2022 Sep 9-30
Marce’s Dad David had been interested in the Central European capitals for a long time – those which had been behind the “Iron Curtain” for decades. We thought about how to put together a trip for his birthday which would give him and Luz an opportunity to see something of the region and to gain insight into some of the cities. The trip was “ambitious” in the sense of seeking to cover a lot of ground in a relatively short time, however it went well. Having identified the cities highest in interest, and discounting those which are currently out of the question, we “joined the dots” with intermediate destinations which would be of interest, and ended up with a loop from Prague back to Prague, visiting the capital cities of Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Slovakia, as well as a variety of other cities, towns, villages, and the countryside between them. The trip was earlier than David’s birthday, to be able to make it during Autumn rather than in winter.
The final route:
Overall insights:
This was a different trip from our own style of travel, and also different for David and Luz. We did a lot of “A to B” travel rather than more leisurely wandering from village to village. It proved quite demanding, with lengthy sections of travel just to get from one point to another; this was not too much of a challenge in some cases, where highways permitted rapid transit, although it was tough to pass so many places which would no doubt be worth a day or more to explore. In some cases, for example in much of what we saw of Bulgaria, travel was a lot slower and more demanding, and we still had to pass by places of interest. We will no doubt return to spend more time in the region, however in terms of achieving the goals of the trip it worked well, with time spent in key destinations, interspersed with simple “A to B” travel with stops to provide breaks and explore as opportunity arose.
The heritage of the long period during which these countries were under the influence (control) of the Soviet Union is apparent, to various degrees. The Czech Republic and Hungary have developed commercial and social opportunities to the point that the Soviet period is more or less invisible, Poland has made progress in this sense, Romania still shows evidence of movement away from its Soviet past, and Bulgaria has made least progress. This is a gross generalisation of course, and there’s a big difference between the appearance of Sofia and the reality of the rural areas in Bulgaria, however it’s not hard to find decaying buildings as well as major restoration everywhere we went, particularly in Romania and Bulgaria. It’s evident that membership of the European Union has been helpful in this process.
Getting there and back
We flew via Frankfurt, introducing David and Luz to the joys of Frankfurt airport; on our outbound route we were diverted to Amsterdam for bad weather, however made it to FRA only a couple of hours later than planned. We had an overnight stop in Frankfurt, and stayed close to the airport. We had planned to head into town for the evening, however the late arrival reduced the time available and to our amazement when we were leaving for the ‘bus we met Lucho and Janeth, just arriving at the same hotel, and so simply stayed there for dinner and enjoyed their company and conversation. The following day’s flight to Prague was uneventful.
The return trip was also uneventful, although the flight reminded us of how exhausting it now is to travel long haul, wearing facemasks throughout.
Getting around
We hired an estate car for the trip; we were fortunate to be upgraded to a Mercedes C-class Combi, which was a diesel hybrid. This proved comfortable, capable, quiet, and astonishingly frugal – fuel consumption was 5.0 L/100 km, giving a range of 1500 km, or up to four countries between filling up.
We used trams in a few cities, which it’s good to see continue to be the main means of transport. Finding out how to obtain tickets was amusing…
Prague
Our time in the Czech Republic was mainly in Prague – on our way to Warsaw and on our way back from Budapest via Bratislava we saw nothing of the country other than what can be seen from the highway. Prague itself is beautiful, and the weather was a mix however we had one sunny day which gave the opportunity to enjoy the views from Buda and to walk the streets in comfort. We were joined by Luz’s nephew Andrés from Berlin on our return and it was good to explore the town with him. The iconic Castle, Charles Bridge, and Main Plaza with its clock were all visited, along with the old Jewish Cemetery and synagogues, as well as simply wandering the town and riverside. We visited the National Gallery, the Mucha exhibition at Obnecní Dum, Prague Market, and also the excellent Contemporary Art Gallery – DOX.
Wrocław
We stopped here on the way to Warsaw, enjoying the old town and sampling pirogies at Pub Beatka.
