I usually don't have much spare time, so many of my wanderings through the country are actually bussiness trips. That's why I enjoy the ride itself at maximum.
Especially because I ride by train, which allows me to see some awesome sights. This had been a 3-day trip through 3 important cities - Timisoara, Cluj-Napoca and Targu Mures. Now that the bussiness was over, on June 28th 2008, it was time to return home to Bucharest.
The weather had been very nice along these 3 days, except for this moment when, waiting in the Targu Mures main railway station, the rain was pouring like hell.
The train, IC 540, was already in sight on track 4.
We left at 1 PM, just after the rain had stopped. A picture taken on the go, in the little railstation Dumbravioara.
A glimpse of Reghin (Sachsisch Regen), where they used to make wooden violins, guitars and tennis rackets. This old town's existence was first documented in 1228.
The train runs along the Mures river valley, one of the longest rivers on Romanian territory. The water sparkles in the sun, as the storm has already passed away.
Deda railstation.
Leaving from this town, the railtracks and the road enter into a canyon digged by the Mures river between the volcanic mountains of Calimani and Gurghiu, about 30 km long, responding to the town of Toplita on the other side.
The river leads the way through this path, as we are getting closer to its source.
The landscape is is awesome. However, this area doesn't get the attention and the touristic interest that it should get.
The canyon narrows very much near the Salard village, so there is no room to fit the electrified rail tracks near the road. Tunnels had to be digged through the mountains.
Calimani mountains have peaks with strange morphology, worth climbing.
And so, with such a scenery unveiling for the first time in front of my amazed eyes, we got near the end of the canyon. I have to excuse myself for the doubtful quality of some pictures, as they were done through the window and at train speed.
Stopping in Toplita, the other end of this fairytale.
Practical aspects :
You are here (courtesy of bikemap.net):
Transportation (courtesy of http://merstrenuri.ro):
- 60 km distance from Targu Mures, Mures county residence city
- 350 km distance from Bucharest, capital of Romania (DN 1 to Brasov, then E 578 - on road ; thoroughfare 400 by train :
IC 531/549
A 1641
Bucharest and Targu Mures are also linked by air.
Welcome !
Here you have the opportunity to see Romania somehow different from the way the travel agencies, the TV news or the internet shows it to you. This doesn't necessarily mean that they are not saying the truth, they rather don't show us the whole picture.
I like to travel, especially by train and bike (or using them both sometimes). I like to see special places of which this country is full, most of them hidden, unknown or unvalued.
So I'm going to try to show some of them to you.