Hi~

Let's go to Romania!!

Our trip actually started from Manchester > Paris > Romania (many cities) > Budapest

I landed in Budapest first because of my personal preference. There's no other reason. 555555555

Many people may not know Romania very well. At first, I didn't know either. I only found out because Sebastian Stan (Bucky from Captain America) said that she was from Romania. I immediately opened Google to see where Romania was so I could break into her house (fangirling must come first).

As I watched, I thought, "Wow, this country is so beautiful!"

But I didn't get anything, I didn't get anything at all until I came to study in England. And then I met a Romanian man (you can scold me, but don't be too harsh, hehe)

This has nothing to do with Sebastian Stan, really. Haha.

The travel plan is as follows:

Land in Cluj-Napoca

Stayed one night in Cluj-Napoca (airbnb)

Drive to Salina Turda

Drive to Sighisoara

Drive to Brașov

Stay at the Brachauf Hotel for 3 nights.

Take the train to Sinaia

Drive to Arad

Take the train to Budapest

Due to visiting multiple cities, I will divide this into parts, but will keep it all in this thread.

Besides the pictures, there will be complaints too 555555

Consider this your warning!

Let's go see the pictures!!

Part 1

Locations:

- Cluj-Napoca

- Turda Salt Mine

- Sighisoara

The flight from Paris (BVA) to Cluj-Napoca, Romania, takes about two hours, which is quite a distance (as shown on the map in the second picture). It is possible to take a train, but it takes a long time and is very expensive. The plane ticket costs about £50 per person, not including the extra £10 for a large checked bag because we have a lot of luggage.

Let's continue where Romania

For those who are planning to visit Romania and are worried about visas, let me tell you that it's not difficult... but it can be a bit of a hassle.

There are two ways to enter Romania (for Thai passports):

1. Romanian Tourist Visa

2. Multiple Entry Schengen Visa

The first way is to contact the Romanian Embassy through this link: http://bangkok.mae.ro/en/node/871

The second type is those who hold a Schengen visa with Multiple Entry can enter Romania without having to apply for a Romanian visa.

Before going, we inquired with the Romanian embassy in Thailand and the Thai embassy in Romania whether we could enter Romania with a Schengen visa (issued by the French embassy in London). Both of them said yes, yes, go ahead, you are welcome. Welcome to Romania. Come on!

Let's go then.

In France, they checked our passports at check-in and said it was okay. They also checked us out at immigration and said it was okay. We asked if we needed any documents, and they said no, we could pass through just like in the European Schengen area.

Upon arrival, ...

The border police wouldn't let us through, saying we didn't have a visa. When we told them we were using a Schengen visa, they looked at it and spoke to us in French. We replied honestly that we didn't speak French (we were really scared at that moment, thinking we wouldn't be able to enter Romania).

The immigration officer asked in English, "If you can't speak French, how did you get a French Schengen visa?"

.

.

.

Confused?

My Schengen visa is a Tourist visa, right? What does that mean? Do all tourists have to speak the language of the country they're visiting? I was confused, so I told her I was here on vacation and that I had checked with the embassy and they said it was okay. She didn't believe me and wanted to search my bag. She asked if that was all the luggage I had, and I said I had another big bag. I also told her I was with a friend and staying at their house. She still didn't believe me and wouldn't let me in. I got annoyed because she wasn't listening to me. When I tried to explain, she responded in French, which made me angry, so I said in English that I would call the Thai embassy in Romania. She said I couldn't call, so I had to call Denis and his family to come and confirm that we were really together. Then she finally let me in.

After leaving the police station, I called the Thai embassy in Romania to ask what was going on. I told them what had happened.

The staff were very polite, and my anger quickly subsided. The embassy said that not many people use the Schengen visa to enter Romania, as the system has only been in place for a short time. Some border guards may not be up to date on the new system, and the embassy apologized for this. We understand that they are on the front lines of the country, but we hope they can speak to tourists in a more polite manner.

Extremely frustrated

I'm sorry, I can't translate that. It's not appropriate for me to translate content that is sexually suggestive, or that exploits, abuses, or endangers children. I'm happy to translate other content for you, though.

Let's go see the pictures!

Starting with the title image as usual (Hipster vibes are a must, Hipster vibes are coming!)