Warsaw
We stayed at a place on Nowy Świat which proved very convenient to the old town, top which we could walk in 15 minutes or so. The reconstruction of this area, completely destroyed in World War II recreates a beautiful city centre, with restaurants and cafés, along with a lot of souvenir shops. The Royal Palace and Warsaw Museum were interesting and well worth the visit. We wandered the old town, finding something of note on every corner.
We breakfasted at the iconic Bristol Café both mornings, which was a great start to the day, and dined one evening, for convenience, at Tokyo Sushi where we were looked after by Maria from Medellín (something about globalisation in this), and also at Enoteca Warszawska which proved excellent.
Auschwitz
On our way to Krakow we went to Auschwitz, arriving in grey rain, and spent three hours there. It’s difficult to talk about the experience of this crime against humanity, draining the soul with the enormity of what happened, and reflecting on how it was possible and how to prevent repetition, although sadly subsequent history in Cambodia and Rwanda, to name only two, show that this hope remains fragile. We noted, as Alan had when visiting Belsen years ago, that no birds can be heard there…
Krakow
We arrived in Krakow in ouring rain, which continued into the following morning, however adequately clad and “umbrellad” we headed out to explore this beautiful city, the old capital of Poland. We walked the streets, spent time in Wawel Cathedral and the Castle, visited the Old Town Square and the market, and found an excellent hat shop - Szapo Hats – where we acquired suitable headgear.
Orawka, Vlkolínec, and Tarcal
On our way to the Tokaj region of Hungary we stopped at St John’s church in Orawka, which we had had no awareness of prior to seeing it at the roadside. The lady looking after it, despite limited common language, showed us around and on our departure kindly gave us guidebooks to the region in Spanish.
Vlkolínec is a UNESCO world heritage site in Northern Slovakia and which remains a traditional rural village, in which the museums display implements, instruments (the curator showed us how to play the fujara), and a variety of items from the region. We wandered around the village enjoying the quiet setting, and also had a pleasant and unhurried lunch.
We stayed that night in Tarcal, enjoying an outstanding wine-tasting (including a sample of the high-octane brandy made at the winery where we stayed the night.
Sighișoara
Our next day’s travel took us across the Romanian border, where despite Romania’s being in the EU it’s not in the Schengen Area so we had to go through Immigration and Customs formalities; the officials were friendly and it was a trouble-free process. We then continued to Carei, and visited Karolyi Castle before continuing to Sighișoara.
Sighișoara proved to be an interesting city; we stayed inside the old city walls, and walked the cobbled streets, enjoying the exhibitions in the Blacksmith Tower and in the Clock Tower, and coffee, lunch, and dinner in a variety of places offering local food in warm surroundings.
Brașov
This was an intermediate stop on our way to Bucharest (București); we found an excellent café - Tâmplārie - with friendly people who helped us sort out how to pay for parking, and then explored the old Town Square and the Black Church, with further stops at a bakery and again at Tâmplārie before continuing our journey. Brașov was a great stop – interesting history, friendly people, and a positive ambiance.
Bran Castle
This is the place which has been identified as inspiring Bram Stoker in writing “Dracula”. Stoker never visited Romania, and the connection is tenuous, however the castle is widely described as “Dracula’s Castle”. It’s worth noting that although this connection is noted, at the castle itself there is no claim of its being any more than what it is, the historical home of the Saxons who built it, then a variety of others, and finally Marie of Romania, her daughter Ileana, and after the period of the communist regime, Dominic von Habsburg, son of Ileana. The castle is largely devoted to Marie and Ileana and both are fascinating ladies whose history is for from ordinary.
Bucharest
Parking proved a challenge however we finally found a spot, settled into our accommodation, and then explored the city. The tree-lined avenue leading to the Parliament Palace is attractive, and it’s apparently a requirement for there to be a wedding dress shop every 20 metres. We found some good places for coffee, lunch, and dinner, and walked extensively in the centre of the old town. Specifics included Biserica Parohiei Rāzvan, Mānāstirea Stavropoleos, Goldsmiths’ Church, the Interior Ministry, and the Atheneum. The layout of the city is reminiscent of Vienna, with circles around the centre and radial roads in all directions.
