Exploring the last Romanian narrow gauge logging railway
The photo story of my exploration of the Viseu de Sus logging railway can be round here
Read More Exploring the last Romanian narrow gauge logging railwayTag: Romania
Enlaka
August In the village of Enlaka in Hungarian-speaking Romania you feel you should whisper it’s so quiet. Feeling like a benign alien, unable to communicate.Like an advance scout for the tourist massive. Not many English visitors get this far. Most are Hungarians wallowing in the loss of their historic homeland. The deep rustic Hungary they no longer […]
Read More EnlakaTransylvania to London by Train
1,800 kilometres of rail travel from Transylvania to London by train. Enter a trance state – addicitve – as Europe roles by. From crumbling platforms and clapped out second hand trains in Romania the trains progressively speed up and the economy solidifies into prosperity. The edge disappears. The golden fields unspool into the mountains and […]
Read More Transylvania to London by TrainBorsec part two: places to stay – or not
Don’t think the Nostalgia villa was taking guests but I would recommend the Anna Villa. One of the most traditional wooden Villas still standing and open to guests. Very friendly and welcoming host. The dis-used Hotel Transylvania is not taking guests anymore. Though you could wander around it. Creepy like The Shining. I heard a […]
Read More Borsec part two: places to stay – or notThe gentle ruination of a spa town called Borsec – part one
Borsec (Borszek) was once the most fashionable and elegant spa resorts in the Austro-Hungarian empire. It’s clear clean air, it’s magnificent position in the fairytale Carpathian landscape, and the reputation of its waters – led to the development of a leafy garden resort of bath houses, restaurants and pavilions, as well as 72 elegant beautiful […]
Read More The gentle ruination of a spa town called Borsec – part oneI had a strange dream…
I dreamt I was on a bus as it went down and down a long tunnel deep beneath a hill. Down into a cavernous saltmine. And when I got there, there was hundreds and hundreds of people down there. Playing table tennis and badminton. Eating picnics. There were sandpits, swings and helterskelters…
Read More I had a strange dream…Oradea Part Three
Like many Romanian cities, in Oradea the atmosphere is relaxed and the economy is on the up. But Oradea’s ghosts at the table are the Synagogues. Recent travels in central and eastern Europe have brought home the holocaust in a way that somehow I wasn’t expecting. You know about the camps but visiting cities where […]
Read More Oradea Part ThreeOradea Part Two
If you are visiting Oradea you can stay at the (very) faded original Art Nouveau ‘Park Hotel’ for a handful of lei…
Read More Oradea Part TwoOradea Part One
The city of Oradea in Northern Romania has the most exuberent and extensive surviving Art Nouveau cityscape in the former Austro-Hungarian empire. This last extravagent flourish of belle epoque has survived not just in the main square but out into the side streets. The anti-glamour of the eastern bloc flat blocks mass and glower at […]
Read More Oradea Part One
Enchanted Isle 