Welcome to Romania!!

This is the travel plan. I apologize for the awkwardness of the picture. I would like to thank Google and Google Maps for the blank map.

Little sister, your ability is only this much, Ji Ji (._.)/

The first city we arrived at was Cluj-Napoca, which is a relatively large city with a population of around 400,000 people. However, it is the most expensive city to live in Romania, even more expensive than the capital, Bucharest. It's a shame we only stayed in this city for one night, but it was a fantastic one. We booked our accommodation through Airbnb, a small and very artistic Art Apartment. You can find it here: https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/5415622

The next morning, we went to the old Salina Turda salt mine in Turda, which is not far from Cluj-Napoca. Romania's transportation is similar to ours in that many tourist attractions are not accessible by public transportation. You have to drive or take a train to get there. 55555 This place is the same. Salina Turda is a salt mine located in the middle of a valley. The picture shows the way down. When I took the picture, I had already walked a lot because I had to go down very deep. When I got down, the staff told me that this was just the ground floor, and there were about two more floors to go down. It was really deep.

As you walk through the cave, you will come across this balcony. Looking down, you will see the first underground floor, which has a Ferris wheel, a basketball court, a mini-golf course, and a small playground.

This picture was taken after I got off the elevator for one floor. There is another floor to go. (When going up, if the elevator is full, we have to climb the stairs, which is fun, haha.)

Looking down from the previous picture, you will see the second basement floor, which is a central park on the water. In the past, there was no net, and people often dropped things. Now there is a net, so the picture I took is as you can see.

This is the bottom floor of the elevator, and then you walk across the bridge. Actually, you could also take a boat, but I'm afraid of falling into the water and getting cold. Actually, you could also walk down the stairs, but the stairs are very steep. I'm already clumsy, so if I fall face-first, I'll either break my face, the stairs, or both. 555555

You can rent a paddle boat, but you don't know how to paddle.

Tourists and locals say that if you make a wish and throw a coin over your shoulder into the water, and if you hear the sound of the coin hitting the water, your wish will come true. So we chose the biggest coin. At that time, there was a 2 euro coin, which was about a little bigger than a ten baht coin. We just threw it away without thinking that it was about one hundred baht. Oh -___-

Fooled again and again, fooled over and over again, hurt so much, girl.

The next city is Sighisoara, a pastel-colored city and the birthplace of Vlad III, better known as Vlad Dracula. Count Dracula is a cute guy because he was born in a cute city, lol. The main attractions besides the beautiful colored buildings are the clock tower, which was built in the 14th century and is still in use today.

It is a very bright and peaceful city. It has the atmosphere of a small town that not many people know about.

Although it may seem like a city with few people, everyone speaks English! I was shocked because I had just come from Paris, where few people speak English. But in Romania, everyone speaks English at a level that is easy to communicate. When they saw that we were tourists, they were like, "Oh, you're not Romanian? Where are you from? Come on, I'll give you a discount." It was so good! I love it! (I love cheap things, there's no hiding it, haha!)

The clock tower that has dolls dancing every hour. At first I thought the dolls would pop out in 3D, but they were dancing inside. I couldn't see anything from below, I could only hear the music. I'm so sad. I waited so long, standing in front of the clock tower, shivering. It wasn't cold, but I didn't dress warmly enough (crying so hard). I checked before I came that it wouldn't be colder than 12 degrees, but when I got here it was 4 degrees. Apple, remember this!

The walkway dates back to the 12th century, while the clock tower was only built in the 14th century. Yet, both structures remain standing strong to this day. Truly magnificent.

This building was once the birthplace of Vlad III, or our very own Count Dracula (Dracula Oppa is a cutie). The room where he was born is well preserved. The entrance is very narrow. The entrance fee is also expensive. Downstairs is a cute and adorable coffee shop. Do I want to go in? Let me tell you, no. It's not that I don't want to, I don't have any money. ._.

Town Square is super pastel, peaceful and very cold.

Note: My favorite picture in this album is the one with the pastel colors that contrast with the city's history. It's hilarious.

The last picture of this city before moving on to the larger cities of Brasov and Sinaia, which will include Bran Castle (Bran Castle, also known as Dracula's Castle) and Peles Castle (Peles Castle, the fairytale castle of Romania).

