Getting to Rasnov and first Castle.

Gypsy life in Romania

The hike to Rasnov is quite interesting, after getting out of town as usual, i get to a spot where loads of people seem to be hitchhiking... I join them and soon people start asking where i go. Direction Pitesti I say and soon i have the company of a young nice woman going the same direction. Meer 5 min later a car stops and of we are! This is hitchhiking in Romania fast but not free... It is like a taxi service, people join in for expenses.
Raluka is very happy to meet me, she didn't speak French in 5 years! She still has a very perfect pronunciation and wide vocabulary. Sometimes she mixes up some Italian (she speaks fluently) and makes excuses all the time :) She invites me to here home anytime and pays for the ride as she gets of and when i get off later the drivers refuse payment.
The next ride i get after walking my way trough the city for an hour... Once at the right spot, a guy picks me up in a mater of minutes. He doesn't ask me for money, i think it is implicit but since i sit the whole journey with my heavy bag squeezing me in, i just get out of the car and he drives away. I don't understand Romanian but the two guys in front didn't seem like nice guys and the other hitchhiker seemed oppressed and like they made fun of him...
The two next rides are real hitchhiking rides, people not caring about money, rather about you. This said i understand the fact of paying rides given the price of fuel in these countries compared to wadges... and In Romania i will contribute a couple times. The first dude is an old man in a n old Dacia, turning of his engine when it goes downhill, the next one is young and has a new Dacia Logan. He speaks little Spanish and we sorta communicate :) He feels like he has to show me how good the Logan is and drives like a madman on the beautiful mountain roads.

Rasnov Caslte

We entered the mountain region and are getting close to my goal. He drops me of at the petrol station where i meat my host Deni. He takes me to his house where i meet his caring mother and father. They speak perfect German and communication is easy again :) Deni is full of knowledge about the region and takes me to the local castle which history i get told. It was boight by an italian fastinated with castels and who wanted to restaure it. He did in a very authentic and beautiful way and then started to make littel money out of visits. The city of Rasnov understood there was money there, and tooke the mater to justice to get the castle back. The italian dude died and the castle is back to Rasnov and since they put this very big Hollywood style hudge RASNOV signe in front of it. Like Deni remembers, in the sim city game, this is the cheapest way to make people in your town feel happy :) Up there, looking at the woods I also get to hear stories about Bears, camping, mountains and Bucharest.

The castle from under the pooring rain.

After a good meal of cheese, tomatoes, ham and a lovely stew with meat, I get a good shower and we go to meet Denis friend who is celebrating her birthday! There i get to meet more lovely People and talk about all sorts of interesting subjects.