To say today was a great day is an understatement. We rolled out of Bran at 8am on the dot and headed back to Rasnov to meet up with the 73A which was the road we would take for the majority of the day. The weather was on our side this morning, although there was still a chill in the air. We turned onto the 73A and followed a train line up to the base of the only climb for the day. The road took us through pristine rainforests for about 30kms. With trees overhanging each side of the road protecting us from the sun and very little traffic, we were having the time of our lives on the bike. Once we got out of the forests the road opened up to farming areas and small villages.
We rode through many villages stopping for the occasional coffee and a chat with the locals. Each time we stopped we were greeted with open arms by young and old. I was just blown away with the hospitality of the Romanians. I heard bad things about gypsies and the Romanians prior to the tour, the ones we've met have been incredibly special people.
Today we reached the 1000km mark on the tour, and this was reached in the town of Sinca Veche. I pulled over first to set up the tripod and camera whilst waiting for the others to turn up. No sooner had I set up my gear and the locals turned up, and the young children. The 2 photos above was taken at the 1000km mark with Peter, Maurice, Mary and some of the local children. The one finger means 1000kms down, and more to come. I don't think we could ever had envisaged the 1000km milestone would have turned out so special.
Just as we were packing up the camera the lady holding the happy child above wanted us to have coffee with her. So out came the coffee and we sat down with all the children and elders having coffee. Mary gave the children a souvenir of koala's from back home.
The photo above was taken during our 1000km celebration with more of the local Romanians. If you look into eyes you can see these people are happy with their lives. I felt honored to have shared a small moment in time with this family.
The photo above was one of the boys who joined in on the celebrations.
The photo above was taken at morning tea in a small village on the road to Carta, Romania. We pushed on after lunch riding through village after village waving at all the elders sitting down with their mates, no doubt talking about their simple lives. Romania is yet another highlight on this tour.
By the 80km mark we reached the major highway which runs to the Hungarian border, a road that we'll have to follow in parts for the next couple of days. We've been told to keep off this road because it's a major thoroughfare for long haul trucking through eastern Europe. Tonight we'll go over the options of the best way to reach Hungary.
The No.1 highway had a narrow shoulder to ride on, and the trucks didn't give us much room at all. At one stage a truck came so close to Maurice it nearly brushed his pannier bags. I don't need this pressure during a ride. We continued on the highway and finally found the turn off to Carta. We rolled into town and found the camping site. For a small fee, we found a nice place to pitch our tents just before the heavens decided to unleash it's fury upon 4 old tired cyclists.
Once the storm had passed we walked to the corner store to purchase some food for dinner. We bought enough for a couple of sandwiches and some milk for cereal. The bananas were too green and far to hard to eat tomorrow, so as soon as we hit the main road we'll be looking to buy some food for the day.
The photo above is of Peter's speedo showing how far we've travelled thus far on tour.
Tomorrow we're heading for the town of Sebes, located on the dangerous No.1 highway.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
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