueur store in Romania ( and alot of Europe )
Substantial amount of liquor ( maybe 30% of the store )
Wine,Beer,Hard liqueur & canibus iced tea.
July
watermelons were in season.
Corn was tassled out,wheat was being harvested.
Lots of fresh cucumber & veggies at meals.
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FROM MIKE'S EMAIL UPDATES:
Quick stop in
Amsterdam, then on to Warsaw Poland. Took ICC train down to
Krakow. About 30 hours total travel time w/o much sleep, but
a good trip overall. Had one of the best meals ever in old
town Krakow - cabbage rolls in paprika sauce. Alex
plans on taking a video of our hotel elevator - just have to
see it. We start riding today. We will try to make Eger
Hungary by tonight. Otherwise we will stay somewhere in
Slovakia. We will try to keep in touch.
Mike,
Al, and Kedric
Left
Poland Sunday morning. Got familiar with the bikes, signage,
and aggressive driving. Spent first night on the road in
Slovakia at a ski resort. Very cool place, very friendly
folks. Rode a bit in the rain Monday morning, then weather
improved and riding got fun. WE saw horse drawn wagons and
folks harvesting grain by hand.Also saw brand new giant
sized combine - such a clash of technology. Driving through
towns most people wave and we wave back. We made it to Eger
Hungary Monday. We stayed right next to the northern most
minaret in Europe - will tour this morning. Gonna see
how far we can ride into Romania today. We will keep sending
updates
Full day yesterday - 7 hours of riding 11 hours total travel time.
Lots of riding in the mountains, plus some freeway cruising.
We crossed another time zone and are now deep into Romania.
We stayed in a little town called Turda last night.
Mountain riding is beautiful with good roads but some very aggressive drivers.
We are running a Go Pro video camera and have caught some of the action, plus some cool scenery.
Gonna check out Vlad's hometown today, and likely stay in Brasov. Tomorrow its Bran Casltle and the Transfarrgen Highway.
Great meals every day, and great local beverages too. Lots of stories to tell. Attached a few more pics
Have to be up early tomorrow for the Transfarragen Highway ride. Go Pro and Hi 8 video ready to go.
Added a few more folks to email list - been running hard - sorry to have missed so many folks that are interested in the trip.
Al talked to the folks at our inn and they rebooted their internet - now we are online , so I figured I would send off a few more pics.
we already have so many stories to tell.... not even half done!. We LOVE Romania. What a wonderful place.
We have been in Transylvania for a couple of days now and we will stop here on our way back.
Such an area of contrasts - John Deere and International Tractors and balers next to horse drawn wagons and hand cutting and loading of hay.
We plan to stay in a Dachau on our way out - the old women are outside their homes with "zimmer frrei" digns out - should be quite the trip....
Anyway here are a few more pics from the last few days. Wait till you see the video we have shot...
Limited internet - will catch up with pics tomorrow - we will be near Bucharest.
So much to say - we spent time in the countryside - many pics - saw Bran castle,
now at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains ready to do Transfarrgen Highway.
Did a little bit tonight - unbelievable -
we will have both the Go Pro and the Video Camera going while we do the highway.
119 km of twisting turning hairpin turns through the mountains - can't wait!
Romainia is AWESOME!
We have been eating like kings!
I'll send up date when finished typing.
Did the Transf... Highway today - then on down to Bucharest.
Transf Highway in the mountains quite impressive.
We have lots of pics and video. We were lucky to have 30 plus km of road almost to ourselves, then it got crowded, so we moved rather slow.
Gorgeous scenery. 4 hours of twisting mountain roads followed by 90 minutes of freeway driving.
Arrived in Bucharest just in time for Friday rush hour.
Not for the weak. We picked a hotel a couple of blocks away from the Romanian outdoor peasant museum - we will walk there tomorrow morning, then head on to the Black Sea.
One of he bikes is giving us trouble so we figure we will rent a car for a coulpe of days and see if the bike can be fixed. We are close to 1200 miles into the trip now.
We plan gto relax onthe Black Sea this weekend, then hit it hard driving back to Poland.
Wow what a week!
Winding roads, peasant villages, beautiful scenery, awesome weather...
The BMW 650 starter has been giving us trouble.
Added to that issue, it was 40C in Bucharest yesterday.
We decided to rent a car for the weekend.
Al is old enough to rent in Romania, so he rented and drove his first rental car.
VW Golf - he loves it! We made it to the Black Sea yesterday afternoon.
We are staying in a B&B villa about 200 meters from the ocean.
We are just south of Constanta Romania. This is a very popular place.
Carnival rides, street vendors, rooftop restaurants, plus lots of places to sit along the beach.
Great place to unwind for a couple of days. Back on the bikes Monday for the ride back to Poland.
Our emergency phone ran out of minute last night (sorry Mike) so I will load it back up today.
We have been very pleasantly surprised at the overall level of free internet access here in Romania -
Kedric tells us it is much better than the countries he has visited in western europe - nice to know last month.
France, Italy, Germany, and England ll have their wireless services locked down tight.
Anyway, it is cool to be able to send out these trip updates.
Nice to know a few folks find this interesting.,
Kedric and I did laundry this morning -now we are good for the rest of the trip.
Gonna do some swimming and checking out of the local attractions.. Attached a few more pics
We found a really cool place to stay in Eger Hingary yesterday evening.
$45 per night for all 3 of us and we are right near the center of town.
We don't have internet access, but we do have an indoor patio and a bar - we love Hungary too.
Roads are betterin Hungary. We got on the M3 which is a freeway.
I am on the slowest bike so I set the pace - just 120 kph.
The 2 BMW's are much faster but we try to stick together.
The Garmin GPS has been working out excellent - we get to where we want to go, and some of the towns are very confusing to navigate.
Last night we took a taxi down to the Valley of the Beautiful Women and sampled Hungarian wines.
What a hoot! We had so muvh fun we decided to stay in Eger for another day.
We are walking the town seeing the sights. Very beautiful.
We are going to do a tour of the city under the city, and hit a turkish bath.
We are going to stop back at the valley later tonight and purchase some wines to bring home.
We have another fine day ahead of us hre in Hungary. We are just 7 hours drive time from our bike drop off destination.
We plan to visit Auchwitz and some places in Warwaw before we leave. Pics later - at an outside street cafe right now.
Ilove european beer - time to have another! Be back in touch soon with some more pics
Mike
Quite an interesting finish to our trip.
After visiting another medieval fortress and a Turkish Bath,we could not get the F650 BMW started in Eger Hungary.
Alex volunteered to take a load of gear on the night train through Budapest Hungary to Krakow and meet Kedric and I there.
He ended up meeting 3 other people his age and stayed at a Youth Hostel in old town Krakow.
We contacted our rental guy and let him know the safe place we left the broken bike, then Kedric and I rode back to Poland.
Slovakia is rural and beautiful - very little traffic - a great ride. We all got together on Sat and visited Auschwitz. Grim.
Cheered up by another great meal in Krakow.
Temps have been getting warmer and warmer - near 40C again today and will be hotter tomorrow - it is good to be out of our riding gear.
We met a couple of very nice women on the train to Warsaw who do tour guiding and translation services. Got some great travel ideas and contact info.
Riding the train is cool, but the train we rode from Krakow to Warsaw was as packed as it could be = lots of students. Hard to move around. We have pics.
All in all a great trip. Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Spain all on deck = we will see what we can arrange. See you all soon.
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