Just down the road from the campsite is a large shopping area that includes a Carrefour. We spent some time there stocking up on food and buying some of the excellent white wine (Jidvei Dry Muscat) that we had whilst we were at Camping S in Mamaia. This was also conveniently situated on the E1 road that would take us all of the way to our destination just south of Brasov.
The road was very busy, especially on the first part close to Bucharest but much of that part was dual carriageway so the driving was easy. On the way from Bucharest we had passed literally hundreds of roadside stalls. These varied in size from houses selling excess tomatoes in a small basket or bucket, to smallholders selling a large selection of fruit, vegetables and honey. There were so many of them that some of the withered old ladies must have sat with their meagre goods all day without selling anything.
Passing Ploiesti we entered an oilfield with many 'Nodding donkeys' pumping the oil. Romania was the first country in Europe to export oil and, although its reserves are not great, the field is still active.
After many miles on flat land, we eventually entered the Bucegi mountains, following the river Teleajen and railway line, both of which had been running alongside us for most of the journey. We must have been climbing very slowly as we were now over 1,000 metres but the peaks of the mountain range were very high and very steep. As soon as we entered this area, the architecture of the houses changed. There were many houses made entirely of wood of with large amounts of wood in their construction. We stopped to look at a campsite south of Sinaia but it was on a steep, terraced hill, looked very basic and there was no available shade, so we decided to stick to our original plan and press on to Braov.
The guidebook told us that Sinaia, a ski resort in Winter, was an interesting town but we decided not to visit it today. It would be an easy trip back by van or by rail. At this point the road descended quite sharply but we were soon following the railway again and different new river flowing in the opposite direction. The next town, Busteni, was also a Winter skiing resort with a very low cable car (over 5km, I think) taking skiers high up into the mountains. We didn't see the cable car but the resort was just like Weymouth on a sunny Summer weekend – heaving with tourists. Being a Sunday Romanians had flocked there and the many tourist shops in wooden shacks lining the road were doing a roaring trade. From this point on, for the many miles to the campsite, the river banks were full of families sunbathing, paddling in the river and barbecuing.
We found the campsite 'Camping Darste' about 8 km south of Brasov on the side of the E1 and next to the river that we had been following. The receptionist was quite a character, speaking in poor pigeon English at speed – obviously a much rehearsed briefing but it took a few seconds to work out what he was trying to say. Still, the site is impressive – good level pitches, excellent shower blocks and a large restaurant at the entrance, obviously used by locals as well as the campsite visitors. It was now early evening but still very warm and we sat in the shade watching many people walking past the campsite through a field that obviously lead to the river. Further entertainment was provided by flocks of goats and sheep and a herd of cows that were brought to the field to graze. Steep wooded hills rise up either side of narrow valley and a ski lift cuts through the trees just above the site. In the distance on a peak we thought that we could see a large church with a separate bell tower but, using the binoculars, we established that it was a domed-shaped outcrop of rock next to some large aerials. As we looked at the view, paragliders descended from a nearby hill and the moon rose over the hill. We had plenty to entertain us!
Photos: A preserved steam locomotive at Sinaia station; A tiny caravan on the Camping Darste site.
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