Why the trip to Brașov? I had some personal stuff to do: you don’t do tourism for half a day.
Florentina, my friend, who happens to be a girl, took time off from work to come with me, to be sure that I don’t do too many stupid things, as I was on my second day in Romania and my body and my brain behaved as if it was still in Arizona. My little brain has been acting crazy lately, especially in the last year, so I had to be watched closely.
The ride to Brasov
We arrived there by train in 2 hours and 30 minutes on a Friday, fast and safe. We tried to avoid the congestion. We knew from reports that, on Fridays, the traffic on the Prahova Valley roads is bumper to bumper, and through the resorts it’s even worse: like a parking lot, nothing moves.
The reason that we took the train instead of driving had nothing to do with the fact that I no longer drive in Romania (since one guy hit me from behind because I neglected to run a red light – I rented a whole car from Avis, but brought only back half of it), and Florentina didn’t seem too eager to drive, either, she being a globetrotter with a lot of experience, but I think in terms of driving, she tends to avoid it. Everyone complains about trains in Romania not keeping their schedule, but the train we took came and left on time. We even bought tickets in first class, just because we could. Half an hour from Bucharest, on the way back, we discovered that second class actually had better seats.
On the road along Prahova Valley, the Bucegi Mountains, untouched by all the dramas of the world, looked just as majestic as always.
Reflexion 
The youngest chief station ever
Poiana Brasov
… just because we had some time to kill. Although almost anything can be said about time spent there, but that it was wasted time? No.
To get there, we took the bus, 10 lei for a ticket. To go back, 8 lei for a ticket. Why? Nobody knows. It is the well-kept secret of Brașov.
Poiana is a resort open all year round, but the right time to go is actually in the winter (believe me, I’ve been there, I’ve skied there, I’ve spent wild and fun weeks, eeee…educational, in my student years). Now, at the end of September, even though it was the off-season, there were a few tourists, many mountain bikers, and a few restaurants open, so we went to Șura Dacilor, a very touristy place: very, very old and with a good reputation. Honestly, I’ve wanted to go there ever since I can remember, but I haven’t had the chance until now, and I was really curious.
Was the food good or were we hungry? I don’t know, but in any case, we ate everything with great pleasure. A tripe soup and hunter’s mititei (a traditional Romanian dish of grilled minced meat, also known as mici), all washed down with quince palinca (traditional Romanian fruit brandy, made from a variety of fruits, including plums, apricots, pears, apples, and quince, typically distilled twice and with a high alcohol content). Here we became acquainted with a new custom, one that we then encountered at all restaurants in Bucharest: the bill was paid by card, the tip in cash. For “tax reasons, you understand, sir.”
After so many years since I last visited Poiana, I was happy to see the old, renovated hotels and new hotels and guest houses, although a bit too many, if we’re going to be honest. We had fun and harshly criticized a nameless entrepreneur who built a guest house right next to the bus stop. We wondered who would possibly want to stay there, but when we passed by, we saw that, clearly, he had the most customers.
The great City of Brașov – Kronstadt
Even though I have spent many vacations there at my aunt and uncle’s house, the city never ceases to amaze me. In the Council Square, the one next to the Black Church, we ran into some street performers. They were singing and dancing like crazy. Actually, they were singing more, but they were also dancing.
View of Council Square from Republic Street. Brașov has always had a more Western feel than Bucharest. This is likely due to a number of factors, including Brașov’s location in the historical region of Transylvania, which was influenced by Western European culture for centuries.
And then some pictures from an inner courtyard, something related to the church, like a parish house, with signs in two languages, because that’s how Romanians are: considerate. As I said earlier, I’ve been to Brașov many, many times, and I have many, many photos. This post and the following ones from this Romanian trip in 2023 contain only photos taken this year.
That’s about it from Brașov, it was a very full, yet very beautiful half day.
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Nea Fane - Un Biet Român Pripășit în America / A Hapless Romanian Stuck in The US 