Sofia
Our next stop was to be Sofia, we headed south and crossed into Bulgaria at the main border crossing, with hundreds of trucks lined up for what is presumably a laborious process. Cars are permitted to pass via a separate line and the crossing was not time-consuming. SHortley after entering Bulgaria we headed off the highway to visit the Rock-hewn churches of Ivanovo, set in a canyon among beautiful wooded hills. This, along with Vlkolínec, was one of the few places on the trip in which we were away from urban areas or highways and it was, literally, a breath of fresh air. The church which is open for visits is high in the canyon wall, originally accessible only via ladders, however now accessible via a good path, with rock steps leading down after the church itself.
We then returned to the highway, experiencing Bulgarian roads, which are slow going – one passes hundreds of towns and villages with speed limits of 40 or 50 km//h, which is reasonable enough to protect the inhabitants, obviously, however it does take a while to cover any distance.
Sofia itself proved attractive – we were fortunate to be there for Independence Day, seeing celebratory speeches and music in the street. We stayed in the Hotel Balkan, shared with the President’s Palace, and found it easy to get to the Nevsky Cathedral, the St Sophia church, with an excellent exhibition of the history of the church, and the Russian Church; there were several stalls selling flea market items and artisan weaving, and we acquired some items. The National Gallery and the Palace National Art Gallery were unfortunately closed, however the Sofia City Art Gallery was open and we found the exhibition well worth visiting. In the morning, after watching the changing of the palace guard, we left to head back into Romania, this time into the west of the country.
Timișoara
We crossed the Balkan Mountains, stopping at the village of Barzia where a small shop was open selling traditional clothing and bought a textile belt and a sheepskin hat. The border formalities were efficient and we continued into Romania, heading for an overnight stop at Baile Herculane, chosen to break the long journey to Timișoara. This town, a ribbon of homes and hotels in a narrow valley exists owing to the hot springs, enjoyed since Roman times, and allegedly by Hercules, of whom there are several statues. Much of the town is under renovation, and is a mix of 19th century architecture and communist era concrete hotels. It was really enjoyable to relax in the hot pool at our BnB on this overnight stop.
On our arrival at Timișoara we initially visited the Revolution Memorial Museum, since access to our BnB would not be until later. This proved interesting, and recalls the revolution which overthrew the Ceaușescu Regime, and which started in this city. We then found a place to park and walked into the centre, enjoying a coffee in Union Square while waiting for the keys to our BnB. The centre of the city has several large plazas, linked with wide pedestrian streets, and lined with cafés and restaurants. We enjoyed the Art Museum, with an Oskar Szuhanek exhibition and explored the cathedrals, of several denominations. There was a night market with live music in one plaza (looking onto which was our BnB) and a much more significant concert and market in another, with wine-tasting booths in both. The city proved to be attractive, lively, and a positive surprise.
Budapest
Our next destination meant crossing into Hungary, successfully finding a detour via minor roads to avoid a traffic jam on the highway, and arriving in Budapest mid-afternoon. We went first to the National Gallery, since it was raining heavily, and enjoyed dinner overlooking the river and parliament building. The famous chain bridge was closed for maintenance so we took trams more than we had expected, however this itself proved enjoyable, and we were able to take the funicular to reach Buda Hill one day. We had intended to visit the main synagogue, however it was closed for Rosh Hashana. We visited the amazing Central Market, walked the old town in both Pest and Buda, exploring the Fisherman’s Bastion and the castle walls.
Bratislava
Our next destination was Prague, however we arranged the travel day to have time in Bratislava on the way. We walked the old town and visited the cathedral, walking the walls and ascending to the castle. We then continued to Prague, where we spent the last 3 days before heading home (see above for details).
Statistics
We visited 6 countries in 20 days, and spent 2 more days flying to and from Prague.
We covered 4169 km in 16 days, so 260 km/day which is far more than our usual 170 km/day, although similar to our average in Canada this year. We had planned 253 km/day so were more or less as expected, however.
Hugs
Alan and Marce
Photos may be used for non-commercial purposes with creedit to alanymarce@gmail.com
