Friday 13th July 2018
Today is all about the Transfagarasan mountain road. It was built on the orders of Nicolae Ceaușescu the communist head of state in 1974 as a military route over the Carpathians.
Now it is a major tourist attraction. The highest point is at the north end where it rises to over 2000 metres. Sadly the road surface has deteriorated since our last visit four years ago. It is very bumpy and uneven so is not a road to be ridden very fast except in the short stretches that have been recently resurfaced.
However the views are so spectacular that fast riding is not really the thing for this road. The series of bends and hairpins up from the north side provides some of the most photogenic road scenes I have ever seen, rivalling Stelvio for the awesome engineering feats and stunning vistas here.
 |
| The road up to Bâlea Lake at the northern end |
It is a misty morning when we start the climb up from the hotel. The sun is trying hard to break through and by the time we reach the summit the southern side is in bright sunshine. It’s damn cold though.
 |
| A misty morning start |
 |
| Not much traffic about early in the morning |
As the sun comes out we swoop down from the high point into The valley of the River Capra. Above the tree line the views are amazing.
 |
| Down the south slopes |
 |
| Looking south |
After a great day riding THE road we make our way down and to the town of Sibiu about 30 miles from the start of the Transfagarasan.
Serendipity strikes again as we park up near the centre to get our bearings. There is a little boutique hotel just in front of us with three German registered touring bikes parked in the narrow alley down the side. This is the Pensiunea Chic and they have one room left, a twin. We book in immediately to this converted 15th century house and it is lovely.
Sibiu was the European capital of culture in 2007 and is quite beautiful. But more of this in the next page. It deserves a page of its own.
Comments
Post a Comment