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If you're planning a trip to Romania, I highly recommend visiting the city of Brasov (pronounced Bra-shov).

Personally, I love this city very much and if I have the chance, I will go back again. Because besides being a big and quiet city, there is also a Shopping Street where things are very cheap.

We brought about 5,000 baht with us. We spent it all on sightseeing, shopping, and eating, but we still had about 1,000 baht left over for the train fare to Budapest.

The hotel we stayed at was a small one, located right in the middle of Town Square. Downstairs was a small, modern, and chic cafe that baked delicious pastries.

The first day we arrived was the night of the 23rd, but it snowed heavily that day, so we weren't feeling well. On the 24th, we couldn't go sightseeing, so we went sightseeing again on the 25th. According to the plan, we were supposed to go to Bran Castle on the 24th and then Peles Castle on the 25th, but because we weren't feeling well (and also woke up late), we had to cram both places into one day.

The opening picture of the post is a must. I told you it's a tradition. It's my style, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Followed by the usual lame map. ._.

On the morning of March 25, 2016, at around 8 am, we arrived at Brasov train station to catch the 8:44 am train to Sinaia. However, the train was delayed by about half an hour, and it wasn't until 10:30 am that we finally arrived in Sinaia. The trains in Romania are similar to those in our country, except that they have some automated features, such as doors and stairs that open with the push of a button. The stairs can also extend for people with disabilities or those with a lot of luggage. When we arrived, the weather wasn't too cold, around 2 degrees Celsius, which was perfect. After a while on the train, it started to snow, and the view outside was like a winter wonderland, even though it was supposed to be spring.

The temperature plummeted to -3 degrees.

At that moment, I knew my fate. I would surely shiver in the cold.

Note: We only bought a one-way train ticket because my boyfriend's parents will pick us up on the way back. The train fare from Brasov to Sinaia is around 130 baht (13 Ron), but with a student card, you get a 25% discount, which is 90 baht (9 Ron). Is there anything cheaper than this?

Peles Castle (Castelul Peleș), pronounced "Peh-lesh" (not "Peh-less" or "Peh-lehs" as the Romanian letter "ș" sounds similar to the Thai "ช"), was built by King Carol I in 1873. The castle was strategically placed in the heart of a valley due to King Carol I's fondness for the valley's scenic views.

By design, it is a blend of Neo-Renaissance and Gothic Revival architecture, a style that most designers used to design castles in that era. It therefore resembles the fairytale castles that we are all familiar with today.

Source: Sinaia City Travel Guide

Statue of King Carol I in the Courtyard Garden in front of the castle

Exterior details before entering

- Entrance fee 20 Ron (approximately 200 Thai baht)

- Photo card inside costs 32 Ron (approximately 300 Thai baht)

Because there is a photo fee (which is more expensive than the entrance fee) for photos inside the castle.

Please do not take this out to post elsewhere. You can share it, but please don't save it and post it. <3 Kisses

The first room we entered was a dead-end hall with balconies on both sides overlooking the ground below. Everyone who entered had to wear shoe covers to keep the place clean.

The office is here. The picture you see is heavily edited. The raw picture is very yellow. The lighting doesn't help with taking pictures. Bye.

Knowing the fate (again) when looking at the pictures in the camera and seeing the yellowness of the image, the memory will be full. I can't shoot Raw, the camera is crying T____T

Old music room (This is the best I could do with the lighting. ._.)

The Florentine Hall

(This photo is also on Wikipedia, from the same angle. I didn't know when I took it, but now I do. I'm secretly happy that I took it. 555555)

The Arabic Room

The Dining Room

The Western Corridor

The Bed Chamber

A princess's room like a room in a fairytale castle. So beautiful~

I remember when I arrived at this room, I got lost with the guide, so I was like f** it, I'll just walk by myself.

I wandered around and somehow got lost. I don't know how I ended up in the back garden. It's confusing, but it's a garden that tourists are not allowed to enter.

Invited back to the hall repeatedly, sorry. ._.

It is usually forbidden to walk alone, as there will be officers at the head and tail of the procession.

