I mentioned here before that I’m planning a trip to Transylvania. There are many things to that concern me: the language barrier, gypsies, unidentifiable foods, shaky accommodations, hepatitis, wild dogs, — and navigating the roads. I did find a helpful item with this very, very poor headline:
Driving in Romania – Crash Course
That sounds like a joke, but it isn’t. Here’s an excerpt from the website:
Please note that while driving on secondary roads you should always be very careful to traffic participants, although you might find some of them as being unconventional … While animal drawn carts may create an idilyc setting, they can also prove really annoying and dangerous especially during night time, when they are not signaled by any kind of lights and can be very difficult to see in traffic.
Horse drawn carts are not the only thing you need to look out for. There’s also the drunk problem. One little town recently installed these signs to warn motorists about drinkers who are stumbling around in the road or sleeping on the street.
Then there’s the problem of guys driving with their feet — like this Romanian truck driver who lost his license. And you thought people talking on their cell phones was bad.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfF95PjAG4Q&hl=en_US&fs=1&]
It’s official: Romania is the greatest country in the world.
Anthony Bourdain went there for an episode of “No Reservations” a couple of seasons ago. You should check that out for some ideas on places to stay far away from.
Rd: We watched that episode of No Reservations — and started to wonder if we were making a big mistake.
Why Romania?
Maria: Land of my wife’s parents. We may see a few of her cousins over there.