Braşov to Viscri - now in the Dacia Jogger

Credit to the Sixt team in Braşov who set me up with an upgrade for the rest of my trip through Romania. Main objective with the car swap was to have functioning windshield wiper fluid in the wintry driving conditions. Bonus was getting a nice Dacia Jogger wagon. I haven't driven a wagon since 1992 when I worked for Nard's Rock & Roll Review's Boston franchise, where the work vehicle was an old Volare wagon. This Jogger rode nicely. Also fun to drive a wagon with a manual transmission.

After getting the new car I headed back over to the old town for a bit of work in the apartment. Caught the municipality putting up the Christmas tree on the walk from the parking lot to my apartment.

No other photo evidence of that last night in Braşov. As I recall it was likely a take-away meal from Mega Image (this became a trend in Romania). I did grab a shot of the Jogger the following morning in the lot with the Braşov sign up on the hill in the distance (can you see it?) and then got out of town.

Next destination was Viscri, for a quick look before ultimately spending more time in Sighisoara. The drive was mostly scenic. Grey, snow covered, rural / agricultural.

Then I arrived in Viscri itself. It was early-ish Saturday morning. And it was quiet.

Parked the Jogger and walked around a bit.

I was happy to find this public bathroom was in fact open despite all visible evidence to the contrary. And I did leave my 2 Lei contribution in gratitude of its availability.

I did not actually get up close to the fortified church since everything was undoubtedly closed for the hour / day / season. But I did snag a landscape shot on my way out of town.

Braşov and Bran Castle (Romania, November 2024)

On my second day in Braşov last November the focus was twofold. Get an overview of the old town in the center. Then head out to Bran Castle.

The city was beautiful, dressed in the recent snow.

After the tour of the center, we drove out to Bran. I was not really looking forward to it. Bran is marketed as 'Dracula's Castle'. But the connections to Vlad the Impaler are very loose. And the aspects of the sight that focus on that tenuous link are without a doubt the corniest part of the day. I'm glad I was there in November, as my guide told me it was relatively uncrowded. He said during the summer it can be outrageous. He also did a good job giving me the back story of Queen Marie, who has legit and significant ties to the castle, which made it much more interesting for me.

Setting was dramatic. Again, like my visit to Peleş, the season and weather really benefited the experience. But if I was here during a different time of year, I'd bypass this and spend more time exploring other parts of the countryside.

Saturday slices in la CDMX

Still getting used to having free time on Saturdays. I'm about 4 or 5 weeks into the new schedule where we have someone working in our shop for us on Saturday. As always, day starts with a dog walk. And yes, Mia needs a light sweater. Temps in the low 50s in the early am here. And Mia weighs about 9 lbs. So Judy bundles her up before the morning stroll.
Later, on the way to the gym, I snapped a shot of Comida Casera Angie. Judy refuses to try it. They actually get pretty busy during weekday lunch hours.

After the gym we grabbed lunch at Hilo Negro. This place opened within the last 3 months or so. Solid pizza. Today we tried the hamburguesa (not pictured because I forgot) and the dedos de queso mozzarella, which were great. Tasty marinara. The naranjada was delicious, too. Hope they get support from the neighbors stay open. We're doing our part.

Our walk home takes us by this house. I dig it. Simultaneously nondescript and groovy. Maybe it's the topiary.

And then the mobile barber shop that has set up shop in the past 6 months or so maybe.

Braşov- the drive from Peleş and first night's walkabout

The drive from Peleş to Braşov was beautiful in the snow. Unfortunately, it was also a bit stressful because the Dacia Logan I picked up from the Sixt offices in Bucharest had faulty windshield washing pumps or hoses or something. I couldn't clean the windshield. The picture above is the first place where I pulled over to hand clean the glass. I think I stopped 2 to 3 more times along the way. I was worried I was some kind of idiot unable to figure out how to actually activate the fluid. Found out later that it was indeed a faulty system and I changed cars in Braşov. But that's for a later post.

Eventually I made it to Braşov and found some parking in a paid lot. Found my booking.com apartment (The "Bear's Den" - good spot I'd stay at again), , dropped the bags, and started walking around. I later learned that my arrival coincided with the first snow of the year. Which was followed by a bit of a warm up. And then a freeze. So I was navigating through a few inches of slush to the apartment. Then over frozen slush later on. Tricky. But pretty.

The whole center of town is full of nice shops and restaurants. This one caught my eye. Sharp. My fasion knowledge is nill, but I'd guess it's a contemporary take on traditional regional style. From a bit of a distance the store window stood out dramatically in dark.

Took stock of the landmarks around the park on the north side of city center.

Then worked my way back to Council Square and the surroundings. Caught the beginning of Christmas Market set up.

After a good loop getting my bearings I packed up for the night. Touring on the calendar in the morning.