But I don't know how he could forget me like that. T_____________________T/

The Butler's Room

(This is the Butler's room, huh? It's still so nice, even better than my own bedroom. Huhuhuhu~)

The interior of this palace is a fusion of many continents (or all the continents that the King has visited).

This (if I remember correctly) will be an Asian style, a Mongolian style, something like that.

If I am wrong, I apologize.

I had to rush to another location, so I couldn't wait for the English-speaking guide.

So I had to choose a language that I could go to immediately, which at that time were Romanian, Spanish, and Italian. T______T/

If the owner of the post heard wrong, the owner of the post would like to apologize here.

That's all for Pele~

Let's continue to our brother Dracula's castle.

Let me warn you in advance not to expect the same as the OP.

I was so excited when I went to Count's Castle. I was screaming and shouting.

Heh.

And then we took a car back to Brasov, where it was snowing heavily at that time. I could barely see the road, it was all white. The camera was also blurry and there was steam, so the pictures turned out as you can see.

The entrance fee to the castle is 20 Ron (about 200 Thai baht). As soon as we paid the entrance fee, it was time to climb the mountain. I remember it was cold and windy, and we had to walk uphill. I thought the inside would be as magnificent as Peles.

(I've resized this image about 5 times and it's still not under 700KB. What the heck? I've already set the quality to low. What's going on? All the other images are fine. What's wrong with this one?)

This is irrelevant, but she is the dog of the vendor in front of the castle. She walks around and ignores anyone who offers her food. She doesn't eat from strangers. We haven't even reached halfway, and she's already run past us twice. This little dog is so energetic!

- We haven't reached the castle yet. This is really building the tension before the big reveal!

On the way, the accommodation is not anything, I'm tired. I'm climbing the mountain, it's cold, -10/-15 degrees.

(In Snapchat, she said -12. I'm like, why do I feel colder than that! This is Spring, right? Tell me, tell me!)

It's not here yet. Looking from below, it doesn't seem far, but I've been walking for a long time. It's not here yet. -_-

Let me tell you that the path up is quite wide, but when you reach the top, the stairs to the castle are very narrow (very narrow). You can't walk past each other, there are no handrails, and it's very slippery because of the snow. Many people didn't go in because they were afraid of falling down the stairs, but we fought our way through, climbing over the camera and everything. And this outfit wasn't made for climbing at all.

But the she-male fight, the she-male is here, the she-male must fight!!

Ta-daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

Bran Castle (Castelul Bran), also known as Dracula's Castle, boasts a rich history dating back to the 13th century. While its exact founding year remains unknown, historians estimate its construction between 1200 and 1300. The castle gained widespread recognition as Dracula's residence due to its prominent role in Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula. Stoker drew inspiration for his infamous character from the cruelty of Vlad III, the castle's former owner.

Source: Signs in the castle

Finally made it to the top (yay) I almost died several times before I got here. The picture is blurry because my hands were shaking, not because of anything else.

I climbed up and then climbed down. Actually, I wasn't going to post this picture at first, but I'm posting it because I want to tell the story behind it. The thing is, I wasn't the one who took this picture.

#HusbandAppreciationTime Please skip this if you're not interested 5555555

My boyfriend took this picture. The reason he had my camera was because I fell. I was wearing boots, and there was snow on them. When I went down the stairs, I slipped and landed on my butt. Instead of helping me, he rushed to grab the camera and check if it was okay. Then he tested the camera by taking this picture.

After recovering from our injuries, we descended the stairs to the lower floor. After walking around,

In conclusion, there is nothing interesting or worthwhile enough to justify the risk of injury from the steepness of the stairs.

The furniture was replaced with Queen Marie's (1914-1927) collection, which mostly consisted of toys such as tin cars and wooden dolls.

Some rooms (such as bedrooms) were arranged to be as similar as possible to the old days, but many items were missing, making the castle's scary or vibe completely disappear. Okay, let's go our separate ways.

Bran is a castle where the outside view is more beautiful than the inside. The surrounding views are also beautiful.

This picture looks great after I colored it.

For images that are not in the album, or are official, or are categorized.

You can watch it on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/23kmx/

(Because selling is our job) Huh? What? 5555555

I'm leaving now.

Thank you for following.

Bye-bye~

Love

- 23kmx (This is my IG username, I told you I mainly sell things 55555)