The Greatest Road Ever Made
Jeremy Clarkson said it was the greatest road ever made, so naturally, Rob wanted to test the hairpins of Romania's TransFagarasan Highway. We started our Transylvania loop in the 13th century town of Braşov, and enjoyed the activity in the ridiculously photogenic Piata Sfatului. People slurped on frappes and sucked down gelati under cafe umbrellas as rows of delightfully pastel buildings embraced the cobblestone square. The spires of the ominously gothic Black Church meanwhile, peered over the goings-on from nearby.
Before embarking on the TransFagarasan, Rob warmed up our trusty steed for the week, a pure white Renault Clio. The TransBucegi Highway (Route DJ 713) gave us a taste of the Transylvanian alps as we wound through Bucegi Natural Park, and reached an altitude of just under 2000m. But the 39km stretch was only a primer for the TransFagarasan Highway.
The TransFagarasan connects the centre to the south, and was designed to facilitate the movement of military vehicles over mountains that peak at Lake Balea, at an altitude of over 2000m. Motorcyclists were out in force, but not everyone was there for the drive. The occasional heavy vehicle or granny in a hatchback required patience on the narrow and windy roads. Then, there were those who were so interested in capturing their road trip on camera that little attention was paid to actually keeping the car on the lane! At Lake Balea, we stared down at where we had been and the hairpins that coasted up the sides of the valley emerged slowly from the parting clouds.
After a good night's sleep, we set off for the TransAlpina Highway, another winding mountain road parallel to the TransFagarasan, that would lead to our next destination, the ancient Saxon town of Sibiu. The road surface quality exceeded the TransFagarasan, and we thought the scenery was more stunning on this route too. We drove hours through dense pine forests, gaping valleys, grassed hills, and vast lakes from dammed rivers. The highway seemed to be showing off, trying to show up its more popular and famous rival. It was successful, changing our minds just which road was the greatest ever made. Sorry, Jeremy Clarkson.
Piata Sfatului was originally a marketplace.
Before embarking on the TransFagarasan, Rob warmed up our trusty steed for the week, a pure white Renault Clio. The TransBucegi Highway (Route DJ 713) gave us a taste of the Transylvanian alps as we wound through Bucegi Natural Park, and reached an altitude of just under 2000m. But the 39km stretch was only a primer for the TransFagarasan Highway.
The TransFagarasan connects the centre to the south, and was designed to facilitate the movement of military vehicles over mountains that peak at Lake Balea, at an altitude of over 2000m. Motorcyclists were out in force, but not everyone was there for the drive. The occasional heavy vehicle or granny in a hatchback required patience on the narrow and windy roads. Then, there were those who were so interested in capturing their road trip on camera that little attention was paid to actually keeping the car on the lane! At Lake Balea, we stared down at where we had been and the hairpins that coasted up the sides of the valley emerged slowly from the parting clouds.
A typical photo of the TransFagarasan from Lake Balea.
After a good night's sleep, we set off for the TransAlpina Highway, another winding mountain road parallel to the TransFagarasan, that would lead to our next destination, the ancient Saxon town of Sibiu. The road surface quality exceeded the TransFagarasan, and we thought the scenery was more stunning on this route too. We drove hours through dense pine forests, gaping valleys, grassed hills, and vast lakes from dammed rivers. The highway seemed to be showing off, trying to show up its more popular and famous rival. It was successful, changing our minds just which road was the greatest ever made. Sorry, Jeremy Clarkson.
The TransAlpina Highway courtesy Romania Tourism.
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