This Sunday I finally met Aleks and Ted in order to give them the bikes and helmets for the two day trip we’ve been planning for a while. We shook hands and I played the tape again for them: technical specs, general advice, safety, departure hours, itinerary, objectives and so on.
They didn’t seem to be overwhelmed by the amount of information, which made me very happy. Also, Ted was very interested in learning Romanian. I also heard from them that there’s another guy staying at the same hostel, and he also wanted to join our trip. To be honest, I thought it was a bit late, but he got lucky because I was able to find a bike for him, even on a Sunday morning!
The next day, we started quite early in the morning from The Doors Hostel in Bucharest, a very nice place. I can’t really imagine what my three clients where thinking when I came to pick them up. They were a bit sleepy due to the intense partying in Bucharest. I do remember suggesting them to catch as many hours of sleep as possible. Seriously! Raj, the last member of our newly formed team was quite slow that morning. He was going to prove me later what a quick learner he was when I taught him about switching gears.
For the first day we planned to visit Brașov city center, the Black Church, then climb to Poiana Brașov in order to reach Bran Castle in the afternoon. And yes, few minutes after we left the White Tower behind it started to rain heavily. The locals were right, this time. It wasn’t that bad after all, we stopped for a few seconds to adapt our clothing, pulled on the rain covers and continued. There is no reason to quit when faced with a quick rain. In 10 minutes the sun shined on us again and we stopped to take some pictures of Brașov. I would actually recommend anyone to embrace the idea that rain might catch you on a longer climb. Nature is a bit moody in the mountains. Especially on a warm sunny day.
The descent to Râșnov was epic, as usual. We know Aleks had a little accident so – for the next group – I’ll make sure to offer a new lecture as in you’d better step off the bike while taking pictures.
All in all, it was a very good day for cycling. Accommodation and dinner were provided by our wonderful hosts, Delia and Ionuț. Once again, I thank them for being so nice.
Second day we went back to Brașov and took the train to Sinaia. We visited the Peleș Castle and the Sinaia Monastery. Pelișor Castle has a very restrictive visiting schedule which is too bad considering there is even a special offer for buying tickets if you want to visit both Peleș and Pelișor.
Every time I get to Peleș Castle and see how everyone rushes to find the best spot for a picture I get my instant share of satisfaction. This one is clearly a must see so you have to make sure to find the best angle for your digital memories.
Tuesday we got back to Bucharest late in the evening and stumbled upon a huge full moon – probably the biggest full moon in the world. To conclude, I left Monday morning with three strangers and in two days we became a gang of riders. I suggest you see all the pictures on our Facebook page. Thanks you Aleks, Raj and Ted for some of the pictures!
Tip of the tour: Sinaia Hotel has a very strong wireless signal.
