Sibiu
We arrived in Sibiu early evening. It is very close to the start of The Transfagarasan Highway which we were going to do the following day.
The Transfagarasan Highway is a mountainous road named ‘the best road in the world’ by Jeremy Clarkson and Top Gear.
Sibiu is in Southern Transylvania and it has a beautiful old town. It dates back to the middle ages. Around the city you can see the remains of medieval walls and towers, including the 13th Century Council Tower.
Because we arrived early evening in Sibiu we didn’t really get to see much of the town. The photo above is of The Palace of Justice which is actually an abandoned building!
We were recommended to go to a restaurant by some friends who had been to Romania a few months before us.
The restaurant was called Crama Sibiul Vechi https://g.co/kgs/qBU1anS and was very traditional. It was actually in a basement. It’d definitely worth visiting if you are in Sibiu. The cup I’m holding is actually a a cup of wine and is very full!
Transfăgărășan Highway
The Transfăgărășan Highway or DN7C is a famous mountain road, traversing the Southern Carpathians in Romania. Stretching over 90 kilometres (56 miles), it winds through breathtaking landscapes, including lush forests, towering cliffs, and serene lakes. Constructed between 1970 and 1974, the highway was originally built as a strategic military route but has since become a popular tourist attraction.
One of the most notable features of the Transfăgărășan is its impressive engineering, boasting a series of sharp hairpin turns and tunnels that cut through the rugged terrain, reaching an altitude of over 2,000 metres (6,600 feet) at its highest point. The road offers spectacular panoramic views, making it a favourite among driving enthusiasts, photographers, and travellers. It was featured on the UK Top Gear TV show with Jeremy Clarkson and he named it ‘the best road in the world’
During the summer months, the highway attracts countless visitors who come to experience its scenic beauty and challenging twists and turns. However, due to its high elevation and treacherous conditions, the Transfăgărășan is often closed during the winter months. It actually only opens for 4 months of the year. We were really lucky to be in Romania during these 4 months
The Transfăgărășan Highway passes by several notable landmarks, including the stunning Vidraru Dam and Lake Vidraru. There are many places to stop and look at the views and take photographs along the way. Some of the stops were quite crowded and parking was difficult even though we left early in the morning to allow for this.
So the pressing question, “Did The Transfăgărășan Highway live up to all the hype?”
In our humble opinion “No!” But that does not mean it wasn’t good. We just felt that there was so much hype surrounding it probably because of ‘Top Gear’ and Jeremy Clarkson, that we kind of expected more. If you get the chance to go we would still say go, and definitely start early as it was getting very busy when we got to the end of it.
Trovants-The Living Rocks of Romania
These rocks are found in a small village called Contesti .
Trovants are spherical and slightly irregular shaped rocks that grow and move! Scientists believe that based on their make up that they are older than man!
Another strange thing about them is they secrete cement, on this basis some think they are not just rocks but creatures.
When trovants absorb the rain’s minerals, the minerals come in contact with the chemicals already present in the stone and cause a reaction that makes the rocks grow. It is not something that can be seen as researchers believe the deposition rate is 4-5 centimetres every 1000 years! This is also what causes the Trovant to ‘reproduce’. When a new growth bauble emerges it is from water only affecting one side of the rock. Once big enough it can break off from the ‘parent ‘rock and create baby trovants.
You may have noticed in an earlier post that we went to look for these trovants a bit earlier on in our Romanian trip but ended up in the ‘wrong Contesti”
We decided to give it another go.
Did we find them?
Yes but we are still not convinced we saw all of them although we did look around the immediate area but not the whole area as it looked like there were walks around the area that would take around 2 hours. We decided against the walk as it was still very hot. The trovants are protected as Trovants Museum National Reserve was was developed in 2004 and is now protected by UNESCO
Just in case you are wondering if it is worth going to see the trovants, I would say yes if you are near to them but maybe don’t go out of your way. As usual though that is just our opinion and you may think differently.
This was our final stop in Romania before finally leaving and heading into Serbia.
Our next post will be all about Serbia.
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Our Life on the Road 
Have enjoyed your trip to Romania and will look forward to coming along the ride in Serbia. That windy road you went on actually looked Les’s windy than the road we were on yesterday. That would have to have been the scaredest I have ever been, particularly when the fog was so thick you could hardly see the road.
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I totally get that. We once went up a mountain road in Cape Verde and there was no visibility at all it was so foggy and very scared
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