Brasov – Day 2: Râşnov Fortress, Bran Castle, and the Transfăgărăşan Highway

Well that is a day I’m not eager to repeat! It started out fine under partly sunny skies at 7:00 am. I did a brief drive through the town of Rasnov to get a look at the Râşnov Fortress. I knew the fortress was closed for renovation, but I could at least shoot a couple photos of the hilltop bastion. So far so good!

Then it was just a 15 minute drive south to the town of Bran, home of the famous Bran Castle, often referred to as, “Dracula’s Castle!” The 90 minute guided tour was excellent and my photos and notes of the visit are coming tomorrow in another post (too late getting back).

After leaving Dracula behind, it was to be a 2+ hour drive to access the amazing Transfăgărăşan Highway. The Transfăgărășan is a spectacular road in Romania, approximately 95 miles long, that crosses the Făgăraș Mountains, connecting the south of Romania with Transylvania in the north. It is known for its numerous switchbacks, impressive mountain landscapes and attractions along the route, such as Lake Bâlea, the Bâlea Waterfall, and the Vidraru Dam.

Well, it was a drive that should have taken me a total of 4-5 hours to get back to Brasov where I was staying. And it was spectacular…until I was more than half way through the mountains…and the road was suddenly closed! Too much snow overnight just beyond my stopping point. Sooooo, I had to turn around and backtrack to Brasov. I had expected to be back in town about 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon. It ended up being 8:00 pm! Good dang thing that the scenery was beautiful, but I finished with a 13 hour day, and more than ten hours of that driving. Whew!

And…it seems like 75% of the roads in Romania are being constructed, being repaired, or intermittently closing for one reason or another. On my exceedingly long driving day, I must have stopped for one way traffic to pass at least 20 times! Sometimes a minute, but often 2-3 minutes wait.