• Lacey Travels
  • Lacey Travels

River Cruise 2022

Bucharest to Amsterdam - Viking River Cruise with Pre and Post extensions. Læs mere
  • Start på rejsen
    14. oktober 2022

    Bucharest, Romania

    15. oktober 2022, Rumænien ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Bucharest is a very leafy city with lots of parks which are well-treed. The city shows signs of the Communist era, particularly in the housing. There are also many new buildings.
    After a 7.9 earthquake in 1977 levelled large parts of the city, Bucharest has been rebuilt with little high-rise. Bucharest rests on the intersection of 3 tectonic plates. The road system is impressive with major arterial roads flanked by cycle paths and local service roads. We are staying at the JW Marriott Grand Hotel.Læs mere

  • Outside Bucharest

    16. oktober 2022, Rumænien ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Once we leave Bucharest, we are travelling through agricultural land. The houses are bigger and most are single dwellings with well-cared for gardens.
    The Plioesti area is the hub of Romania’s oil and natural gas industry. In WW2, Romania was the main supplier of oil to Germany and as such was heavily protected. We have a short break at a local shopping centre. The photos show some scenes as we roll by on the coach. Check out the roundabout sign.Læs mere

  • Comarnic

    16. oktober 2022, Rumænien ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    We head through Comarnic which is the gateway to the Carpathian Mountains that mark the boundary of Transylvania. The river valleys are very narrow and the steep mountain sides cause flash flooding to occur. Houses are largely built up on river-stone foundations to a level above anticipated flooding, In this area, there are mobile alerts automatically issued for fires or bear sightings.Læs mere

  • Pele’s Castle, Sinaia

    16. oktober 2022, Rumænien ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    The former summer home of King Carol I and Queen Elisabeth, the castle was built between 1873-1914. The royal family came here to the Carpathian Mountains to escape the oppressive Bucharest summer heat. It is now a museum containing fine arts, furniture, stained glass windows and weaponry.Læs mere

  • Through the Carpathian Mountains

    16. oktober 2022, Rumænien ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    The Carpathian Mountains encircle Transylvania. They are the 3rd longest European mountain range. The rugged grey cliffs of the southern Carpathian’s form the backdrop for a winding mountain road into Transylvania. Again, rivers are narrow and rock-strewn. In spring-melt and heavy rain, they would flood quickly. The autumn foliage is well-coloured.Læs mere

  • Brașov Council Square - the Old Town

    16. oktober 2022, Rumænien ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Brasov is the capital of Transylvania. Founded in 1211, Brasov was located at the intersection of the trading routes between the Ottoman Empire and Western Europe. The Black Church is the largest Gothic structure in Romania. Its walls were darkened by the Great Fire of 1689, hence the name. A very old city with a very modern future - many of the allied military industries are located here, making helicopters and aeroplanes. The old town settles next to the new town. On Sunday afternoon, it’s a family day with many inter-generational groups out and about enjoying the balmy weather. We walk thru the old town streets to the Town Council Square.Læs mere

  • Rural Transylvania

    17. oktober 2022, Rumænien ⋅ ☀️ 5 °C

    Not far out of Bucharest, we are into wide open spaces where farming is the major industry. It’s the season to harvest potatoes and cut the wheat. On many farms there is a quite primitive work pattern, harvesting/planting by hand, manually-wheeling using carts, a few small tractors. Animals appear to graze at will with few fences even along roadways.Læs mere

  • Bran Castle from the outside

    17. oktober 2022, Rumænien ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    Bran Castle is a fortress built along a key trading route. It is commonly known as Dracula’s Castle, from the Bram Stoker novel. There is no evidence that Stoker knew anything about this castle. There are slight associations with Vlad the Impaler who is said to be the inspiration for Dracula. The Castle is now a museum which displays the art and furniture collected by Queen Marie.Læs mere

  • Bran Castle - the Courtyard

    17. oktober 2022, Rumænien ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    Louis I of Anjou, King of Hungary, ordered the building of the fortress in the 14th Century. It was to be a customs collection point and quarantine station at a strategic transit point between the East and the West. During the Communist era, the castle changed from a royal residence to a state-owned museum.Læs mere

  • Mogosoaia Palace

    18. oktober 2022, Rumænien ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    Mogosoaia Palace is just about 10 Kms from Bucharest. It was built between 1698-1702. The palace was built for a wealthy family but was devastated by the Ottomans 1768-1774. It was later granted to the sovereign prince of Wallachia. The Palace was bombed by the Germans in WW1 but was reconstructed in the late 1920’s-30’s. The palace was passed down through the prince’s family and in 1931, when Prince George died, he was buried in the small white 1688 chapel in the grounds. Inside, people had to don plastic shoe covers which were very slippery on the marble floors. Not allowed to take inside photos, but an eclectic mix of furniture and art, not ostentatious at all.Læs mere

  • Snagov Monastery

    18. oktober 2022, Rumænien ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Snagov Monastery stands on a tiny island in a lake just outside Bucharest. Local tradition states it is the burial place of Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It was originally founded in the 14th century. The inside of the church is ornately decorated with frescoes from floor to ceiling. Vlad the Impaler was the Prince of Wallachian. Historians and archaeologists have tried to prove whether the body is indeed buried under the flagstone, but all they have found is a mix of horse and human bones and nothing confirms Dracula’s interment here. The locals firmly believe it is so. The custodian of the monastery is a single monk who lives onsite with several animals, including ostriches, horses, cats and lots of dogs.Læs mere

  • The Village Museum

    19. oktober 2022, Rumænien ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    The Village Museum is a large park where buildings from all around Romania have been gathered and reconstructed to show how people lived throughout the centuries in this country. They are working on replacing the roof of the main entrance. Note the lack of safety precautions.Læs mere