Guest Post – EurotrekeR: “I think the big attraction in Romania is Transylvania and its legends.”

What makes Romania beautiful in all my travels are not only the places, the attractions or the beautiful landscapes. What makes all the time Romania beautiful when you travel are the people you meet travelling, the wonderful cultural experiences you get when you know foreign people in your country and of course, the bound that makes you to share stories when you know someone is reading you at thousands and thousands of miles away, wanting someday to be there, in your country, part of your story.

I met EurotrekeR when I moved to UK, so from the point of view of a foreign traveller I proposed him to share his stories with me. He visited many places in Romania, but only one was for him the best in my country.

Richard Woodhead is a 37 years old traveller, living in the beautiful city of Derby,  laying on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire. Passioned about Europe, culture, new adventures and places to visit, Richard came several times to Romania. I wanted to find out from him what he liked in Romania and why.

So Richard sent me in the most wonderful places in Romania through his own eyes, not forgetting to point out about Sinaia, the town that he liked most and felt in love with. Why?! You can read the interview above. 🙂

– How many times you’ve been to Romania and when you first heard about our country?

EurotrekeR: “This was my first time in Romania. As a young child I was always interested in Geography. My Grandfather bought me my first World Atlas when I was 9 years old. I would spend hours looking through it, especially around Europe. I decided that I would visit every Capital City in Europe so it was inevitable that one day I would come to Bucharest and of course Romania. Then of course you learn about the legend of Dracula.”

– Which were the things that attracted you the most? 

EurotrekeR: “Communism, Architecture, Infrastructure, Transport, History, Bran Castle, Transylvania, Peleș Castle.”

– You knew anything about Romania before visiting (history, culture, economics)?

EurotrekeR: “Yes of course, I was aware of Vlad the Impaler but learnt more about him on the Walkabout Tours. Dracula’s Castle and its legend and the fall of Communism and how the building of the Palace of the Parliament affected the local people.”

– When you visited Sinaia last time? 

EurotrekeR: “This was my first time.”

– What attractions did you liked most? 

EurotrekeR: “Râșnov Fortress and of course the view. Would also recommend the free walkabout tours in Brasov and Bucharest.”

– What types of people you met while being in Romania? 

EurotrekeR: “So, I met a young girl and a lady on the train from Sibiu to Bucharest and we were talking for hours. On the tours in Brașov and Bucharest I met people from all over the world, England, Germany, Australia, USA and Israel.”

– You believe Romania is worth visiting? Why? 

EurotrekeR: “For me yes of course, Romania is a totally safe country and I experienced no hostilities from anyone in fact, quite the opposite. I found the people to be absolutely charming and friendly and so pleased that somebody from England was visiting their country of which they are very proud. So, the people, the rugged Transylvanian mountains are stunning, plenty of castles and fortresses to keep one captivated and the towns of Brașov, Bran, Sibiu and Sinaia are all beautiful and inspiring. I had a rather tight schedule of only five days including travelling so, I would’ve liked to have visited Timișoara and Sighișoara, but unfortunately there wasn’t enough time but definitely next time for sure.”

– What do you think about Romanian tourism? Which are the things you would improve? 

EurotrekeR: “Once I had booked my trip to Romania I went online and googled the attractions to see what Romania had to offer for the tourists. There’s plenty of information available on the internet and the Tourist Information Centre’s once you arrive there are excellent. What I didn’t see prior to my visit was advertisements that would attract people to visit Romania from the UK.”

-If I refer only to Sinaia, which are the best attractions you think are worth to be promoted all over the world? 

EurotrekeR: “Well of course for me it would be Peleș Castle and also not forgetting Little Peleș Castle. Looking at the map around Sinaia that the lovely gentleman in the Tourist Information Centre gave to me I can see Ski Resorts are a plenty so, maybe this could attract more tourists to Sinaia.”

– You are also a blogger and a man passionate about travelling. How many articles you wrote about Romania?

EurotrekeR: “I’ve done quite a lot of travelling across Europe recently and this is the first time I’ve written an article about a place.”

–When will be your next visit and which are the new places that you want to discover? 

EurotrekeR: “I made a good friend on my visit to Romania so, I will definitely go back to see her maybe next year and she has told me a whole list of places to visit and also my own places like Timișoara and Sighișoara.”

– What about our traditional Romanian food? You tasted something while being in Romania? 

EurotrekeR: “Well unfortunately not. I had such a tight schedule that I tended to eat fast food and picnics on the go. I had places to eat recommended to me by Monika my tour guide around Bucharest but, only having about half a day to explore the city there was simply no time to sit and enjoy a meal. But, next time for sure.”

–Do you believe there are some similarities between Romania and UK? 

EurotrekeR: “Yes I do one thing I like to do when visiting a new city is take a tram out of the city to one of the end stations in the suburbs and just watch the local people and the world passing by. Similar to the UK the younger transport users are all on their mobile phones playing Candy Crush or listening to music to pass the time, whilst the older generation go about their business shopping and reading newspapers. If a tram is very busy I see younger people give up their seats for older people, this happens a lot in the UK but, also not so often.”

– Please send a message to all your British friends. Why they should visit Romania and which are your recommendations? 

EurotrekeR: “Romania is a beautiful country with beautiful people. You only have to look at my own pictures to see this. The scenery from a train window whilst it traverses through the Transylvanian countryside is simply awe inspiring. The rugged Carpathian snow-capped mountains, stunning Castles and Citadels conjures up memories of my childhood impressions of this vampire slaying fantasy. I think the big attraction to Romania is Transylvania and its legends, but dig a little deeper and you will see a special country with a rich history, a deep culture, vibrant cities, and stunning landscapes with wonderful people. Google ‘Romania’ and see for yourself!”

And I am 100% sure that Richard will be back to Romania to share with us other wonderful stories. By then, from his story we need to understand that Romania needs not only foreign people visiting, but to improve its own promotion of the main attractions. British people and not only them, love our country and want to be informed each time they come over, to understand our beautiful culture and history.

Be a Fairytale Traveller in Romania and watch a fairytale short video about some of the places you have to visit in your next trip – Sinaia, Râșnov, Bran are just a few places you won’t have to miss.

See you soon, travellers! 🙂

Fairytale Traveller