My night was short – due to the fact that Brasov is at 600 m altitude the cool air in my room really helped with regeneration and good sleep. (the small porta-split unit in my room was very good at making a lot of noise but not so much at cooling. OK to keep the temperature at semi-acceptable levels during the day.)
I get on the road around 6.15 am and head out of Brasov. My goal for today is to drive all the way to get as close as possible to the Ukrainian border post in Siret.
That said, I will be deviating somewhat from the planned route today, as the main ‘scenic’ road I had chosen turned out to be not much more than a dirt track – even though I had done lots of QA on the route before. This stretch must have slipped through.
The direct route to Siret is 374 km. This is very much at the limit of what is possible with one charge on 4 bar tyres (surprisingly comfortable but massively reduce handling), with all the additional weight and crossing one pass.
AC 22 kW charging stations are getting pretty rare in eastern Romania and, interestingly, even the ones that are listed on lemnet as being compatible with e.g. Plugsurfing aren’t in reality. So things will remain interesting! Just keep in mind that not so long ago (15+ years to be precise) there weren’t any AC charging stations and every charge was ‘creatively sourced’ by asking someone or going to a fire department or car dealer.
Back to todays drive.
The Carpathians remain close whilst I take the main road out of town to make some distance until the first few hills start again.
Since I left very early from the hotel, I hadn’t had any breakfast – and was in for some more local energy drinks and undefined bakery items!
Another nice thing about starting early during these heat wave days is enjoying the cool morning air until around 1030 am when the sun really starts to heat everything up.
So yet again: goosebumps and feeling slightly cold…and enjoying it.
Nature, overall, is not having a great time now. The fields are cleared but the trees look more like and it actually feels like autumn – yellow leaves or much darker green shades than normal.
Thinking back to yesterday’s miraculous resurrection of my travel plans and restoration of my TWIKE, I’m so grateful that I’m back on the road… and am driving my TWIKE accordingly: gingerly and avoiding potholes as much as I can. The road surfaces remain so-so to very good.
After entering the first plateau, it’s time to head into the Carpathians again. At first it’s just a few rolling hills – very relaxing and I’m back to Romainia’s stunning nature.
As always, on the road, I come past petrol stations with local energy drinks – today is no different. This time, however, they advertise their drink ahead of me entering the shop – and +1hr +2hr and: +3hr is something I really want to experience 😉
I got the drink and… the taste is fresh. Let’s see about the +3hr in 3 hours.
I’m in awe regarding the investments that must be going on and have been going on regarding charging network building – this petrol station is literally in the middle of nowhere along a smaller road in east Romania and they install 2x 400kW chargers with 4 charging points total!
The thing I really like about Romania is the fact that regulations must have something to do with the fact that charging prices are clearly mentioned (even at the old ABB ones) and most of the charging stations have barrier-free credit card reader terminals installed. (That most of them didn’t work for one reason or another – a black terminal in direct sunlight is never a good idea – is another story altogether)
After the first smaller hill range was crossed, the fun was not over, not by a long stretch – first of all, somehow, everything was suddenly also in Hungarian and the people spoke Hungarian … 300 km from the Hungarian border. (Turns out that this region was once Hungarian and the borders just moved. Over 80% of the people are ethnically Hungarian and this region of Romania actually sees people indeed primarily communicate in Hungarian on a day-to-day basis, in their distinct local dialect)
From Gheorgheni onwards, it’s time for some serious climbing to the Rose Lake Pass. The nature remains beautiful and one feels super remote from everything … which obviously includes mobile phone networks being absent.
The air at 1200m altitude is nice and cool – giving me a great break from the relentless heat.
On the other side of the pass the road slopes gradually along the Bicaz River – including quite a few hairpin bends.
Visually, the ride was absolutely stunning – the gorge is something I’ve not yet seen this dramatic anywhere else!
In Bicaz I pull into a petrol station to get something to drink and shelter from the heat for a few minutes. During this time I get into a conversation with a local couple that asks me the usual questions. They are from a town around an hour away and know the region well.
I tell them that my plan is to continue along the river towards the first town on the plain, Piatra Neamt, and then continue towards the Ukrainian border, ideally until Siret. (which would be exactly around 100% of my charge, factoring in the energy I’m getting back from my descent from here.)
They then get really insistent that this is a very bad idea and that I would be missing out on lake Bicaz which is a MUST-SEE! Which is a great idea as it looks like an interesting extension of my trip in the Carpathian hills.
I’ll have to charge somewhere en-route to get to Siret (as mentioned, there aren’t too many options in eastern Romainia)
But, boy, did this decision and their insistence pay off!
I got to see so much AI-rendered stuff 😉
Go for yourself, please! It’s difficult to describe what this place looked like. Also, it seems to be a very popular place to go as a Romanian.
After around 60km of this, one last descent brings me to the oven of eastern Romania’s plains which it shares with Moldova, which is just 100km from here.
With a battery at 15% SOC, It’s time to look for a place to charge – the only ones available are in Suceava or Radauti. Since Radauti is a little off my route, I decide to drive to Suceava.
This part of Romania is less interesting – one small industrial town after another.
And inbetween: fields, fields and nothing more…except:
A veritable wall of heat! It’s just HOT and I’m fading again – even whilst drinking over a litre per hour.
Having arrived in Suceava, I decide enough is enough and get myself a hotel room at a nice hotel with good air conditioning. What’s more, parking is free and secure whilst charging is possible and costs me just 30 Eurocents per kWh.
The hotel I’m in is a higher-tier affair and it tries to show this in multiple ways – good and attentive service, good amenities, nice and large rooms…and motivational posters with questionable vibes…
The town in earlier times must have been a super-drab socialist concrete industrial settlement.
Nowadays the concrete is still there but also small craft coffee shops, bars and pop-up style shops.
Let’s go to the stats for today.
It would have been nice to have reached Siret today but even though it’s just 45km more, I must say I wouldn’t have enjoyed the last 45-50 mins in this heat plus another 30 mins charge.
What I’m looking forward to is me crossing into Ukraine! I’ve got all my papers and insurance copies etc. ready!