Romania

Viscri fortified church from 1200's. It is the scariest building to climb up, but worth it for the views

Sibiu at the "big Square" looking at the council building

Peles Castle in Sinia. Created in 1880's especially for the Royal family. It is a truly amassing building. One tourist thought is made Versailles look shabby.

Well my time in Romania is coming to an end. I have one more night in Sinia and then a night in the capital Bucharest and then I'm outta here for Bulgaria. While I did not know too much about Romania before coming I feel I do now. It is really a country of changing environments and sociatial views. Every place I have been to so far is very different. In Sinai for example the buildings have a Scandinavian feel, while out in Sibiu it all feels very modern (even with 600 year old buildings).

So again rather than the blow by blow of my trip here are some things I have noticed or been thinking about.

The Romanian people here are on average very short. It is a nice change not to feel like a midget. It is also proving very helpful under very low doorways and ceilings.

The language here is based on Latin (unsurprisingly) with the country's name. In general it is easy to interpret the written language as a lot of it sounds similar. I however continue to give myself a pat on the back for working it all out. One of the jokes at the moment is based on my height and understanding of written Romanian that maybe there is some Romanian in me...

I have been told on several occasions not to read too much into people here not smiling or looking happy as it is a through back of Communism which feel in 1989. I have however found that for those under 30 this is certainly not the case. The people appear to be very affectionate to each other especially partners and at times you want to tell them to get a room etc. Waiting staff however do not fill into this category and are often grumpy. However it is still expected to give them at 10% tip.

The coulour yellow is dominant everywhere still as is the colour white in clothes. also on the clothes note, there is a lot of what NZder's would call slutty clothes being sold here. no one in the group feels comfortable in buying any of the clothes. This country is also very comfortable with ultra short shorts and shirts. It may be sounding old fashioned or judgemental, but in all honesty, here brings a new dimension to short shorts and mini skirt.

Drinking is not a big thing in Romania. They have little issues with alcoholism and drunked behaviour. While there are a lot of bars here and many start drinking early, they don't do so in excess. Women rarely drink and if they do it is only about one. The problem is so small that while there is a drinking age of 18 here it is not enforced. If a young child buys alcohol it is just expected they are getting it for their parents etc.

Smoking is very big here and it appears everyone over the age of 20 does it. Though there is also a lot of younger people doing it also. It is not uncommon to see people smoking while working.

Drivers do not understand cyclist. I learnt this the scary way in Sibiu when a rent a bike for the day. What makes the whole experience more scary is you don't wear helmets. Drivers are able to give way to horse and carts but not bikes. Though you are on the right of right they still expect you to go further right and full off the road. Then there is them constantly tooting at you and then there are cars passing cars while passing you and another car is coming towards them from the other side.