Transfăgărășan - the spectacular highway

To begin my very first post, I will write about Romania. I like to call Romania a "hidden treasure" as every time I come back I am in awe with something new and extraordinary that I see or visit.

Transfăgărășan wouldn't be any different. Last summer, my family and I took a little weekend trip to this part of the country. Firstly, I would like to tell you a little bit of the highway to understand why it’s so special.

Transfagarasan is 150 km long and one of the most popular tourist attractions of the year. It only opens from June to October, since the other months of the year it’s completely full of snow and dangerous to drive. The highway was built from 1970-1974 on the personal orders of Nicolae Ceausescu, the leader of the time. It is believed he wanted to create a strategic route across the Fagaras Mountains to ferry troops north should Romania be invaded by the USSR. Like the Danube-Black Sea Canal project of the 1980s, the Transfagarasan was built as a status symbol with little regard for cost or usefulness.

Enthusiasts of motoring enjoy taking their Ferraris, Maseratis and other high speed cars to test their velocities.

Our personal experience was very interesting. We left Bucharest and made a pit stop to Curtea de Arges, a small town 38 km north of Pitesti. It is home to the ruins of the Princely Court, built by Basarab I in the 14th century. While there is not really very much left of the Court building itself, the well-kept church, which is in honor of St. Nicholas, is in excellent condition. One of the legends of this church is of Radu Negru employing a Meşterul Manole as a foreman to the construction. Manole was unable to finish the walls so the prince threatened him and his assistants with death.

Finally, Manole suggested that they should follow the ancient custom of placing a living woman into the foundations; and that she who first appeared on the following morning should be the victim. The other masons warned their families, and Manole was forced to sacrifice his own wife, to his despair. Manole told the prince that they could always build an even greater building, but Radu Negru had them stranded on the roof. They fashioned wooden wings and tried to fly off the roof, but, one by one, they all fell to the ground.

Coming back to our trip, another hour or so in the car, you will find yourself going into the highway. It’s very hard to drive since there is only one lane going up and one lane coming down. Most cars go slowly and you can see various signs saying to be careful since rocks can fall down on the floor from the mountains on your left, to your right you can find the abyss!

It feels like you are going in circles to nowhere, however, this is done because it surrounds the mountains. As you exit the Capra Tunnel, you will get to the top of the highway, it’s a must to appreciate the breathtaking views of the mountains and Balea Lac, a classic picture for a postcard.